1 Gb CF card unreadable, HELP ME!!!

hi everyone, i'm new on this forum, and almost new also in CF cards and digital cameras ussage, so, this is the story:
Recently bought a nikon coolpix 8700 digital camera. Also bought a 1 Gb 40x CF memory card, by Lexar...
Using the CF card with a multi card reader, successfully transfering files between pc, a mac and the camera, tryed the "safely remove hardware option" (on the pc), it prompted me a message saying "cannot remove hardware now, try to dissconect it later"... as i have safelly dissconected several other usb 2.0 hardware before w/o paying attention to that message, i did the same and unplugged the multi card reader device.

After that, and still, I am not able to read the CF card, not in the pc, not in the mac, not in the camera (camera message says: CF card cannot be read)!!!...

Have downloaded several applicattions in order to "recover" the files, recover the drive, etc, but with no success, not even those applications can read the CF card (only a:, c:, and d: drives appear). Before the problem, CF card used to showed up in e: drive

I can use the reader with a multimedia card, w/o a problem

So, I don't care about the files in the card, i only want to be able to use that card again, does someone know how can I format that card if I'm not able to see it?? does someone know a way this cf card can be up and running again?? PLEASE HELP ME GUYS!!!

Edited by odracir 2004-10-21 7:55 PM

odracir,

I'm a little perplexed, as this is a Handheld PC (Windows CE) forum, not a Digital Camera forum... did you think otherwise?

Anyway. I will do my best.

The reason why it comes up with the message about trying again later is because at the time you sent the etect request the CF card was undergoing a paging operation. Either a read, write was going on in the data cache. Windows was having a sniff around the FAT table.

Either way, by pulling the device you possible wrecked the File allocation table, data table, partition table or any combination of the three.

I'm assuming that you are on Windows 2000 or XP.

1. Insert your Reader


2. Insert the CF card


3. Wait 20 seconds


4. Start > Run > diskmgmt.msc > OK


5. Down theleft hand side where the coloured blocks are you should see at "Disk 0" "CD-ROM 0" and possibly others.


6. If the CF is still powering up at all. It should be listed in there, usually as "Disk #"


7. If you see it in the list, right click the "graphic area for it, and if applicable choose delete. Then choose create, make a new logical partition, then a new extended partition and finally format it.
   If you Don't see it in there. I'm afraid the card is toast. If it's under 12 months old, perhaps you can RMA it.

The moral of the story, never eject ANY hardware before Windows says it is safe to do so. Especially storage hardware.
While you may have finished with it. The Operating system will often still be performing your last tasks on it in the background.

well, first of all, thank you for the quick response, C-Amie!!

...about the nature of this forum, well, i think i was desperate enough in order to not paying much attention to it, just entered "formating CF cards" in google and the results of the search came back with this forum, saw "1 gig CF cards--fast enough?" thread, and tought, "I can post my problem here!!, THIS IS IT!! "

...so, about my problem, already tried disk management, but wasn't able to see the card there, so I think it is toast

BUT... the good news is that warranty was still valid and they replaced the card at the store!!, i'm so happy!!

SO... learned the lesson, won't unplugg another disk "just because", ever!!

Hope this doesn't happen to anyone

Edited by odracir 2004-10-25 9:57 AM