'SD card needs formatting' problem

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nina3265

New member
Hi,
I recently bought new Nikon D5100 kit and everytime I put my SD card (with photos) and I try to put pictures on PC the message comes that my SD card needs formatting. I can't import my pictures on PC and if I put SD card in my camera it says the same thing. What's the problem? I formatted it because otherwise it doesn't work at all but I feel realy sorry for all the photos from New Year Eve's and all. And I'm visiting London soon so I realy don't want all the pictures to get lost. Please, help!
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
What brand of SD card? What size? Did you format the card BEFORE you used it? Did you format the card in the camera? There's a little switch on the side of the SD card. Is it Unlocked?
Worst case scenario: bad SD card.
 
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nina3265

New member
SD card is Nikon's original, 8 GB and it's unlocked. I formatted it on my computer. I bought my camera 14 days ago and i haven't formatted it before first use. I formatted it now because I couldn't put pictures to pc.
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
nina3265 said:
SD card is Nikon's original, 8 GB and it's unlocked. I formatted it on my computer. I bought my camera 14 days ago and i haven't formatted it before first use. I formatted it now because I couldn't put pictures to pc.
Click to expand...

Well, I hate to tell you, but.....there's part of your problem. ALWAYS format your cards IN CAMERA. Always format a card before first use. I would suggest you invest in Lexar or Kingston cards. Oh...and before I forget.....update your camera's firmware. Even though it's new, the firmware may be outdated.
 
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nina3265

New member
I can't even open the drive, the message just popped up, that the card needs formatting. So I couldn't open the folder or anything.
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
Try these:
Put the card in different cameras, same model and brand, different models, different brands - which accept the card and see whether the pictures come up.
Use different card readers.
Put the card into a card reader and connect to computer. Launch a photo editing program and try to access (Open) the card from within the application (i.e. not using My Computer nor Windows Explorer).

Be ready to upload the pictures to the computer.
 
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nina3265

New member
fotojack said:
Well, I hate to tell you, but.....there's part of your problem. ALWAYS format your cards IN CAMERA. Always format a card before first use. I would suggest you invest in Lexar or Kingston cards. Oh...and before I forget.....update your camera's firmware. Even though it's new, the firmware may be outdated.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll know that in the future :)
 
Pierro

Pierro

Senior Member
When you formatted on the PC, did you use the FAT32 file system ? Windows usually gives you options when you ask it to ' format ' storage media. FAT16, FAT32, NTFS

Do not use NTFS

Cards upto around 2gb usually use FAT16, above that usually FAT32.


But as Jack said, its better to format in-camera. Or It may just be that you have corrupt card
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
I'm not sure what type of reader you're using on you computer, or what operating system you're on, but I've encountered issues with my Windows 7 PC when I have multiple external data sources connected, particularly when one is also connected using a USB hub. For example, if my iPhone is connected to one USB port and I connect a USB external hard drive to the USB hub it will sometimes disconnect the iPhone, and other times it will tell me that the external USB cannot be read and asks if I want to format it. I've learned not to plug external HD's and card readers into the hub, though I can plug in flash memory sticks with no problem.

Not sure if this has anything to do with what you're seeing, but it rang familiar enough that I thought I'd at least offer this up.
 
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markwilliams279

New member
Format your SD card befor using it in the camera. If you lost your photos and other files from it then Use a photo recovery software to recover your photos from SD card
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
Here's something else you might want to remember: ALWAYS turn the camera OFF when inserting or removing your SD card. That goes for ANY card in ANY camera! Never EVER have your camera on when inserting or extracting your card. You stand to not only corrupt your card, but also screw up things in your camera. I've seen it happen.
 
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