[photogem]

The traditional cause for this sort of pain is failure to cleanly unmount/eject the card before pulling if from the device.* If in-camera format is not successful in resolving the problem, format using your computer, but not with the computer's format utility. Instead use the utility provided on the SD Association's Web site.

SD Memory Card Formatter - SD Association

Use the "Overwrite format" option followed by an in-camera format.

But doesn't the "in-camera-formatting" change the previous formatting done by this program?

Using the computer's format utility can also cause this issue. FWIW, some users on this site feel that the need to unmount/eject is overblown and perhaps it is.

It is not at all overblown but the safest way.
When I forgot to unmount/eject my SD-Card the proper way but beforehand deleted some photos and then just pulled the card out then either the KP or the PC demand to format the card!

With a Windows-PC* you can repair the card using "chkdsk".... if your card would have the number k, then it looks like this:
chkdsk k:/f

This works very well, but one also can use TestDisk@Photorec

*Mac is just not that common/popular in Europe
There is this saying (in Europe!):
- professors and lecturers on universities use Mac-books

- professors and lecturers on technical-universities use ThinkPads and Linux
Not my opinion though, if I would start anew, I would possibly start with Mac.

I just know that cleaning up the corrupted card is time consuming.

Fully agreed!

[BDPA77]

I can report that downloading iOS14 has sorted the situation. I take the SD card out of the camera, into a card reader, photos straight to Lightroom. Light room tells me when it is safe to eject the card reader which I do, pop it into the camera and no troubles at all. No need to lock and unlock either!
Thanks to all of your for your help and to iOS14!

[stevebrot]

But doesn't the "in-camera-formatting" change the previous formatting done by this program?

The SD Association utility, being a destructive format, does the cleanup work. The in-camera format is non-destructive and sets the card up for use by the camera. In more detail, the in-camera format is a "shallow" format that depends on an appropriate and sound existing file system.


Steve

[stevebrot]

With a Windows-PC* you can repair the card using "chkdsk".... if your card would have the number k, then it looks like this:
chkdsk k:/f

That is an interesting solution and something I have never tried. I would trust it to mark bad sectors, but wonder about filesystem compliance for SD, an historic issue with using both Microsoft's and Apple's format commands.*


Steve

* Edit: Support for this statement is soft and based on anecdotal accounts going back several years. A few years back, I had trouble with Microsoft's format with an SD card and finally ended up at the SD association site for the solution.

---

Last edited by stevebrot; 10-25-2020 at 08:05 AM.

[stevebrot]

- professors and lecturers on technical-universities use ThinkPads and Linux

I use a ThinkPad, but don't have patience for Linux on a laptop.


Steve

[Lowell Goudge]

I can report that downloading iOS14 has sorted the situation. I take the SD card out of the camera, into a card reader, photos straight to Lightroom. Light room tells me when it is safe to eject the card reader which I do, pop it into the camera and no troubles at all. No need to lock and unlock either!
Thanks to all of your for your help and to iOS14!

I would be a little careful with the assumption. Having had the issue with my K5 intermittently, and knowing that the card is still useable, and readable on a PC, until you try several times with IOS 14 to make sure it is solved, it might be wise to test this spot a while.

Although others have said it’s ok etc and you can reformat the card, I think the biggest thing you need to do is be satisfied your images are safe, all else is secondary.

Note also, that the Pentax cameras don’t recognize all files any way. I edited a shot once and put it back on my chip but the body wouldn’t open or recognize the file after editing.

You need to remember that the camera is dealing with a minimal subset of the disk / file operating system not all Of it.

[pentasonic49]

I agree with several recommendations to make use of the lock slider on the card before putting it in the reader. Dont forget to unlock it before putting it back into the camera, though.

[photogem]

That is an interesting solution and something I have never tried. I would trust it to mark bad sectors, but wonder about filesystem compliance for SD, an historic issue with using both Microsoft's and Apple's format commands.

CHCKDSK just repairs but doesn't format because formatting anyway would mean loss of all photos.
Of course one could use some rescue program (if one has formatted accidently) to get lost photos back but the quality suffers then.

I use a ThinkPad, but don't have patience for Linux on a laptop.

Problem with Linux is that Adobe PS only works "detour".
That was 'it' for me.
I work with PS since the early PS7 version and am that used to it that I don't see the point to invest that much time into something that might turn out not to fit.
And yet I don't like the monopoly and spying of Windows and particular Windows 10, plus the force they imply installing for example MS Edge with updates.

[GeneV]

I can report that downloading iOS14 has sorted the situation. I take the SD card out of the camera, into a card reader, photos straight to Lightroom. Light room tells me when it is safe to eject the card reader which I do, pop it into the camera and no troubles at all. No need to lock and unlock either!
Thanks to all of your for your help and to iOS14!

IOS 14 did not solve this for me. Both my K1 and K3 report the card is not formatted after access using the iPad files program. I notice this does not happen when I use Filebrowser and share to lightroom. It seems especially deadly to open the file directly from the import of raw to Lightroom. This may be because Lightroom often stays working in the background, and there is no way to eject and force it to stop accessing the SD card, other that powering off.

[Fiaskemist]

GeneV, no, it seems that it can still happen on iPad OS 14..

I came on here to warn others about iPads and SD cards but did a quick search first and find out that it already is a problem.

I have an iPad Pro, already on iPad OS 14 and just had photos corrupted after using the iPad Files app. I usually make sure to close down Files but I haven’t had this happen before so I’m not sure if I was too quick removing the card reader this time.. But there is no option to safely eject anything on the iPad.. In my case it is a few, not all, photos that are corrupted and not the card itself.

Thanks for the tips here, will try locking the SD card next time.

Question, I have several photos that are still on the card but seem to be corrupted. They don’t show as thumbnails and don’t open, is there any way of recovering them? The SD card is still readable, tried Recuva but they aren’t deleted so that didn’t help. Pc methods are preferred since the only Apple things at home are two iPads and those in the fridge.

BDPA77, happy it worked out for you, still wouldn’t hurt to be careful on removal