My CF Card Keeps Deleting My pictures

[EhJsNe]

I have a Kingston Elite Pro CompactFlash Card (4GB, 133x)

Every now and when I turn on the camera, where it should say how many pictures I have left it says FOR and if I try to review my pictures it says "Card Needs to be formatted"

It hasnt deleted any important pictures yet...but when It deleted my sunset pic from yesterday I got really mad.

I dont take the CF card out, I only take it out to put it in the card reader and put the pictures on the computer....which after that I delete all the pictures and format the card.

Oh, and I thought I might mentionthat when I put the pictures on the computor...sometimes not all the files transer...it tells me another program may be using the file.....and doesnt copy it.

Does anyone know why it keeps hapening? Im going to Arizona for all of July and I dont want those shots getting deleted.
Its happened 3 times total....and Im really getting annoyed at it.

 

[Samanax]

I build computers on the side and stopped using Kingston memory back in 2001 because of all the problems I was having with them. I'd replace that Kingston CF memory card with something more reliable.

I've been using Sandisk CF memory cards in my XTi for the past year and a half and have never had a problem with them.

 

[MBasile]

Have you tried formatting it? I'd pull all of your pictures off of it and format it in the camera. I'd also buy some extras.

SanDisk has a $60 rebate for the three pack of Extreme III 4GB cards, so it comes out to $44 for three cards.
3XSDCFX3004GA31 SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III Compact Flash Memory Card - Pack of 3

 

[EhJsNe]

Have you tried formatting it? I'd pull all of your pictures off of it and format it in the camera. I'd also buy some extras.

SanDisk has a $60 rebate for the three pack of Extreme III 4GB cards, so it comes out to $44 for three cards.
3XSDCFX3004GA31 SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III Compact Flash Memory Card - Pack of 3

My issue is it is telling me to format my card, if I format it, the pictures that were on it get deleted! I have no other choice but to format the card....
I do format it after EVERY time I put the pictures on the computor.

$44 dollars for 3 cards eh? Thats prety good! about $15 dollars a card...same as what I paid for mine!

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Why do you format it every time?
I haven't ever formatted mine. Should I?

 

[gsgary]

Have you tried formatting it? I'd pull all of your pictures off of it and format it in the camera. I'd also buy some extras.

SanDisk has a $60 rebate for the three pack of Extreme III 4GB cards, so it comes out to $44 for three cards.
3XSDCFX3004GA31 SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III Compact Flash Memory Card - Pack of 3

My issue is it is telling me to format my card, if I format it, the pictures that were on it get deleted! I have no other choice but to format the card....
I do format it after EVERY time I put the pictures on the computor.

$44 dollars for 3 cards eh? Thats prety good! about $15 dollars a card...same as what I paid for mine!

Get yourself some Sandisk cards never had one problem and format them every time they are used

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Get yourself some Sandisk cards never had one problem and format them every time they are used

Why do you format it every time?
I haven't ever formatted mine. Should I?

 

[lvcrtrs]

I know I came across some literature either here or with my new camera that said you should reformat after putting in a card reader or any other device before putting back in the camera. I've never done it. Probably won't until I get burned.

 

[Josh66]

I dont take the CF card out, I only take it out to put it in the card reader and put the pictures on the computer....which after that I delete all the pictures and format the card.

Are you formatting it in the camera, or in the computer?

Get yourself some Sandisk cards never had one problem and format them every time they are used

Why do you format it every time?
I haven't ever formatted mine. Should I?

I would think that you should at least format it once, before you start using it.

You don't really have to do it every time, but I do. It's just a quick & easy way to delete everything on it.

 

[gsgary]

Get yourself some Sandisk cards never had one problem and format them every time they are used

Why do you format it every time?
I haven't ever formatted mine. Should I?

Because someone else could have used it on the day of a shoot

 

[EhJsNe]

OMG! Thank you guys for all the responses! I must have forgotton to check this yesterday...so here we go:

Why do you format it every time?
I haven't ever formatted mine. Should I?

I dont know why I format it every time to be honest....I read somewhere that you should...it helps prevent things like this from happening.....now isnt that ironic?

I know I came across some literature either here or with my new camera that said you should reformat after putting in a card reader or any other device before putting back in the camera. I've never done it. Probably won't until I get burned.

BEFORE putting it back in the camera? I didnt think there was another way to format it....and I do format it before taking ANY pictures...so is it ok?

I dont take the CF card out, I only take it out to put it in the card reader and put the pictures on the computer....which after that I delete all the pictures and format the card.

Are you formatting it in the camera, or in the computer?
Oh you make me feel stupid by quoting that...lol

I format in the camera.....is it better to format it on the computor? If so how would I do that (I use windows XP)

Get yourself some Sandisk cards never had one problem and format them every time they are used

You don't really have to do it every time, but I do. It's just a quick & easy way to delete everything on it.

Im getting a sandisk card. Ive heard great things and almost every profesional photographer that im aware of uses sandisk cards.
I didnt think a memory card could be so unreliable....its NEVER happened to me or any of my friends with SD cards....so I just assumed the same for CF cards.

Well....it doesnt hurt...does it? Maybe thats my problem...over-formating the card....idk......Im not all that much into technoledgy....if film was free id still be using that.....so much simpler.....and a roll of film cant delete hundreds of images.......just 12, 24, or 36....(now that I think about that.....I truly feel like the strangest 14 year old boy ever......(there are other reasons to, however))

 

[Threesia]

I found this site and found 4 and 5 very interesting.

http://www.popphoto.com/Features/5-Things-You-Didn-t-Know-About-Memory-Cards

 

[DScience]

Get yourself some Sandisk cards never had one problem and format them every time they are used

Why do you format it every time?
I haven't ever formatted mine. Should I?

how else do you delete your photos? Individually? no way...

 

[Gaerek]

Something people haven't mentioned yet is if your card is deleting pictures, you might be able to get your photos back. Somehow one of my cards got corrupt after my trip to Hawaii last fall, and I thought I lost around 600 photos. I ran it through one of these programs and recovered every single one of them. I can't remember what I paid for the program, but it was worth every penny.

 

[Josh66]

I format in the camera.....is it better to format it on the computor? If so how would I do that (I use windows XP)

No, keep doing it the way you are. I thought part of the problem may have been from formatting on the computer (same way you would format any other removable media). If you did do it on the computer it might format it differently than your camera does (maybe, not sure).