SD Downloading Problem

[DaveB]

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I' ve been successfully using several Transcend 4GB 150x cards in my M8 for a couple months and have had no problem downloading thousands of DNG's onto my Windows computers.

 

Until now.

 

Suddenly, the computer complains that the card in my SanDisk12:1 ImageMate "Is not formatted. do i want to reformat now?" All four cards demonstrate the same problem.

 

Upon inspection I can copy the first 900MB or so, but not the full 4 GB. With another card reader I can see the folder, but again cannot access all my files.

 

The cards were formatted in the camera, all have been filled and downloaded several times, and have never been a problem so long as I used my newer reader. Now, when tried on several Windows machines I have the identical problem.

 

As I write I am downloading via a USB cable connected to the camera so that I can begin to process in C1. I have about 10+ GB to dump to disk and, even if successful, this method may be a pretty slow.

 

Please forgive the desperate tone, but I have about 72 hours to successfully clear my cards before I return to the Canadian wilderness for another 21 days. Is there any utility that might allow me to access these files or some workaround that would permit me to download?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice or insights as this has me quite flummoxed at present.

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[carstenw]

PhotoRescue I think is the name of the most respected data rescue program. Have you tried rebooting your computer, or using another reader? It seems strange that they should all go south at the same time.

[stunsworth]

But a card reader and try that. At best you will be able to get the images off the cards and reformat them again in the camera.

[Bill W]

I would say that your card reader is the problem. I have an old card reader that will not take any card over 1gig. I simply bought a new reader. Try that first since they are fairly inexpensive. If you are able to download from the camera and get all of your files, then it is not the cards. I think you said that worked but just slow.

[stunsworth]

Ignore what I said, I see you've already tried another card reader.

[dpattinson]

This software has worked for me with corrupted USB drives: Disk Recovery Software and Hard Drive Recovery tool for Windows

They say it works with CF, I' ve just tried scanning one of my sandisk 2gb cards from the M8 and it's recognising the format and files.

 

You can buy and download over the web, as I have.

 

<edit> Not sure if you've tried a different card reader from your post - but try that first if not </edit>

 

Hope this helps, David.

[ho_co]

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David--

Have you updated your OS since the Transcend cards last worked?

 

Since the cards are sort of betwixt and between, a modification to the OS could have caused the change.

 

That is, up to 2 GB, regular SD cards are fine. Above 2 GB, according to current standards, one "should" be using SDHC cards. Problem is, as you know, the M8 is also betwixt and between, recognizing our 4 GB SD cards, but (as of the last time I checked) not the "proper" SDHC cards.

 

I hope you get the matter figured out and let us know. It might even be that when the M8 is updated to recognize SDHC it will lose the ability to see these large SD cards.

 

Good luck!

 

--HC

[DaveB]

Thanks for the input folks.

 

I'm going to start with the data recovery software and get some experience with it for next time.

 

I can't imagine why a card reader and downloader program that has successfully handled my full 4 GB cards should go crazy all of a sudden. Strange thing is that all four Windows machines in this remote location all of a sudden refuse to handle cards over 1 gb after functioning with same for weeks.

 

Initially I attributed it to a bad Windows XP update that nailed us all at the same time. That it continued after my being out in the bush for 11 days suggests something else is the matter.

 

Here's the work around I've hacked so far: I managed to download successfully a 4 gb card via the USB camera connection. Took a couple hours, but with a full battery it was accomplished. I couldn't sort the shoots by date as I prefer, but the DNG's are on my hard drive and can be loaded into the converter now. That's the important part. When I don' have the time pressure breathing down my neck I expect I'll puzzle the problem out.

 

Maybe I would have been smarter to have arranged for on-the-fly back up of data like I used to do with my Canon camera and ImageTank drive. Problems never seem so serious when I have the pictures backed up.

 

Oh well... I feel like I just dodged a bullet after a pretty easy and uneventful 90 days with the M8. Thanks again.

[burbank@ntnation.com]

I think the problem might have to do with the date on the cards itself.

 

If memory serves, these cards are FAT32.... with 2GB partitions generally being the maximum you can have. However, it's technically possible to have >2 GB partitions depending on how the cards are formatted, but the issue might be that you can't have a file that "crosses" the 2GB threshold.

 

Perhaps in the past, either the cards weren't quite as full as they are now, or you may simply have the bad luck of having cards where files fell on the boundary.

 

Another issue might be whether or not you've formatted the cards prior to filling them.... it would be a good idea to always format the cards before using IN THE CAMERA.... this zeroes the file allocation table of course and ensures you start with a clean filesystem.... something especially important when using cards >2GB.

 

There may be another M8 specific issue involved here.... I speak only from general experience, since I have none with the M8 itself (which may soon change ).

[wparsonsgisnet]

David,

 

If you can see the images using the M8's viewing screen, try moving the files using the usb intfx of the camera. I had to do this once when I had a problem with a card.

 

I have noticed that the 4GB Transcend 150x cards are not very fast at data transfer -- about 1/2 as fast as the Ridata 150x 2GB cards I also use. This may be a problem with the M8's handling of the fat table for the card.

 

I don't know if I got bogus cards, but plan to go back to the Ridata 2GB because waiting for 1 minute for a full buffer to clear is disruptive in a photo shoot.

 

I now only use the Transcend cards when I shoot a few shots.

[vanhulsenbeek]

Initially I attributed it to a bad Windows XP update that nailed us all at the same time.

 

That could be the case. My internal Sony Vaio SDcardreader suddenly balks at Leica M8 formated cards.

Canon formated cards: no problem.

Leica M8 formated cards in a Sandisk cardreader in an USB port: no problem.

 

My 86 year old mother says about her PC: sometimes it acts funny: like there is a little angry man inside. Yes we say, that must be Bill Gates :-)

[wparsonsgisnet]

This photography stuff is so much fun.

 

Smart grandmother.

[DaveB]

I've always formatted these cards exclusively in the camera.

 

I also have frequently come close to filling the 4gb cards, but have only now filled them to the point of getting the card full message. That being said, I have a 4gb Transcend card with only 20-25 shots on it that the card reader and computers refuse to read.

 

Downloading via the USB is a perfectly acceptable workaround in the short term for me. No doubt this too will pass soon enough. Does take forever to clear one of these cards via USB though.

 

When I can duplicate the problem with another new SanDisk reader and another computer then I'll suspect it's a real issue.

 

 

 

There may be another M8 specific issue involved here.....

 

Gee, it would be rather exciting to have discovered a previously unknown M8 issue. I'd feel part of an exclusive fraternity along with the magenta cast guy, Mr. vertical bars, etc. We could meet ever year for dinner and fault finding...

[ArtZ]

David,

 

I posted somewhere in this forum I found a problem with SD card format. I think is a firmware issue.

 

First, I always format my cards with the M8.

 

What happens to me (sometimes) is when I read the SD card on my laptop, Vista reads the SD card (all pictures are there) but if I go to "Properties", Vista sees my 2GB card as a 256MB card formatted in NTFS file system (not FAT or FAT32). If I try to format the card with the computer, it says the same thing. The options "FAT" and "FAT32" are not available. Vista only allow me to format the SD card using the "NTFS" file system and "256MB". First, I though it could be a problem with my laptop, but I tried with three other laptops and it was the same. It happens with SanDisk Extreme III 2GB and Transcent 150X 2GB;

 

This is a non persistent problem. When that happens, I just save all images and I format the card with the camera and I check is Vista sees the card normaly.

 

I believe this is the reason why sometimes pictures are lost (easy to recover with undelete programs). Some people have complaint about this.

 

I suspect that "File Allocation Table" (FAT) written by the M8 is sometimes defective.

 

Cheers

[carstenw]

David, my SanDisk reader often has trouble with my Extreme III SD card, to the point where I don't even use that card any more, but use an Ultra II instead. The readers are not that good. My old Lexar reader never had these troubles. I would try another brand of reader.

[ho_co]

I don't know if I got bogus cards, but plan to go back to the Ridata 2GB because waiting for 1 minute for a full buffer to clear is disruptive in a photo shoot.

Bill--

Thanks for that information. I haven't tried any cards except the 4 GB Transcends, but I noticed in comparing JPG and DNG write times how slow they seemed. I'll have to try some smaller cards.

 

Maybe it has to do with building an SD card larger than the nominal 2 GB limit?

 

This M8 really exposes us to a lot of information we never knew we needed!

 

--HC

[wparsonsgisnet]

Howard, we know that Leica is on the edge of the technology. Fortunately for them, they have this skilled group of disassemblers and testers to provide aid.

[ho_co]

Howard, we know that Leica is on the edge of the technology. Fortunately for them, they have this skilled group of disassemblers and testers to provide aid.

And for the most part, we're enjoying the service!!

 

Can you imagine the price of these cameras if Leica had to pay for our expertise and experimentation?

 

--HC

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