Author Topic: Camera SD Card Corrupt Files?  (Read 14789 times)

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SHARKY7SHARKY

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Re: Camera SD Card Corrupt Files?
« Reply #15 on: November 12, 2011, 05:35:57 PM »
If the Camera wont format it, he can try to format it with another Camera, or say goodbye to the card.

Offline Misuzu

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Re: Camera SD Card Corrupt Files?
« Reply #16 on: November 12, 2011, 06:32:15 PM »
Obviously sometimes I'm not very observant. I checked and searched the options on my camera better and I found the option to format under "Memory Kit". I formatted using my camera, it worked! I was able to take a picture without any problems. I put the card in my PC and there was no "weirdly named" files. So it seems to be working fine.

Should I do anything else? I want to reduce the chances of this "issue" happening again if I can?

I read somewhere that over zealous deleting of photos, not formatting your SD Card right before you use it for the first time and not formatting a SD Card occasionally can cause issues with your camera? I am guilty of all three of the things I mentioned. I probably should backup and format my SD Card more.

What's the full size of your SD Card?

Probably the NTFS format is the problem with the current new Polaroid error.

4GB I believe.
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ady4um

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Re: Camera SD Card Corrupt Files?
« Reply #17 on: November 12, 2011, 07:22:41 PM »
@Misuzu,

Glad you solve it. Now, about those type of problems with removable media, I would say that one of the most important things is to use the "safe disconnect hardware" (or whatever you want to call it) tray icon, which is important and usually forgotten (or intentionally missed).

So, when you are about to disconnect your card (using the camera, usb hub or whatever) from Windows, please close any and all applications that are "using" any file of your card or the SD drive itself (including Windows Explorer), and then use the tray icon to "safely disconnect" your media. When Windows tells you it is safe, only *then* unplug it.

Flash media or alike (SD cards, for example) have certain life span, so indeed it is not recommended to save + delete + save + delete "frequently", but the order of magnitude for this operations is not something that should worry you.

What you could do to extend the life of the card is to try to use it "close to 100%" (more to 80% or even less in real life) before deleting. You can back up once in a while (also not "compulsively" frequently), without having to delete it each time. Of course, that "100%" is very subjective (and not really 100% either), depending on the type of use.

For example, if you are going to travel (and "heavily" use your SD card), you might want to clean it and test it before.

If the Camera wont format it, he can try to format it with another Camera, or say goodbye to the card.

That's incorrect. There are independent SD card readers. Even if for some strange reason the camera wouldn't be able to format the SD card, by formatting it with FAT32 under Windows it would work just as any other UFD (and in fact, the SD was already formatted using Windows before). The potential problem "could" still be a reliability factor in the SD card, but that doesn't mean there is no use at all for it or that it can't be formatted using other tools.

Offline Misuzu

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Re: Camera SD Card Corrupt Files?
« Reply #18 on: November 12, 2011, 07:40:29 PM »
@Misuzu,

Glad you solve it. Now, about those type of problems with removable media, I would say that one of the most important things is to use the "safe disconnect hardware" (or whatever you want to call it) tray icon, which is important and usually forgotten (or intentionally missed).

So, when you are about to disconnect your card (using the camera, usb hub or whatever) from Windows, please close any and all applications that are "using" any file of your card or the SD drive itself (including Windows Explorer), and then use the tray icon to "safely disconnect" your media. When Windows tells you it is safe, only *then* unplug it.

Flash media or alike (SD cards, for example) have certain life span, so indeed it is not recommended to save + delete + save + delete "frequently", but the order of magnitude for this operations is not something that should worry you.

What you could do to extend the life of the card is to try to use it "close to 100%" (more to 80% or even less in real life) before deleting. You can back up once in a while (also not "compulsively" frequently), without having to delete it each time. Of course, that "100%" is very subjective (and not really 100% either), depending on the type of use.

For example, if you are going to travel (and "heavily" use your SD card), you might want to clean it and test it before.

I'm going to take your advice. I usually use the "safe disconnect hardware" on most removable media, though I don't know if I used it with cameras in the past. I also take too many photos and delete a lot, so I'm going to try to lessen how many photos I take. I'll also backup or format every month or so.

Thanks for all the help guys!  ;D
-Misuzu
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ady4um

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Re: Camera SD Card Corrupt Files?
« Reply #19 on: November 12, 2011, 08:05:22 PM »
I also take too many photos and delete a lot, so I'm going to try to lessen how many photos I take. I'll also backup or format every month or so.

I'm not saying you should take less photos. It would be against one of the main advantages of digital photos.

One possibility is to delete the unwanted ones not "every day", but when your card is, say, 50% or 75% full.

The "principle" is that those unwanted photos (files in the card) are using specific spaces (compartments) of memory (of the card). When you delete them, those same spaces get to be available for new use. In some "extreme" situations, the same memory space is used again and again, while other spaces are used very infrequently. The "overused" memory spaces get to a point that they start failing (not saving the photo / file correctly), even if the other (less used) spaces are free and working correctly.

So, in some cases, very few memory spaces in the SD card might be failing, and then the SD card turns to be almost useless, even if most of the memory is potentially working correctly.

The technical details and the specific situations where this happens are a little more complicated than that (and the "lingo" I used is also not so technically correct either), but my intention is just to explain the main idea / goal.

For a specific memory area to start failing, it would need 1'000s or even 10'000 times of use (between writing and reading the same memory space again and again and again...).

So if you keep those unwanted photos / files a little bit longer instead of deleting them "immediately", the next photo you shot will certainly occupy a different memory space (instead of using the same space you just cleared by deleting the previous photo). Again, this is not exactly technically correct, but it is just to give you an idea of what I mean.

The bottom line is: enjoy your camera and use it (and the SD card) as much as you want and need. Having multiple safe backups is what is going to really save you from a potential disaster. The rest is just hardware :).

Offline Misuzu

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Re: Camera SD Card Corrupt Files?
« Reply #20 on: November 12, 2011, 08:30:40 PM »
I also take too many photos and delete a lot, so I'm going to try to lessen how many photos I take. I'll also backup or format every month or so.

I'm not saying you should take less photos. It would be against one of the main advantages of digital photos.

One possibility is to delete the unwanted ones not "every day", but when your card is, say, 50% or 75% full.

The "principle" is that those unwanted photos (files in the card) are using specific spaces (compartments) of memory (of the card). When you delete them, those same spaces get to be available for new use. In some "extreme" situations, the same memory space is used again and again, while other spaces are used very infrequently. The "overused" memory spaces get to a point that they start failing (not saving the photo / file correctly), even if the other (less used) spaces are free and working correctly.

So, in some cases, very few memory spaces in the SD card might be failing, and then the SD card turns to be almost useless, even if most of the memory is potentially working correctly.

The technical details and the specific situations where this happens are a little more complicated than that (and the "lingo" I used is also not so technically correct either), but my intention is just to explain the main idea / goal.

For a specific memory area to start failing, it would need 1'000s or even 10'000 times of use (between writing and reading the same memory space again and again and again...).

So if you keep those unwanted photos / files a little bit longer instead of deleting them "immediately", the next photo you shot will certainly occupy a different memory space (instead of using the same space you just cleared by deleting the previous photo). Again, this is not exactly technically correct, but it is just to give you an idea of what I mean.

The bottom line is: enjoy your camera and use it (and the SD card) as much as you want and need. Having multiple safe backups is what is going to really save you from a potential disaster. The rest is just hardware :).

That makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Again, thanks for all of your help guys! :D
-Misuzu
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YoKenny

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Re: Camera SD Card Corrupt Files?
« Reply #21 on: November 12, 2011, 09:02:27 PM »
Maybe Misuzu should update their signature as Avast! 5.0 is quite old. ;)

Plus they do not say if they are using Windows 7 32bit or 64bit.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2011, 09:05:29 PM by YoKenny »