Have Photos on sd card, says I must format?

I installed SD card from camera to upload some photos. Message comes up saying I must format before using. Would lose all photos. HELP

Do the photos show up on your camera? If you are sure that there are photos on it

Try Recuva first to recover your photos. Download Recuva 1.42.544 - FileHippo.com

If not successful then PhotoRec. http://www.sevenforums.com/software/193467-guide-using-photorec-recovery-software.html

Just curious: can you not transfer the photos directly from your camera?