Is my SDHC card bad?

Spazite · Aug 4, 2007, 09:40 PM

I'm using a canon powershot s3 is. i bought a patriot 8 gig sdhc card and the camera came with a 16 meg card.
the problem is when i try to retrieve files from the 8 gig card. i can copy maybe a few when i first connect to the pc but after that,anything copied will basically stop in the copying process and leave a 0kb file. the files are pretty big but even the small files do the same after some time.i also got a couple "access denied" error prompts and also got "The I/O Operation has been aborted because of either a Thread Exit or an Application Request" before i did a low level format on the card. this happens with the usb cable provided by canon as well. I also cant copy any files to the card from my pc, not sure if thats possible but dragging and dropping doesnt do anything and i dont have the option to paste into the card.
the files can be viewed and watched on the camera fine. and the 16 meg card transfers data fine but its only 16 megs so I'm not sure if size has anything o do with this.
bad card maybe?

Dyre Straits · Aug 5, 2007, 03:56 AM

I haven't seen any reviews yet that have used greater than a 2 GB SD card. So, I'm wondering if the storage size is just too much for the system to handle. That's only a guess, though.

Does that SD card get exceptionally hot while doing any of the transfers? Do a few and then pop it out to see if it's too hot to handle.

Wish I could be more helpful, but, I only got my own Canon not long ago and I'm using a 1 GB with no problem at all.

PangingJr · Aug 5, 2007, 04:09 AM

hmm i'm not sure about you using 8 GB card either, and that 'might' be the root cause of the problem.
just know that 4 GB card is working fine for a smaller model powershots i have.

OldBuzzard · Aug 5, 2007, 06:13 AM

After looking at the manual and the S2 web page, I see two things that are interesting.

First is that they are pretty clear that they want you to format the card IN the camera, and not on a PC. If you haven't done that it's worth a try.

Second, I noticed that in the manual, the largest card that they reference is 512meg. On the web page for the camera, in supplies & accssories, the largest that they show for that camera is a 1gig card.

I'm thinking that your camera just isn't capable of using an 8gig card. It's kinda like trying to use 4gig of memory on a Win98 system.

Sometimes, bigger isn't always better.

Spazite · Aug 5, 2007, 07:36 PM

well the card doesnt get hot and it can hold and play all the files fine in the camera. Also did a quick card refernace check on the site and they say it can handle up to a 32 gig card.
Is it possible it could be windows just not being able to hold the tranfers?

Tipstaff · Aug 5, 2007, 08:16 PM

Just thought I'd put your mind at ease about the SDHC card: the Canon Powershot S3 IS does work with SDHC cards. I know this because my business partner uses both, and it's working just fine for him.

However, something you didn't mention was how you are connecting the SDHC card to the PC. Are you using a memory card reader, or do you have your camera hooked up to the PC, and are using it to transfer the files? The reason I ask is that the card reader you are using may be the cause of your problems as not all card readers suppot SDHC. Likewise, even though the camera supports SDHC is may not support it via the USB transfer mode of the camera.

In any case, if you are using a card reader, instead, try hooking up your camera directly to the PC to see if you can read the card. If this is the way you already are doing things then you might want to consider purchasing a card reader that works with SDHC.

Spazite · Aug 6, 2007, 12:09 AM

hey tip,
yea man im using the usb connection. I tried using a couple different cables as well. Is your friend able to move large files (over 100 megs) from his card to his pc?
also did a low level format on the card in the camera and that didnt help.

Tipstaff · Aug 6, 2007, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spazite

hey tip,
yea man im using the usb connection. I tried using a couple different cables as well. Is your friend able to move large files (over 100 megs) from his card to his pc?
also did a low level format on the card in the camera and that didnt help.

Just to confirm, "usb connection", so I take it from camera to PC using USB, correct?

I don't think he's tried it by way of the camera. We picked up a bunch of memory card readers for the store that support SDHC, and that's what he's been using to do the transfers. Although, he's using a 4GB SDHC card. I'm not back at the store for a couple days, so I can't test the camera transfer just yet, but as soon as I get the chance I'll test it out.

BTW, which 'Class' of card is it? 2, 4, or 6 (Class type for SDHC is it's write speed).

Spazite · Aug 6, 2007, 05:41 AM

yea tip, its being transferred through the camera to the pc via usb.
its a class 6 patriot card http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820220234
thanks for lookin in to this for me.. i have a feeling im gona need to rma this bastard ):

Tipstaff · Aug 7, 2007, 03:53 PM

Honestly, since it's going to cost you money to RMA the card you might want to consider just picking up a dedicated card reader instead... one that supports SDHC, btw. Just check with the store you buy the reader from for their policy. If it doesn't work you could still RMA the card, and keep the card reader, or better yet, you might be able to return the card reader too. At least this way you'd know for sure if it was the card.

The way I see it, if the camera is using the SDHC card just fine, and you can view pictures you've taken, then it's the cameras USB interface that doesn't support it.

Oh, and you might be wondering what card reader to get. The one I know that works 100% would be THIS one, the SanDisk MobileMate (SDDR-104-A11M). I use it for all my SD/MMC cards, including the 4GB SDHC card I have here. You should be able to find it online pretty cheap... under $20.

Spazite · Aug 7, 2007, 11:36 PM

hey man thanks for input. i forgot to post yesterday about what i discovered.
I went to circut city and plugged my camera into one of their diplay pc's and i was able to copy and view all my files with no problem. I also learned that there was an issue with my motherboard (asus a8v deluxe) and the usb 2.0 ports. Although im not quite sure if this is the cause, i checked for bios updates and none of them mentioned anything about usb fixes.
so anyways i bought a usb pci card and will just use that untill i upgrade my pc..I had a very hard time finding a sdhc reader ( i do not believe that there are any on the market yet, which is a joke) though oddly enough the sd card reader (not advertised as sdhc) in the computer i used at circuit city had no problem reading my card.
the link you gave me is all good but unfortunatley it would do no good as my motherboard simply cannot tranfer the amount of data required.