BleepingComputer.com: Problems transferring files from SDHC to computer

Hi there,

I recently bought a Kodak ZX1 mini camcorder/camera and PNY 8GB SDHC card for storage as the device has very little internal memory.

I went to Wembley on Saturday and took a combination of short video clips and photos which were recorded to the SDHC card.

When I returned home, I removed the card, placed it in a Sandisk Micromate SDHC card reader and plugged in my PC (like I normally do when transferring files) but saw the following message:

"Please insert disc in drive F"

I suspected there may be an issue with the card reader so tried plugging the Kodak with the USB included but this didn't work either.

I removed it, tried again and the same message. Re-started Windows (XPSP3), tried again, still the same. Tried later on a laptop and the same message. Tried on my flat mates laptop tonight with Windows 7 and still no luck.

I should mention, with my PC and laptop I accessed the drive as an Administrator (but in safe mode only), right clicked the device, Manage, Disk Management, and the device said "unreadable."

I am still able to view the files on the Kodak ZX1 so don't know whether the SD card is corrupted or whether the file system is damaged.

I had used the Kodak a couple of weeks before and transferred these with no problem.

Any suggestions?? Thanks

if you still can access the files from the camera itself i would suggest that would be your best bet for recovery.
what happens when you try to plug the camera in via usb?
i know you said it doesn't work but does it give you the same message?

Yes, am getting the same message as the card reader when trying to access the files via the USB cable , i.e. 'Please insert disc in drive F'.

do you have a linux live cd?
like ubuntu or any other distro?
if so you could boot of that and see if it will recognize the file system.
linux has support for a larger number of file systems than windows, maybe it will just recognize it.
if all else fails you will have to try a recovery program, i don't recommend that unless that is your only option as you could risk damaging the files worse yet.

try the linux live cd first.
you can download an ubunutu iso here if you don't have one.
http://www.ubuntu.com/

Excuse my ignorance, but I have no idea what a linux live cd is, is it related to the Linux OS, as I am running Windows?

yes it is a bootable linux cd so you don't actually have to install linux on your machine.
you can use all the features without an actually linux installed computer.

Some semi-stupid questions

Is this a microSD SDHC "fingernail"?

Did you format the SDHC chip thingie in the camera before using?

Can you view your shots (on the card) with the camera itself?

FWIW, SDHC "compatibility" isn't there yet (from personal experience) I have a Sony external USB cardreader that won't read SDHC microSDs using the SanDisk Micro>Full SD adapter that came with the SanDisk memory. The Rosewill "drivebay" cardreader (SDHC) will. If I leave it in my phone (Palm Centro), it won't read using a cheap USB phonedock, but will if I use a Palm-branded USB tether cable

Just my tuppence worth. (I'm glad you are a Brit and I can use that. I'm a Yank. I hate trying to remember the alt/# combo keys to put the ¢ into this.)

Memphis T-shirt, on Apr 18 2010, 11:15 PM, said:

Thanks for your reply, I'll try to answer your questions in order.

1. No, it's not the micro one just standard SDHC.
2. I don't think I formatted it as such although I deleted the video files that I had previously recorded so the card was empty beforehand. What is strange is I had used the same card a couple of weeks before and transferred them via the same Sandisk SD card reader with no problems.
3. Yes, I can view them (both jpegs and video files) on the camera itself, just can't seem to get an OS to recognise them.

It's good to hear a Yank adopting some good ol' British vocabulary like Tuppence...great word!

Hi DigitalDave

I think there is a problem with XP recognising SDHC cards. My wife and I have a Nikon DSLR and two Canon Powershots between us. The Nikon uses Compact Flash and my computer will read any size of Compact Flash card, so when we got the first Powershot, I invested in a 4 Gb SDHC card as we are involved in a web project that involves taking lots of photos. Our record is 11,000 in a week !

I took a few trial shots with it and tried to download them, with the same results you have had. There is a fix for it on the Microsoft support site, I think if you search for 'SDHC cards' you will find the relevant articles.

I must admit that I couldn't get the fix to work for me, so I gave up on the 4Gig card - it's in a drawer somewhere - and stick to using 2 Gb cards, but if you are shootiing video, 2 Gb may not be enough capacity. Give the Microsoft site a look.

Regards,

Chris Cosgrove

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FYI, I have been able to access images right off my digital camera (Cam>USB> PC), reading from a 4GB Class6 SDHC Card.
Running Windows XP SP2.

@digitaldave007

It is usually recommended to 'format' the memory card using the device it is intended for, in this case the ZX1.

If the current data is not important, you could format the card through the camera and connect it directly to the PC.

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^ All this, using the same SD card reader?

This post has been edited by ReviverSoft: 17 May 2010 - 06:54 PM