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06-25-2018, 08:45 AM - 1 Like   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by BROO Quote
Any advice?
Eject (unmount) the camera from the computer before removing the USB cable.


Steve

06-25-2018, 09:02 AM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by kernos Quote
Any thoughts?
A lot depends on whether a file reference is open on the card or whether there are temporary filesystems present when it is removed. Usually this is not a problem and people remove usb cards and remote devices with no consequences. That approach is not fail-safe, however, hence the recurring "help me" threads regarding corrupted SD cards. It does happen to PC users, though Mac and Linux users are more commonly effected due to details of how those systems deal with FAT filesystems.

The best prevention to avoid loss or corruption of files is to simply eject/unmount a card, flash drive, or usb external hard drive before disconnecting.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4051300/windows-10-safely-remove-hardware
Doing the eject/unmount step allows the computer to gracefully detach from the USB connection before removal. The analogous situation is pulling the power plug from a PC rather than using the shutdown sequence. The state of the hard drive after such an event may be the start of an interesting adventure.


Steve
03-22-2020, 02:19 PM   #18
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Found a solution to macs 'corrupting' pentax SD cards...

Sorry to revive an old thread. I found a solution to Macs (and maybe other unix PCs) 'corrupting' SD cards.

It's because macOS will write hidden files/folders to the root of the SD card - even if you simply copy your photos from it. Just the presence of these hidden files causes Pentax cameras to think that the card needs formatting.

Eg.

1. I take some photos with my K-70.
2. I copy file files to my mac. It doesn't matter if I insert the SD card into a separate reader, or connect the K-70 to the Mac with a USB cable. And it doesn't matter if I use Photos to import the files - or simply use Finder. However I copy them it 'corrupts' the SD card.
3. I carefully eject the SD card or K-70, and re-insert the SD card in the camera or remove the SD cable and turn the camera back on. The camera say 'Card not formatted'.

The problem is that when I copied the files from the SD card - MacOS creates a hidden folder in the root of the SD card called .fseventsd. If I remove this folder, then the camera will no longer think the SD card needs formatting. And the photos I previously took on it will still be there.

The snag is that deleting hidden files & folders in MacOS can be a little tricky...

- You can use Terminal if you're comfortable with doing that. Run Terminal. type 'cd /volumes/<sd card name>' and press return. My sd card's called k-70 so I'd type 'cd /volumes/k-70'. Check that you're in the correct folder by typing 'ls -a' and return. You should see the files '. .. .fseventsd DCIM' Finally remove the /fseventsd folder by typing 'rm -rf .fsevents.

- Alternatively you can turn on showing hidden files in Finder. Again this requires a terminal command - 'defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES' One you've done that, you need to force finder to restart before it will show the hidden files. Once you can see .fseventsd in Finder at the root of your SD card, select it, and delete it directly with Option/Cmd/Delete. Don't just move it to the trash - otherwise MacOS will create another hidden file on you SD card called '.Trashes' (!) - which is even trickier to remove.

Unfortunately both the fixes above are fiddly and arcane - and you have to do them again every time you copy files from your camera or SD card. There's a utility available - BlueHarvest - that does all this for you automatically, and available from the Mac app store. It costs £20 though

Really I think Pentax is being too picky about this. It should really just ignore these hidden files (those with a name starting with '.') in the root folder, and continue to be able to use them as long as the DCIM folder's still there.
03-23-2020, 12:13 AM   #19
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I have not had the same issue on my Mac and with a K-1. The only time I see a problem is if I take the card out before the Mac has finished it's eject procedure. Then the card appears unformatted in the camera, but just putting it back in the Mac and doing a proper eject -- and waiting until it's done -- fixes it.

03-23-2020, 08:15 AM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by wilsoncpw Quote
Really I think Pentax is being too picky about this. It should really just ignore these hidden files (those with a name starting with '.') in the root folder, and continue to be able to use them as long as the DCIM folder's still there.
It's not just Pentax. The presence of the hidden files is defacto file system corruption and is not tolerated by most devices. Your forensic work is accurate and both the proper prevention and fix remain. Eject before pulling the card. If the card gets corrupted and easy attempts to fix fail, reformat using the utility from the SD Association Web site.


Steve
12-25-2020, 07:42 PM   #21
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Easiest Fix!

Thanks, @baldeagle21b! I connected my K-1 back to my laptop (MacBook Pro), re-ejected properly, and when I turned the camera back on the error message was gone and all my photos were there. I usually eject the memory card correctly, but I must have failed to do so the last time I was uploading photos.
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