Need help please! Photos lost from PC.

Flint · 06-30-2009, 10:08 AM

The scenario, as described by my Pooka: we have a Canon camera and run the Canon Zoombrowser application. Pooka selects a small group of photos and clicks "rotate according to information" or some such feature that auto-rotates things based on some meta data from the camera, I assume. This is how she always does it, she says.

This time, an error is displayed, "you do not have permission to do this" or "to access the files" or something (she didn't write it down, or screenshot). Afterwards, there is only a grainy thumbnail of the photos in Zoombrowser, but you can't zoom or open the proper photo (it says no preview available).

Before I understood what had happened, I closed Zoombrowser and said "Look, your photos are really in Explorer, over here in My Pictures" --but they weren't! They were gone. Back in Zoombrowser, even the thumbnail is gone. They weren't in the recycle bin. I snooped around for a mysterious new directory of corrupted files, or anything. No luck.

"Could it be a virus?" she asks? I don't know, but I tell her don't use the computer today. I guess that is one possibility. The other is that Zoombrowser just crapped out and blitzed my files because it didn't like the meta data it got when it tried to run it's auto-rotate wizard.

I Googled this a bit and found people recommending the Zero Assumption Recovery utility http://download.cnet.com/Zero-Assump...-10061981.html ... does anybody know anything about this utility? Ever used it, or something like it?

I don't think I have XP set to create save points, because I subscribe to Mozy online backup, but I never set it up on this new computer. I don't use Norton anymore so I don't have "GoBack" running.

Does any of this make sense to anybody? Either from the Canon Zoombrowser functionality persepctive, the possibility of a virus perspective (the "you don't have permission" worries me), or from the simple data recovery perspective?

Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any ideas you have.

glatt · 06-30-2009, 10:57 AM

Are the original images still on the camera's memory card?

Flint · 06-30-2009, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

Are the original images still on the camera's memory card?

No, but the ZAR utility apparently might be able to recover them from the card.

mbpark · 06-30-2009, 09:37 PM

Your camera probably stores files as JPEGs.

Have you searched your hard drive for *.jpg files yet?

These little utilities for the cameras often have issues. Have you downloaded the latest version from their web site?

These little camera apps also store the photos in other places, especially Casio's little apps (I've seen them in program files!). Search the HD for JPEGs first (using the *.jpg pattern). if you don't find the files, then run the recovery utility.

I don't think you've lost the files. I think the Canon app needs to be updated, and probably has some issues, starting with the fact that it apparently doesn't store photos in the right places.

Check "C:\Program Files\Canon\ZoomBrowser EX\Image Library One" - I googled for that and found that's the default directory. Back that up

.

BigV · 06-30-2009, 11:10 PM

You have a pm.

tw · 07-01-2009, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbpark

Check "C:\Program Files\Canon\ZoomBrowser EX\Image Library One" - I googled for that and found that's the default directory.

To expand: cameras connected to a computer typically appear on that computer as another disk drive. Windows Explorer is a common searching tool. What files and directories on that camera are seen by Windows Explorer?

Explorer can also search through every file on the hard drive: My Computer> C: . Search for all JPEG files by entering the filename of *.JPG or *.JPEG. Do you remember file names for those pictures? Also let Windows Explorer such every drive for that filename.

Do not start repairing anything or executing magic repair programs until you have first learned what currently exists AND first doing any backups per mbpark's post.

xoxoxoBruce · 07-01-2009, 12:39 AM

Relax, BigV has a secret plan.

fargon · 07-01-2009, 07:11 AM

When I did a system restore on my computer I lost all my pictures. I went to Picasa and was able to retrieve all my pix from my hard drive.

Flint · 07-01-2009, 10:38 AM

Thanks to all for your suggestions. Yes, I know they are JPEGs ans where they should be, but they aren't; and a search of C: for *.jpg or IMG_????.jpg just turns up the photos I already know I have--the ones that are where they have always been and haven't vanished. The files aren't on the camera (the camera's card) anymore, they were from about a month ago and the card has been erased after every use. I do not have a C:\Program Files\Canon\ZoomBrowser EX\Image Library One directory, and I'm not sure there is an equivalent directory in the version of ZoomBrowser I am running--the photos that I have now are and have always been stored in the My Pictures directory (except for the missing ones). To further complicate matters, I am myself trying to reconstruct the issue from a third-party account with limted relevant details.

To the best of my knowledge, ZoomBrowser did domething to so corrupt these images that they aren't even recognized by my OS anymore. I really don't know if they are now masquerading in a different location, under a different file name (internal to Canon's logic) but the recovery utility definitely does not see them in the directory where they were. I do have the option to recover any of about ten "lost files" directories with hundreds of mystery files, but only four directories can be recovered with the ZAR demo.

Possible next step, I think, is that ZAR does free recovery from the card media, but I believe I will need a card reader to perform that recovery.

Pooka · 07-01-2009, 12:02 PM

These are super sweet pictures of Morrigan with her ringlet curls making silly faces. I was rotating the images the same way I have always rotated images... highlight them all in zoom browser and left click then select rotate according to whatever... I've never had problems before. The error message said something like you are not authorized to make changes to these files. Later when Flint got home ... he saw the picture and tried to open them individually, but they were strangely pixalated and said no preview availible. When he checked the file again they were all gone. Only the files I tried to rotate were missing... the rest of the pictures in that folder were still there.

My thought was... could someone have hacked our system and locked me out of the files and then removed them??? Flint kept telling me I must have deleted them, but I knowwhat I did and IF I had deleted them... they should have been in the recycle bin ...no?

Flint · 07-01-2009, 12:15 PM

Do you realize that if we just had the text of that error message, all we'd have to do is Google it and see if the first page of hits came up as virus-related incidents, or Zoombrowser-related incidents? Might you be able to remember exactly what the error messgae was? As the only actual witness to this event?

This meatloaf sanwich is delicious, btw. And don't let the little monsters snap off that flash drive!

mbpark · 07-01-2009, 12:25 PM

Ok, one other thing you might want to try is opening a command prompt, typing chkdsk c: /f , answering yes to postpone until reboot, and rebooting.

NTFS does have strange issues. This may fix some.

Otherwise, if the files got erased, there are ways to bypass the recycle bin, and there are ways to get things back as well involving Data Recovery.

Pooka · 07-01-2009, 12:48 PM

Honye... If I could remember I would tell you. The computer beeped and it gave an error in a small red box I know it said "Error" something like "you do not have authorization to make changes to these images". I've tried rotating other images, but did not get the error again. I can tell you that the file says it was modified on 6/29/09... but it was created on 05/07/09.

I intended on writing it down, but hit enter before I could stop myself... just force of habit. I tried recreating senerio, but did not get the same results... you know the rest of the story.

Glad the sandwich is to your liking.

Pooka · 07-01-2009, 12:50 PM

I know that no data is ever truly completely erased from a hard drive... so... what do you have to do to dig in there and pull files out that there are no signs of anymore????

Flint · 07-01-2009, 12:51 PM

It beeped? You never said it beeped. What kind of beep...an angry, abrupt beep? Did you say a small red box? WTF?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pooka

I know that no data is ever truly completely erased from a hard drive... so... what do you have to do to dig in there and pull files out that there are no signs of anymore????

The ZAR application that is opened and minimized on the PC right now has a list of files it found by physically scanning the hard drive. The problem is: since the photos are not where they were, where are they? And, what are they called now? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, if you didn't know what a needle looks like.

06-30-2009, 10:08 AM	#1
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Need help please! Photos lost from PC. The scenario, as described by my Pooka: we have a Canon camera and run the Canon Zoombrowser application. Pooka selects a small group of photos and clicks "rotate according to information" or some such feature that auto-rotates things based on some meta data from the camera, I assume. This is how she always does it, she says. This time, an error is displayed, "you do not have permission to do this" or "to access the files" or something (she didn't write it down, or screenshot). Afterwards, there is only a grainy thumbnail of the photos in Zoombrowser, but you can't zoom or open the proper photo (it says no preview available). Before I understood what had happened, I closed Zoombrowser and said "Look, your photos are really in Explorer, over here in My Pictures" --but they weren't! They were gone. Back in Zoombrowser, even the thumbnail is gone. They weren't in the recycle bin. I snooped around for a mysterious new directory of corrupted files, or anything. No luck. "Could it be a virus?" she asks? I don't know, but I tell her don't use the computer today. I guess that is one possibility. The other is that Zoombrowser just crapped out and blitzed my files because it didn't like the meta data it got when it tried to run it's auto-rotate wizard. I Googled this a bit and found people recommending the Zero Assumption Recovery utility http://download.cnet.com/Zero-Assump...-10061981.html ... does anybody know anything about this utility? Ever used it, or something like it? I don't think I have XP set to create save points, because I subscribe to Mozy online backup, but I never set it up on this new computer. I don't use Norton anymore so I don't have "GoBack" running. Does any of this make sense to anybody? Either from the Canon Zoombrowser functionality persepctive, the possibility of a virus perspective (the "you don't have permission" worries me), or from the simple data recovery perspective? Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any ideas you have. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

06-30-2009, 11:10 PM	#5
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	You have a pm. __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

07-01-2009, 12:39 AM	#7
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Relax, BigV has a secret plan. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

07-01-2009, 07:11 AM	#8
fargon Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: La Crosse, WI Posts: 8,924	When I did a system restore on my computer I lost all my pictures. I went to Picasa and was able to retrieve all my pix from my hard drive. __________________ Annoy the ones that ignore you!!! I live a blessed life I Love my Country, I Fear the Government!!! Heavily medicated for the good of mankind.

07-01-2009, 10:38 AM	#9
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Thanks to all for your suggestions. Yes, I know they are JPEGs ans where they should be, but they aren't; and a search of C: for .jpg or IMG_????.jpg just turns up the photos I already know I have--the ones that are where they have always been and haven't vanished. The files aren't on the camera (the camera's card) anymore, they were from about a month ago and the card has been erased after every use. I do not have a C:\Program Files\Canon\ZoomBrowser EX\Image Library One* directory, and I'm not sure there is an equivalent directory in the version of ZoomBrowser I am running--the photos that I have now are and have always been stored in the My Pictures directory (except for the missing ones). To further complicate matters, I am myself trying to reconstruct the issue from a third-party account with limted relevant details. To the best of my knowledge, ZoomBrowser did domething to so corrupt these images that they aren't even recognized by my OS anymore. I really don't know if they are now masquerading in a different location, under a different file name (internal to Canon's logic) but the recovery utility definitely does not see them in the directory where they were. I do have the option to recover any of about ten "lost files" directories with hundreds of mystery files, but only four directories can be recovered with the ZAR demo. Possible next step, I think, is that ZAR does free recovery from the card media, but I believe I will need a card reader to perform that recovery. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

06-30-2009, 10:57 AM	#2
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Are the original images still on the camera's memory card?

06-30-2009, 09:37 PM	#4
mbpark Lecturer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Carmel, Indiana Posts: 761	Your camera probably stores files as JPEGs. Have you searched your hard drive for .jpg files yet? These little utilities for the cameras often have issues. Have you downloaded the latest version from their web site? These little camera apps also store the photos in other places, especially Casio's little apps (I've seen them in program files!). Search the HD for JPEGs first (using the .jpg pattern). if you don't find the files, then run the recovery utility. I don't think you've lost the files. I think the Canon app needs to be updated, and probably has some issues, starting with the fact that it apparently doesn't store photos in the right places. Check "C:\Program Files\Canon\ZoomBrowser EX\Image Library One" - I googled for that and found that's the default directory. Back that up .

07-01-2009, 12:02 PM	#10
Pooka Your Invisible Rabbit Friend Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Betwixt and Between Posts: 528	These are super sweet pictures of Morrigan with her ringlet curls making silly faces. I was rotating the images the same way I have always rotated images... highlight them all in zoom browser and left click then select rotate according to whatever... I've never had problems before. The error message said something like you are not authorized to make changes to these files. Later when Flint got home ... he saw the picture and tried to open them individually, but they were strangely pixalated and said no preview availible. When he checked the file again they were all gone. Only the files I tried to rotate were missing... the rest of the pictures in that folder were still there. My thought was... could someone have hacked our system and locked me out of the files and then removed them??? Flint kept telling me I must have deleted them, but I knowwhat I did and IF I had deleted them... they should have been in the recycle bin ...no?

07-01-2009, 12:15 PM	#11
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Do you realize that if we just had the text of that error message, all we'd have to do is Google it and see if the first page of hits came up as virus-related incidents, or Zoombrowser-related incidents? Might you be able to remember exactly what the error messgae was? As the only actual witness to this event? This meatloaf sanwich is delicious, btw. And don't let the little monsters snap off that flash drive! __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

07-01-2009, 12:25 PM	#12
mbpark Lecturer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Carmel, Indiana Posts: 761	Ok, one other thing you might want to try is opening a command prompt, typing chkdsk c: /f , answering yes to postpone until reboot, and rebooting. NTFS does have strange issues. This may fix some. Otherwise, if the files got erased, there are ways to bypass the recycle bin, and there are ways to get things back as well involving Data Recovery.

07-01-2009, 12:48 PM	#13
Pooka Your Invisible Rabbit Friend Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Betwixt and Between Posts: 528	Honye... If I could remember I would tell you. The computer beeped and it gave an error in a small red box I know it said "Error" something like "you do not have authorization to make changes to these images". I've tried rotating other images, but did not get the error again. I can tell you that the file says it was modified on 6/29/09... but it was created on 05/07/09. I intended on writing it down, but hit enter before I could stop myself... just force of habit. I tried recreating senerio, but did not get the same results... you know the rest of the story. Glad the sandwich is to your liking.

07-01-2009, 12:50 PM	#14
Pooka Your Invisible Rabbit Friend Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Betwixt and Between Posts: 528	I know that no data is ever truly completely erased from a hard drive... so... what do you have to do to dig in there and pull files out that there are no signs of anymore????

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