How to Recover Deleted or Lost Videos from Dash Cam
This article describes how to recover deleted videos from Dash Cam in several methods. Of these, the most effective one is using professional data recovery software - MyRecover. Scroll down 👇 to explore more.
Dashcam, also known as driving recorder, car camera, or card DVR, is one of the most essential card accessories. They have gained popularity due to their potential benefits, such as proving innocence in accidents, reporting bad driving behavior, and deterring theft.
However, sometimes your video from Dash Cam footage may be accidentally deleted or just lost due to unknown reasons. You may wonder: Is it possible to recover deleted videos from Dash Cam footage? How to recover deleted videos from Dash Cam?
"My vehicle has been with the dealership for the last 4 weeks and yesterday morning a police officer called me saying a tech from the dealer was driving recklessly and speeding. I went to the dealership a few hours later to obtain the SD card so I could see what else has been going on and the last several days of videos are missing. Is there any way to recover deleted videos from Dash Cam?“
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How Does a Dashcam Work?
Where Is Dash Cam Footage Stored?
The footage is saved in a loop, usually in a micro SD card, but it can also be saved to a USB drive, such as Tesla, or cloud storage. The Tesla record dashcam only keeps 1 hour in a continuous loop unless you press the button to save footage manually.
In general, if the card is full, the dash cams will start overwriting the oldest footage. Some dashcams also have a feature to protect certain footage. The files are often split into small segments and the metadata may be stored separately from the actual video files, making it difficult to recover.
Why Does the Dashcam Video or Footage Get Lost?
As mentioned early, dashcam videos or footage are saved on an inserted memory card. Like any other storage media, it is susceptible to data loss. We collect some common reasons below:
- Accidental Deletion. It's a primary reason for deleted or lost cashcam footage. Users may unintentionally delete videos while navigating through the dash cam's settings or when trying to remove other files.
- Corruption Issue. Sudden power loss or improper ejection can lead to data corruption, making videos inaccessible. Removing a card while it’s still recording also causes corruption.
- Improper Usage. Your memory card is almost full, but you still use it to record new footage, which will overwrite the old footage. You may also continue recording videos at a low battery.
- Incompatible or Outdate Drivers. If you don’t update your SD card drivers or it’s not compatible with your camera, your videos may also lost.
- Bad Sectors.The memory card has a limited read/write cycle, and once you exceed it, your card may generate bad sectors.
- Virus Infection. You insert your memory card into a virus-infected device which results in a loss of dash cam videos.
- Physical Damage. Firmware issues or hardware malfunctions might result in video loss or prevent the camera from recording altogether.
Most Effective Way to Recover Deleted Videos from Dash Cam
MyRecover is one of the best data recovery software, integrated with a user-friendly interface and two advanced scanning methods, which can thoroughly scan every sector of a device. So you can use it to completely recover deleted or lost videos from Dash Cam, with fast speed & high success rate.
- Apply to: recover deleted or lost Dash Cam footage, i.e. MP4, AVI, M4V, MOV, etc., commonly used in computer video players.
- The interface is intuitive and you can get started quickly.
- It has a free edition that recovers up to 500MB.
- Automatically performs a quick & deep scan to find as many files as possible.
- Quickly narrow down the data types to find what you need.
- Preview files before recovering to ensure you get what exactly you want.
- Selectively recover files instead of all.
- .....
100% SecureIn addition, you can use it to recover deleted X3F/HEIF/JPG images, X3D/MXF/MP4 videos, DOC/DOCX/TXT/XLS documents and any common file types.
To get started, please download this software.
Step 1. Select the Dash Cam card or Tesla USB drive.
Connect your memory card to a Windows PC via a card reader. If it's a USB drive, connect through a USB port. Then, open MyRecover, hover the mouse over your card, and click Scan.
Step 2. Scan your card or USB drive.
It will run a Quick Scan and a Deep Scan automatically to search and display all the deleted or lost files there. Click the Filter feature to specify the "Videos" data type first and then type the file name or extension in the search box to narrow down.
Also, you can expand the "Deleted Files" or "Other Missing Files" directory to find the deleted or lost Dash Cam footage in the original location.
Step 3. Recover deleted or lost videos from Dash Cam.
Once found, preview and select the footage you want to recover. Then, click Recover x files to recover video files from Dash Cam. Please select a new location instead of the original location to prevent potential data overwriting.
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The restore button will display the number of selected video files and their full size.
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MyRecover allows you to perform dashcam video recovery for free, up to 500MB each time. To recover all of your videos, please upgrade to the advanced editions.
In addition, you still can use this software to recover CFast card, xD-Picture card, SDXC card, SDHC card, microSD or mini SD, xD card, CF card, MMC card, etc.
Manual Methods to Recover Deleted Dash Cam Footage
Except for data recovery software, you still can try manual methods to recover deleted dash cam footage based on possible reasons, such as outdated or incompatible drivers, file system corruption, etc.
Way 1: Assign a New Drive Letter
If your memory card is not showing up in File Explore, go to Disk Management and check if your card has a drive letter. If not, assign a new one.
Step 1. Press the Win+R key to open the Run dialogue box. Type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter to open Disk Management.
Step 2. Locate and right-click the memory card, then select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
Step 3. Click Change in the dialog box. You will then select a drive letter from Assign the following drive letter box and click OK.
Way 2: Reinstall Memory Card Driver
If your card driver is incompatible or outdated, it will be marked with a red exclamation mark in Device Manager. You can check it and then reinstall the driver.
Step 1. Go to This PC and right-click on it, then select Manage > Device Manager.
Step 2. Expand Disk Drives. Right-click your memory card and select Uninstall Device.
Step 3. Now restart your system. It will automatically install drivers for your memory card.
Way 3: Perform CHKDSK Command
If your card is damaged or ask for reformatting, try chkdsk command to scan and fix any file system error or minor corruption in memory card.
Step 1. Type cmd in the search box and select Run as Administrator.
Step 2. In the command prompt window, type chkdsk *: /f /r /x and press Enter to fix errors in the memory card of your dash cam.
What If Your Dash Cam Memory Card Is Damaged?
If the data recovery software fails to retrieve the deleted videos or you are uncomfortable performing the recovery process yourself, consider seeking professional data recovery services. They have the expertise and tools to handle more complex recovery tasks, such as, recover files from corrupted memory cards.
How to Protect Dash Cam Video Recordings Safely
Taking preventive measures can significantly reduce the risk of video loss from your dash cam and be sure your videos are always safe. Here are some useful tips you can follow:
- Stop using the memory card immediately. It can avoid deleted or lost videos being overwritten.
- Use the Emergency Lock feature - push the Lock button to secure your videos and unplug the dash cam as soon as possible, preventing being overwritten.
- Take care of your card. Be sure your card is parked and safely eject it (power off the dashcam first), preventing data corruption.
- Format your card regularly. You can also format it properly using the built-in formatting feature to prevent file system errors, causing disappeared videos.
- Regularly back up videos from Dash Cam. Use free Windows backup software - AOMEI Backupper Standard and and set a scheduled backup task for your Dash Cam video recordings, preventing most data loss scenarios.
Conclusion
Accidentally deleting dashcam videos can be a distressing experience. However, with the right method, you can easily and safely recover deleted videos from Dash Cam in simple steps. The most effective method is using professional data recovery software - MyRecover.
It even helps restructure the file system of your card or scan every sector of it to find out as many files as possible. So you can recover them without effort. Remember to act quickly, stop using the dash cam, and use reliable data recovery services if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I recover deleted videos without software?
In short, if you back up your video files before the accident, the answer is Yes. You can try to restore files from backup created by backup software, such as AOMEI Backupper Standard. If not, using dedicated data recovery software significantly improves the chances of successful recovery.
2. Are all deleted videos recoverable?
The answer is No, especially if they have been overwritten, or the card is severely damaged. In addition, some video files are very large, such as R3D videos, making it difficult to recover.
3. Will data recovery affect video quality?
In most cases, data recovery does not affect the original video quality. The recovered videos should be as clear as they were before deletion.
4. How long will a dash cam record on an SD card?
Typically, a 16GB SD card can hold around 2 hours of 1080P recording while a 32GB card stores about 3-4 hours, more than enough for most drivers.
5. How can I future-proof video storage?
To future-proof video storage, consider investing in high-quality memory cards with larger capacities. Additionally, regularly update your dash cam's firmware to ensure optimal performance and compatibility with newer memory card technologies.