Why reformat SD card? (Page 2): :sm17: That also! :sm08:...

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

CHG_CANON wrote:

Ctrl+A - select all.

That also!

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Dragonophile wrote:

On another post several people indicate that they reformat their SD card after transferring files from camera to computer. Why? I just cut files from card and paste to computer folder using a USB card reader. I have never experienced any file corruption on my SD card. I don't reformat a hard disk after deleting and moving files so why do so after using a SD card?

I am wondering if these people are being extra cautious or if there is a valid reason this is beneficial?

I reformat every time. It has nothing to do with with being nervous or cautious. It’s just a quick and easy way to prep the card for the next batch of new pictures. Whale watching three to four days a week all summer puts hundreds of files on the card most days. I like to know nothing from yesterdays outing is lingering on the card.
…Cam

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

burkphoto wrote:

All true. br br A few cameras create "hidden... (show quote)

I copy Folders, then check afterwards that nothing was missed, so the computer does the bookkeeping.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

burkphoto wrote:

All true. br br A few cameras create "hidden... (show quote)

That's why I only delete images.

If I delete them manually, there is no confusion with old files from a previous outing, the old ones are no longer on the card.
My cameras start off with the next name in line (it remembers the last used file name), not the next in line from the card.
If they are removed from the card, they have been transferred AND backed up. It's the last thing I do.

But everyone has their own system/method that works for them.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

--Bob

BebuLamar wrote:

I do not cut and paste as I don't want to remove the files on the card before I am sure I have them on the computer.
After that formatting the card in the camera is quicker.

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

I find the Adobe Elements download the best option.
I connect the camera via cable to my computer and then in Adobe Elements select download, it finds the camera automatically, and make sure the option to delete files from the camera is turned off.
I can then either create a folder or add to an existing folder along with a number of other options including adding exif, copyright etc to the file.
This takes about 2 minutes.
I then view the files in Elements to assure myself all is as it should be, then format the card in the camera.
Entire process takes less than 5 minutes.

User ID

Longshadow wrote:

After I copy the images from the card to the compu... (show quote)

AMEN ... every line.

User ID

BebuLamar wrote:

It's not easy to get to the first and the last files on the cards if you have several hundreds files and you may have to scroll. I hate scrolling the most.

Various things are not easy.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

CHG_CANON wrote:

Ctrl+A - select all.

However that will also select any sub-directories, if they exist, in the directory where used.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Longshadow wrote:

However that will also select any sub-directories, if they exist, in the directory where used.

I actually copy the lowest subdirectory and ‘skip’ any duplicates it finds; the computer correctly interprets that instruction. On the SD, I create a subdiectory for each 100 shots. That gives me a beginning structure I can work with.

smf85 Loc: Freeport, IL

Longshadow wrote:

?

I highlight all files (select the first, then Shift-select the last) in Explorer when ready to delete, then click delete, works really, really quickly!
POUF, space available! Eject card from computer.

The limiting factor on card life is the number of writes made to the card. Extraneous writes should be avoided - to delete a file takes multiple writes to the file table. Erasing a a card [aka reformatting it ] uses far fewer actual writes to get to the same point - space for new files.

Bill_de Loc: US

Dragonophile wrote:

I am wondering if these people are being extra cautious or if there is a valid reason this is beneficial?

Did you ask them?

---

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

smf85 wrote:

The limiting factor on card life is the number of writes made to the card. Extraneous writes should be avoided - to delete a file takes multiple writes to the file table. Erasing a a card [aka reformatting it ] uses far fewer actual writes to get to the same point - space for new files.

Wonder how long before failure. Been doing this with SDHCs for over 10 years...
The same FAT table has to be adjusted, written, regardless of which method is used.
So the two methods update the FAT table differently???
Where did you find that info? I'd be interested in reviewing it.
(Please don't say some professional photographer said it.....)

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

rehess wrote:

I actually copy the lowest subdirectory and ‘skip’ any duplicates it finds; the computer correctly interprets that instruction. On the SD, I create a subdiectory for each 100 shots. That gives me a beginning structure I can work with.

I suppose it would depend on what that sub-directory is.
I just copy images, all (20 or 200) to a subject<\date> directory. eg. Acadia\2022-10 contains all of the Acadia trip that month. Keywords in the metadata differentiate each sub-location on the island, eg. Bass Harbor Light.
Beginning structure? I only have one structure and that is final, no additional moving of files required.

smf85 Loc: Freeport, IL

Longshadow wrote:

Wonder how long before failure. Been doing this with SDHCs for over 10 years...
The same FAT table has to be adjusted, written, regardless of which method is used.
So the two methods update the FAT table differently???
Where did you find that info? I'd be interested in reviewing it.
(Please don't say some professional photographer said it.....)

I originally got the information from Seagate technical documentation for their SSD products.

General information about SDHC class cards - Wikipedia but reasonably written and decent (not great) annotations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_card

More on wear leveling (which is the point here):
https://www.delkin.com/blog/how-do-wear-leveling-sd-cards-work/#:~:text=In%20wear%20leveling%20SD%20cards,wear%20as%20evenly%20as%20possible.

Point is, that when you delete a file you're making multiple writes to the fat table (or equivalent) to actually delete the file. When you erase (not reformat, although is commonly called that) your basically making a single multi-block write to a few cells which can easily be wear leveled. Its harder to wear level many writes to the fat table - certainly more writes.

The point here is that the erasure process doesn't update the fat table at all - just replaces it with a new empty one. Much less write activity. This isn't that much of an issue with low volume operations - its much more of an issue when you dealing with server farms and very active databases.