EX3 “restore media” problem

[Craig Seeman]

You didn’t do a do it yourself firmware upgrade on the EX3 recently did you?

If you pop the card out and back in on the EX3 does it give the ability to restore on the second insertion?

How are you trying to read the card in the computer?
MxR attached to what?
SDHC attached to what?

I’ve heard “flakey” contacts can result in something like this.

I’d try the SDHC in a standard USB reader and see what happens.

[Marek Bilski]

Can you please provide more information as to which generation MxR and what brand of SDHC memory cards and what capacity?
I presume it is 16GB need clarification and what firmware version on your EX3? As Craig suggested, a firmware upgrade might solve the problem with certain memory cards.

MxM Express

[Mike Gorga]

You didn’t do a do it yourself firmware upgrade on the EX3 recently did you?

No. The camera was purchased back in June of last year. No firmwear upgrades since then.

If you pop the card out and back in on the EX3 does it give the ability to restore on the second insertion?

No. Just shows me Media Error: Media A needs to be restored. No function to click to restore is offered as in when this occasionally pops up in other cases.

How are you trying to read the card in the computer?

We use a simple card reader or the camera via USB. It shows up in Disk Tools but will not mount.

MxR attached to what?

Sandisk 16 gig SDHC card.

SDHC attached to what?

We simply plug it into a standard USB reader and plug that into the USB on the computer. We’ve now tried it on 3 computers including a PC and it simply will not mount.

I’ve heard “flakey” contacts can result in something like this.

What action would one take in that case?

I’d try the SDHC in a standard USB reader and see what happens.

Yes we did that. It won’t mount in the camera or on computers via the camera or standard USB reader. You know, the $16 variety.

Anxiety is very high now. Very worried.

Mike Gorga, Producer/Director
MEGCOMM Film & Video Prod.
800.816.1884

[Mike Gorga]

Can you please provide more information as to which generation MxR and what brand of SDHC memory cards and what capacity? I presume it is 16GB need clarification and what firmware version on your EX3? As Craig suggested, a firmware upgrade might solve the problem with certain memory cards

The 16GB are Sandisk ULTRAII and the MxRExpressCard Reader is under a year old. Not sure of the “generation” but we bought them out of Australia.

Mike Gorga, Producer/Director
MEGCOMM Film & Video Prod.
800.816.1884

[Craig Seeman]

[mike gorga] “We shot a full 14 gigs of footage on our EX3 with M&R adapters and an SD card today. Reviewed shots in the field no problem. We bring the rig home and with it turned off eject the card adapters and remove the SD cards “
This would be the media recorded fine initially.

The fact that the camera isn’t giving you access to Restore and the SDHC in a standard SD reader doesn’t mount implies some sort of physical damage to the card (contacts maybe?).

Media can become corrupted but that wouldn’t generally be an unmountable card though.

Can you look at the contacts of the SDHC card VERY CAREFULLY to see if they might be bent or maybe even discolored.

[Mike Gorga]

Contacts look pretty clean. With a magnifying glass you can see some very minor scratching on the contacts but it looks like typical wear from inserting in and out of readers.

We’re starting to panic here.

Does anyone have a method and application recommendation for mounting and another application for saving these files in some way?

Mike Gorga, Producer/Director
MEGCOMM Film & Video Prod.
800.816.1884

[Craig Seeman]

There’s a file rescue company that has experience with EX but obviously that’s going to cost a bit.
I still can’t help but think the card has suffered some physical damage (maybe internal?) given the sequence of events you describe.

You were originally able to play the clips in cameras.
The camera now can’t access the metadata to restore.
The card itself doesn’t mount on anything and I don’t think simply corrupted clips would cause that.
You tried the SDHC cards independent of the camera and the MxR so even if they were somehow part of the cause, whatever happened impacted the SDHC itself.

Just to confirm, the card does not mount on any of three system whether using SD reader or built in reader (assuming the computers have them as some do)? I just want to be clear that the card itself is not mounting and it’s not simply that you can see but can’t copy the clips.

Keep this name handy just in case
Benoît Joossen
https://aeroquartet.com/
His blog
https://www.aeroquartet.com/wordpress/2009/11/30/recover-videos-in-damaged-disks-and-cards/
Note he deals with damaged cards and he mentions updated version which may have since happened.

[Chris Babbitt]

Just grabbing at straws here, but see if you can find someone with a MacBook Pro that has an Express Card slot, and see if that makes a difference.

[Craig Seeman]

Or on the other end of the same spectrum a new 13″ or 15″ MacBookPro which now have built in SD readers. The gamble is that the different OS, etc might mount the card.

[Mike Gorga]

The card will not mount on any computer in the building via a standard $11 card reader.

The card, inside an M+R Expresscard adapter will not mount in the EX3 in either of two adapters we own or in either slot A or slot B.

We do not have a built-in SD card reader in any computer.

We do not have a laptop or other device that reads SxS that might accept a M+R Expresscard adapter.

I am able to see the card on the computers via Disk Utilities but the card will not mount…I get the spinning beachball and then the media error.

In the camera I get the MEDIA ERROR: Restore Media prompt.

Thanks for the input guys. Keep thinking. 😉

Mike Gorga, Producer/Director
MEGCOMM Film & Video Prod.
800.816.1884