RED CF Card Recover Test

[Casey Green]

Hello everyone,

I have organized a test for recovering .R3D data from a formatted CF card incase someone accidentally does this or the data on the card becomes corrupt from some other reason.

So far, the best software with the most potential seems to be Virtual Lab from BinaryBiz.com

However, the software costs over $100 and then requires you to purchase a quota for the amount of data you are trying to recover. While I am not a fan of this strategy, it does prevent piracy and even though it is somewhat costly, it could save a production thousands if it recovers files.

I have setup an account at Fundable.com to raise funds for a test. It will cost about $175 for a quota of 8GB...

http://tinyurl.com/36u9qh

Once we raise enough, I will attempt to recover a RED CF card and report the results here on REDUser.

I hope everyone can contribute to the cause and we can learn alot very soon.

The best thing about the Virtual Lab software is that it allows for scanning of .R3D files and then the creation of a signature file by scanning the .R3D file type.

I have been able to see the files on the CF Card and am ready to try to recover them.

Here is a picture from the test. I am ready to try to recover the files. If we raise the funds, I 'll begin the recover of the test files as soon as possible. These files are just test files and not from a commercial project.

Thanks for everyone's contributions.

http://tinyurl.com/36u9qh

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/971_1203551337.png

[BigLu]

Ok, my contribution was $20.00
I hope others do the same.

Altec paypal

[mdo]

Broken link on URL. Need to remove ellipsis.

[Martin Ludwig]

I also did 20 USD -
very important to have a result !!!

[Casey Green]

Broken link on URL. Need to remove ellipsis.

Thanks - link should be fixed now to Fundable.com

Thanks everyone for donating. Any amount will help. :)

http://tinyurl.com/36u9qh

[Casey Green]

Ok, we're getting there. Contributions are coming in, thanks everyone.

I'll update this every so often until we reach the goal.

Again, if you would like to contribute to the RED CF Card Recovery Test, here is the link.

http://tinyurl.com/36u9qh

(Also, here is a picture of how much 8GB of the data "quota" is to purchase from Virtual Lab.)

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/971_1203631220.png

Thanks for contributing.

[Brent J. Craig]

Wow. Data recovery is certainly expensive. I guess it's better than a reshoot. Is this per GB do-it-yourself model comparable to professional data recovery services?

[Casey Green]

Yes, I agree that their business model is not my favorite, but you must realize, this is the only software I have found so far which not only allows for the user to enter in a custom filetype for .R3D, but also allows you to analyze several known good files of the same type to build a "signature" so it knows what to precisely look for. (This could be very good because if the filetype changes in the future, you may be able to build a new signature.)

I've seen many other professional tools in the same price range (without this capability) except they don't charge after the first licesnse fee.

If this software does work, I think in the long run, it is a small price to pay.

I also want to stress that this is by no means meant to be thought as a safety net. Work professionally, and take extra precautions, and do not factor this into your safety plans. It is just an emergency tool that may come in handy once in your entire career, but that one time will be a life saver.

We'll see what the results yield. For all we know, it may not work at all.

Thanks again to everyone donating (Link below):

http://tinyurl.com/36u9qh

[Casey Green]

OK, we're about halfway there with $80 raised so far.

I'll keep updating this as we get closer. Thanks again for everyone who has contributed so far.

Anyone else able to help, even by a small donation, would be much appreciated.

Link to Fundable.com page:

http://tinyurl.com/36u9qh

[BigLu]

How are we doing on this project??

[Vigen Vartanov]

Easy Recovery for windows , can you check it , because it working fine with other lose informations on HDD ,

[Paul Leeming]

OK, so I know this thread is concerned with Mac OSX recovery but I can categorically say that EasyRecovery Professional (http://www.ontrackdatarecovery.com/) on the Windows side WILL recover a formatted RedDrive or Red CF card with no problems. I've tested both and it works seamlessly. Here's the procedure (using the CF card as an example):

1. Open up the program and choose Advanced Recovery.

http://www.visceralpsyche.com/misc/web_images/red_footage_recovery_ERP1.jpg

2. Select your Red CF or RedDrive partition and choose Next.

http://www.visceralpsyche.com/misc/web_images/red_footage_recovery_ERP2.jpg

3. Watch as it successfully recovers your formatted footage back off the drive.

http://www.visceralpsyche.com/misc/web_images/red_footage_recovery_ERP2a.jpg

You can also use the Raw Recovery method if things are really hosed. In that case you'll need to edit your File Types and add in the R3D type as follows. Use this hex number: 00 00 01 44 52 45 44 31 and set it as below (current as of build 13 camera firmware - future builds may alter the file's start hex pattern and you may have to change it):

http://www.visceralpsyche.com/misc/web_images/red_footage_recovery_ERP3.jpg

Uncheck everything except MOV and your new R3D to help speed the process along, as it will examine every sector of your drive for data, which on the RedDrive connected via USB2.0 takes about 3 hours!

It may be slow, but it definitely works and at the end, providing you haven't messed with the media beyond accidentally formatting it, you should end up with your footage files intact and safe.

Note that the original folder names may be destroyed as they are usually part of the old FAT table that gets overwritten. But that's a minor cosmetic problem only, which you could easily fix by copying the R3D name with .RDC and the end and renaming the folders again.

HTH

Paul

[Casey Green]

How are we doing on this project??

Not bad, about half way there to the goal of funds raised for the test. Hopefully others will contribute to the cause and we can start testing Virtual Lab on the Mac. (See beginning of thread for complete info).

I am also going to try OnTrack Easy Recover again, with the Hex signature VisceralPsyche provided on the PC side. I tried it once already unsuccessfully, but maybe it will work this time with a different signature.

If people want to donate to the Virtual Lab test, we are collecting contributions on Fundable.com...
Link here ---> http://tinyurl.com/36u9qh

I'll post a report once we get enough for the software test. I believe this will benefit the entire RED community, so a small donation seems reasonable.

Thanks to everyone that has donated so far.

[Casey Green]

OK, I tried Ontrack Easy Recovery using the guide posted above and was unable to recover any files off of a RED CF Card.

The files it found were not the correct size and all were reported as .mov even after creating the .R3D signature.

Perhaps this is due to different builds or different ways of formatting, corrupt files, etc.

But, with the Virtual Lab software, when doing the initial scan of the files (which is free), the files it shows that are recoverable seem to be the correct size and are .R3D.

Hopefully we can get some more contributions, as there is only about 12 days left before the fund raiser expires.

I think this test is worth doing. Anyone else interested, please visit:

http://tinyurl.com/36u9qh

[Paul Leeming]

That's weird, especially the fact that you added an R3D signature and it then didn't find any R3D files on the card?

You ticked the added signature as an option to search for right? (Probably yes but just checking)

What build were the shots taken with? Do you have a sample R3D file I could test?

I used the free XVI32 hex editor (http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm) to find out the first eight bits to use as a signature. Can you check your own R3D files to see if they match?

Cheers,

Paul

[Casey Green]

That's weird, especially the fact that you added an R3D signature and it then didn't find any R3D files on the card?

You ticked the added signature as an option to search for right? (Probably yes but just checking)

What build were the shots taken with? Do you have a sample R3D file I could test?

I used the free XVI32 hex editor (http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm) to find out the first eight bits to use as a signature. Can you check your own R3D files to see if they match?

Cheers,

Paul

Clips were from build 13. Perhaps the HEX doesn't match, but I'd still like to try the Virtual Lab software.

Were getting close to the goal, with only 10 days left to raise the rest. Anyone else care to help this test out? I thought by now we would have enough people contributing, but we still need $80.

Hopefully a few more $5 or $10 donations, and we'll be there...

Anyone else interested, please visit the RED CF Card Test at Fundable.com:

http://tinyurl.com/36u9qh

[Casey Green]

Ok, we've reached the goal, so I will be able to start testing soon.

I am going to do two tests. One for a formatted card and one for a card I have here that was taken out of the reader while it was still trying to mount.

I'll update everyone on the results soon.

thanks to those who donated to the cause.

[Dylan Reeve]

and one for a card I have here that was taken out of the reader while it was still trying to mount.

That's a hairy one. That shouldn't really cause any file damage.

[Casey Green]

ok - a quick update. I did a recover on one of the cards so far... the one with that was removed while attempting to mount.

I was able to recover several clips!

Some clips were not recovered completely and a few were merged with other clips in that the frames alternated between different clips every other frame. Strange. This might have to do with the signature that was built, or perhaps similar file structures between various clips.

Also, we had a timelapse test that might have been confusing for it.

Either way, I am happy that I was able to recover some clips on this situation.

I have been working on a feature film non-stop these past few weeks, so am sorry I have not been able to dedicate more time to this test. When I get more time, I will do a complete test and analysis, and write up a summary.

Thanks to those who contributed for the test and also for everyone's patience. More soon...

[Casey Green]

OK, one last update to this test.

I also scanned the RED card that was "accidentally formatted" and the clips all show up in the Virtual Lab scan window.

I was under the impression that the price for the software was a one time fee of around $100 and then you get an account in which you can then purchase GB "quotas" for as much as you like. (For 8GB it came out to be around $175 total). It turns out that you must pay the $100 fee every time. :( And then add your recovery total to that amount.

So, at this time, instead of asking for another donation to do another test, I will leave it at this: I am fairly certain that the Virtual Lab software will be able to recover the clips from the recently formatted RED CF card, since they showed up in the free scan and I have recovered clips from a corrupt volume already.

Conclusion: While Virtual Lab is pricey, its good to know that it stands a reasonable chance at recovering accidentally formatted RED CF Cards (did not test with RED Drives) as well as Cards that have become corrupt from mounting issues or other problems.

While no guarantee, in certain situations, it may be money well spent.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed. I hope this is helpful to others. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.

[Van Royko]

Yeah I know Im flaring

but the file scavenger software is far cheaper and more effective than all that stuff above

It worked for me on both a corrupt and deleted card.

http://www.quetek.com/prod02.htm

[Casey Green]

thanks for the link.

I think we may have tried this a while back without good results, perhaps it works better now. Certainly any news on useful recovery programs are very much appreciated here!

One other note about File Scavenger is that is is PC only.

[Casey Green]

Just an update for this thread which is a year old now. (In case any one searches and find this.)

In June of 2009, RED released their own file recovery utility called "REDundead" which can be used to recover .r3d files from formatted RED media.

Many people have reported success on recovering files on accidentally formatted drives, corrupt cards, etc.

As of today, the app only runs on Mac OSX and can be downloaded here:

http://www.red.com/support/release_history/17