Do I HAVE to ...... (Page 5): I was getting somewhat worried....I hadn't seen anyone post that they delete their cards by reformatting, which is what I do. I never delete them, I just...

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Doe wrote:

quote=Old Redeye You don't need to delete the pho... (show quote)

For me it's faster taking the card out of my camera and putting it in the card reader.

jolefont Loc: Brooksville, FL

The problem with reformatting from the computer is that what if you really screw up a photo in PP. It is gone. I download, fix and then reformat from my camera. But when I reinstall the memory stick, I always reformat.

George Kravis

I agree with "screen48", "George H" and "MAC" that you should never use a memory card as a backup. There are many ways to dowload into you computer or external HD to perform that function much more safely without having to buy more cards, and of course, always format the card in the camera in which it is to be used. .

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

I agree with Traveler that you reformat the card in the camera after downloading to the computer. I use a card reader to download and then put the card in the camera and format. I read that this will increase the life of the card.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

I misspoke, I always format my card from the camera

George Kravis

I should've added that in the method I use I have NEVER lost an image, and I never have any difficulty finding any single picture among the thousands in my appropriately titled files, which are set up alphabetically by subject and chronolically within each file. My cards are all SanDisk SD's either 2 or 4 GB.

ThomasS Loc: Colorado

Judy 2011 wrote:

ddrum wrote:

I was told never to delete pics with the computer. Use the camera. The computer can screw things up.

Judy 2011 wrote:

......reformat my card? And how often? I've only done it a couple of times. And never seen to have a problem. Some people I know never do. But someone said I have to reformat. So just wondering. Is it really important?

I always delete from the computer. Never had a problem. *touch wood*

Judy,

If you delete using your computer (something I don't usually do), absolutely reformat that card in your camera. Occasionally, a computer can make changes on a card that will make it unusable in your camera. Reformatting the card in your camera will normally fix that. Once I am sure all of my pictures are saved on my computer (and backed-up elsewhere), I always reformat in my camera. Since I started doing this, I have never had one of my cards fail.

One other thing. If you have multiple cameras, don't take a card out of one camera and use it in another without formatting it in the new camera. I have had serious problems doing that.

melphoto60

Pepper wrote:

Once I have downloaded all the images to my computer and am satisfied they've all been transfered I reformat the card. It assures me any left over junk has been eliminated. I don't really know how necessary it is but that's just what I do.

unless you want to run out of card space you have to format you cards after downloading to computer

AVarley Loc: Central Valley, California

I leave the images on the card once I download to my PC. Later, when I'm going out to shoot again I reformat that card IN THE CAMERA ... it might be only a day or two, maybe a litle longer, but it's that much extra "backup" time in my the never-ending, albeit paranoid, method of archiving images.

Reformatting in the camera is key since your camera reformats the way your camera likes reformatting to occur. I think some folks have great occurence of problems they reformat in the PC. How my version of Windows formats that card may or may not be friendly with my Canon.

...might all just be my OCD behaviors, but it works for me.

suntomoon Loc: Virginia Beach, Va.

ddrum wrote:

I was told never to delete pics with the computer. Use the camera. The computer can screw things up.

judy 2011 wrote:

......reformat my card? And how often? I've only done it a couple of times. And never seen to have a problem. Some people I know never do. But someone said I have to reformat. So just wondering. Is it really important?

Absolutely right :D- to delete from camera only

lacsar Loc: Columbia SC and Newland NC

I always delete from the computer, but format with the camera. Never once had a problem by deleting picture files from the card with the computer.

ddrum wrote:

I was told never to delete pics with the computer. Use the camera. The computer can screw things up.

judy 2011 wrote:

......reformat my card? And how often? I've only done it a couple of times. And never seen to have a problem. Some people I know never do. But someone said I have to reformat. So just wondering. Is it really important?

ThomasS Loc: Colorado

Obviously, some of you are going to do it "your way" no matter what. I am just saying (again) that you are playing with fire. Eventually, messing with your camera memory card on your computer will bite you. The file system on your computer is different than the one on your camera. I'm a Systems Engineer and I built my first computer. The file systems are usually compatible, but look out!

Take it from someone who has permanently lost photographs, that can never be duplicated. It only takes a minute or two to do it right.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

judy 2011 wrote:

Thanks. I once reformatted and something got screwed and I lost about 200 pics on vacation. So I've not reformatted again. I was told it's wrong to leave one pic on it at all times too. I dunno....is it?

If you reformatted without putting the pics on your computer, the only outcome was going to be losing the pictures because that's what reformatting does - wipes the card like an eraser on a chalkboard.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

judy 2011 wrote:

......reformat my card? And how often? I've only done it a couple of times. And never seen to have a problem. Some people I know never do. But someone said I have to reformat. So just wondering. Is it really important?

I hardly ever reformat a card. I just transfer the files to my computer using copy/paste in Windows Explorer, then after seeing that they are actually on my hard drive for real, I select and delete all on the memory card, then put it back in the camera.

Sometimes I wait 6 months and just reformat the card to make sure it has a good clean file allocation table (FAT file) with no errors and that the card's storage space is all clean too. But it's definitely not something you need to do a lot or every time.

That would be as obsessive and wasteful as transferring all your files and programs to a second hard drive and reformatting your computer's main hard drive daily. A memory card is just a solid state hard drive that is quite stable and rarely has any problems unless they've been abused by static electricity, or a washing machine, a huge magnet (even that might not affect it), or something else abnormal and really weird.

judy 2011 Loc: Northern Utah

ThomasS wrote:

quote=Judy 2011 quote=ddrum I was told never to ... (show quote)

I hadn't thought of the card into another camera. I have done that before. Only cuz I took off without a card in my big camera and missed some shots of the steam engine rolling down the tracks! I was so mad! So had to use my pocket camera's card.