13 replies to this topic

[denno]

What it says, man!

 

This is when either my wife or I take the card out of the camera and put it in the card reader (or the slot in the printer).

WT, uh....T???

 

 

[paws]

Hi denno, it sounds like the camera card is corrupted
I have had good results using Recuva
available from here:
https://www.piriform.com/recuva
Let us know if this does the trick for you
Regards
paws

[denno]

Hello Paws

Thing is, it's ALL our cards, even ones we just bought.

I more'n suspect there's something wonky with our equipment...card readers, cameras, even computers.

My wife did some monkeying around and got one to go back in the camera working, but I'm not sure she even knows what she did.

 

denno

[denno]

OK

Brand-new 32GB Toshiba SDHC-UHS-1 outa the box.

Put in camera. [refurb Nikon Coolpix L27]

Take one pic.

Put in card reader.

Look in My Computer, try to access card

"The disk in Drive E is not formatted.  Would you like to format it now?"

Tell it Yes, choose quick format.

"Windows was not able to complete the format."

 

 

???

Edited by denno, 02 October 2014 - 11:38 AM.

[paws]

I have heard that some larger cards are not compatible with some cameras and or computers
Can you try a more modest size card and se if this works?
Regards
paws

[denno]

Could be.  I'll have to acquire one.

Conversely, my wife's hotsy-totsy camera wouldn't do some of its tricks w/o a big card.

Would this account for the computer's not being able to format the card?

 

Could it be the no-apparent-name plugin card reader?  How would I tell?

 

Meanwhile, here's a page specifiying cards for L25 and L26 Nikons, goes up to 32.

https://support.niko...olpix-l26-/-l25

 

Ack!

Edited by denno, 02 October 2014 - 02:00 PM.

[denno]

Next experiment.

 

Took my card downstairs and plugged it into my wife's printer.  This read it just fine.  That might have been the unspecified monkeying that got her card working.

Plugged my card reader into her computer and got told my card (likewise hers) was not formatted.

 

I now think it's a rinky-dink-hardware problem.

 

I'll get a brand-name one and see how that works.

 

denno

[Tomk]

This probably won't be very helpful, as it's just anecdotal evidence, but my mother has had a Nikon digital camera for several years. It's a fairly cheap camera but works well for her. However, she has used at least half a dozen different memory cards. I have tried half a dozen different card readers, three different printers with on board card readers, two or three stand alone card readers, and at least two different laptops with built in card readers. None have been able to read the cards. I have to connect the camera to her computer with the data cable to download the pictures. I've even tried formatting the cards on her computer before installing in the camera, but ad soon as she takes a picture, all readers claim it isn't formatted.

[8210GUY]

Just to add a couple of thoughts and experience with such things, given the tricky issues, to start withy there is always the possibility that your hardware (readers) just don't like certain brands of media (cards), size can also be a factor, maybe they can't deal with cards of x size, so take note of each cards size and see if anything stands out.

 

A lesser possibility is the format, I have often come across the "it needs to be formatted ..." message in the past, but from memory it happened when I took files from a different OS, but it's been a long time since I have had that happen now, I guess the newer OS's have ironed out that issue these days, but I mention it as a thought.

 

The last thought is why not install the software for the camera (some camera's have the software loaded and will auto launch the install file as soon as the camera sees the PC) and connect it to the PC, the software should see the card in the camera just fine, as it is specifically made to do that, so reading the card from the camera "should" work fine, but when you put a card in the camera, you can use the menu to format the card directly in the camera, which adds the correct format for the camera's use, so I don't know if you have done this at all, but if you have a card that can't be used, try formatting it in the camera, then see if the reader that can't see it currently, can see it after this.

 

I hope something here helps, but if it doesn't, see if you can try a friends system if they have card readers of some form, if those do see it, and yours won't, there has to be some hardware issue, but whether it's a format\compatibility issue, or faulty hardware (the actual reader) won't be easy to check\prove, so you may be faced with getting a new card reader.

 

But again if you have a mate who has an external reader with a USB connection, that can easily be unplugged and transported, check your card(s) while it's on their system, then try that same reader on your system, it would help to find out if it is the readers on your system, or some deep setting is behind this, in which caes a new reader won't help, although another last thought, try uninstalling the reader (clearing out any residual files etc.), then install it again, if it's a setting behind this the hope is this would reset that, and make it work again, even if it doesn't, it will cost nothing to try, but "IF" it does work, you wouldn't have to pay out for new hardware, I hope you get it sorted though.

[denno]

All downhill from here.......

 

First, 8210GUY thank you for the run-down.  With that in hand....

 

 

Today I bought another card reader.  A PNY usb Combo.

Plugged that in, inserted the card, went to My Computer, Removable Drive E, clicked on that, got "Please insert a disc in Drive E."

 

Unplugged that, plugged the camera in directly w/card installed.

Still showed Drive E, still asked for a disc.

 

Hah! Remembered to turn the camera on, tried again, same result.

 

Rebooted.  Drive E still haunting My Computer.

 

Took a minute or two, but now L27 (the camera) showed up under My Computer.  (In addition to Drive E).

 

Went to Photoshop.  File, Open, browse to L27, the picture, select, open.....got this message:
Could not open "C:\Documents and Settings\Denno\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files....."  because it is not the right kind of document.

 

Hold that thought....

 

Tried opening the pic through Windows Explorer.  Opened in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.  That worked.

Dragged it to a picture folder.  Now I could open it in Photoshop.

 

So I have a way to read the card at least at my desk.

 

Questions/Problems:

1) WHY is photoshop apparently accessing some kind of temp internet file when it is looking at the card?

2) What's with the persistence of Drive E?

3) Da heck is going on???

 

 

denno

[8210GUY]

To me there is something very wrong if Photoshop is looking to temp internet files when you are telling it to read from the camera, I take it that's what you have done ?

I don't know if you are aware, but plugging in a mobile, or a camera etc., they will show up as another hard drive, and can be accessed just like any other hard drive, so if you are using the Open - File menu in Photoshop, you need to select the hard drive designation that the system automatically gives the camera\card, so if you are navigating to any other drive it will never see the file.

 

So at least a part of your issue would appear to be where you are trying to find the file(s), that's the feeling I am getting from the above, let me lay out a couple of ways that "should" work for you, apology's if you already know about this, but given you have quoted that directory above I just want to be sure you are aware of these option's.

 

Using a card reader, most are usually multi card readers, and will show up under your My Computer as drive(s) E, F, G.... to the last one available (it will always use the next available label drive letter), so assuming you have a hard drive listed as C, and an optical drive as D, often if you have this set up the reader won't make it obvious as to which drive letter is housing the card, but once you get used to what media card type (e.g. MicroSD or MMC etc.) is what drive, you will find it quickly, but if you try each drive in turn you should get to the card, this is where you need to navigate to using the Photoshop Open option.

 

Connecting the camera to the PC, as you have found, the camera needs to be powered on for the PC to see it, but the camera will (should) automatically detect it's connected to a PC, and will go into the correct mode to work, again once the system picks it's up it will see it as a hard drive, and will label it with the next available drive letter, and dependant on if the camera has it's own memory built in, as well as a card, it will show them as separate hard drives (it's the same with phones), now if you are using the utility from the camera makers, this should pick the camera up as soon as it see's it, and usually previews the pictures for you to decide what you are doing with them (e.g. saving or editing et.), then if you are saving them, make sure it's saved in a format other software can view, .jpg is possibly the most common, but .png (Photoshop format) will work, but it's possible other applications may not.

 

The other alternative is with the camera connected, go to your My Computer, then from the list of drives, go into the cameras drive letter, again if it has built in memory as well, it will list the camera, and the card as separate folders, if you are set to save to the memory card, you need to look for the folder marked DCIM, all your pictures will be in there, although if you have had multiple shoots on various occasion's, you will probably find they are stored as a group in their own in 1 folder, then the rest likewise would have their own folders as well.

 

File type associations, basically what is set as the default program for use with the type of file you are working with, assuming Photoshop (as that's what you appear to favour) is the default program, simply double clicking it will open that file in Photoshop, if not, then the quickest way to do this (assuming the file is in view) is to right click on the file, then select Open With... from the options, Photoshop should normally be in there, just click on that, and it will open it ready for you to edit etc.

 

Again sorry if you know this, I just wanted to try and clear up any confusion, because I don't understand how\why it looked to that directory for the file if it's in the camera, or the card reader, but I hope something here helps.

[denno]

Thanks again for thoroughness.

Really not that complicated here.

 

Camera does not seem to have onboard memory, only the card.

 

Understand that these problems are pretty recent.  Again, all our cards, new and old, are giving us trouble.

 

My Computer currently shows:

 

A: floppy drive   [I have an external one]

C: hard drive

D: second hard drive

E: removable disc [not currently plugged in, so WHY is it showing?]

F: audio disk  [in the internal CD player]

L27 camera

 

If I look in My Computer and click on L27, I see the (still only one, test) picture listed, can click on it and it opens in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.

If I look in Windows Explorer, ditto.

If I open Photoshop and proceed through File, Open...then browse to L27, I see a thumbprint of the pic, select it, click on Open...I get that temp internet file message.

 

Prior to all this, I'd put the card into the reader (E:), browse to it in Photoshop, and be able to open the pictures.

 

We could have all kinds of different things clouding the analysis of the problem-----couple old cards giving up the ghost, maybe the card reader ditto, maybe with the new reader bad or not compatible with the new card----making it difficult, you see, to understand what is wrong, as there may be no single problem doing all of it.

 

But it was fairly clear sailing until now.

 

And the Photoshop thing is a whole new trick as of today.

 

As I say, I have a workaround.  But I do not know what thing or things is/are going on here.

BTW, doesn't seem to be any installation software needed for the camera.

 

 

Next day, E: has finally disappeared.

Edited by denno, 04 October 2014 - 10:22 AM.

[8210GUY]

Well the PC remembering the card reader is probably just like a bookmark kind of thing, reserving the designation for use with the reader, possibly enforced by Photoshop or something (just guessing here), because that's where it knows it to be possibly, but I wouldn't worry about that TBH.

 

Now you say this is recent, long shot here, have you tried a system restore to before this started ?

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best, it would certainly be worth a try, more so if you can recall after what point it started to happen (e.g. a specific install etc.).

 

The only thing I can think of is along the lines of the file associations being upset, or the "directory(s)" for want of a better word, but at that level of "corruption" is beyond me, as I would find it faster to just reinstall than try and figure it out, but someone who has such deeper insight would be able to offer options that are beyond me, and although I would happily poke around trying different things on my own system, I would not be comfortable to suggest such things to others because I would adapt as I see each step unfold.

 

But have you tried ViewNX 2.10.1 from Nikon ?

As it's made specifically for getting and editing pictures from the camera, who knows maybe it will reset whatever it is that's been upset to cause this in the first place, and they do talk about compatibility issues for some of their camera's, although I didn't see your camera listed, but again it can't hurt to try, I wish I had some better options to try, but at this level I am one who needs to get my hands on it and stumble around to see what stands out, but I hope you find something that helps here, and that you finally get to resolve it, good luck.

[denno]

I suppose the final word.....

 

The PNY reader is working now.  I have figured out how to get the card deeper into the slot (not all that easy), and it reads it.

My old reader still says the card is not formatted. 

 

Foo on all of it.

 

Likely there is a much better, much more expensive card reader avaiiable.  This was $20 at Walmart.  Old one was probably $7 from Hong Kong.

 

Thanks for all the input.  Seems to have been card reader problems.

 

denno