They are there..don't reformat anything. Reboot your computer, only open the "card" reader, and be patient.

Take a deep breath and relax. I'm sure it'll work out. A great program to have on your computer is called Irfanview. It's a viewer with a lot of features. Opens a lot of different file types. It's on my list of essentials.

OK...I downloaded Irfanview, so far nothing opens them. I have to go play with it some more...anything I should know specifically to open them? I had to reformat my card because it wasn't doing anything, but I did back up all the pictures onto a cd and a file on my puter....even the ones that won't open. I know there is something there because it gives a file size etc. At least I hope there is! I'd love any help about how to work Irvfanview to open these....so far nothing is working for me...must be missing something or it's hopeless?? Thanks again!

Gwanny...when you look at the files on the CD or computer do they have an end file extension .jpg or .jpeg? Some times I have had mine loose that extension and it is simply a matter of typing it in.
Not sure if that is your problem or not but it might help.

tiagen where would I look for that? All I see is the number the camera gives it under the pictures file.

Try doing this: Copy one to a different spot like your desktop or anyplace handy. Right click on the copied file and go to "Rename". The file name will be highlighted. use the End key or the right arrow or click on the end so the curser is at the end of the file name. Once there, add
.jpg

(include the "dot") then hit the enter key. It'll then be the original filename plus .jpg It should still be highlighted, and if so hit enter again and see what happens. If nothing happens, try double clicking on the renamed file and see if it opens.

One thing about Irfanview, if it's a different file type with the wrong extension, for instance if it's a .jpg file and it says .gif, it'll open it and tell you that it's named wrong and ask you if you want to rename it.

No that didn't work either...it said can't read the file header??

I even tried converting it to other formats and it tells me that "The source data format is not recognized". Are they hopeless?

Have you actually transferred/copied them to your computer? JoanMN/FL

Sorry Gwanny I only just saw your question but cynic answered it anyway. What does it say under the photos or in the property? You can right click, view properties to see what the name is.

Yes Joann I have...burned them to a cd too. And this is what I see when I click on properties....it looks like it's in there....just can't open it!

Grasping at straws:

You may have a capacity incompatibility: A camera card with capacity larger than that supported by the card reader. I would suspect this only if you had an old card reader, one made before the storage cards leaped to large capacities.

Do not reformat. If you can view the images in the camera, the images are yet on the card, and viable. Get help for transfering the images to your computer.

If you are not seeing the file extensions in the file lists, these are probably hidden. To fix:

Control Panel > Folder Options > View

Under "File and Folders", look for:
"Hide extensions for known file types"

Uncheck this box, then click "apply" followed by
"OK". Now the file extensions should show in the file listings.

To better see the file lsits, do not use the icon thingys.

Use "my computer" to opem files listings. When you arrive at the desired panel, click on "View" in the bar at the top of the panel and chose "details" on the drop down menu. The files will appear in text form. Using this method, you can open other file panels without closing the one you want. This makes it easy to copy files from one list to another, in your case, from the card reader to a folder on your hard drive. Just highlight the files of interest, right click - hold down and drag from one list to another - lift the finger and then chose "copy".

I have already reformatted the card ...I couldn't do anything with it last night until I did. I tried to recover the pics in a recovery program I have but got nothing back. Is it too late? I onoly have them on my computer...will I still be able to open them from a folder and not the card itself?

Vikki, email me one of the images and I'll try to open it on all of the graphics programs I use at work.

Jodi-

Great thanks Jodi! Can you send me your address through my page?

Let us know if that helps, Vikki. It must be SO frustrating.
JoanMN/FL

It is very frustrating! Thanks everyone for your help!

Just getting back here and wondering how you made out? I hope you are able to get into them. Wonder if it may be the software you are using to view them? They seem to be saved as .jpeg

Well Vikki, I have tried bringing the photo file into or opening with the latest versions of Adobe CS4 Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Fireworks, Flash, MS Powerpoint, MS Word, Mac Preview, Mac Safari, Firefox, IrfanView and Picasa. Nothing of them worked.

But...I did manage to view a cute little boy standing in front of a very large Polar Bear when using Adobe CS4 Bridge, an application in the CS4 suite of products used to view all manners of graphic files. Unfortunately, it did not allow me to save the file or copy and paste into any other program. Very, very odd. I will run this by another graphic designer later and see if he has any ideas.

Here is a screen capture of the photo.

Thanks Jodi! It's really weird that these won't open! That would be Seth! Thansk again...I won't delete the rest in case they can still be opened somehow on my end! Thanks again...at least I know they are in the file!

That is really very strange.

Vikki, can you give me the brand and model of camera please? And perhaps any settings like resolution or file type. Does your camera take RAW photos?

Jodi-

It's a fuji S700 and it does take RAW...but I never use that. Not sure what it is so I don't touch it! LOL....I do see the option though.

I usually take most pictures on auto setting especially when I am chasing the kids around...I don't have time to mess with the settings then!

I'm sure they're taken in jpeg.
I hope Jodi's friend has some luck.
JoanMN/FL

Actually I know what your settings are because Bridge tells me, I just wanted to see if they indeed were the same as what your settings were.

Bridge says you are using a JPEG (JPG) format at 3072x2304 size (12.8"x9.6") which is what I use but for some reason Bridge doesn't tell me your resolution like it does when I look at one of my images.

Jodi-

Jodi, it is strange that even in bridge you could not save it even if it was RAW.
I'm anxious to hear any solutions also.

Vikki, try these two apps. Konvertor and PicaView. PicaView is used by doing a right click on the file name. I'm not sure how Konvertor is used but I found it recommended at DPReview.com.

http://www.brothersoft.com/picaview-10276.html

Still waiting to see if the other designer can open it.

***
Taigen, it's a JPG, not RAW, I just asked her that question to see what options her camera had.

Jodi-

Here is a link that might be useful: Konvertor

Vikki, here is what our image expert says...

***
Sounds like it will be difficult to ascertain where the corruption is happening at this point. She needs to test the card and the cable, and if it's neither of those it's likely the camera. For all we know though, the corruption could have been introduced in going to CD.

Wiping the card was probably a bad move though - you really shouldn't do that until you have things working on your drive.

If the images on the CD are bad she's probably out of luck.

Can't say for sure without being able to test things.

If you can get me that card I can try to run a low level search and see if I can rebuild the index file. Generally when a camera 'clears' itself it only erases the index, not the files themselves. However if she's taken more photos on it or zero'd it out it's not likely to work.
***

I told him you already tried an image rescue app (which one did you use?). Do you have these photos on your hard drive as well as CD? That would help.

If you find yourself down this way, let me know.

Jodi-

Vikki, you've got mail.

Thanks Jodi...I have been playing with the Picaview you suggested and no luck there either. I do have them on a cd and it was Digital Image Recovery that I used to recover them...with no luck as you know. I appreciate all you have tried....and your image expert. I read my email from you and it is so foreign to me LOL! I will just accept that they are gone....it's not like they were a huge vacation and I couldn't live without them. I just wanted to know if they were gone forever or if there was simple fix to get them to open. Also to prevent it from happening again. I bought the card on Ebay and was wondering if that could be a reason too! I'm going to buy a new card and hope it isn't my camera acting up. Also I didn't use a usb cable from the camera. I use the card slot on my computer to transfer pictures. Anyway thanks to all who have jumped in to help!

Vikki, when you formatted the card, did you format it in the camera, as opposed to the computer? I suggest that next time, COPY the pics to your hard drive in a folder on the desktop, that way if something happens, at least you still have them on the card.
My hard drive crashed once and I lost a ton of pics I hadn't backed up, I know it makes a person just sick.

Joan I did format it in the camera. And I always back my pictures up before I delete them from my card. I have them on a cd and in a file on my computer. I lost pictures once a long time ago too....never again from lack of backing them up! When you say COPY....is that different from just transferring them from the card? Am I losing info when I just transfer?