Memory Card will not format in D7200

06Honda

Senior Member
I have a SanDisk Extreme 60 MB/s 64 GB that will not allow me to format it in my camera. The small padlock icon on it is in the open position,: message on camera is "This option is not available at current settings or in the cameras current state". I put the card from slot 2 into slot 1 and it formats no problem. The card that I am having problems with will not format in either slot. Is it time to just buy a new card, my reason for asking this is when I am shooting using Continuous High images are still buffering and processing on to this card for a short time after releasing the shutter. Came across this web page comparing cards for the D7200.

https://www.cameramemoryspeed.com/nikon-d7200/sd-card-comparison/

Thanks for any help.

Paul
 
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Bengan

Senior Member
I had to format cards in a computer a couple of times. At one time quick format wasn't enough. I had to make it a full format. After that the card worked OK in camera and have worked ever since.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Is the little tab on the side of the card locked or unlocked? Maybe slide the tab back and forth a couple times then try formatting again.
 

nickt

Senior Member
If working the lock tab doesn't help, a format in the computer will probably fix it. If it does not come back, contact Sandisk, there might be a lifetime warranty on the card. Format instructions below. Be sure to check the format type. I think it will default to exfat though
https://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/...memory-card,-flash-drive-or-device-using-a-pc

As already mentioned, a quick format might not always fix it and you'll need to try it with the 'quick' box unchecked. Follow up with in camera format.
 

Blade Canyon

Senior Member
I rarely format memory cards in camera, but they work anyway. Use the PC and see if that works.

ETA: I just checked the D7200 user manual, and it says "don't format in a computer", but it has never been a problem for me. You could also try to format the disk in a different camera. I pass SD cards through many cameras, mostly Nikons, a Sony, and even a Browning Trail Camera, and the cards work in all cameras without any reformatting. I know this because the DCIM folder on the card has a subfolder for each separate camera. The Sony creates a bunch of separate folders for HD video.
 
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Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
SD cards come from the factory formatted with a File Allocation Table (FAT). The FAT is is the foundation upon which cameras create a folder-structure required for storing files.

The File Allocation Table and the folder-structure are two different things entirely.

If the folder-structure becomes corrupt doing an in-camera "format" may fix the problem. If instead the card's File Allocation Table becomes corrupt, the only thing that may be able to repair it is doing an in-computer (Full) Format. This formatting process will take several minutes because it rebuilds the foundational structure of the card. Once the camera has a memory card with a clean File Allocation Table to work with the card must be "formatted" in camera which creates the folder-structure required for storing files.
 

Blade Canyon

Senior Member
Here's a screen capture directory from one of my cards. I just now took a card and passed it around several cameras, never re-formatted it in any particular camera, and it works perfectly well. In the DCIM directory, the BTCF folder is a Browning Trail Camera I use to catch videos of wildlife that wander across the back of my property. The D850, D800, and D40X folders are all Nikon DSLRs, and the card worked perfectly in each body just now to record photos. The MSDCF subfolder is the Sony camera's still pics. The PRIVATE folder is the Sony's video folder. It never occurs to me to reformat a card once I start using it. I'm not sure what the NIKON->D850 folders are because they are empty. I don't remember why those folders were created. The EPSCAN folder is for files from my scanner that I'm transferring physically to another device.

SDcards.JPG
 

480sparky

Senior Member
I rarely format memory cards in camera, but they work anyway. Use the PC and see if that works......

Yeah, but that's exactly what I do. Or I format a new card just once in a random camera and never format it again, even though it gets passed around to different brand cameras.

...... I just now took a card and passed it around several cameras, never re-formatted it in any particular camera, and it works perfectly well...........


OK, we get that. You format your cards in your computer and use them in your cameras. You don't have a problem doing so.

But that is meaningless to the OP... and the OP is the one having a problem.
 

Blade Canyon

Senior Member
OK, we get that. You format your cards in your computer and use them in your cameras. You don't have a problem doing so.

But that is meaningless to the OP... and the OP is the one having a problem.

You seriously don't get how these solutions help the OP? Maybe you should reformat your brain.

You know, this board has been dying a slow death. On some days the "Hottest Threads In the Last 7 Days" include threads with only 2 comments. It only takes one rude, dumb-f*#k response like yours to drive people away.
 
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