Recover lost files, revive AutoPlay pop-ups and remove write-protection
‘Property loss’ warning when copying files
If you’re copying content from your PC to a memory card, you may see a ‘Property loss’ message. This is because memory cards and hard drives tend to have different formats. For improved compatibility, memory cards are usually pre-formatted using the older FAT32 file system, but newer Windows hard drives use a system called NTFS. NTFS stores more metadata than FAT32, and the message is warning that you may lose some.
Memory cards can be reformatted to NTFS, but that can stop them working with digital cameras or other devices. So, click Yes to let the copying process continue. If you want to check what metadata is lost, right-click the original file and choose Properties and then do the same on the FAT32 card to compare — photo metadata will be unaffected, but you might lose some info when copying other file types.
AutoPlay box no longer appears
If Windows’ AutoPlay prompt fails to appear when you connect your memory card (or any external device or disc), open Control Panel and click ‘Hardware and Sound’, followed by AutoPlay. Make sure ‘Use AutoPlay for all media and devices’ is ticked. Now use the dropdown menus to decide what Windows should do with the various media types (discs). Alternatively, scroll to the bottom to find ‘Reset all defaults’, then click Save.
In Windows 10, the traditional AutoPlay prompt no longer appears. Instead, a small notification box slides in at the bottom right of the screen: click this to see your options. This notification disappears after a few moments if you don’t click it.
Unable to copy or save anything
If you see an error message such as ‘card error’ when trying to save content to your memory card, you should check its write-protect switch on the side. You may have slid it down, locking it in the process. Some PCbased memory card readers switch on the write-protection to prevent files from being wiped. You can get around this by applying a small piece of tape over the switch when it’s in the ‘unlocked’ position (slid up).
New files are corrupted
If files on your memory card start corrupting for no obvious reason, it’s possible that you bought a card with a fake capacity. These cards work fine at first, and even Windows will display the advertised capacity. But things start to go wrong as you fill them up. For example, a fake ‘32GB’ card may have just 1GB of actual storage. All will be fine, until you hit the 1GB limit, at which point files start corrupting.
Unfortunately, there’s no fix for fake cards (except to be careful from whom you buy them), but you might be able to recover some of the data from its 1GB capacity (see next tip).
Restore lost files
There are any number of causes for files becoming corrupted. Removing a memory card before the data has finished being written is a common culprit. You might be able to get some or all of your digital content back by using Recuva – a free download from www.snipca.com/20608. Open Recuva, select the relevant memory card from the dropdown menu, and then click Scan. Any files marked red have been lost, but those marked green can be recovered. Tick the ones you want, then click Recover and choose a destination for the restored files — pick somewhere other than your memory card to avoid further corruption.
Card stores photos, but won’t record video
If your digital camera or camcorder saves still shots but refuses to record video to the same memory card, then the card is probably too slow. All cards have a speed rating to indicate their minimum data-transfer rate. To record highdefinition video a memory card needs to sustain a data-transfer rate of at least 4MB/s, also known as ‘Class 4’. If your card is a basic ‘Class 2’ type, it’ll manage only 2MB/s, which is fine for photos but not enough for video. So, you’ll need a faster card. For more details about SD card types and speed classes, visit www.snipca.com/20607.