Card Reader - Unformatted Memory Stick Pro Duo

kelston · Nov 20, 2010, 08:11 PM

My parents brought me what my card reader insists is an unformatted Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo that has pictures on it they want to retrieve.

Now, I am pretty sure it's not telling me it needs formatting due to corruption since the camera sees the pictures perfectly fine and they've gotten pictures off of it before.

Do the pharmacies and Costco digital photo rigs have some sort of memory card readers that differ from what's available to the standard home user? They tell me that they can just pop in their memory stick at Costco without issue and make a CD of pictures.

When I pop in the memory stick into my card reader, my card reader just tells me it needs to be formatted before use. I realize they could get the pictures off by connecting the camera with the usb cable but well, being technophobes, they managed to leave that cable back in Singapore on the other side of the world.

So i'm at a loss. I've tried a number of the free data recovery programs that supposedly recovers data off memory cards but with the memory card plugged in, the data recovery programs don't even see the drive to scan for recoverable data.

Tipstaff · Nov 21, 2010, 06:25 AM

Using the camera, can you see any pictures on the card? If so, then the easiest way would be to hook up the camera to the PC, and use it to read the data off the card. Sometimes you have to change a setting on the camera to switch it over to USB mode, so take a look and see if it's possible. Also, you "may" need to use the software that came with the camera, but most times you shouldn't.

Some card readers just won't read certain MS Pro Duo cards properly. Some that say they do only support up to a certain speed, certain size, and certain type. For instance I had one that would not read anything beyond the standard card, so no reading of the High Speed, and certainly not the HG. I also had one that would read them, but I had to use the MS Pro Duo to MS Pro adapter to get it too work (if the memory card came with the camera check the box it came in as the adapter "should" be there, and if it was separately bought the same should apply).

Nov 20, 2010, 08:11 PM	#1
kelston HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: May 2003 Location: Bayside, NY USA Posts: 360 Rep Power: 0	Card Reader - Unformatted Memory Stick Pro Duo My parents brought me what my card reader insists is an unformatted Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo that has pictures on it they want to retrieve. Now, I am pretty sure it's not telling me it needs formatting due to corruption since the camera sees the pictures perfectly fine and they've gotten pictures off of it before. Do the pharmacies and Costco digital photo rigs have some sort of memory card readers that differ from what's available to the standard home user? They tell me that they can just pop in their memory stick at Costco without issue and make a CD of pictures. When I pop in the memory stick into my card reader, my card reader just tells me it needs to be formatted before use. I realize they could get the pictures off by connecting the camera with the usb cable but well, being technophobes, they managed to leave that cable back in Singapore on the other side of the world. So i'm at a loss. I've tried a number of the free data recovery programs that supposedly recovers data off memory cards but with the memory card plugged in, the data recovery programs don't even see the drive to scan for recoverable data. __________________ Pants are a dangerous foe!

Nov 21, 2010, 06:25 AM	#2
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Re: Card Reader - Unformatted Memory Stick Pro Duo Using the camera, can you see any pictures on the card? If so, then the easiest way would be to hook up the camera to the PC, and use it to read the data off the card. Sometimes you have to change a setting on the camera to switch it over to USB mode, so take a look and see if it's possible. Also, you "may" need to use the software that came with the camera, but most times you shouldn't. Some card readers just won't read certain MS Pro Duo cards properly. Some that say they do only support up to a certain speed, certain size, and certain type. For instance I had one that would not read anything beyond the standard card, so no reading of the High Speed, and certainly not the HG. I also had one that would read them, but I had to use the MS Pro Duo to MS Pro adapter to get it too work (if the memory card came with the camera check the box it came in as the adapter "should" be there, and if it was separately bought the same should apply). __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.