| Author | Message | ||
     Rick Goeringer |
I am attempting to recover from a SimpleTech 128 mb compact flash card and get an error msg when I start of "An attempt was made to move the file pointer before the beginning of the file." The attempts to recover are unsuccessful but there are numerous hex values of "45786966" in the drive directory. Any thoughts on a solution. Shot with a Nikon 990 with an average file size of 1.1 mb. | ||
| Stefan Fleischmann (Admin) |
May be related to a wrong cluster size specified in the File Retrieval dialog window. You could send me the recovery log file from the output folder. You could try the same procedure on a different computer, running Windows 95/98/Me instead of Windows NT/2000/XP, or you could try the other data recovery mechanism in WinHex (use the Access button menu to move to the root directory and then to recover the "current directory"). | ||
| Anonymous |
Stefan, Thank you for your rapid response to my challenge. I have sent you the recovery log by seperate email and am working on your other suggestions. Rick Goeringer | ||
| Anonymous |
Stefan, I also tried a 98 Windows laptop and was not successful in recovering the images. Rick | ||
| Stefan Fleischmann (Admin) |
WRT the log file: maybe the parameters in the lower half of the File Retrieval dialog were not entirely correct. Please check them (or let me check them) for plausibility. Unfortunately, the log file does not tell why the recovery failed when it finally found three file headers. On Windows 98 the same error occurred? ("An attempt was made..."?) What about using the Access button menu approach? Here is another recommendation: press Ctrl+A and use Edit | Copy Block | Into New File to create an image file of the card on your hard drive (save it anywhere under any name). The apply the File Retrieval procedure to the image file instead. The parameters must be exactly the same as for the card (sector size, cluster size, ...). They must be correct for the card, of course. It is conceivable that WinHex did not automatically detect the right parameters in the first place. I hope when you have WinHex retrieve the files from the image the "An attempt was made..." error will not occur. Good luck. | ||
| Anonymous |
The parameter in the lower half of the File Retrieval dialong boxes (Win 2000)are as follows: Sector size in byter: 512 (greyed Out) Cluster size in sectors: 8 First cluster at sector: 57 Stop Retrieval at sector: 31967 Last two boxes are unchecked. I have tried cluster size 16 and 32 with the same results. On windows 98 there are some differences: The error msg on startup is not there "An attempt was made.." The lower parameters on file retrival are different, the 512 sector size is not greyed out, and the first cluster is at sector 0. and the stop retrival is at cluster 31968. Slight difference in these parameters. The Access button is missing in the upper right hand corner of the 98 window. I will work on your recomendation to work on the image file instead of the compact flash drive. Rick | ||
| Anonymous |
I have worked with a copy of the file on the hard drive with no results. Any other ideas. Rick | ||
| Stefan Fleischmann (Admin) |
I don't have any other ideas. We just have to make sure you are doing everything right. It seems on Windows 98 you are accessing the card as a physical disk instead of a logical drive, so the detected number of the first cluster is incorrect and the Access button is not available. What is the cluster size as per the gray details panel when having opened the card as a logical drive? When you go to sector 57, is this shown as cluster #2 (=the first cluster on a drive)? What were the results when you used the Access button menu to recover the files? | ||
| Anonymous |
You pointed me in the right direction. I recovered the images using the access button and then by searching for the first sector and entering that as the starting sector. I also changed the size of the file size to 2mb fized size in order to get the files large enough to use them. Also the last sector was wrong. Figured that out by searching and using a good compact flash and making it work. Studied the setting on the good cf until I understood the difference between good and corrupted. I did work off the copied disk on a hard drive instead of off the cf card. Thanks a lot for your help, I really appreciate your efforts. | ||
| Stefan Fleischmann (Admin) |
Glad to hear that it worked out for you. |