Free Software Downloads

Behold, some of the most expensive photos to be presented here.

Had to buy a card reader, and pay for the software(one time use!) to recover the files.

All the CF card format recovery software that show up on google, say "Free Download", but what was learnt the hard way today, after playing with 5 different software was:

a. The "download" is free! i.e., you don't have to pay to download the software into your computer, uncompress the files, register etc. The minute you ask it to analyze your Flash card, it prompts a window which says "pay 69.99 to get a key emailed to you".. so much for that one!

b. The "download" and the analysis was free. But once you see that the pictures you want are intact in the flash card, to save them was 39.99 or 49.99 payable to some website in Patagonia, Godknowsistan, etc.

c. The "download" and analysis was free. But once you see the pictures, you pay 14.99 to get a key. Again, all these sites plaster the word "free" liberally and have testimonials about the free part (most likely written by dudes who sell the software) and there is no mention about money for these sites.

d. The analysis was free, but once you try to save, the software asks you "purchase key" or "start trial period".. You are tired and then you feel like you have hit jackpot and click trial period! You select the images (25 photos in all) and say "Recover" and you get a message "The free trial lets you recover only one image per day. If you want to overwrite this feature, purchase key for 69.99!". The trial period was for 8 days!

Finally got tired of this and just took option c.

Once bitten, twice shy. Will never format the CF card unless the card gets full.

There are a few photos out of the 25 which are priceless. There is one photo of San with the light coming from the back, which alone made the recovery worth the time and effort and money spent, but then again, don't need that photo, as it has been etched into my permanent memory. Sometimes a few beams of light, make that woman who you see day in and day out, always take for granted, appear like she just came down from the sky, and you get a rush of flashbacks on top of Bear Mountain. The brain works in mysterious ways. Enough said!

Here are pictures from the trip and the fireworks.

At one point was thinking that when you pay more than a few hundred dollars for a camera, it would be nice if the company that sold the camera packaged a free software with the install disk that recovers accidentally format pictures!

Any takers for this idea at Canon?

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