Daryl New Loc: Wellington,New Zealand

Have Compact Flash card that won't format.Any ideas?

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

format in camera? HOW ABOUT WITH OTHER CF CARDS?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

You didn't say where it will not format.
Will it format in a computer?
Could be a bent pin in the unit that will not format it.
Could be the card went bad.
Will it read/write in another device?

TBerwick Loc: Houston, Texas

Clean the contacts, if it still won't work, discard it. You don't want to rely on an iffy card. I rescued a card once using some low-level software tools I use as a consultant and it failed in-camera anyway. Just not worth the uncertainty.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

If the contacts in your camera and on the card are clean then carefully place the card on the ground centered on the left front tire of your car and roll back and forth over the card twice. If that doesn't fix the problem, throw the card away and purchase a new one.
Seriously, if you have tried to format in your camera and computer and it fails both places, it is probably not worth rescuing.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Trash.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Absolutely!

If it is anything physically wrong with the card, such as bent or dirty pins, there is real danger of some very expensive damage to the camera. Advice to clean the contacts of a CF card is insane. Don't do it!

Trash the card and get a new one. And if it has been placed in a card reader, check that out very well for physical damage too.

DannyKaye Loc: Sheffield now but soon moving to Blanzay

If it won't format in your camera or in your PC then why would you risk images on it? bin it, it is not worth the risk of losing images.

David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL

How do you clean the contacts on a CF card? The contacts are all female and internal.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

I had (actually still have but they are put away) 2 old Nikon D70s cameras that use the old Compact Flash cards... It required the 4gb cards (hard to fined) and finally quit being able to format or use the card.. though the card would format in the computer. I finally put the old body aside (this was a camera that I had used then gave to my wife when I got my D7100) and got her a used Nikon D7000. Now we are both using SD cards and everything is good again. The D70s had several issues, age being chief among them. Resolution, ISO, etc. were all limitations, not to mention batteries and it wouldn't use greater than a 4gb card. I did get a CF to SD adapter which worked for about 2 months with a 32gb SD card, but it died and I decided to move on to the D7000 for her. My guess is that you are either in or nearing a similar situation. You may be better served to move to a newer, better body. By the way, when I was working for Nikon, one of the companies that I was assigned to support was Walt Disney World in Orlando Fl. I was shocked (this was 6 years ago) to find that the research group for EPCOT was using a Nikon D70s to develop research for their exhibits. I would have expected them to be using full frame and if not the latest at least near current cameras. It turned out that Disney wouldn't provide cameras at all and the camera had been donated by one of the workers. They ended up getting a Nikon D810 and their problems ceased. My point is that the D70/D70s cameras are well past their expected end of life. You MAY be better served to keep your lenses and move to a newer body... either new or used.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Depending on the manufacturer some cards have a live time warranty. Contact the manufacturer to se if your cane can be replaced.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Alcohol

Bill_de Loc: US

https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05103-Electronic-Cleaner-11/dp/B000BXOGNI#customerReviews

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gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Yes, alcohol works on female contacts. 😜😜🍷🍷

RickTaylor

Smash it with a hammer like Hillary did to her Blackberrys