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What exactly does “Media Needs to be Restored” mean
I have seen this a few times, and I have restored it and gone about my business with no issues, but what is really going on?
I had an issue today with a nearly new SanDisk Extreme 32gb SDHC card (I have used this card a couple of times before in my EX1). I started shooting, and after a couple of seconds, I got the “needs to be restored” message. I hit “restore” and it got to about 20%, and stopped, and I got the message that it cannot be restored. When I got home, I put it in the computer, and the computer recognized it. So, I formatted it in the computer (FAT32), put it back in the camera, and got the message that it needed to be formatted. I formatted it with no issues, started to record, and the same thing happened all over again. Does this mean I have a bad card? -
11 Replies
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Please don’t be cross with me but why on earth don’t you use the infallible Sony S X S cards, especially made for the EX cameras? I know that they’re expensive but not as expensive as lost media might be.
Michael Slowe
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Is it possible to advise what firmware version your EX1 is on and what type of adapter are you using?
To access the firmware version on your EX1, while the camera is on, you press simultaneously 3 buttons: –
MENU | SELECT | CANCEL
Then within the display, scroll all the way down to the bottom and you’ll see the firmware version.
MxM Express
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OK Bill but Chris (and others) evidently did.
Michael Slowe
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No problem Michael. I figured that I would get the lecture from someone. I have several SxS cards that I always use first, but I’ve also been using SDHC for years without a single problem, except this occasional annoying “Media needs to be restored” nonesense. What I’d really like to know is what causes this and what does it do? Is it only the EX cameras that have this “feature?”
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I have the latest firmware. I think it’s 1.3.
Incidently, I put the card in my Sony Handycam, and it won’t format. It starts formatting and then freezes-up, so I guess it’s dead. I haven’t used it more than three times. -
You have a bad card or a card that otherwise isn’t keeping up and/or is putting file fragments in the wrong place. Or you are running very old firmware.
I have posted quite a bit on ‘Media Needs to Be Restored’. Please do a search for a more detailed explanation.
In short, it appears when foreign files are placed in any of the card’s directories. 99.9999% of the time it is completely harmless.
For example, if you open any of the folder on the card in Mac OS, hidden files are placed into every folder you touch. The camera sees these and prompts a ‘restore’ to verify the file structure and to check for the presence of new clips. In this example it will come up every time you put the card into the camera until you reformat because the foreign files remain after the Restore.
In the above example the message comes up when the card is first inserted. It should never come up during recording. If it does, you have a problem with your media. Reformat asap and if it comes up again switch to a different card.
You should also check your firmware version and apply any pending updates. The Restore prompt may come up with good cards if your firmware is older than 1.13.
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Ah Ha! Thank you Ian. I actually did a search on this forum before I posted, but didn’t find what I was looking for. Your explanation might explain why this happens every time I shoot for this fellow who edits on the Windows platform. When my cards come back, they always need to be restored. This time, however, the card restored and formatted correctly, but failed as soon as I hit record. When I opened the card in my computer, it showed the usual BPAV folder and file structure, but the one clip was corrupted. My firmware is 1.3
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When you do your ingest, if you rename your card (either in the Sony transfer software or on the desktop itself) the camera can’t read it properly. When you’re asked to restore your media, the camera will rewrite the card to whatever you’ve set up in the camera. For most people it’s unnamed, which means your import folder will likely be “untitled”.
KC Allen
Allen Film & Video
https://www.allenfilmandvideo.com -
actually it’s any changes to the card, including ones you’re not aware you are making. all you have to do is open a folder in Finder and you’ll get a Restore prompt as Mac OS puts hidden files in every folder it touches.
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I would switch cards. I’ve lost data before and important video with bad cards. The sony SxS cards are expensive but iron clad. I had a battery to dead in the middle of a shoot. The SD card failed, but the SxS card still recovered fully with the restore.
Brent Dunn
Owner / Director / Editor
DunnRight Films
DunnRight Video.com
Video Marketing Toolbox.netSony EX-1,
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Mac Pro
with Final Cut Studio Adobe CS6 Production
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