Dead formats

Identify what is required to read old camera media before buying adapters or altering the original.

GUIDED LESSON

Start here

Use this reference lesson when an old card or camera cannot be read by your current equipment. The task is to document the whole reading chain and its unknowns.

By the end: Distinguish the medium, reader, connection, file format and decoding software in a recovery plan.

What you need: The item itself or clear photographs of its labels. No need to power on an unfamiliar device for this exercise.

Before you begin: No equipment required. Work from a photograph or an item you already own; this lesson does not require powering it on.

How to work through this lesson

Record the exact medium and device model from labels; photograph both sides. Leave capacity and condition unknown if you cannot establish them.
Check the manufacturer support lists for a compatible reader and capacity. Record the reader connection and the computer/software needed to decode its files.
When a file is recovered, preserve the original bytes and create a separate viewing copy. Do not format or write to the original just to make a test work.

Inventory the complete reading chain

An obsolete format is more than a medium. Reading it may require a compatible device, a connector, software, a file decoder and enough documentation to identify the contents. Separate those dependencies before declaring data lost.

Use three confidence labels: observed on the object, supported by a named manual, and unknown. Physical resemblance is not compatibility. Preserve original media and create working copies before experimenting with recovered files.

Worked example

Synthetic inventory: a camera card is labelled with a format but its capacity is unreadable. Record the label, photograph both sides and leave capacity unknown. Next identify the exact camera and reader models and consult their supported-media lists. A connector adapter changes the plug; it does not necessarily add protocol or capacity support.

Try it yourself

Write your answer before opening the explanation. Use the worked example if you get stuck.

Question 1

You have recovered a JPEG from an old card. Which two things should you preserve beyond a resized web copy, and why?

Show answer and reasoning

Keep the original recovered file, including its metadata, and a record of the source medium and recovery steps. A resized copy may discard metadata and detail, while provenance explains where the file came from. Retain the physical medium until recovery is verified.

Watch for: Do not insert unknown media into an incompatible drive or treat a successful directory listing as proof every file is readable. This starter is a documentation method, not a tested recovery procedure.

Summary + next step

Distinguish the medium, reader, connection, file format and decoding software in a recovery plan.

Keep the result: Keep an inventory note, label photographs, support references and separate original/viewing files.

Inspect the metadata of a recovered image →

Return to subject foundations

Sources and further reading

Read these references for the concepts used in the lesson.

NDSA: levels of digital preservation ↗

Lesson updated 2026-09-14 · Guidance updated 2026-10-22

Coverage and further development