Camera won't store photos.

[Tim Zimmerman]

My 256MB Fuji camera memory card I had for a year won't store
pictures when a picture is taken. But it will respond to access from a PC
hook up via a USB cable. I went out and bought a 125MB card and
everything works like normal. Is it normal for a card to expire so soon
or did I abuse it?

Thanks

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

My 256MB Fuji camera memory card I had for a year won't store
pictures when a picture is taken. But it will respond to access from a PC
hook up via a USB cable. I went out and bought a 125MB card and
everything works like normal. Is it normal for a card to expire so soon
or did I abuse it?

It died. Stuff happens.

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[Sam Goldwasser]

I should have added, not it's not normal behavior. The life of a FLASH
memory is in the milions of cycles.

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[Bill Jeffrey]

The instructions that came with my camera (Panasonic FZ-3) mention the
need to initialize or "format" some cards. There is even a Format
instruction buried down somewhere in a menu tree in the camera. My card
came pre-formatted, so I didn't do it, but check your instructions.
Like the floppy disks of old (anyone remember those?), some of the come
out of the box already formatted, some don't - and some lose their
formatting - partuclarly if you have brought them near any source of
magnetism.

Also like the old floppy disks, memory cards have a small slide switch
that "locks" them (aka write protect). Any chance you inadvertently
moved this tiny switch?

Bill Jeffrey
=======================

 

[Rick]

My 256MB Fuji camera memory card I had for a year won't store
pictures when a picture is taken. But it will respond to access from a PC
hook up via a USB cable. I went out and bought a 125MB card and
everything works like normal. Is it normal for a card to expire so soon
or did I abuse it?

Thanks

You didn't mention what kind of card it is but did you try a card slot
cleaning kit in the camera? I have SmartMedia in one camera and on
occasion certain cards can be difficult and make intermittent contact.
Cleaning the card slot and/or the contacts on the card fixes the
problem. If the card works ok in the USB reader, but not in the camera,
this sound like the problem.

Rick

 

[Jerry G.]

Put the non working card in the Camera. Look for the format control in the
camera, and format its own memory card.

This type of thing usually happens if the card has been reformatted using a
computer, rather than the camera that it is intended for. 'The other reason
for this to happen, is that the card is failing. I have been using these
flash cards since the first ones that came out. I have not run in to a
defective one yet.

--

Jerry G.
======


My 256MB Fuji camera memory card I had for a year won't store
pictures when a picture is taken. But it will respond to access from a PC
hook up via a USB cable. I went out and bought a 125MB card and
everything works like normal. Is it normal for a card to expire so soon
or did I abuse it?

Thanks

 

[harrogate2]

You didn't mention what kind of card it is but did you try a card slot
cleaning kit in the camera? I have SmartMedia in one camera and on
occasion certain cards can be difficult and make intermittent contact.
Cleaning the card slot and/or the contacts on the card fixes the
problem. If the card works ok in the USB reader, but not in the camera,
this sound like the problem.

Rick

If a 128Mb card works and the 256 doesn't it ain't going to be a
contact problem, is it?

On the other hand, the write protect latch on the 256 hasn't been
activated has it?

Otherwise take your camera to a shop and ask to test a new 256 in it -
will more likely be the card has failed, which is surprisingly common.