Red SD card: After moving photos from SD card to an external drive this is what I see. I look at My Computer portion of laptop the SD card shows red for what I think was the portion...

tnturk Loc: Gallatin Tennessee

After moving photos from SD card to an external drive this is what I see. I look at My Computer portion of laptop the SD card shows red for what I think was the portion used. Should I format?

Bill_de Loc: US

I format all cards after the files are copied to the computer and backed up.

So, if you have done that put it in the camera and format it.

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ralphfr Loc: Long Island, NY

That usually means the device is at full capacity. If you already xferred the images then yes take out and put it back in the camera and reformat it. If you still have an issue with the card put it back in the pc and reformat it there. You can then run a CHKDSK on it to see if there are some bad things going on. Good luck.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

ralphfr wrote:

That usually means the device is at full capacity. If you already xferred the images then yes take out and put it back in the camera and reformat it. If you still have an issue with the card put it back in the pc and reformat it there. You can then run a CHKDSK on it to see if there are some bad things going on. Good luck.

My understanding (Maybe False),
formatting a card in your PC can cause it to become corrupted.

ralphfr Loc: Long Island, NY

PixelStan77 wrote:

My understanding (Maybe False),
formatting a card in your PC can cause it to become corrupted.

If you put it back in the camera it will need to be reformatted again assuming no issues were found by the OS. Sorry for leaving that out.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Tnturk - Mr understanding (and I doubt that it is false) is that you never downloaded an actual image so we will never understand what the heck you are talking about. “This” = what?

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

PixelStan77 wrote:

My understanding (Maybe False),
formatting a card in your PC can cause it to become corrupted.

No, your camera will not be able to "see" the card unless it is formatted in the (cameras) SD slot.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

PixelStan77 wrote:

My understanding (Maybe False),
formatting a card in your PC can cause it to become corrupted.

The reality is, the file structure created when you format in the PC or the camera is exactly the same. The camera will add a file or two that the PC formatting will not, but if you put a PC formatted card in the camera and the required files are missing, the camera will add the files to the card. But, to keep life simple, format the card in the camera.

Bill_de Loc: US

rmorrison1116 wrote:

The reality is, the file structure created when you format in the PC or the camera is exactly the same. The camera will add a file or two that the PC formatting will not, but if you put a PC formatted card in the camera and the required files are missing, the camera will add the files to the card. But, to keep life simple, format the card in the camera.

I believe that many years ago there were issues with some camera, but those cameras are probably in museums by now.

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jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

tnturk wrote:

After moving photos from SD card to an external drive this is what I see. I look at My Computer portion of laptop the SD card shows red for what I think was the portion used. Should I format?

If it's what I think you're taking about, it's a warning that the card is almost full. It';s not good to get a flash device 100% full.

https://petapixel.com/2016/12/07/dos-donts-memory-cards-tips-photographers/
https://www.slrlounge.com/handle-sd-cards-to-minimize-data-loss/

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

I don't understand; I have about 12 SSD cards; I just grab one and put it in the camera, usually forgetting to format it; never had a problem using a card

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Ed Chu wrote:

I don't understand; I have about 12 SSD cards; I just grab one and put it in the camera, usually forgetting to format it; never had a problem using a card

I occasionally do the same thing, and each camera makes its own folder for images. Formatting after downloading has become a standard recommendation, although memory card makers do not tell us to do that. Still, it's nice to start with a clean card, setup for the camera. When I put a foreign card into my A6000, it always wants to prepare it.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

jerryc41 wrote:

I occasionally do the same thing, and each camera makes its own folder for images. Formatting after downloading has become a standard recommendation, although memory card makers do not tell us to do that. Still, it's nice to start with a clean card, setup for the camera. When I put a foreign card into my A6000, it always wants to prepare it.

Agree. SD cards are not as expensive as in past years. You should have more than just one of them.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

All storage devices have a header section that contains a directory of files stored and their card locations. Computer formating does not corrupt, but your camera might not understand the header and display a nasty gram on the LCD.

PixelStan77 wrote:

My understanding (Maybe False),
formatting a card in your PC can cause it to become corrupted.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

ralphfr wrote:

That usually means the device is at full capacity. If you already xferred the images then yes take out and put it back in the camera and reformat it. If you still have an issue with the card put it back in the pc and reformat it there. You can then run a CHKDSK on it to see if there are some bad things going on. Good luck.

Allways reformat in camera, not in the PC.