Occasionally, we have customers call because their removable memory  
card in their digital voice recorder has become corrupted. The  
contents of the card (i.e., the voice files) cannot be retrieved  
using the software that came with the recorder.

Here's some steps to take to hopefully recover whatever voice files  
may still be on the memory card:

1. Attach the voice recorder to your computer. Look under "My  
Computer" and see if the recorder appears as another drive, such as  
E: or F:. If so, open that drive, navigate to the voice files you  
need to retrieve, and copy the files to your C: drive. Alternatively,  
you can sometimes use the File/Import command in your voice recorder  
software to import the files from the recorder (acting as another  
hard drive) into your dictation software.

2. If the drive does not appear under "My Computer," or if you cannot  
find the files you know are there, you should try a disk recovery  
tool, such as PC Inspector Smart Recovery (http://www.download.com/PC-
Inspector-Smart-Recovery/3000-2242_4-10261986.html?tag=lst-0-1). Our  
Olympus/Philips tech guru tells us that he's been able to recover  
files from media cards using this program.

3. As a last resort, you can send the card to us and we'll do what we  
can to recover any files. We will charge you by the hour, but  
depending on how important the file is, it may be worth it.

Regardless of how well you're able to recover the data, once you've  
retrieved all you can, re-format the card in the recorder.

So, why do cards become corrupt? As with any digital media, the  
information contained is a series of 1's and 0's. Any time even one 1  
becomes a 0, or vice versa, the data is considered "corrupted."

According to our sources, the primary reason cards become corrupted  
is due to static electricity. Removable cards should not be handled  
any more than necessary. Use the download cables and docking cradles  
to download files, leaving the cards in the recorder. Before handling  
a recorder or memory card, discharge any static electricity in your  
body by touching a metal desk or chair. Use anti-static floor mats  
underneath chairs and desks. In short, take whatever precautions you  
can to reduce static electricity, especially during the dry Winter  
months.

For convenience, you may also want to keep an extra memory card on  
hand in case your card becomes corrupted and you need to continue  
dictating.

Best wishes.