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General discussion

Cannot erase my 128 Impact SD Card

Jun 26, 2005 3:46PM PDT

I simply cannot make them go away and my camera refuses to format the card or save any additional picture.

I cannot erase the card from my pc or PDA either. The files appear to be erased and they re-appear when I insert the card again in any of the mentioned devices. They appear as locked in the camera but I unlock them and still, they cannot be erased... Next time I try they appear as locked... I refuse to think that I have lost this SD card. I even downloaded a software to my PDA that is supposed to be able to format SD cards in tegh pocket oc and that did not work either.

Thanks for all your help you can bring...

Discussion is locked

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SD Card
Jun 27, 2005 5:28AM PDT

Take a good look at the SD card itself.

You should find a tiny sliding switch on one edge.

This is a lock.

Unlock the card.

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I ma not that dumb!!! :-)
Aug 2, 2005 12:44PM PDT

I tried that before asking for help. I know about that little knob, and I never slide it to the lock position. Just to make sure that it was not in the lock position, I moved it, tried everything, moved it back again, tried everything again and ... guess what? The pictures are still there. They cannot be erased. The SD card is, somehow, READ -ONLY.

That SD card cost me $15, the brand is IMPACT and I think that THAT is the problem. I just bought a LEXAR at Wal-Mart for $20. Works perfectly on the camera. Th eoter one lasted like 100 photos.

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Walmart tends to sell cheap crap
Mar 8, 2007 12:17PM PST

I bought a sd Impact 1gb card from Walmart at some sale they had. cost me 15$ and it worked for about 100 pictures as well. It was the day after Thanksgiving sale. I think the entire lot of cards were crap. I would love to know the manufacturer, I didnt keep the box. It is a blue card with white lettering. I have never had an issue with Kodak cards ever, I think I will leave the sales alone and stick to a brand I trust.
Though I do wonder how many more people were screwed by Walmarts sale.

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Impact SD Card From WalMart
Jul 12, 2007 3:00PM PDT

I as well bought the IMPACT SD CARD at WalMArt at the sale. I bought 2 of them. They worked for me until like maybe 3 days ago. Now it is saying that card is not fromatted and when it tries to format it, saids it cant.
I have no clue why it has happen all of the sudden. I have taken maybe 2000 plus pictures and videos with them. I have no other problems with my smaller cards.
What can I do to get it to format..??
Thanks for any help

Crystal

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SD card
Jul 13, 2007 7:23AM PDT

To revive the card, you need a card reader on your computer.

With the card in the reader, the computer will see it as another hard disk.
Use Windows Explorer or My Computer to delete all files and folders on the memory card.

The camera should then be able to format the card with the camera.

This type of failure usually happens if you initially did not format the card with the camera.

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Walmart sd cards
Nov 11, 2007 8:48AM PST

Another victim to add to the list of unsatisfied walmart purchasers. I was using my 1GB sd card to store data on my computer for quick transfer to my laptop. Now, all of my computers try to format the card when attempting to read data from it, with a "could not format" warning at the end of the format attempt. The card is completely unaccessable. I will not make the mistake of buying electronics or media storage devices from Walmart again.

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cheap camera cards
Aug 15, 2009 6:45AM PDT

Sorry BUD: You get what you pay for. You should buy San Disk. Problem solved.

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cheap camera cards - NOT!
Aug 27, 2011 11:29PM PDT

davey007,

First, why are you being such an a**hole posting useless information with all that attitude. Second I have a San Disk with the exact same problems described. I'm still looking for a solution. Don't bother trying to help.

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SD Card Lock
Aug 12, 2005 3:04PM PDT

Joe, is this lock a new feature on an SD card?
Why use it? One more thing to learn with SD?
Thanks,

-Kevin

PS, Received my Canon SD500 Thursday, Aug. 11/05
Is there info on the SD card-lock in the Canon manual?
Shades of the floppy disk?

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SD Card Lock
Aug 12, 2005 11:31PM PDT

I think it has been on the SD card from day one.

Sometimes it accidently gets moved to the locked position. It is to prevent someone from writing over photos on a card. Just a safety device. But most people never use it.

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No answers to this problem
Dec 16, 2005 1:52AM PST

I have cooled down. I had to buy more memory cards Now I have another SD card with same problem SANDISK, IMPACT, etc... I think I will move to CF using devices. Heard that SANDISK is outsourcing SD card mfg. to other places since It cannot supply the volumes.

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Zero losses here and at the office.
Dec 16, 2005 2:16AM PST

I wonder if you have some card reader or device that is zapping your cards? If so, the move to CF will cure that unless the card reader is not changed as well.

Bob

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Thanks!
Jul 18, 2009 2:53AM PDT

I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't erase!
your answer helped so much.I never knew they had that tiny thing on there!

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Anyone else?
Aug 12, 2005 3:50AM PDT

I have knowledge of another person that wrote to me with the same problem with the IMPACT memory card. This may be a pattern if we can locate other people with same symptoms. I just want to give some visibility to the problem so people are aware that thsi may happen to their IMPACT cards.

They were bough in STAPLES and I don't know which one is the manufacturer. So far, we have knolwledge of 2 IMPACT companies that manufacture memory cards but don't know which one is the manufacturer:

#1
Impact Components Ltd
HL6 Haw Lane
Saunderton
High Wycombe
HP14 4AS(Road Map)
Buckinghamshire
Tel: 01844 274479
Fax: 01844 274536

and

#2
Unison Impact Products.
The number is #800-333-1541.


I am more inclined to think it is the UK company bacaus eof thsi distributor located in UK:

http://www.dealclick.co.uk/brand/IMPACT/sd-memory-cards.php

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Why I don't answer.
Aug 12, 2005 3:56AM PDT

Look at your last reply. When asking for free help, one can't respond like that.

Cheers,

Bob

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Why I don't answer.
Aug 12, 2005 3:10PM PDT

Bob, the last post was confusing to me also. Still cannot understand the addresses he posted and why? Free Help?
Thanks,

-Kevin

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You are so right.
Aug 18, 2005 10:30AM PDT

Yes, you are right. I Agree. But my warning to others is there to see,

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Dawn Comes Up To Marblehead
Aug 20, 2005 4:17PM PDT

Received the message now!
Really hard to understand some of these posts and their intent. Very difficult to understand a post in the firt place if someone is just looking for free help.
New poster?
Thanks, Bob, for watching out for us.

-Kevin

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Did you delete images from the card using a computer?
Aug 21, 2005 4:35AM PDT

If so, that may be your problem. My CF card apparently would up with a recycle bin that I could not get rid of. I had to empty the recycle bin while the card was in a card reader. Voila! Space recovered.

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Yes, I tried
Aug 21, 2005 6:20AM PDT

BUt the iamges remain individually, not in a trash folder

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I also Can not Format SD, Impact, 128MB Card
Jan 8, 2006 3:36AM PST

I have a Kodak Easy Share Camera, A Desk Top, and Gateway Laptop ( both have Win XP), and a Lexmark P3150 All in One Printer with scanner.

I have tried everything to earase the card to no avail.

The camera says "Cannot read card needs formating" I try & it will not.

Anybody else got advice?

Thanx
Kim

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Try using your operating system to fix card
Nov 30, 2006 9:40AM PST

I had a card that temporarily locked up on me once.
Try looking at the card as a drive in "My Computer" in Windows.
Do this by mounting the card in a reader or the camera & connect it to your computer. Turning the camera on should create a drive in "My Computer". Right click on the new "DRV" or "Removable DisK" (the drive letter will vary), and select "Properties" from the menu. Select the "Tools" tab and the "Check Now" radio button in Error Checking. You should then see a couple of options to repair errors & recover files.
Do it.
After you have recovered your files, reformat it using your op system and, if need be, again with the camera.

I thought I had a bad card too. After going through this I never had another problem with it and have used it for several years in several cameras.
I suspect that a "low power" or power loss during a write garbled up the MFT of the card. I now keep a closer eye on my battery level & keep a spare batt on hand....hope this helps someone.

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All that chat and you where the only one to help
Feb 27, 2007 1:11AM PST

You Inspire Me

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some ideas
Nov 30, 2006 2:32PM PST

Note that some SD cards' write protection switches may be loose. When inserting into a tight PDA SD card slot, it may be loose enough that the switch is getting slided to the on position. If you're not willing to replace it, you could try a drop of lucite adhesive to keep it in place.

If you've got an SD card reader for your PC, see if your PC can reformat/modify it from there. Else, it may be "uber" corrupt in which not even formatting can help, which I have never heard of bef.