Multimedia card or MMCs are flash memory devices which use a specified standard that allows them to integrate with a range of host devices. They are slightly smaller in size as compared to other camera memory cards. Being reliable and durable, they are widely used in digital cameras. Though the pictures remain safe, it cannot be denied that they are prone to corruption.

Corruption in MMC cards can creep in due to various reasons including:

• Interruption in read/write process
• Virus attacks
• File system damage.

In such situations, the data becomes inaccessible. You can restore lost pictures by accessing an updated backup. If there is no backup available, no need to panic. A picture recovery software must be considered in order to retrieve pictures successfully.

As a practical case, you may come across the following error while trying to view pictures saved on your camera’s MMC card:

“Memory Card Error”

As a result of the above error, you won’t be able to access the previously saved pictures. Moreover, you won’t be able to use your digital camera for further use until you fix the above error.

Cause

The above abrupt behavior can be accounted to corruption. A corrupt MMC card throws various errors, rendering pictures unavailable.

Resolution

The possible workarounds could be:

1. Clean the contacts of the MMC card with a soft and dry cloth

2. Try and access your data on a computer via a card reader

3. If nothing works out, reformat the MMC card in your camera

Formatting the MMC card will erase the previously saved data by installing a new file system. In order to recover pictures post formatting, you are required to opt for a picture recovery software.

Such tools can be downloaded from the Internet but you should be very careful before using a particular one. A wrong choice can jeopardize everything and you may end up losing pictures forever. You can observe the following points while selecting an efficient picture recovery utility:

1. Ensure you select a read-only tool which doesn't have the tendency to modify the original data

2. Ensure it provides you with a glimpse of recoverable data via its demo version

3. Ensure the tool is capable of recovering pictures in all formats

4. Ensure the tool has a simple graphical user interface

Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery is a trusted tool which recovers lost, deleted or formatted pictures from a range of memory cards including MMC, MMC plus, SD, SDHC. The picture recovery tool, available in two versions for both Windows and Mac users, recovers all picture formats such as JPEG, RAW, Exif, PNG, TIF etc.