Lost SD card contents, need to recover NDS save files

[FrostyFoxTeals]

(big explanation warning)


I have a very big problem.
I got a DS Lite and an R4 card for it very recently and have been discovering new franchises and games thanks to it.
When i put my SD card into the SD card reader-type thing that came with my R4, some weird message popped up pretty much telling me something wasn't right with the SD card. I ignored it and opened my SD card on File Explorer, and everything was gone.
I had made a backup of my SD, but that was around 5 days ago, before i made some very important progress in certain games. The most important file i need to recover is my WarioWare: D.I.Y. file, i made quite a few microgames that i can't get back.
After tinkering around with random Windows things, all the files from the SD are saved in a hidden folder as .CHK files.
I really need to find a way to recover my files because I really don't have time to recreate all of that progress.
Any help at all would be amazing!

 

[kite21]

Well, if your PC can still read the card all you need to do is get a file recovery software, scan the SD card and recover whatever file you want. Since the sav files are really small I don't think you would have a problem recovering it. As for what software to use, I am not sure myself, I use one called Recuva but Idk if that's any good for non-media files. Hope you can recover your save o3o.

 

[FrostyFoxTeals]

Well, if your PC can still read the card all you need to do is get a file recovery software, scan the SD card and recover whatever file you want. Since the sav files are really small I don't think you would have a problem recovering it. As for what software to use, I am not sure myself, I use one called Recuva but Idk if that's any good for non-media files. Hope you can recover your save o3o.

The big question is, does that application/software recognize and properly restore those .sav files?
I've tried 1 and am trying another one right now but it won't recognize or restore .sav or .nds* files.

Oh yeah and all the .CHK files follow the name format "FILE.0000.CHK" (number increases). they stay like that when restored just with the right file extension, how will I be able to tell which file is which?

*.nds files don't really need to be recovered, those are backed up, just the .sav files.

 

[r1vver]

FILE.0000.CHK

They are all in FOUND.000 folder? You did Windows checkdisk command (chkdsk) on this disk? And it created this folder on this same disk? Grats!
And of course, you didn't make a disk image before the start of the vivisection?
If after that there is still something to restore on the disk, then try Recuva or PhotoRec or R-Undelete.
As for your chunks of data - open them one by one in some decent text editor and look at the file headers and/or other distinguishing features of the type of file you need.

never install any application, save image file, write any information or recover deleted files on the same disk where the deleted/lost files are located

 

[FrostyFoxTeals]

They are all in FOUND.000 folder? You did Windows checkdisk command (chkdsk) on this disk? And it created this folder on this same disk? Grats!
And of course, you didn't make a disk image before the start of the vivisection?

Oh, i didn't go into Command Prompt and that sorta stuff, i just went to the Control Panel, then Devices and Printers, and then i did something there.
And Recuva didn't recover anything, even though it said it found like 4,000 files. (around the amount of files actually in my SD)

 

[r1vver]

If so, it means that everything that was orphaned has already been found and restored. As *.CHK chunks of data. You will need to dig into them then.

 

[FrostyFoxTeals]

If so, it means that everything that was orphaned has already been found and restored. As *.CHK chunks of data. You will need to dig into them then.

How can i find my WarioWare: D.I.Y. save and restore it?
That's the most important one.

 

[lonelyvovk]

Hey, that really sucks that you lost all your progress in your games. It sounds like your SD card might be corrupted or something.

To recover your lost files, you could try using data recovery software like PhotoRec or DMDE. PhotoRec is a free and open-source data recovery tool that can recover files from a variety of devices and filesystems, including SD cards. It supports over 480 file types and can recover files from FAT, NTFS, and ext2/ext3/ext4 filesystems.

DMDE is a more advanced data recovery tool that can handle complex data recovery tasks. It also supports a wide range of devices and filesystems, including SD cards. It is also kind of free.

To use these tools, you'll need to download and install them on your computer. Then, connect your SD card to your computer and run the software. Follow the instructions to scan your SD card for lost files and recover them. It's important to note that the success rate of data recovery depends on various factors such as the extent of the damage to the SD card, the type of file, and how long it has been since the file was deleted.

If using data recovery software doesn't work, you could try using a command prompt to recover your .CHK files. Here's how:

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Navigate to the directory where your .CHK files are located.
3. Type the following command: ren *.chk .
4. Press Enter.

This should rename all of your .CHK files to their original file extensions, allowing you to access them again.

I hope that helps, and good luck recovering your lost files!

 

[Kwyjor]

Hello! You sound like a spambot using AI-generated text. Are you a spambot using AI-generated text? It would explain why you're bumping a thread from three months ago.

3. Type the following command: ren *.chk .

Also I am quite certain this command does not do what you think it does. There is no way to magically restore the original file extensions of .chk files, or at least not through some trick of the "ren" command.

How can i find my WarioWare: D.I.Y. save and restore it?

You'll have to find a new WarioWare: D.I.Y. save, open it in a hex editor, and then examine the .chk files one by one until you find something that that looks like it has a similar file structure.

You might be able to narrow it down by looking at the size of each .chk file, because of course the file you're looking for will have to have the same size as another WWDIY wave. If all your .chk files are the same size, and they're all smaller than another WWDIY save, then you might have to pull together data from multiple files.

 

[godreborn]

Never understood why people don't make periodic backups.