Got a mystery for someone to solve

[Dogman]

Bear with me...this is long.

Just before Christmas, I shot a few not-so-special photos on one of my D700s.  When I tried to download the photos, I got a message that the Sandisk card had not been ejected properly before removing.  I didn't remember pulling the card out of the camera prematurely but I knew it was possible.  I reformatted the card in the camera and shot a couple of toss-off shots and tried it again but it would not recognize the card.  So I pitched the card in the trash.  Got a brand new Sandisk CF card out and reloaded the D700.

Next time I tried to download the images from the new card, I got the same message for the new card.  Thinking the card reader was defective, I pulled out a brand new card reader from a never opened box.  Got the same message.  Tried another brand new card reader and got the same message.  These were all low priced card readers with different designs and generic brandings.  I dug through my old computer stuff and found an old Kingston card reader.  It read the card without a stutter.

Just curious, I tried cards from my other D700 bodies, all of which had been working perfectly.  On the three card readers that reported errors initially, every card from all 4 D700s told me the cards had errors and could not be read.  Only that old Kingston brand reader works.

So I have one cheap card reader that can recognize cards from my D700s and three cheap card readers (two of them brand new) that think any card from a D700 is corrupted.  I'm mystified.

Any ideas? 

[Alaun]

Might be related to different USB-drivers the card readers are using on your computer?

[Bob Foster]

You might try looking for a current driver at the website of the card reader manufacturer. Often, as a part of OS updates. USB drivers are replaced with generic drivers (some based on standards dating to 2005) that can be sub-optimal with more recent equipment. At worst I've seen OS supplied drivers provided as a part of a patch/update that simply do not work with particular products. 

If the maker of the card reader does not offer a driver look for the ID of the USB Host controller either in the tech specs of the makers web site or using a general web search. Some accessory makers rely on the OS makers to distribute correct drivers, unfortunately this occasionally leads to problems. I've never not been able to track down a correct driver. That said, it is wise to avoid installing software that claims to "fix" driver problems- stick to a driver that is specifically for your controller.

There is also a chance that your driver has become corrupted.

Alternatively, it's possible that the USB socket into which the card readers are being plugged has a problem. Look for dust, lint, or a contact in poor condition. If all appears well note if there is a difference in how the plug fits the socket. I eventually gave up on one USB device from a very reputable manufacturer because the plug fit every USB socket I own so tightly that I became concerned about causing damage to one or more sockets!

For what it's worth, I consider it best practice to save a copy of any new driver along with a simple text document that notes what its' purpose is, and after testing, any germane comments on performance.

Bob

[Hugh_3170]

Bob's words of advice remind me that some time ago I had a similar problem with a Sandisk ImageMate All-in-One USB 3.0 card reader (supports four card types, namely microSDHC/SDXC,  MS-Pro,  SDHC/SDXC, and Compact Flash.  The reader worked fine with the first three card types, but spat the dummy with compact flash with all sorts of errors, EXCEPT for CF Cards of 2GB or less.  I was using 32GB CF cards at the time, and they were from a D700 and a D810.  I upgraded the firmware from version 124 to 133 and the problem went away.

Before upgrading, perhaps try some small cards <2GB with your readers?  Dogman, were any of your readers from Sandisk?

EDIT:  FWIW, the very fine print on the end of my ImageMate All-in-One reader says that it is a type SDDR-289.

You might try looking for a current driver at the website of the card reader manufacturer. Often, as a part of OS updates. USB drivers are replaced with generic drivers (some based on standards dating to 2005) that can be sub-optimal with more recent equipment. At worst I've seen OS supplied drivers provided as a part of a patch/update that simply do not work with particular products. 

If the maker of the card reader does not offer a driver look for the ID of the USB Host controller either in the tech specs of the makers web site or using a general web search. Some accessory makers rely on the OS makers to distribute correct drivers, unfortunately this occasionally leads to problems. I've never not been able to track down a correct driver. That said, it is wise to avoid installing software that claims to "fix" driver problems- stick to a driver that is specifically for your controller.

There is also a chance that your driver has become corrupted.

Alternatively, it's possible that the USB socket into which the card readers are being plugged has a problem. Look for dust, lint, or a contact in poor condition. If all appears well note if there is a difference in how the plug fits the socket. I eventually gave up on one USB device from a very reputable manufacturer because the plug fit every USB socket I own so tightly that I became concerned about causing damage to one or more sockets!

For what it's worth, I consider it best practice to save a copy of any new driver along with a simple text document that notes what its' purpose is, and after testing, any germane comments on performance.

Bob

[Dogman]

Since card readers are pretty cheap, I'm going ahead and replacing the three cheap one with a Sandisk reader. Fingers crossed.

I'm still befuddled as to why 3 different card readers all say every card shot on 4 different D700s were corrupted.  But I'm often befuddled anyway so....

[Erik Lund]

I would replace that SD-card.
They are not that expensive since many years now