Hi, digging about this is what I have found.
Sandisk Knowledge Base
http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detai ... /related/1
Information about recovering card data. You could get one of the trial software packages on offer.
This page:
http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/107 states:
"For miniSD/microSD cards - The cards must be used with a compatible reader before it can be read in the computer."
Therefore you will need a card adapter.
The good news is that they are not expensive.
You can get one in amazon.co.uk for about two quids.
More tips from Sandisk:
http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detai ... ter%20size
you are advise to make sure that the card is unlocked. Adapters might also have a lock.
About the original format, note that FAT16 supports a maximum of 4GB (found it in Wikipedia).So your card is not FAT12 or FAT16.
http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/312
Cards with a size equal to yours (32GB) are preformatted with FAT32.
Bearing in mind that the card was in an Android OS phone, it is possible that the card has been formatted
with one the Linux file systems, either ext2 or ext4.
You can always try cloning the card (two adapters).When you have a clone you can try different things with no risk
of losing the original data.
If you don´t get anywhere with TestDisk, you could try Photorec to save your files.
Sector Inspector might help you ascertaining what is in the card. But it is a command line tool.
To be safe you will have to make sure that you read and understood all options.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download ... n&id=19470
About "Partition sector doesn't have the endmark 0xAA55
http://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mb ... es.htm#mbr
Daniel B. Sedory (better known as The Starman) has a wealth of knowledge about HDD and their inner workings in his site.
The Starman pages mention another tool: HxD which is a free Hex Disk Editor.
This tool was also mention by another user, a few days ago.
You could use it to visualize your card, without making any changes.
You could have a go at making changes to a clone. Write down what you change. Or sketch what you plan
doing. It will help you in the long run.
From this place you could get a Rescue Kit:
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/rk-express/
From this place you can download a Home Edition (freeware) of Partition Wizard
http://www.partitionwizard.com/download.html
Once you have your bootable CD burned, you can use to copy the whole card to another.
You can also use to see the files your trying to recover.
Best of luck