March 10, 2006
SD card warning: swap 'em slow!
I recently started using SD cards after getting a Nikon D50, downloading the pictures through a standard USB card reader. On three occasions, however, I've found that a card with just-shot photos was suddenly empty. A bit of Googling suggests that Secure Digital cards aren't all that secure when it comes to protecting data during read and write -- but it seems that my problem is of a slightly different nature.
What seems to be happening is that I copy the contents of one card to my PC, delete the files on the card, and close Explorer. The LED is no longer blinking on the reader, so I pull the emptied card, then put in another. The new card is not recognized as such, and so is made empty just like the card preceding it in the reader.
The solution would seem to be patience: leaving a good amount of time between pulling one card from a reader and replacing it with another. To be extra safe, I've also started using the sliding lock switch before putting a card into the reader.
Posted by David on March 10, 2006 9:14 AM
If you are using Windows then dismount the card reader using the 'Safely Remove Hardware' option in systray. Obviously this means you have to unplug / plug-in the USB card reader each time also.
Posted by: Mark Morgan on March 10, 2006 11:38 AM
It was precisely the awkwardness and inconvenience of using the "Safely Remove Hardware" function that led to all this. In fact, I now find it is much easier and simpler to right-click on the SD card's drive letter in Windows Explorer, selecting "Eject". Even so, one still seems to have to wait a while after getting the system OK before pulling the card to avoid problems.
Posted by: David on March 10, 2006 9:57 PM
I download straight from the camera with the USB connection. Card readers are too sketchy and although I have not had this problem it is not the first time I have heard of it.
Posted by: Mr. Viddy on March 13, 2006 12:03 AM
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