Many digital camera owners don’t understand the difference between erasing and formatting a memory card. Both methods of deleting images should be used.
Erasing can be done whenever desired, such as when your card is at full capacity and you need more space on the card. A memory card should be formatted several times a year, particularly if its performance seems sluggish. Format more often if your camera is used frequently.
Erasing a memory card
When you erase a memory card, individual photos are deleted from their directories on the card. You can erase one image at a time, or erase all images. However, any images that have been designated as protected, won’t be removed during the erasure process.
Formatting a memory card
Formatting, on the other hand, deletes all images from a memory card, even the ones that may have been protected. It recreates the file system including new directories and folders where images are saved on the card.
Unlike erasing, formatting improves the overall performance of a card.
Low level formatting
Some digital cameras offer a low level format in addition to the standard format option. With a low level format, all data on the card is deleted. New directories and folders are also recreated during this process.
A low-level format of a high speed memory card helps ensure smooth continuous shooting at a constant interval. For optimal performance, it’s also recommended that a low level format be done prior to shooting video.
In camera, not computer
It’s best to erase and format memory cards in a digital camera, not via a computer. If you plan to use a memory card that was previously used in another camera, particularly if it was made by a different manufacturer, format the card in the new camera before taking any shots.
A word of caution: make sure you back up any important photo and video files prior to erasing or formatting a card.
Check your camera manual
Formatting and erasing a memory card is done through the main Menu. The functions are generally accessed in Playback mode, though they can be accessed in other modes on some cameras. Since the steps vary from camera to camera, check your manual for specific instructions.
TopTip: Even a brand new memory card should be formatted in-camera before using it for the very first time.
Tip: When getting rid of a memory card, destroy it first so personal information can’t be recovered from the card.
Related reading: Recovering deleted images
Every time that I switch on my camera it shows protected card across the screen and I am unable to take pictures . What can I do?
It sounds like you may have your camera in Playback mode. If so, switch to Shooting Mode. Here’s an explanation of both modes. If this is not the problem, please post your questions in our Q&A forum so we can provide additional help. Also provide us with as much information as you can, including camera model.
I like to “play” with my pictures such as make them black and white or change contrast, however my camera does not let me. Is it because I didn’t format my memory card?
What camera do you have…only some cameras have the ability to do
that kind of in-camera editing. On the other hand, the vast
majority of image editing programs will let you change contrast,
convert them to black and white or sepia, etc. The software that
came with your camera may have those abilities. If not, try a free, easy-to-use and effective basic photo editing program such as Picasa.
I recently got a new card reader, because a USB cable was much more difficult to get ahold of for my camera (Casio Exilm 8.1)
I went to my computer/removable disk and although it recognized it, it says I must format the card to the computer. After trying to do so, it responds that the card can not be read. It is brand new, and has no possibility of damage. Any Advice?
Formatting a memory card in a computer that is to be used in a digital camera is not generally recommended. Try formatting it in your camera. Also try plugging the card reader into a different USB port. Your memory card is probably not damaged, but if formatting the card in the camera doesn’t work, call tech support (in this order) for the card, reader and/or camera. Here is some information about causes of memory card problems.
Hi i bought a new 4gb lexar platinum II 80x compact flash card for my nikon ED coolpix 5700 and the camera says out of memory and no images are on it. Please help
Spencer, I believe the 4GB card may be beyond the capacity and/or speed of your Coolpix 5700. I owned the Coolpix 5400, which came out around the same time as the 5700. 24x and 24xWA were the highest speed cards recommended by Nikon for the camera and I suspect it may be the same for yours. Check your manual specifications or contact Nikon to verify if your new card is incompatible with the 5700.
The number one problem brought to our attention at our Q&A forum, in comments and via email relate to memory card problems. Always format a card, including a brand new one (before using the first time), in your camera (not computer); make sure the one you purchase is compatible with your model, especially if it is an older model. And do learn about the causes of memory card corruption before they occur!
I was playing with my camera and i was in the format option when i went to cancel out of it(because i didn’t want to format yet) it clicked ok to format. Is there anyway of getting my pictures back?
There are programs to recover images that have been removed from a memory card. Here is a tutorial. Some programs are free, others must be bought. Art Plus has a free recovery program. There are other useful, free digital photography related programs listed on the page too.
Hi, I have pought 4 Maxim 4gig SD cards, I have a Kodak 6490 and the camera won’t let me format the cards, any ideas please.
According to the Kodak site, DX-series cameras accept SD and MMC Cards, not Secure Digitial High Capacity cards. 4 Gig cards are SDHC. You may have to get a different, lower capacity card. Check with Kodak tech support to be sure.
Hi i got a Kodak easy share z 740 i got a 16 gig memory card and when it is in my camera it says it needs reformatted so i go through the motions it does nothing.and when i put it in my other camera it locks it up it will not do nothing.i was wondering if their is some way i could do it manually or some other way.THANKS for the help RICK
Rick, your camera is not compatible with a Secure Digital High Capacity Memory card. I believe the largest memory card for that model is 2 GB. Check specifications in the manual to make sure.
I did the same thing as Candy and wiped all my photos on the card, the Art Plus isn’t free it is 19.95, are there any online sites or walk through tutorials that tell you how you may get them back? I am in New Zealand so any one who can think of companies who can help would be great!
Sorry to hear that Kate! Thank you for the information about ArtPlus. It used to be free. Bummer. I’ll remove it from the list and see if I can find something else.
THANKS THAT WAS IT……RICK
I need to upload photos from my camera to my pc but i can not access the memory card as it needs to be formatted. Is there anyway i can save the images i need before i format?
Try transferring the images from the camera to your computer via the cable that was supplied with the camera. If that doesn’t work, post more complete information in our forum so we get a better feel for your situation and can respond accordingly.
i have a kodak easyshare cw330 and recently got a new 2gb sd pny memory card and it won’t let me format it and it says memory full but i put it in my computer to look at the files and theyres nothing on the card.
what do i do?
In looking at the specifications for your camera it seems it only take a maximum 256MB memory card.
Check your camera manual or the online user guide:
Item 7-Appendix > Storage capacities
Do not try to format your card via the computer. You most likely just need a smaller capacity memory card.
everytime i insert my memory card into my camara it say’s that i need to format it.. so i did soo and it keep saying that.. what should i do to get it to work?
its an micro SD memory card and my camara is pentax optio m30. ive been using this memory card on this camara already and it never did something like this.
candii, it sounds like your memory card may be corrupted. Try formatting it in another camera if possible. Also, if you have another memory card, try formatting it in m30 to test that it’s not a camera problem. If none of these work, call tech support.
I would like to know if its possible to delete images from the memory card- not using the camera ie computer etc. The reason being each time I download newly taken pics the whole memory card (680images) is transfered to the computer making it time consuming to deselect unwants shots. Another issue is that there are a number of images on the card that I would like to delete, but as my camera (pentax 200d) works by nonrechargable batteries the camera will use quite a lot of battery power in the time taken to scroll through all the card.
thanks tom p
The software program that came with you camera may let you download only new photos and/or delete individual photos. Check the help files and preference settings. If not, try a program like Picasa (free). It will not download photos that have already been downloaded.
If you have more photos that you want to keep on your memory card than delete, use the “protect” feature in Playback mode. Then use the ERASE function and all but protected images will be deleted. Make sure to ERASE, not FORMAT.
i just brought a cannon eos 450d. the thing is i always get a blurry pictures everytime i take pictures. im new to this dslr cameras. any advice for me?
Without seeing your photos, it’s hard to tell precisely. It could be caused by any one of the following: camera shake, too slow shutter speed, or not wide enough depth of field. Also make sure Image Stabilization is turned on for the camera, and that the switch on your lens is set to autofocus. I keep my 450D (XSi) set to auto ISO. To help prevent blur, shutter speed should be set faster than the focal length. If you have some photos online, post a link in our forum and we’ll be able to provide more meaningful feedback. Also, check out my Canon XSi/450D blog for lots of helpful tips about using the camera and lenses.
tengo una camara olympus y x 785 ,el problema es q baje mis fotos de la memoria a mi computadora y luego elimine las d ela memoria y ahora q quiero tomar nuevamente fotos no las guarda,aparece esta frase xD sin imagenes que puedo hacer?
I’ve translated your inquiry using Google translate and hope it did a good job. If not, let us know. I understand that you downloaded photos to your commuter, deleted them from the card and now can not take photos. Without more details, the only thing I can suggest is to format the card.
Our digital photography forum has a lot of information about XD picture cards about the problems and solutions some have had with them. Registration at the forum is quick, easy and free, so consider signing up. To find the many posts on this subject, use the forum SEARCH field by typing in the word XD memory card or XD picture card.
Some of my favorite photos ever were taken with a 1.4 MP camera, so what I’m about to say has nothing to do with the quality of photos your camera takes, but the age of the camera relative to memory cards.
My guess is that a 4 gb card exceeds the capabilities of your camera. To confirm this, check the specifications in the camera manual. If the maximum capacity card is 1 Gig, try to find a new one online at a place like out Amazon store.
When you get a new one, please make sure you actually format a new card IN THE CAMERA before using it. That’s format, not simply erase.
Good afternoon.Sure could use some help here.I have a kodak Easy share camera.Bought a Kodak Memory card and put it in.Keeps saying it is full.I try to format it keeps coming up Filesy’s Error eoo1oo…I go back and try it agian and again the same message.Sure would appreciate help…Diana
Have you tried using another memory card to see if the camera, or the card, is the problem. Can’t find anything on that error message so the best place to obtain help is calling Kodak tech support.
NEED HELP! i have 200 pictures that are irreplaceable and my camera says card not formatted, format card with this camera. ive tried putting the card in a reader in my mac but it doesnt show up.
is there anything i can do? programs? i need these pictures
Jacob, Please read through the comments above to see if any of the information is helpful. If not, our advice remains the same: call the card and/or camera manufacturer for technical assistance. Or call a professional photo recovery company. Hope you’re able to access your photos.
im having memory card error and the format option in my canon ixus 100is/sd780 camera cannot be selected/highligted thus i cannot format my card in the camera…help pls…thank in advance
Is the erase function also blanked out? If not, try erasing the card. If you haven’t tried already, reset the camera using the reset menu. Also try keeping the battery out for about an hour. You’ll have to reset some settings such as time. The problem, however, does sound like a faulty camera so you should call Canon. Depending on when you purchased it, your camera may still be on warranty. Or, if you charged the full purchase of the camera on a credit card, you may have a free extended warranty from the credit card company.
I have a Polaroid m635 and I have a sd card in it,but it says please insert card.
Esther, your digital camera only takes SD cards up to one gigabyte. If your card has more capacity than 1 gb, it’s incompatible. Otherwise, the card may be damaged or there is a problem with the camera. To test if there is a problem with the camera, take photos using the built-in memory, which may have to be erased if there are already images on the card. Refer to your camera manual.
What a load of bollocks. You really should learn something about how file systems and flash memory work before publishing this nonsense.
“formatting improves the overall performance of a card.”
There is no difference between a quick format and simply erasing all files and folders on the card.
“A low-level format of a high speed memory card helps ensure smooth continuous shooting at a constant interval.”
First, memory chips cannot be low-level formatted (some cameras have that option in the menu because it was incorrectly translated from Japanese – it actually should read “full format”). And second, memory chips have a fixed access time, doesn’t matter how they are formatted. A full format can indeed identify and mark bad sectors (which a quick format cannot), but that has nothing to do with speed.
No wonder the article isn’t even signed.
Mark, if you read the article correctly, nowhere does it state that formatting increases speed!!! It says that a low-level format can improve performance by ensuring “smooth continuous shooting at a constant interval.” Those are words quoted directly from Canon digital camera manuals. If you have an issue with this, take it up with Canon. As to the alleged incorrect translation of “low-level,” take that up with Canon too. Articles of a general nature appearing at this site do not have a signature. If someone has a question, we reply. If someone points out a legitimate error, we promptly correct it. The same information about formatting is readily available elsewhere. Do a Google search.
I did all this and my sd card still says ‘memory card full’ What do I do??
Mia, first check the tab on the side of the memory card. SD cards have a lock. If it’s locked, slide the tab to unlock. The only other things I can think to do are to try to format the card via the software that came with the camera. If the SD card is recognized by your memory card reader, try a program such as Image Recall. There are some free image recovery programs listed here. If these don’t work, contact the memory card company.
I was just wondering how much pictures could i get on a 256MB Kodak XD Picture Card.
Ricky, it depends on the size and quality settings for your images. The higher the resolution, the less images fit on a card. This chart can give you some idea of what to expect.
Hi there,
I just used ZAR to recover 900mg worth of images.
Pros: It works. It’s free. Has a help forum.
Cons: Takes a while, took me 5-6 hours. Videos recovered as stills.
Overall, very satisfied with this software.
Hello Gail,
I have an sd card that cannot be read by my computer, or card reader
(except when using ZAR).
I would like to return it to the place of purchase, but before I do I would like to have all data gone forever. How do I do that?
Your help is appreciated, thank you.
Here is some information about permanently delete images from a memory card. Once when I had a faulty memory card and returned it, I had the salesman destroy the card in front of me before I left the store.
Thanks Gail,
I’ll have to have the salesman destroy it, as it is faulty and there is no way to overwrite the images.
Otherwise I would have run a very long movie with the lens cap on.
But, heck, if I could do that it wouldn’t be faulty and I wouldn’t be returning it. =)
Thanks again for your help.
PM
i own a nikon coolpix s230. one day i opened the memory card on the computer without first scanning for viruses and my anti-virus found a few. i took care of it but after that the memory card reads empty in the computer (although when i right-click and choose properties i see that it has some used space). however, if i put the memory card in the camera and connect it via the usb to the computer i can open up the folder, see and even import my pictures. what do i need to do to make the memory card read in the computer on its own. Wendie
it’s the 2GB SD memory card that came with the camera, by the way. Wendie
Wendy. Try formatting your memory card in the camera. I don’t usually scan my memory card for viruses. Maybe you can exclude that from the scan (unless you copy photos taken by others onto the memory card).
I have a Nikon D5000. I am using a 4GB San Disk Extreme III memory card.
I take, on average, of over 2,500 pictures per month. My problem is that every time I clear the memory card, the picture numbers reset. So, every 637 pictures, I have to make a new folder to hold the new pictures. My “folder system” on my computer used to hold pictures by the month. Now, each month has multiple folders because the picture number constantly reset to 1 each time the card is cleared.
I’ve searched all over the internet and cannot find an answer to this: How do I reformat the card so that the numbers keep climbing? I used to have a Sony Cybershot and no matter how many times the card was cleared, the numbers picked up where they left off. Can I do that with this card?
Thank you for your time.
Angela, check your camera menus. There is usually a setting that determines how photos are numbered. Look for “continuous” or something similar. Also check the settings for the software that you use to download images. Most give you options as to the folder set up: eg. by month, by month and date, etc. Hope either or both of these work.
I just want to make clear that formatting the card will not influence the numbering sequence. As stated above, it’s a camera setting and software setting.
I just bought a Canon PowerShotSD 780 IS digital elph and ordered a 4 gb memory card. Is it compatible with this camera?
Linda, your camera is compatible with the following cards: SD/SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, MMC Plus Card, HC MMC Plus Card. By way of information, the type of card is listed in the specifications found in the camera manual.
Hello guys I need help! I have a bunch of pictures on my memory card that I protect so they wouldnt get erased by mistake (it happened before). Now I am trying to rotate the pictures on my computer but because is protected I can’t do anything. When I insert the memory card (optima sd 2gb) on my camera (canonsd790 is) it says that the card is full but it does not show me any of the pictures or an option to delete them. I do not want to get rid of those pictures, just want to change them! PLEASE HELP!
When viewing the images in ZoomBrowser, the software that came with your camera, an icon (red key) will appear on the images you protected. In ZoomBrowser, right-click the image. In the drop-down menu, there should be a checkmark next to the word “Protect.” Uncheck it. You can do this for multiple photos if you select them. I do not know why your card is not showing any images. Since you’ve already transferred them to your computer, do a low level format. If that doesn’t work, contact Canon tech support.
i accidently clicked format on my memory card and now it wont work at all. if i put it in my camera i can use it and it will save my pics but as soon as i try to upload them to my computer, it says memory card error =[
Angelica – There are a few things you can try. If nothing works, contact the memory card manufacturere.
Check for dust by wiping the metal receptors on the card. Make sure you use a dry cloth.
Format the card a few more times, however take it out of the camera each time and reinsert it before each new format.
Try using a memory card reader, if you’re not. If you are, try the USB cable that came with the camera.
Hi,
I have a 8GB SDHC card that I bought for my daughter’s Vtech kidizoom plus camera. I’ve gotten to to work but in the process of formatting it, I can no longer get it to successfully format the card or ‘accept’ the card. I’ve tried formatting it on my MAC and on my canon camera, and while it can see that there is free space on the card, when I try to format it on the camera, I get ‘format error’ and it won’t format the drive. Both the MAC and the canon accept the card and can read to/from the card….
Any help most apprecaited!
Thanks
Check the specifications in the manual that came with the camera. My guess is that your camera doesn’t take Secure Digital High Capacity memory cards. If not, get a SD card that is 2GB o less.
Hello. I thought I commented on this website a few days ago, but it must’ve not gone through. Anyway, my original comment consisted of this: I had a HP Photosmart 733 3.2 Megapixel Digital Camera [3x Optical/3x Digital Zoom] that I used to take some videos with a few years ago, and I decided to delete them off of the SD memory card. I can’t recall if I did an overwrite or formatted the card afterwards, but I know I at least deleted the files. Now, my question is that even if I deleted the files, was there any chance that they could still have been transferred to my computer during an upload process for images/videos I didn’t delete? Can deleted video/image files even do that?
Missy, with the time that’s passed and the likelihood that you’ve taken a lot of photos on the memory card, you probably can not recover the videos. But there is no harm in trying. See this article. If you have windows, do a search for videos to see if they are somewhere on your hard drive.
Thank you for the article reference, but you misunderstand. I didn’t want those videos to be recovered, hence why I deleted them off the camera and never tried to upload them onto my hard drive. What I want to know is that once they are deleted off the memory card, is there still any sort of possibility that the deleted files would be transferred onto my computer anyway? Is it the kind of deal where once they’re deleted off the memory card, formatted/overwritten or not, they don’t have a shot at accidentally showing up in some computer file like a bad surprise? Sorry to be a bother! Thanks again.
I have KodakEasyShare C913 and I use 2 GB SD card. When the card is in camera it works normally and I can see the pictures. The problem is when I put the card into PC; it recognize the card, but it doesn’t show the pictures. Also, when I scan the card with antivirus, it show me that it scan 179 objects which is the number of photos on the card and which proved that there are pictures. But, still I can’t see them on the PC.
I’ve tried the card on other PC’s, but it doesn’t work. I suppose that I could fix it just formating the card, but there are many photos that I would like to keep. Maybe I could save all the pictures moving them from card to internal memory of the camera, which have space for approximately 7 photos, and then coping them to the PC via USB cable!? The problem is that I don’t have appropriate cable. I’ve looked in some shops with PC equipment in my town, but I could not find the cable for C913.
I would appreciate any suggestion which could help me to transfare pictures to PC?
A few questions and suggestions things to try:
Did you install the driver and software that came on the CD with the camera? If not, do so. The software is meant to begin the download process when the card is put into the memory card slot.
Try transferring the images using the USB cable or dock that came with the camera, rather than a card reader. If that works, once the images are transferred, format the card.
You shouldn’t need to do a virus scan of the memory card you use with the camera. Hopefully, you have a dedicated card, and don’t mix files on it.
If you don’t have these accessories, or nothing works successfully, I highly recommend you contact Kodak tech support. They can provide advice and any accessories you may need.
Transferring to the internal memory is certainly a viable option but, as you point out, it’s a tedious process. Still it’s better than losing your photos.
Hi, I formatted my memory card using the computer, now when I insert it back to my camera my camera just wont work anymore. Its turning on but the screen is black. Any solutions about this?
It’s not a good idea to format a memory card that you use in your camera via the computer. Try formatting the card in the camera. If that doesn’t work, contact the camera manufacturer or memory card company. Here are more causes of memory card corruption.
I have a Kodak EasyShare C813 camera and a 4g SDHC. They work great. My only problem is this: I deleted some photos on my memory card. And when I look at it on my camera and on the computer, those photos do not show up. However, today, when I went to Kinkos to print out some pictures I wanted, those photos were shown on it’s display. Again, I checked it on the camera and on the computer but I do not find these pictures. How can I find them and delete them? I have checked every folder (only 2 and one is empty) and have yet to find them, I really don’t want those pictures. LOL
Software programs like SandDisk’s RescuePRO have a wipe media feature. But you can also permanently delete photos by by formatting the card and randomly shooting images until the card is filled again. We have more information about it here.
hi, i have a samsung p800 i have had for around 3years but recently when i look back through my pictures it gets stuck on some, after about 30 seconds it says ‘file error’ and when i put the pictures onto my laptop these can not been seen on there either. thinking it was my sd card i have bought a new one which is the right one for my camera. i put my recent holiday pictures on my new sd card so i could show people, but now i can only see 5 of the pictures the rest read file error. when i connect it to my laptop all the pictures are there? i am confused. i don’t want to carry on using the camera in fear of loosing some of the pictures i take. do i need a new camera?
lyndsay, your camera may very well need a repair but the only way you’ll know for sure is to contact Samsung tech support. If they suggest repair weigh the cost vs buying a new camera. Many digital cameras have dropped in price during the past three years; plus you’d have a new and longer warranty. As a Samsung customer, they may offer you a special discount on a replacement camera. Also consider a refurbished camera.
thank you gail for your advice, i just did not want to go out and buy a new camera if it was something simple that could be fixed. thanks for your time
I am a complete novice when it comes to trying to work memory cards out, so apologies. My current problem is this. I have a Sony pic frame that I’m trying to put photos onto. The standard size card is too big for the camera so I can’t format it on that. The Belkin media reader I am using is unable to format the card. I have tried right clicking on the drive to format it but nothing comes up. What do I do next? Thx
If by “big” you mean card capacity, you may have purchased a memory card that is not compatible with your digital camera. Check the camera specifications about the maximum memory card capacity your camera accepts. It’s best not to format the card via your computer. Format them in the camera. If the card capacity is not the problem, contact Sony. Some of those picture frames are quite tricky to figure out.
I have a samsung s860 with a kodak sd card. got home from a trip last night and was looking through pics just fine…put the card in my computer this morning and everythihng appeared fine…was looking through one folder when it froze on me so i closed it out and went to open the other folder on the card and nothing happened. i took the card out and put it back in and it said card error…needs reformatting! is there anyway to save the pictures on my card?
You probably have no choice but to format the card in the camera, though you should call the Samsung tech support to see what they suggest. If you have no choice but to format the card, you may still be able to recover all or some of the images. Here’s some information about photo recovery.
I have a Pentax Optio S55 with a brand new Lexar 16GB SDHC multi-use memory card. When I turn on the camera with the memory card in it, memory card error appears on the screen. However, when I remove the card from the camera and turn the camera on, it operates normally. I’ve tried formatting the card while it was in the camera, but to no avail. Is there anything else I can try or do I have a faulty memory card??
Bighead, your camera works without the card because of the internal memory, and will do so until the memory is full. Your camera only accepts SD/MMC cards, not Secure Digital High Capacity cards. Check the manual for the maximum card side it can use.
I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 digital DSLR camera. I have a transcend SDHC class 6 4GB memory card. When i turn on the camera, the 1st thing i see is a message which says: “This card is not formatted with this camera. It is not suitable for video recording.” I looked at the camera accessory system in the manual, the card i have is not on the list. Is the card not compatible with the camera, or do i have to format it somehow?
Your camera does not take SDHC, it only takes SD/MMC cards. You’ll have to get a smaller capacity card, per your camera specifications.
The manual says to make sure that it has the “SDHC” logo on the card. I figured out the problem on my own though. Everything is fine.
My apologies, sovetskii52. I inadvertently researched the wrong Panasonic model number. Glad everything is fine.
I actually looked at the FZ35 today. Nice camera. If you care to share, let us know what the problem was so others may benefit from the information.
i have a canon 550D camera and when i upload my photos i haven’t erased them so the secons time i went to upload, thinking on the newly taken photos would upload, it uploaded ALL the photos again, new and old. how do stop this? or do i have to delete them off the camera? there must be another way…
Yes, Molly, there is another way. When you insert a memory card, two ZoomBrowser Windows typically open automatically as images download from the memory card to your computer. I’m assuming this happens when you insert a memory card. On the smaller window, click the Preferences button. Click on the first dropdown menu [Images to Download] and Select “New images.” This way, only new images on a memory card will be downloaded; not ones that were previously download.
Peek around the Preferences window for other options you may also like to tweak.
I have a samsung p1000 …. 10.2 mpx with a 2gb memory card.
I have just deleted all my photos from the memory card yet my camera is only showing space for approx 49 new photos?? even though there are no photos on my camera or card when connected to my laptop. Im completely stumped as this doesn’t normally happen …. i should now have 2000+ spaces??
Any help please
ok … just managed to format it somehow. did the trick. YAY!! Wouldnt even have known what format is without the above ^^^ : )
monica, glad you got it worked out. The safest way to delete photos from a memory card is through the camera. You can delete them individually, or mark those as protected for those you want to keep. Protected photos won’t get erased when you erase your memory card (it’s important to note that if you format the card, even protected images will be gone, so make sure you use the erase function).
You may also be able to delete images via the software that came with your camera. Check the software guide that came it. It is not advisable to delete images from the card with a computer mouse or equivalent.
i tryed 2 brand new memory cards in my camera they both say must be formatted,when i try to format it says cant read,i put both in pc and ame thing happened,i put the original in and out of camera no problem,what am i doing wrong,please help me out ,,,lol,,,,,
garen, two possibilities that I can think of. If you’re using an SD card, make sure it is not locked (SD cards have a small switch on one side). Another possibility is that you have an older camera and the memory card you’re using is not compatible with it. For example, Secure Digital High Capacity cards may not be compatible with older cameras, computer memory card slots or memory card readers. Check the specifications in your camera manual for the types of cards your camera accepts, and the maximum limits of the cards (eg. 2 GB or less).
Hey, i lost the cable for my sony camera. Is it possible for me to take out the memory card and put it into another camera(DSLR Canon 500D) to transfer pictures ONLY? Im very afraid that the memory card will get reformatted automatically or lost some files when i put it into the dslr camera. Help? Thx in advance.
Your best bet is to use a memory card reader. However, if you follow the download instructions carefully when you plug in the cable, you should have no problems. Occasionally, software can’t read the files from another camera but generally it is not a problem. I’ve downloaded images taken with other cameras with ZoomBrowser, the software that comes with the 500D and other Canon cameras, and it worked fine.
my computer wont read my card anymore, it tells me i must format it, i have done so via my camera and didn’t resolve the problem, so i tried to do it via my computer and it says it can not do it.
I can use it without other problems on my other computer. is there anything i can do to fix this?
If your camera can do a low level format, try it. Also try formatting the card in a friend’s digital camera. If these don’t work either, call the company that manufactured your card for technical support.
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