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9 April 2024  Ashley S. Miller  Specialist of Customer Service Dept.
 

Summary
Discover the essentials of CF card management and master the techniques for data recovery with this comprehensive guide. Tailored for photographers and individuals dependent on CF cards for data storage, this resource is your key to understanding and safeguarding your precious files.



Table of contents

table iconI. What is a CF card? What is the difference between it and SD card?
table iconII. How to recover the data in the CF card?
table iconIII. How to repair a damaged CF card?
CF card data recovery

I. What is a CF card? What is the difference between it and SD card?

A Compact Flash (CF) card is a robust and fast flash memory storage device widely used in portable electronics, particularly favored by professional photographers and filmmakers for its reliability and portability. CF cards come in two sizes: Type I (36.4×42.8×3.3mm) and the less common Type II (36.4×42.8x5mm). The CFast card is the successor to the CF card and measures 36.4×42.8×3.6mm. CFexpress cards, the latest advancement, are available in three sizes: Type A (20x28x2.8mm), Type B (29.6×38.5×3.8mm), and Type C (74x54x4.8mm). Due to size differences, CF, CFast, and CFexpress cards are not interchangeable among devices.
CF and SD cards are commonly used in devices like mobile phones, digital cameras, laptops, and MP3 players, differing in size, capacity, and speed. CF cards come in two sizes: CF I at 36.4x42.8x3.3mm and CF II at 36.4x42.8x5mm. SD cards are smaller, with standard SD at 32x24x2.1mm, miniSD at 21.5x20x1.4mm, and microSD at 15x11x1mm. CF cards support up to 128 PiB (approximately 144115TB), while SD cards support up to 128TB. Speed-wise, CF cards max out at 167MB/s, and SD cards can reach up to 3940MB/s.
Having learned about CF cards and their differences from SD cards, let’s explore how to recover data from a CF card. Should you lose data from the card, cease using it immediately to avoid overwriting the lost data, which may prevent successful recovery. Utilize professional data recovery software like Renee Undeleter to scan and restore data promptly. This tool is user-friendly and compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.

II. How to recover the data in the CF card?

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is a software designed for data retrieval across various scenarios. Whether you’ve unintentionally deleted files, cleared the recycle bin, or formatted your disk, memory card, or USB drive, this tool can help recover your lost data. It features four key modules: file recovery, formatted recovery, partition recovery, and image creation, providing a comprehensive solution to a wide range of data loss issues.
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2. How to use Renee Undeleter to recover data from CF card?

Step 1: Insert the CF card into a card reader connected to the computer. Download, install, and launch Renee Undeleter. In the main interface, select the “Whole Partition Scan” option. Ensure that you do not install Renee Undeleter on the drive from which you need to recover data to prevent data overwriting.
use sd card reader to connect to the computer
select whole partition scan in renee undeleter to recover deleted video from sd card
Data Recovery Features:

  • Fast Partition Scan: Recovers files lost from accidental deletion or recycle bin clearance.
  • Whole Partition Scan: Restores files from inaccessible or formatted partitions.
  • Whole Disk Scan: Analyzes partition information and performs a comprehensive scan.
  • Image Creation: Generates a partition mirror image for backup, allowing data restoration from the image.
Step 2: Next select the CF card device that needs to recover data. After the selection is complete, click (Next).
Renee Undeleter Whole Partition Scan
Step 3: Please wait patiently for the scan to complete. The software supports double-clicking the file to preview it. If you find the file you want to recover, please check the file and click (Recover) to restore the file to another disk.
preview before recovery
undeleter preview ppt

III. How to repair a damaged CF card?

Any storage device may be damaged, and the CF card is no exception. If you find that the CF card suddenly cannot be recognized or read, you can try the following methods to repair it.

1. Repair by disk error check

Step 1: Connect the CF card to the computer through a card reader, open “My Computer/This Computer”, right-click the CF card and select (Properties). Switch to the (Tools) option in the Properties window and click the (Inspect) button.
select properties
check disk
Step 2: Next, select the (Scan Drive) option in the error checking interface, then wait for the scan and repair it according to the prompts.
scan drive

2. Repair by chkdsk command

chkdsk can help you repair file systems that have been corrupted due to bad sectors on the disk. Specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Run the computer, connect the CF card to the computer through a card reader, search (cmd) in the search box in the lower left corner, and select (run as administrator) to open the command prompt tool.
run as administrator
Step 2: Open the command prompt and type chkdsk X: /r /f, replacing X with your CF card’s drive letter. The /r parameter locates bad sectors and recovers readable information, and /f attempts to fix all disk errors. Press Enter to initiate the repair process. After completion, check if the CF card issues have been resolved.
Enter the chkdsk command

3. Repair through device manager

Sometimes the CF card cannot be recognized or read because the driver is outdated or incompatible. You only need to update the driver in the device manager to solve it. Specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Connect the CF card to the computer through a card reader, right-click the start menu, and select (Device Manager).
right click at start menu and select device manager
Step 2: Expand (Disk Drive), right-click the CF card device, and select (Update Driver) > (Automatically Search Driver).
update driver disk
To fix a faulty CF card, you can try these three methods. Should these fail, consider formatting the card—ensure you back up your files first to prevent data loss. In case of accidental deletion or formatting, Renee Undeleter can help recover your data. Download the free trial version by clicking the button below.
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