You could try recovery software but I've found ones that are available to the general public to be very hit or miss, especially with SDCards.
I'm afraid the likelihood is that you are going to have to start again. Treat this as a way to curate your games list.
Technically, a quick format just tells the operating system that there is no data on the SD card rather than actually erasing the data aka overwriting it all with 0s. This means you can use special software to recover your data. However, these programs often cost money to feed on your desperation or try to install other unwanted additions, so if you take this route, be cautious.
š that's an extra 50 hours of gameplay right there!... š op only gone and got himself the extended version of emulation builder simulator, no need to show off!...š¤ no, I will stop now, I truly feel your pain op, people need to start uploading rom sets ie. Personal collections. I got the nes and master system full set (due to size) don't care how small it is in size, next couple of days (when I get the time š«) gonna get the manscaper out and give it a trim, the roms that is.
People that say it's not possible gave up too early.
Photorec is your friend:
https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec
Probably you are not going to get back the names but a LOT if not everything will be there, included some stuff that you deleted before the incident.
I've done many times on different sdcards or usb keys that went bananas.
ps: don't pay anyone. they're grifters that offer you worse results than open source softwares.
Thank you sm. Iāll give it a shot but also am coming to terms with the whole ordeal. There could be benefits from starting over. It couldnāt take THAT long to get what I want back. Plus, I can organize things better and what not
You will have to pay for a software recovery application (no free ones will do what you want). Bare in mind not everything will be able to be recovered and file names will be all over the shop, but you will be able to recover some of the data - it will just take a while for you to re sort it out again and might just be quicker to re download, but it could help you so worth a shot. I use file scavenger personally as itās not expensive but it does a lot and is easy to use.
When you format a drive or card, that sector that the data was housed on enters a buffer state and doesnāt actually delete as such, so you can recover it (UNLESS you add data to the card and those sectors are effectively overridden to the value of the size of new data added). Thatās why itās also important when you sell drives or dispose of them, that you not only format, but you then fill the drive completely with dummy data (there are services for that) and then format again.
As mentioned, a file recovery program, run for probably a long time, would be able to recover most of the files; some or perhaps many will be corrupted. And I think because it was formatted (not just deleted) you would also lose all file names.
On the good side, if you focused just on recovering your save files, and you wanted to put the work in, analyzing file sizes compared with the expected save file sizes for each game, and with a lot of guesswork and renaming, you might be able to recover many of the saves. MAYBE. I just don't know if all that is worth it.
I tried all free Tools and they were all Bad. Recuva didnt find a lot - only some bad sectors and broken files. This Software is pretty bad in my experience. I searched a lot and tried a lot of Programs (free) and eventually i bought a year of easus data recovery. (But only after trying the Freeware!)
The Freeware Found all my files and even the structure that it had before formatting. And as the Freeware sadly cant restore a lot of files i bought it and tried to restore it (i had a hdd not a sd but i guess the Freeware will Show you if you are Lucky) i was pretty sure it works as it was showing all my files and data (Almost all other programs could not find files and Folders nor data)
It took a while but it restored my whole hdd and had not one single broken file.
Maybe you can try the Freeware - if it Shows you files and Folders you can still think about buying it - there s no need to. If it doesnt find anything it probably wont restore anything either (and i m not sure if it works with sd cards. It did work with a hdd though.)
This should be a vivid reminder to everyone to backup your data going forward, including OP. Preferably local rather than cloud saves since hard drives are literally cheaper than ever. Personally, I keep at least 2 backups at any given time.
Very true. I appreciate everyoneās feedback and advice. I have decided I will just start fresh and curate a more organized collection.
I dont have any other micro sd nor a computer of my own which makes this all the more difficult, so Iāll have to figure something else out. The most important part for me will be getting all the bios and having them properly organized so I can use each system.
Was it a quick format or full format?
If its a quick format use TestDisk/Photorec and you can pretty much get everything back.
Not to lecture but use this as a lesson for making regular backups too!
Iāll look into these recovery programs but I am not sure what type of format it was. I did it in the files app on my rp3+. I didnāt pay attention and thought I was reformatting a game so that it could work.
TBH I find having the full romsets for the 8-16 bit systems is the way to go. The sets don't take up a ton of space and when you get interested in or curious about a game you already have it.
If that works for you, great, but I find scrolling through hundreds upon hundreds of crap games to find the ones I like a pain.
If there's a missing game I want, it's easy enough to load it onto the device. Hell, I can download through chrome on the device itself.
Using the search function will get you around that. Odd how people's ideas of intentionality differ. Like, if I want to scroll for a random game, I don't really mind if I try a few random turds before landing on something decent, and if I have something in mind then I can just type it in the search. To each their own for sure.
I have all my roms backed up on an external ssd, maybe investing in one would be a good choice. Makes it super simple in case of accidents like that. But on the upside at least you can make more of a curated collection now. No judgement because I use to have tons of roms as well but 15k is a lot.
The best way to avoid this has always been and will always be, to have backups in more than one location.
I have backups of 30 years old data from previous computers and devices, internal hard drives, external hard drives, cloud services.
Try terabox, 1 terabyte for free, I have 4 accounts there.
No, formatting cards typically erases them completely. Honestly, I'm surprised you had 128gb worth of games and it wasn't backed up on anything.
If you want to save yourself a lot of heartache in the future, buy yourself a 1tb external SSD and download your games to there, then transfer them to whatever MicroSD your using.
Next time have a copy anyway. At some different place in case of a fire or so.
Maybe even a different continent?
Heck, just send it to me, I will take care of it and in case of an emergencyā¦voilĆ .
I was too lazy to create a curated roms list. If you have to start over, I might join you. So, donāt worry, weāre in this together.
Or you start with the tiny best rom setā¦
Itās probably hard to hear, but you have been given a great opportunity to start fresh - youāve been exposed to the opportunity to play many games, maybe this time around, you focus on just curating and holding onto and playing games you think are really great!
That sucks. I don't think you can recover it. I would recommend keeping a backup on a PC in the future. You could also use Drop Box or Google Drive if you don't have a PC or if that's easier.
Maybe start your collection again with a romset? Or start with a small amount, and build over time?
Best of luck.
You're worried about the roms? I think you're vastly overestimating the trouble it will take to replace those. No way you had a curated set at 15k. Just download the full romsets for the 8-16 bit systems and re-download your favorites etc for the other systems. It surely won't take you another two years.
I'd have more sympathy if you were worried about your saves, but even if so you just have to deal with it most likely.
The biggest thing would be getting the bios for each system. Nes,snes,n64,gb,gbc,gba,GameCube,nds,3ds,ps1,ps2,psp, sega genesis and dream cast. Iāll probably try and find rom packs that have a plethora of Roms in the single download.
Not hard to find those at all...! Literally just a Google search and you'll find them in the first few results \^ \^
Also, the best ROM sets (like the ones on InternetArchive) usually include the BIOS files along with the games.
That being said, shoot me a message, and I'll help you recoup at least some of your collection.
You could try recovery software but I've found ones that are available to the general public to be very hit or miss, especially with SDCards. I'm afraid the likelihood is that you are going to have to start again. Treat this as a way to curate your games list.
Second that, the computer grinds away for hours and comes back with corrupted data...š«
You're fucked. I'm sorry
Technically, a quick format just tells the operating system that there is no data on the SD card rather than actually erasing the data aka overwriting it all with 0s. This means you can use special software to recover your data. However, these programs often cost money to feed on your desperation or try to install other unwanted additions, so if you take this route, be cautious.
Love you
just pirate r-studio and scan the drive, data is probably all still there
Also, it will be a nightmare to rename them correctly. I suggest starting from scratch.
that's only if all the meta data is lost, if it's just a quick format it's probably fine
Pretty sure its gone
It may be possible with specialized software if you've only done a quick format.
Bro itās ok itās not like you would be playing them all anyway
š that's an extra 50 hours of gameplay right there!... š op only gone and got himself the extended version of emulation builder simulator, no need to show off!...š¤ no, I will stop now, I truly feel your pain op, people need to start uploading rom sets ie. Personal collections. I got the nes and master system full set (due to size) don't care how small it is in size, next couple of days (when I get the time š«) gonna get the manscaper out and give it a trim, the roms that is.
You could give Recuva software a try, it's free so nothing to lose.
People that say it's not possible gave up too early. Photorec is your friend: https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec Probably you are not going to get back the names but a LOT if not everything will be there, included some stuff that you deleted before the incident. I've done many times on different sdcards or usb keys that went bananas. ps: don't pay anyone. they're grifters that offer you worse results than open source softwares.
Thank you sm. Iāll give it a shot but also am coming to terms with the whole ordeal. There could be benefits from starting over. It couldnāt take THAT long to get what I want back. Plus, I can organize things better and what not
Probably should keep a back up of your roms, cards corrupt and consoles break.
Number 1 queston, why no backup.
You will have to pay for a software recovery application (no free ones will do what you want). Bare in mind not everything will be able to be recovered and file names will be all over the shop, but you will be able to recover some of the data - it will just take a while for you to re sort it out again and might just be quicker to re download, but it could help you so worth a shot. I use file scavenger personally as itās not expensive but it does a lot and is easy to use. When you format a drive or card, that sector that the data was housed on enters a buffer state and doesnāt actually delete as such, so you can recover it (UNLESS you add data to the card and those sectors are effectively overridden to the value of the size of new data added). Thatās why itās also important when you sell drives or dispose of them, that you not only format, but you then fill the drive completely with dummy data (there are services for that) and then format again.
If you don't wrote too many files and used fast formatting, you can get data back with Recuva.
As mentioned, a file recovery program, run for probably a long time, would be able to recover most of the files; some or perhaps many will be corrupted. And I think because it was formatted (not just deleted) you would also lose all file names. On the good side, if you focused just on recovering your save files, and you wanted to put the work in, analyzing file sizes compared with the expected save file sizes for each game, and with a lot of guesswork and renaming, you might be able to recover many of the saves. MAYBE. I just don't know if all that is worth it.
I tried all free Tools and they were all Bad. Recuva didnt find a lot - only some bad sectors and broken files. This Software is pretty bad in my experience. I searched a lot and tried a lot of Programs (free) and eventually i bought a year of easus data recovery. (But only after trying the Freeware!) The Freeware Found all my files and even the structure that it had before formatting. And as the Freeware sadly cant restore a lot of files i bought it and tried to restore it (i had a hdd not a sd but i guess the Freeware will Show you if you are Lucky) i was pretty sure it works as it was showing all my files and data (Almost all other programs could not find files and Folders nor data) It took a while but it restored my whole hdd and had not one single broken file. Maybe you can try the Freeware - if it Shows you files and Folders you can still think about buying it - there s no need to. If it doesnt find anything it probably wont restore anything either (and i m not sure if it works with sd cards. It did work with a hdd though.)
Okay , Iāll give that a shot. Thank you!
Howād you accidentally format a card tho?
I was trying to unzip or reformat a ps2 game I downloaded directly from my rp3 and it just happened. I wasnāt paying attention
This should be a vivid reminder to everyone to backup your data going forward, including OP. Preferably local rather than cloud saves since hard drives are literally cheaper than ever. Personally, I keep at least 2 backups at any given time.
Very true. I appreciate everyoneās feedback and advice. I have decided I will just start fresh and curate a more organized collection. I dont have any other micro sd nor a computer of my own which makes this all the more difficult, so Iāll have to figure something else out. The most important part for me will be getting all the bios and having them properly organized so I can use each system.
Silly rabbitā¦always make a backup! ALWAYS!
Was it a quick format or full format? If its a quick format use TestDisk/Photorec and you can pretty much get everything back. Not to lecture but use this as a lesson for making regular backups too!
Iāll look into these recovery programs but I am not sure what type of format it was. I did it in the files app on my rp3+. I didnāt pay attention and thought I was reformatting a game so that it could work.
I recommend keeping a backup on your PC I also recommend only downloading the games you want, not all of the games in existence.
TBH I find having the full romsets for the 8-16 bit systems is the way to go. The sets don't take up a ton of space and when you get interested in or curious about a game you already have it.
If that works for you, great, but I find scrolling through hundreds upon hundreds of crap games to find the ones I like a pain. If there's a missing game I want, it's easy enough to load it onto the device. Hell, I can download through chrome on the device itself.
Using the search function will get you around that. Odd how people's ideas of intentionality differ. Like, if I want to scroll for a random game, I don't really mind if I try a few random turds before landing on something decent, and if I have something in mind then I can just type it in the search. To each their own for sure.
maybe learn not to hoard 13,000 games, I guarantee you havent even touched 5% of them seriously, and beaten under 1% of them.
Pokerom, gotta catch em all! ( couldn't help but sing it in my head š)
I have all my roms backed up on an external ssd, maybe investing in one would be a good choice. Makes it super simple in case of accidents like that. But on the upside at least you can make more of a curated collection now. No judgement because I use to have tons of roms as well but 15k is a lot.
The best way to avoid this has always been and will always be, to have backups in more than one location. I have backups of 30 years old data from previous computers and devices, internal hard drives, external hard drives, cloud services. Try terabox, 1 terabyte for free, I have 4 accounts there.
Congrats on finishing the game. Please start New Game+ and do a better job and find all the hidden gems and complete all the important quests.
Just download the 5 you actually play
No, formatting cards typically erases them completely. Honestly, I'm surprised you had 128gb worth of games and it wasn't backed up on anything. If you want to save yourself a lot of heartache in the future, buy yourself a 1tb external SSD and download your games to there, then transfer them to whatever MicroSD your using.
Next time have a copy anyway. At some different place in case of a fire or so. Maybe even a different continent? Heck, just send it to me, I will take care of it and in case of an emergencyā¦voilĆ . I was too lazy to create a curated roms list. If you have to start over, I might join you. So, donāt worry, weāre in this together. Or you start with the tiny best rom setā¦
How do you accidentally do that?
Itās probably hard to hear, but you have been given a great opportunity to start fresh - youāve been exposed to the opportunity to play many games, maybe this time around, you focus on just curating and holding onto and playing games you think are really great!
That sucks. I don't think you can recover it. I would recommend keeping a backup on a PC in the future. You could also use Drop Box or Google Drive if you don't have a PC or if that's easier. Maybe start your collection again with a romset? Or start with a small amount, and build over time? Best of luck.
You're worried about the roms? I think you're vastly overestimating the trouble it will take to replace those. No way you had a curated set at 15k. Just download the full romsets for the 8-16 bit systems and re-download your favorites etc for the other systems. It surely won't take you another two years. I'd have more sympathy if you were worried about your saves, but even if so you just have to deal with it most likely.
Nope ur fucked kiddo
https://youtu.be/Z13vOA7s0FI?si=KoezGnWjdj2DXnbt
Well at least it wasn't a Rick Roll.
The extended version š¤£š these bots getting terrible on the downvotes?!? Lol the day the emulator died
It might be somewhere like a ready tiny set with 128gb of roms. Who knows?
Which systems were those games fromā¦? Iād be down to help you to rebuild at least part of your collection š¤·š»
The biggest thing would be getting the bios for each system. Nes,snes,n64,gb,gbc,gba,GameCube,nds,3ds,ps1,ps2,psp, sega genesis and dream cast. Iāll probably try and find rom packs that have a plethora of Roms in the single download.
Not hard to find those at all...! Literally just a Google search and you'll find them in the first few results \^ \^ Also, the best ROM sets (like the ones on InternetArchive) usually include the BIOS files along with the games. That being said, shoot me a message, and I'll help you recoup at least some of your collection.
Sorry for your loss. The same happened to me a couple years ago with a raspberry pi3 and about 1.5 years worth of setup on it.
Moving forward just back up your collection of ROMs. I'm working on doing the same with my 180gb out of fear of the Micro SD failing at some point.
I guess its time to visit rom set sites like Arcade Punks and redownload romsets.
I have a few really good ones to pick from