Formatted an SD Card After a Camera Error and Took New Photos: Can the Old Files Still Be Recovered?
Yes, recovery is still worth trying, but remove the card from the phone and stop using it now. In this r/datarecovery case, an old Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W320 repeatedly showed a Reinsert Memory Card error. The user formatted the card in the camera, took a few new photos, then realized the older photos and files were gone. The OP later reported that the pictures and videos were successfully recovered, but that outcome is not guaranteed for every formatted card.
Do This Now
Take the SD card out of the phone and keep it offline. Do not shoot more photos, format it again, run repair tools, or save anything back to the card. New writes can overwrite data that may still be recoverable.
Did Formatting and Taking New Photos Destroy Everything?
Not necessarily. Sony warns that formatting a memory card deletes the data stored on it, but the practical recovery result depends on what the camera's format process changed and how much old data was later overwritten. The few new photos taken afterward may have replaced some older data, so some files could be missing or damaged even if many others are still recoverable.
Why the Earlier “Reinsert Memory Card” Error Matters
Sony says a Reinsert Memory Card error can be caused by compatibility or contact problems, and it can also indicate a damaged card. That means this was not simply a healthy card that was accidentally formatted. Before doing a long recovery scan, check whether the card still reports its expected capacity and stays connected reliably.
Choose the Safer Recovery Path
- The card shows the correct capacity and remains stable: create a byte-to-byte image first if possible, then recover from the image or another stable copy. This reduces repeated reads from a card that had already shown errors.
- The card is stable and you are working directly from it: a readable formatted card can be scanned with Recoverit Memory Card Recovery, with recovered files saved to a different drive.
- The card disconnects, reports the wrong capacity, or produces repeated read errors: stop software scans. Because the card showed problems before formatting, professional recovery is the safer next step if the missing files are important.
The key difference in this case is that the format was used to fix an existing camera-card error. So do not treat the card as healthy just because the camera was able to take a few new photos afterward. Preserve it first, recover what is still readable, and only troubleshoot or reuse the card after the important files are safe. For the broader formatted-card workflow, see the formatted SD card recovery guide.