Still more info on Sony Memory Stick transfers
Still more info on Sony Memory Stick transfers
File Exchange: yes or no Seemingly contrary to the advice posted, Ron Carlson notes a warning that appeared on his screen when trying to access a Memory Stick: "File Exchange (or PC Exchange) is installed. Please stop using the extension." On the other hand, Jennifer Scott confirms that enabling the extension was needed to read files, not just from the Memory Stick but also from a CompactFlash card in a Sandisk PCMCIA adapter. Scott Russell confirms it is required for accessing his SmartMedia card. We confess to being uncertain about the advice in the Sony message.
Update: Peter Hammond explains: The only configuration requiring the File Exchange extension to be disabled is when using the Memory Stick - Floppy Disk Adaptor for Mavicas. Otherwise, File Exchange should be enabled for reading any media from digicams. Sony ships two sets of extensions, one with their digital cameras for USB connection and another with their USB Memory Stick readers. Both of these work great. However, I did not have the same success using the Memory Stick-PC card adapter."
Update: Ron Carlson adds: "You don't have to restart your Mac after manually 'disabling' File Exchange. Just drag it out of the Control Panels folder, do your business with the Memory Stick and put it back in. Works fine."
Don't initialize from the Mac? Sandy Campbell offers this additional tidbit: "I too had a problem reading a Memory Stick from my TRV-11 camcorder. The first time I read the card using my USB MemoryCard reader, it mounted instantly and I was able to copy the JPEGs off of it and on to my hard drive. Then I made the mistake of reinitializing the card on the Mac. The next time I mounted it, it showed up on the desktop, but there were no JPEGs inside (even though Get Info showed several files). We have a Sony Viao at work, so I popped the card in it and copied the files onto my Mac using Dave networking software. Then I reinitialized the drive on the PC; it works perfectly on my Mac now."
Update:Bruce Stevens adds: "Most of the memory products such as Memory Sticks, PCMCIA cards, compact flash cards, etc., are formatted in DOS format. So reinitializing any of them on a Mac will cause problems. In fact, one should not move, copy, or delete files when these products are mounted on the Mac desktop as it may cause directory errors. In some cases, it can even corrupt the directory structure to the point where you lose your files. The safest bet is to use the camera itself to delete files."
In fact, in previous MacFixIt posts, we have recommended copying the contents of SmartMedia to your hard drive before working with files, Just trying to open the files from the Media has been known to cause problems.
Update: Andy Driscoll replies: "I formatted the card using the PC/DOS option on the Mac. It worked fine."