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Should I throw away my SD card?
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Jun 13, 2018 15:21:11   #
Daryl New Loc: Wellington,New Zealand
 
Reformat,I reckon.

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Jun 13, 2018 15:32:27   #
BebuLamar
 
I wish to thanks all of you for your responses. I am sorry if my question has been asked and answered before.

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Jun 13, 2018 15:42:15   #
therwol Loc: USA
 
BebuLamar wrote:
I wish to thanks all of you for your responses. I am sorry if my question has been asked and answered before.


Don't apologize. No one can keep track of everything that goes on here, and if you just look over old posts, you miss the interaction with other people.

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Jun 13, 2018 15:46:07   #
foggypreacher Loc: Dickinson, Texas
 
I have had that same message. I let Win 10 correct it and have not had any problems transferring the files from it. Usually, after transferring the files I re-format the card IN my camera.

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Jun 13, 2018 17:04:38   #
sv3noKin51E
 
Bebu, Good to see someone else recommends SD Formatter, it's a good tool. Whichever app/program you use to format the card, if you structure the format/name as the camera expects to see, ie, Fat32, the camera usually never realizes that it didn't format the card if it's done correctly. Example:
https://www.thephotoforum.com/threads/tip-on-using-a-canon-20d-with-16gb-compact-flash.297449/

I've used the poster's method several times, formatting SDXC 32 GB and 64 GB cards for FAT32, with the flash card formatter on a Windows 7x64 machine (same philosophy for a Mac). Placed the SDXC into it's SD adapter, which went inside a SD-CF card adapter, then inserted into the card into the read/write interface and formatted to specs. The first time was on an old, mint condition 20D. When the camera was turned on it registered the card at full capacity and always functions as it should. There are many posts about the older Canons EOS not being able to read/write to more than a 2 or 4 GB card. After all, why would one need a larger card? The firmware wasn't meant to deal with such large cards; they were around but not affordable to mere mortals when the camera was introduced. The same pre-format works for older Nikon DSLRs. Only one camera had trouble seeing a 64 GB card but pre-formatting resolved it. With the Canon, as long as a small protected sample image is left on the card, the other images can be off-loaded/deleted and the card never requires reformatting. Many recommend a complete reformat of the card after each shoot or offload, but as long as the card isn't stalling, it's another write cycle pushing the card toward EOL. Most of the time, when flash memory and SSDs, not even the NSA has had a great deal of luck recovering data, though it's rumored they've gotten better.

All of the flash memory format tools we've used on PCs/Macs, formats cards for any cameras we've used and tested. When it comes to W10 however, there may be sufficient reason to point a finger (ahem) at the Win10 OS format function, as issues with flash drives have been reported. W10 has a documented, long history of causing the premature death of a good number of expensive SSDs and the truth is out there. W10 certainly killed our SSD, taking W10 with it. Too bad, good riddance. We returned to W7, since W10 has never worked well offline without the heavy hand of MS pushing it to their will. The SSD manufacturers finally provided enough evidence/pressure and MS agreed to work toward a solution, without admitting responsibility. We had the invoice for the drive, and it was replaced under warranty. The manufacturer was aware of the failures but a warranty is a warranty (if you have your receipt).

We've always kept receipts for any item with a one year to lifetime warranty. We had a guitar develop serious neck problems and though the local luthier would've taken care of it at great expense, we remembered the guitar's lifetime warranty. 3 days later, we located the original receipt, 18 years after sticking it in a manila folder. We've had 3 flash cards fail in 10 years, all Lexars from a one-time Staple's purchase. After the warranty replacements arrived, we gave them away. sv

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Jun 13, 2018 17:39:24   #
TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA
 
MT Shooter wrote:
90% of all memory card problems are easily remedied by formatting the card in your computer to clear up any communication issues. Then simply put it back in your camera and format it there for full functionality again.




If a simple format does not work, you could always try CHKDSK to see if it is a repairable bad sector. If not, salvage anything you can from the card and destroy it.

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Jun 13, 2018 17:49:56   #
sv3noKin51E
 
MT Shooter, there's a thought, with the a scope not counting the wind today, an errant SD card would be a fair target at 100 yards. sv

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Jun 13, 2018 17:52:15   #
carolh810
 
I have cards I have used for years, all of them Lexar & I have never formated a card in a computer. I always format the card in the camera !

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Jun 13, 2018 18:38:55   #
TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA
 
PixelStan77 wrote:
If it were me..bye bye SD card.
Only format in camera. Not windows

Urban legend! The file system in use is that of the pc, so it is OK to format the card in windows.

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Jun 13, 2018 19:46:25   #
Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY
 
TheShoe wrote:
Urban legend! The file system in use is that of the pc, so it is OK to format the card in windows.

I was confident it was OK to format in computer as long as you do a quick format only to learn that some cameras write some stuff extra spec on the memory and get bumbed if you mess with. Not Nikon I am sure. So I stand corrected. The SD card has no idea if it is being formatted in a computer, camera or whatever. However, the SD card is unique in that it contains some tamper proof Digital Rights Management circuitry that can irreparably render the card unreadable during improper formatting. That is why it is wise to use the free formatting application from the SD organization when reformatting the card to the state when it left the factory.

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Jun 13, 2018 20:42:42   #
frazierksf Loc: Dayton, OH
 
I would check with the manufacturer. SanDisk has a lifetime warranty. Maybe yours does also.

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Jun 13, 2018 21:03:56   #
LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America
 
Yes.

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Jun 13, 2018 21:36:49   #
Pixeldawg Loc: Suzhou, China
 
If the card is truly damaged, send it back to Lexar and they will replace it for free.

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Jun 13, 2018 21:56:54   #
PeterBergh
 
sv3noKin51E wrote:
... an errant SD card would be a fair target at 100 yards. sv


Only if you're a very good shot and have a very accurate firearm. A SD card is about an inch square, so it's a minute of arc. No handgun can be shot well enough to consistently hit a one-inch target at 100 yards. Few rifles, and even fewer shooters, are capable of minute-of-arc accuracy.

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Jun 14, 2018 07:06:29   #
quick235 Loc: Niagara Falls, NY
 
Ignore the Windows 10 warning about formatting your card in Windows. I get notice on SD cards USB etc unless you can’t download your photos it’s not a problem. Always format your card in your camera for taking photos. Do however check your card reader if you have problems downloading photos then the card, my suggestion anyways.

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