Ok how long can a memory card last

[danfifepsu31]

of a memory card, what if I leave the pictures on a memory card for years? What will happen, will it make me loose the pictures forever?

 

[USAFRet]

Pictures that exist in only one place may be considered to not exist at all.
Especially if they only live on an SD card.

 

[danfifepsu31]

Everything. It's unpredictable. Two identical cards could perform very differently. It's random. I DON'T KNOW WHEN YOUR CARD WILL FAIL.

The files would look absolutely fine until you read them. You might even be able to copy them, but they'll be broken.

what aer oyu saying, when I last looked at the memory card 3 days ago the pictures WERE FINE. but what will the pics look like when broken. tahts better than no pics.

I WANT MY PICS BACK!!!! I cant take them off the card!!!!!!!! BEst b uy said they cannot be taken off and only the SD card will read it.

 

[USAFRet]

Everything. It's unpredictable. Two identical cards could perform very differently. It's random. I DON'T KNOW WHEN YOUR CARD WILL FAIL.

The files would look absolutely fine until you read them. You might even be able to copy them, but they'll be broken.

what aer oyu saying, when I last looked at the memory card 3 days ago the pictures WERE FINE. but what will the pics look like when broken. tahts better than no pics.

I WANT MY PICS BACK!!!! I cant take them off the card!!!!!!!! BEst b uy said they cannot be taken off and only the SD card will read it.

Why haven't you taken those files off the SD card?

 

[danfifepsu31]

Everything. It's unpredictable. Two identical cards could perform very differently. It's random. I DON'T KNOW WHEN YOUR CARD WILL FAIL.

The files would look absolutely fine until you read them. You might even be able to copy them, but they'll be broken.

what aer oyu saying, when I last looked at the memory card 3 days ago the pictures WERE FINE. but what will the pics look like when broken. tahts better than no pics.

I WANT MY PICS BACK!!!! I cant take them off the card!!!!!!!! BEst b uy said they cannot be taken off and only the SD card will read it.

Why haven't you taken those files off the SD card?

they wont get off! when I Tried to plug it in the camera from a usb and the comp wouldnt recognize them. best buy said I cant get them off (The geek squad). I AM SO SICK OF THIs, when something goes wrong wit ha cell phone, camera, laptop I get nothing but guesses when I Try to get help.

 

[USAFRet]

OK...I'm late to the party here, but I did go read your other thread:

Specifically, what happens when you plug the camera in via USB?
Have you tried a card reader?

 

[Someone Somewhere]

BEst b uy said they cannot be taken off and only the SD card will read it.

OK, there's our problem. I'm pretty sure that's wrong, unless they're in RAW format and you don't have the software to read it or something.

What camera took them? What's the file format?

 

[danfifepsu31]

BEst b uy said they cannot be taken off and only the SD card will read it.

OK, there's our problem. I'm pretty sure that's wrong, unless they're in RAW format and you don't have the software to read it or something.

What camera took them? What's the file format?

what if they are in raw format and I used nixon. ARe the files stuck on there forever?????

how come I have memory cards that still work 3 years later?

 

[USAFRet]

BEst b uy said they cannot be taken off and only the SD card will read it.

OK, there's our problem. I'm pretty sure that's wrong, unless they're in RAW format and you don't have the software to read it or something.

What camera took them? What's the file format?

what if they are in raw format and I used nixon. ARe the files stuck on there forever?????

how come I have memory cards that still work 3 years later?

I have some SmartMedia cards that are almost 18 years old, and still work fine.
I've had other cards that have died within 6 months.

But I don't think I've ever left pictures on a camera card longer than a week or two. Those things are temporary storage.

Get your files off that card, by what ever means necessary. If you can't get them off....well...they're gone.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

I didn't say that they wouldn't work. However, if you leave them without using them in anything, they do lose charge. It's random.

Get Nikon's (I'm assuming) software for decoding the RAW files. Or any one of a number of other utilities. Lots of photographers shoot in RAW.

There wouldn't be much point in taking the photos if you couldn't use them, would there?

 

[danfifepsu31]

BEst b uy said they cannot be taken off and only the SD card will read it.

OK, there's our problem. I'm pretty sure that's wrong, unless they're in RAW format and you don't have the software to read it or something.

What camera took them? What's the file format?

what if they are in raw format and I used nixon. ARe the files stuck on there forever?????

how come I have memory cards that still work 3 years later?

I have some SmartMedia cards that are almost 18 years old, and still work fine.
I've had other cards that have died within 6 months.

But I don't think I've ever left pictures on a camera card longer than a week or two. Those things are temporary storage.

Get your files off that card, by what ever means necessary. If you can't get them off....well...they're gone.

what do you mean they are gone? they exist. and if I cant get them off, what help do I Go to get them off. what do I Do if I cant get the cards off?

 

[USAFRet]

what do you mean they are gone? they exist. and if I cant get them off, what help do I Go to get them off. what do I Do if I cant get the cards off?

Have you tried a USB card reader?

 

[danfifepsu31]

no but what if it doesnt work? The pictures SHOW in the camera. they cant be gone. they couldnt be unless the card was dropped in water or caught on fire.


Also what happens when one formats a memory card. how do they get the data back then?

 

[USAFRet]

what if what if what if....
What if it doesn't work? Well then, it doesn't work.

Copy the pictures elsewhere. Card reader, USB from the camera, whatever....
Otherwise, it was just a fun afternoon when you went 'click'.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

The camera likely caches thumbnails, possibly in a different place to the full images.

 

[danfifepsu31]

when does it catch thumbnails and of my pics I Saw them on the mnemory card in the camera 3 days ago and they are still there BUT I WANT MY PICS OFF THE MEMORY CARD. can someone help me!!!!! All I get for help from places like Best buy is nothing but guesses. What if a card reader doesnt work????????????????

can the card being a nixon have something to do with it???? I WANT MY PICS BACK


when the card decays what will the pics look like when I Try to retrieve them?


I need help other than just guesses.

 

[hang-the-9]

You keep asking the same questions without actually doing any of the suggestions. Get a card reader, if it does not work, then you can check other things.

 

[danfifepsu31]

You keep asking the same questions without actually doing any of the suggestions. Get a card reader, if it does not work, then you can check other things.

whats the chances my pics are retrievalble.

 

[hang-the-9]

You keep asking the same questions without actually doing any of the suggestions. Get a card reader, if it does not work, then you can check other things.

whats the chances my pics are retrievalble.

Since we don't know if the issue is with the camera or with the card, no way to figure things out.
It's like asking what are the chances your car is simply out of gas or is broken without checking to see if it has gas first.

 

[danfifepsu31]

You keep asking the same questions without actually doing any of the suggestions. Get a card reader, if it does not work, then you can check other things.

whats the chances my pics are retrievalble.

Since we don't know if the issue is with the camera or with the card, no way to figure things out.
It's like asking what are the chances your car is simply out of gas or is broken without checking to see if it has gas first.

since the pictures show ont he card in the camera, what sthe chances they are retreiveable

ITS best buy's fault with this saying thinks like the data is gone or when my camera lens jammed I will have to buy a new camera etc.

 

[USAFRet]

since the pictures show ont he card in the camera, what sthe chances they are retreiveable

If you don't try any of the mentioned solutions - 0%
If you try something - somewhere between 0.1% and 100%

 

[danfifepsu31]

since the pictures show ont he card in the camera, what sthe chances they are retreiveable

If you don't try any of the mentioned solutions - 0%
If you try something - somewhere between 0.1% and 100%

I Want my pics back but then the only way I will prob loose them is if the memroy card is dropped in water or in a fire.

 

[USAFRet]

 

[Someone Somewhere]

OK: Copy the files off the SD card. Even if you can't open them because you don't have the software, you should be able to get a pile of .NEF files, safely onto your computer.

 

[danfifepsu31]

whats the chances of recovery? also there is another memory card I havent gotten the data off of that I got 2 years ago and last used the card Summer of 2012. What will happen with that data too? ITs a 4GB kodiak card.


Ok when the card deterioriates what will the pictures look like when I upload them?

 

[USAFRet]

Probability index at current point: 0.