Fix Sony DSC-W100 Camera Error “cannot format memory card” and Recover Photos

The blog describes the methods that users can implement to recover photos after encountering error ‘cannot format memory card and recover photos’. If the error message appears while trying to access images on Sony DSC-W100 camera, immediately stop using the card and go through the guidelines mentioned in the blog.

If you are using a Sony DSC-W100 Camera and face the error: “cannot format memory card” while attempting to access the images being stored within, you have to search for a quick solution. In such cases, it is advisable to stop using the memory card as you can lose all your images and other data permanently.

If you get this error, do not despair and thinking of formatting as, by doing so, you can lose all your photos and other data. Listed below are some recommended solutions for you to gain access to the lost files:

Fix #1: Run CHKDSK on Memory Card

To fix Sony DSC-W100 Camera Error “cannot format memory card", run CHKDSK as the first step to retrieve access to all the lost images. You need to insert the memory card to the card reader and then connect it to the computer. Prior to running the command prompt, ensure that the memory card is not write-protected as this will not allow the system to access memory card contents.

Run the Command Prompt by following the given steps:

1. From the Start menu, click Run and type “cmd” in the search box that appears
2. In the command prompt window, type CHKDSK <driveletter> /r

Example: CHKDSK E: / r

Note: (<driveletter> denotes the letter assigned to Sony DSC-W10 camera)

3. Running CHSDSK with /r clause will help to check the Sony camera storage drive for structural inconsistencies and will notify and fix the errors being found
4. Press Enter to instruct the CHKDSK for reporting the task being performed and fix the errors found
5. Then, navigate to My Computer, click on E:/ to check if the images are recovered or not

Note: Running CHKDSK may help gain access to the contents of memory card, however, it can lead to data loss as well. Thus the user has to be proficient enough to run this procedure; else, you can land up losing data. If however, errors cannot be fixed by "CHKDSK" command then try to apply other manual methods to fix Corrupt SD cards and SD card recovery.

Fix #2: Restore from Backup

If you are a smart user who considers backing up the storage media on a regular basis following a strict backup schedule, then you are on the safer side. Restore all the files being stored in the Sony DSC-W100 camera memory card from the backup files.

It is probable that some of the data may not be available in the backup file as the images were captured recently after the last backup; however, in that case, too, it is quite possible to recover photos stored in the formatted memory card.

Note: As there is no risk associated with this approach, therefore, you can try it anytime you face data loss.

Fix #3: Run Professional Photo Recovery Tool

If you fail to gain access to the images stored on the Sony DSC-W100 camera memory card by executing the above-mentioned recovery procedures, you can employ Stellar Photo Recovery software. The workability of the tool is quite simple and can be executed using the below steps:

1. Run Stellar Photo Recovery software
   Note: Make sure that the Sony DSC-W100 camera memory card is connected to the computer/laptop.
2. Select the location from where you want to recover. Click Scan to start the scanning process
3. A dialog box of ‘Scanning Completed Successfully!’ displays the scan results – number of files found and size of the data. In the left-pane of main window, all the recovered data is listed. You can preview them in the right pane.
   Note: If you do not see the required photos in the list, opt for Deep Scan option at the bottom.
4. Click Recover. You can also choose to recover only the selective files – select photos that you need, right click, and click Recover.
5. In the dialog box, specify the location to save the image files. Click Save. All the files get saved at the specified location Click Save. All the photos get saved at the specified location.

Note: This third-party tool does not make any modifications to the original and recovered photos and is stored at a user-defined location on hard drive. Therefore, there is no risk of any compromise in image quality as well as data loss.

Conclusion

Among the three recovery methods mentioned above,  the professional third-party Photo Recovery tool is considered as the guaranteed method of getting back your lost images. The tool helps to fix Sony DSC-W100 Camera Error “cannot format memory card" and Recover Photos.