''card write protected'' PLEASE help!! NEED my camera this weekend! ):

[still_learning]

Hello. I turned my camera on a couple of days ago and it says on the screen ''card write protected''.

>I have not changed any settings before this happened, it was working fine the day before
>I've tried using up to 6 different memory cards of different sizes in the camera as well as different batteries
>There is nothing lodged/caught in the memory card slot etc
>I have switched the little button at the side of the cards to lock and unlock them, but nothing changes
>I re-formatted the memory card with no result ):

I've googled various different forums, etc on this and there is no solution.

PLEASE HELP!! Suggest anything. I use this camera for college and have shoots to do this weekend! I can't borrow my classmates cameras because they're all busy with them all weekend! I have a college camera that i'm borrowing, but thanks to other students handling it badly, it's covered in scratches and there's something wrong with how it focuses!! Did a shoot yesterday and it was embarrassing when the photos kept coming out badly focused.

At my wits end.

 

[480sparky]

...........>I re-formatted the memory card with no result ):...........

How?

 

[pgriz]

There is usually a tab on the card itself that you need to slide into position for the camera to sense that the card is write-protected. If the card IS write protected, then you should not be able to format it. If you have been able to format it, AND you have the same message with other cards that are NOT write protected, then it seems the camera is the problem. Perhaps, the sensor that detects the write-protect tab is partly bent inside the camera, and if that's the reason for your message, then I think the repair center is your only option.

 

[TCampbell]

You'll should call Canon service. The little sliding tab on the side of the card is very low tech... it has no electrical connections of any kind. The card slot has a sensor to determine the position of the tab. Sometimes it's a physical contact. Sometimes it's an optical sensor. I do not know what Canon uses to determine if the slot is in the lock position.

If the card really is not in the locked position but the camera thinks it's locked then there's a problem with the write-lock sensor in the camera's SD slot.

BTW, sometimes there are low-tech ways to fool the write lock sensor... but this depends on how the slot sensor works. For example... some writers have an optical sensor that looks to see if the optical path is blocked (the tab is in blocking the sensor) which indicates that the card is in the protected position. I've read stories of people who want to protect the card, but the tab is missing, so they block it with a thin piece of tape. But YOU have the opposite problem... your sensor is behaving as though the tab is in the blocked position... when it's not.

If the camera does use an optical sensor and the emitter is broken, then the camera is going to behave as though the card is write protected. I've read about people shorting a contact inside the card reader to trick it... but that would DEFINITELY fall under the "this will void your warranty and you may break your camera trying to do this" category (only people who can afford to trash their camera and are pretty handy with electronics should attempt this.)

What I suggest YOU do is to phone Canon service and ask for help.

I suppose there is a slim possibility that the sensor is fine but there's a piece of dust/dirt blocking it. You could try to use an air blower to clear it... but I MUST caution you.

DO NOT USE CANS OF COMPRESSED AIR without CAREFULLY understanding (and practicing) how these things work. I don't use cans... I have a hand-squeeze blower (which is completely safe.) The "problem" with compressed air is that it's not just air. There's a fluid inside the can which acts as the propellant. If the can is not level then that fluid will spray out with the air. It leaves a cloudy residue on any surface it blows onto. It does not dry clear... it dries very cloudy. That means if you spray it into the slot and the fluid gets on the optical sensor then it will never work again until it's completely disassembled and cleaned (which will void the warranty.) Also... NEVER SHAKE a can of compressed air. That pretty much guarantees that it'll spray fluid. I know just about everything else that comes in a spray can tells you to shake it... not this stuff. If it was shaken then put it on a level surface and spray it at nothing until the nozzles sprays clear (the first spray after being shaken WILL spew fluid no matter what position the can is in.)

There is no guarantee the compressed air will work. It would only work if the reason the sensor is broken is because dust is stuck in it and blocking the sensor. We don't know that it's a dust problem. Using a hand-squeeze air blower (available at any "real" camera store) you cannot harm your camera because nothing can come out of the blower except air. Using a can of compressed air can harm your camera more than help it. Proceed at YOUR OWN RISK.

 

[Patriot]

If you formatted the card and moved the tab then the card is probably done for. Try calling Canon for help as stated above.

Nikon doesn't have these problems......jk jk