A memory card that's suddenly corrupt, asks to be formatted, or won't show up can take a camera full of photos or a phone full of memories with it. Most of the time the pictures are still there — the card has a logical or controller fault, not lost data. We recover SD, microSD and CompactFlash cards of every make for Belfast and Northern Ireland, in-house.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/sdb → Device: SanDisk Extreme (128 GB, SDXC) → Status: CORRUPT — card asks to be formatted → Client: confidential · Belfast $ bdr engineer-working → Read-only image: taken · card untouched → File system: rebuilt from image → Photos + video: carved · CR3 + MP4 $ bdr verify → ✓ RAW photos — 2,140 files → ✓ video clips — 318 files → ✓ card recovered — memories back
The moment a card acts up, stop using it — every new photo or video written to it risks overwriting the ones you want back. Take it out of the camera or phone, don't let the device ‘repair’ or format it, and bring it to us. The less it's used after the fault, the more we recover.
Memory cards fail in a handful of familiar ways, from corruption to physical damage. Whatever yours has done, your photos are usually still recoverable.
We recover every make and type of memory card — SD, microSD, CompactFlash, XQD and CFexpress alike.
SD, SDHC and SDXC, microSD, CompactFlash, XQD and CFexpress, in every capacity — from cameras, phones, drones, dashcams, CCTV and the Nintendo Switch, including sealed monolithic microSD cards that need the flash read directly.
Recovering a memory card is about reaching the flash and reassembling what's on it — especially photos and video. We repair or bypass the fault, read the card or its chip, and rebuild the images and files from a copy, never from the card under strain.
We assess whether it's corruption, a controller fault, physical damage or wear, and how much is recoverable, then send a written quote.
Where the card still responds, we image it read-only in a controlled reader, so nothing is written back to it.
For a dead card or a monolithic microSD, we read the NAND chip itself at chip level and reconstruct its scrambling scheme.
We rebuild the file system, and carve out photo and video files by their signatures where the structure is gone, so images come back even from a formatted card.
Part-written or truncated photos and videos are repaired where possible, so more of your shots open cleanly.
Recovered images and files are checked to confirm they open, and we can show you what's come back before anything is returned.
Your photos and files come back on fresh media, or via our free download service for up to 75GB — whichever suits you.
From a corrupt camera card to a snapped microSD, a worn dashcam card or a formatted phone card, we recover memory cards of every make — reading the card or its chip directly, and rebuilding your photos from a copy.
Give us a few details about what went wrong and an engineer will come back to you, usually inside one working day.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
A free diagnostic first, then a fixed written quote before any work begins. Recovering a single memory card is £250 + VAT, with no fix, no fee on most jobs — and where chip-level work is needed, a 50% deposit covers the specialist bench time, with the balance only on success.
A representative selection of memory cards we've recovered across different makes and faults — device types and outcomes shown, customer details kept private.
The file system had failed but the photos were intact. We imaged the card read-only and rebuilt the images, recovering the full day.
Sealed with no separate board, it needed chip-level work. We located the contacts, read the flash, and recovered the photos and videos.
A bent contact pin and a controller fault. We repaired the interface, read the card, and recovered the professional shoot in full.
Years of overwriting had worn the flash. We read the healthy areas and rebuilt the footage, recovering the clips that were needed.
Corrosion coated the contacts but the chip was sound. We cleaned it, restored the connections, and recovered every photo.
Nothing had been shot since, so the images survived. A signature-based carve of a read-only image brought the photos back.
Post or drop in your device for a free diagnostic, with a note on what happened — an engineer reviews it and confirms your exact quote in writing before any work begins.
First step: get the device onto our Belfast bench. Wrap it well, tuck your contact details in the box, and post it over — the diagnostic costs nothing, and you’ll have a firm written price to approve before we touch a single sector.
Posting it? A tracked, insured service is best. Dropping it off instead? You’re welcome Monday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm — please still pack the device as above.
Not ready to send anything yet? Use the form to describe the fault in your own words and one of the engineers will come back with a quote tailored to your situation.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
The questions we're asked most about memory card recovery.
Usually, yes. Corruption normally damages the file system, not the photos themselves — so the images are still on the card, just not visible. We image it read-only and rebuild the pictures. The key is to stop using the card the moment it goes wrong.
Yes. A card that won't show up usually has a controller or contact fault, with the flash and your photos intact behind it. We repair the interface or read the memory chip directly and recover the data.
Often, yes. Most microSD cards are a single sealed chip, so a snapped card can still be read at chip level — as long as the memory itself isn't shattered. We locate the contacts on the chip and read the flash directly.
Usually not, if you act quickly. A quick format in-camera clears the index but leaves the photos on the card, and most cards don't use TRIM to wipe them. Stop shooting immediately — every new photo risks overwriting an old one — and there's a strong chance we can recover them.
One card costs £250 + VAT to recover, with the diagnostic free and no fix, no fee covering most jobs. Cards needing chip-off work take a 50% deposit toward the specialist bench time; the rest is only charged on success.
On most jobs, yes — no recovery, no fee. The exception is chip-level work, where a deposit covers the specialist bench time; the balance is still only charged on success. We're clear about which applies before any work begins.
All of them — SanDisk, Samsung, Lexar, Kingston, Sony, PNY and the rest, across SD, microSD, CompactFlash, XQD and CFexpress, in every capacity, from cameras, phones, drones, dashcams and CCTV.
First check the physical lock slider on the card edge — nudging it back sometimes clears the message. If the card insists it’s write-protected regardless, the controller itself has usually developed a fault. That doesn’t block recovery: we can still read the card and pull your photos off.
We'd be cautious. If the card is physically failing, DIY software can stress it further, and letting a phone or camera ‘repair’ the card can overwrite the very photos you want. If the images matter, stop and let us image the card safely first.
A straightforward card is often done in 1 to 3 working days; chip-level work on a dead or monolithic card typically takes 4 to 7. The diagnostic itself is usually finished within 48 hours, and urgent cases can normally be prioritised.
Cards can be dropped in at Cromac Square on weekdays between 9am and 5:30pm, or posted — taped to a piece of card inside a padded envelope they travel fine. Add your name, address, email and phone number and we’ll log the card, run the free diagnostic and price it in writing.
Fixed pricing — £250 + VAT per card — with the diagnostic free and no fix, no fee on most work. SD, microSD or CompactFlash, whatever the brand, everything is recovered on our own Belfast bench. Put the camera down and get the card to us.