Computer won't read my SanDisk Compact Flash: Any ideas what I have to do to get my computer (Windows 7 Ultra) to read my Compact Flash card into Lightroom CC???? The little green...

Richard2673 Loc: Eastern Oregon

Any ideas what I have to do to get my computer (Windows 7 Ultra) to read my Compact Flash card into Lightroom CC???? The little green light on the "reader" is flashing, but when I look at Explorer the drive is never shown.
Hope someone can follow me on this......too early in the morning...and not enough sleep last night.

Thanks.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

We need more info...

Are you connecting the camera to the computer? Or are you using a card reader?

If using a card reader, is it built into the computer or is it an external reader?

Has it worked previously and just recently stopped working?

Have you changed anything, such as installing new software, using a new memory card, attaching a card reader or the camera to the computer differently, or have you attached another new device to the computer?

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Richard2673 wrote:

Any ideas what I have to do to get my computer (Windows 7 Ultra) to read my Compact Flash card into Lightroom CC???? The little green light on the "reader" is flashing, but when I look at Explorer the drive is never shown.
Hope someone can follow me on this......too early in the morning...and not enough sleep last night.

Thanks.

Richard2673,

Is this the only flash card that will not load in Win 7?

If other flash cards can be read and used it indicates Windows is okay.

If you cannot get other flash cards to read and load in Windows this suggests something has become defective in your computer; the plugin socket for the cards, or a setting in the Windows 7 system.

If you can narrow down the problem to a Windows 7 setting you can search Microsoft for a possible solution.

Michael G

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Connect your camera to the computer & try accessing the card. It that works then the problem is the card reader.

Richard2673 Loc: Eastern Oregon

Built in reader. Brand new card. Card reader is supposed to be able to read 3 types of cards - have used it in the past for several other smaller cards and it worked fine. Just reinstalled windows 7- but the card reader would n't work before that, on this card. Got a short cable from Canon when I got my Mark III, maybe should try going threw the camera and a USB port (later today, have to go to work now).

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Richard2673 wrote:

Built in reader. Brand new card. Card reader is supposed to be able to read 3 types of cards - have used it in the past for several other smaller cards and it worked fine. Just reinstalled windows 7- but the card reader would n't work before that, on this card. Got a short cable from Canon when I got my Mark III, maybe should try going threw the camera and a USB port (later today, have to go to work now).

It could still be the reader since it a different slot/connection. Do try through the camera. Good luck.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Try this: Open control panel, find System and Security\Administrative Tools\Create and Format HD Partitions. Scroll down the list and see if any Removable Drives (your CF Card) are shown without drive letters. Right click, choose Properties, confirm it is a USB Drive, close properties. Then right click and choose change drive letters and path. Click on the Change radio button and in the pull down list, select a drive letter that currently is not in use in your system.

Sometime in the past, you inserted this memory card, or one like it, and the system assigned it a drive letter. Then you inserted something else which was assigned that drive letter. Windows "sees" the inserted card, but cannot read as drive because of the address conflict.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Richard2673 wrote:

Any ideas what I have to do to get my computer (Windows 7 Ultra) to read my Compact Flash card into Lightroom CC???? The little green light on the "reader" is flashing, but when I look at Explorer the drive is never shown.
Hope someone can follow me on this......too early in the morning...and not enough sleep last night. Thanks.

Richard, all the tech jargon aside(I don't know any!), this is probably not good.
1, will the computer read other cards?
2, if you put it back into the camera, will the camera preview the images?
3, did you format the card with the camera before first use?
If the answer is no to all 3, then it's a real possibility that the card may be corrupted.
I've been through that with 3 different cards, all Sandisk and 2 were new.
Never was able to recover the images even with their software.
But I do have 3 new cards, double the capacity and speed, courtesy of Sandisk!
Hope you can get it to work. Good luck
SS

Photosmoke

I have had that happen when the card was not formated

Richard2673 Loc: Eastern Oregon

Yes, I formatted the card per Canon instructions. Says I have apprx room for 600 more pics. Started at about 1400 if memory service me right..shooting raw only.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Richard2673 wrote:

Yes, I formatted the card per Canon instructions. Says I have apprx room for 600 more pics. Started at about 1400 if memory service me right..shooting raw only.

Make sure you put the card back in the camera. If the camera can see them then it's maybe not to serious. Maybe you can download using the camera. If the camera can't see them then it could be serious.
The good thing is that the card still shows it has data on it. Even the recovery programs can be tricky. If you HAVE to HAVE those shots I'd take it to someone that knows recovery. Good luck
SS

Richard2673 Loc: Eastern Oregon

I got them......found the cable and used the camera, was able to import them into the computer...only had about 300 pics..thought I had more.

Thanks again, everyone...

Richard

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Richard2673 wrote:

I got them......found the cable and used the camera, was able to import them into the computer...only had about 300 pics..thought I had more.

Thanks again, everyone...

Richard

Richard,

Take this as a lesson learned, don't remove the memory card from the camera any more. It sounds like another of thousands of failures between camera and computer when the user removes the memory card and inserts it into a card reader on the computer. Instant failure.

Your problem sounds like many Canon failures with the DOD in which they insisted on removing the memory card only to create a camera failure when the card insertion bent/broke a pin inside the camera.

To avoid this type of failure always transfer images with the supplied USB cable, this is why the camera manufacturer provided both the cable and the USB port on the camera body.

If you experiences a failure with the USB cable/connections you still have the memory card to card reader as an option until you replace the card reader.

Michael G

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Richard2673 wrote:

Any ideas what I have to do to get my computer (Windows 7 Ultra) to read my Compact Flash card into Lightroom CC???? The little green light on the "reader" is flashing, but when I look at Explorer the drive is never shown.
Hope someone can follow me on this......too early in the morning...and not enough sleep last night.

Thanks.

Hold old is the computer (you mentioned Windows 7) and how big is the card?

There have been several generations of SD cards, and with each new generation, older hardware can't read it. The SD card could hold up to 2GB. The SDHC allowed for 4GB to 32GB. And then SDXC starts at 64GB.

If your computer is older than when the SDXC came out, it would not know how to read the card.

All is not lost. You can buy an external card reader adapter that you plug the card into and to talks via USB to the computer. They're cheap.

Szalajj Loc: Salem, NH

Now that you got the files transferred, try the earlier suggestion of re-lettering the card reader, fire off some test shots, then try to download them with the card reader.

If that works, then you're back in business.

But, I do agree, except for the wear on my camera battery, I almost always use my USB cord to download my shots. With 3 batteries, it's not a concern for me at this time.

I was gifted an older card reader which never worked in my Windows 7 computer, so I went out and purchased a newer card reader which does work. My computer has several USB ports to choose from, and I find that one of them doesn't like my flash drives, but it will read my camera via the USB cable.