Problem Solved: Transcend CF Cards and Mac Leopard OS

Dan Keaton · January 7th, 2009, 06:48 PM

Our experts at Convergent Design have been searching for a solution to the problem with CompactFlash cards and Mac Leopard Operating System.

To recap: It appeared that CompactFlash cards were being destroyed by the "Eject" process, but only under the “Leopard” Operating System and not “Tiger”.

We determined that the cards were not electrically destroyed, as our first checks indicated.

After the "Eject" process, the cards were not readable or responsive in any way, in any device.

While we could not communicate with the cards, we found that if we ran the Mac "Applications"|"Disk Utility"|"Erase" command, we could recover the card.

It appears that the "Eject" process is severely corrupting the card (or its contents), but not electrically destroying it!

After performing the "Erase" we thoroughly tested the card and it is now fully functional with no apparent damage.

Here is our recommended way to recover the cards:

Please see our note at the end of this post if you have important clips on your card!

Please read and understand all of the steps below, prior to starting this procedure.

1. Insert a damaged card into your CompactFlash card reader.
(We expect you to use your Mac with Leopard for this process.)

2. Open Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility.

3. In the Disk Utility on the left, you should see the CompactFlash card reader drive,
such as Lexar or OEI-USB, depending on what kind of reader you have.

4. Choose this CompactFlash card reader drive.
(Do not accidentally choose your Macintosh HD drive or some other important drive!)

5. With the CompactFlash card reader drive chosen, you should now have some tabs available:

First Aid
Erase
Etc.

6. Choose the "Erase" tab. (Please read the important note below before performing this step.)

7. Click the "Erase" button.

8. When the "Erase" is complete, your card should appear as a named volume, under your CompactFlash card reader volume, on the left hand side (indented under the CF reader).

It will be "NO NAME" or the name you previously named it.

9. Select the NO NAME card volume, and erase it as well.

10. Your card should now be usable again, though it will be formatted, so that all previous files will be erased.

Important Note:

If you need the old video off of the card, it is conceivable that you could try the "First Aid" tool in Disk Utility, instead of the "Erase" tool above, but we have not experimented with this at this time.

Dan Keaton · January 7th, 2009, 06:52 PM

Since we now have an understanding of what is happening to the cards, we recommend that if your are using Leopard, that you not perform the normal "Eject" process.

After the cards contents have been transferred, then just remove the card by pulling it out of the CompactFlash card read. Do not use the "Eject" command.

Yeo Wee Han · January 8th, 2009, 12:46 AM

Thanks for the update Dan. It has so far not happened to the 4 cards that I have got.

One solution for anyone who has lost any files is to run the card through PhotoRescue

PhotoRescue Home Page - PhotoRescue Wizard, PhotoRescue Expert, PhotoRescue Advanced

I use the Wizard version and it managed to recover all the XDR files when I had formatted the card after it was unreadable in the XDR. The software will however rename the files on its own so you should manually rename the files as to how the XDR names them. I threw the recovered files back onto the card and voila! the XDR read them!

P.S: I use PhotoRescue as my recovery software for my photography and never knew that it could work recovering video files so it was a pleasant surprise for me.

Cheers

Weehan

Dan Keaton · January 8th, 2009, 03:36 AM

Dear Wee Han,

Thanks for posting.

I wonder if Photo Rescue Software would restore the non-functional card back to full operation, as does the "Erase" technique that we found?

At this time, if anyone has this problem with Leopard, that they run the procedure detailed above (Post #1 in this Thread), as we know it works.

If someone accidentally initializes (formats) a card, we recommend the "Photo Rescue Software" be performed immediately, prior to doing anything else to the card. If one writes any files to the card, the original files may be overwritten.

Some CompactFlash cards come with similar sofware already installed on the card. We recommend saving this card in a safe place, such as on your computer, in case you need it in the future.

We have not tried the specific "Photo Rescue Software" that Wee Han recommends, but are confident in his recommendation.

Thanks Wee Han!

January 7th, 2009, 06:52 PM	#2
Dan Keaton Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 1,763	Since we now have an understanding of what is happening to the cards, we recommend that if your are using Leopard, that you not perform the normal "Eject" process. After the cards contents have been transferred, then just remove the card by pulling it out of the CompactFlash card read. Do not use the "Eject" command. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

January 8th, 2009, 12:46 AM	#3
Yeo Wee Han Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 137	Thanks for the update Dan. It has so far not happened to the 4 cards that I have got. One solution for anyone who has lost any files is to run the card through PhotoRescue PhotoRescue Home Page - PhotoRescue Wizard, PhotoRescue Expert, PhotoRescue Advanced I use the Wizard version and it managed to recover all the XDR files when I had formatted the card after it was unreadable in the XDR. The software will however rename the files on its own so you should manually rename the files as to how the XDR names them. I threw the recovered files back onto the card and voila! the XDR read them! P.S: I use PhotoRescue as my recovery software for my photography and never knew that it could work recovering video files so it was a pleasant surprise for me. Cheers Weehan __________________ www.tripeaksimagery.com Nature and Travel Photography

January 8th, 2009, 03:36 AM	#4
Dan Keaton Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 1,763	Dear Wee Han, Thanks for posting. I wonder if Photo Rescue Software would restore the non-functional card back to full operation, as does the "Erase" technique that we found? At this time, if anyone has this problem with Leopard, that they run the procedure detailed above (Post #1 in this Thread), as we know it works. If someone accidentally initializes (formats) a card, we recommend the "Photo Rescue Software" be performed immediately, prior to doing anything else to the card. If one writes any files to the card, the original files may be overwritten. Some CompactFlash cards come with similar sofware already installed on the card. We recommend saving this card in a safe place, such as on your computer, in case you need it in the future. We have not tried the specific "Photo Rescue Software" that Wee Han recommends, but are confident in his recommendation. Thanks Wee Han! __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

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January 7th, 2009, 06:48 PM	#1
Dan Keaton Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 1,763	Problem Solved: Transcend CF Cards and Mac Leopard OS Our experts at Convergent Design have been searching for a solution to the problem with CompactFlash cards and Mac Leopard Operating System. To recap: It appeared that CompactFlash cards were being destroyed by the "Eject" process, but only under the “Leopard” Operating System and not “Tiger”. We determined that the cards were not electrically destroyed, as our first checks indicated. After the "Eject" process, the cards were not readable or responsive in any way, in any device. While we could not communicate with the cards, we found that if we ran the Mac "Applications"\|"Disk Utility"\|"Erase" command, we could recover the card. It appears that the "Eject" process is severely corrupting the card (or its contents), but not electrically destroying it! After performing the "Erase" we thoroughly tested the card and it is now fully functional with no apparent damage. Here is our recommended way to recover the cards: Please see our note at the end of this post if you have important clips on your card! Please read and understand all of the steps below, prior to starting this procedure. 1. Insert a damaged card into your CompactFlash card reader. (We expect you to use your Mac with Leopard for this process.) 2. Open Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility. 3. In the Disk Utility on the left, you should see the CompactFlash card reader drive, such as Lexar or OEI-USB, depending on what kind of reader you have. 4. Choose this CompactFlash card reader drive. (Do not accidentally choose your Macintosh HD drive or some other important drive!) 5. With the CompactFlash card reader drive chosen, you should now have some tabs available: First Aid Erase Etc. 6. Choose the "Erase" tab. (Please read the important note below before performing this step.) 7. Click the "Erase" button. 8. When the "Erase" is complete, your card should appear as a named volume, under your CompactFlash card reader volume, on the left hand side (indented under the CF reader). It will be "NO NAME" or the name you previously named it. 9. Select the NO NAME card volume, and erase it as well. 10. Your card should now be usable again, though it will be formatted, so that all previous files will be erased. Important Note: If you need the old video off of the card, it is conceivable that you could try the "First Aid" tool in Disk Utility, instead of the "Erase" tool above, but we have not experimented with this at this time. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia