Switch on camera card

[Jim Nelson]

Like most I've been using a digital camera for the past few years and recently got a trail camera to check on the critters around our property and been pretty happy with them but a problem popped up today.I haven't been getting any action the last week or so and after fooling with the game cam couldn't get it to take a pic..When formatting the card a message "card WP Fail" came up.I tried everything I could think of with no luck so I called customer service at Stealth cam. and after going through a bunch of tests the lady said to take the card out and check the "switch".I've never heard of any switch but sure as the world on one side of the Sandisk card there is a tiny grey segment that is a switch,she said to slide it up and re try the unit and sure as the world it worked.
I would have never guessed so thought I better share this little jewel and hopefully save someone else some grief.It's easy to see how this can get slid to the off position when removing and replacing the card in the camera or reader once you realize it's there.

 

[flyerdan]

I just pulled the SD card from my camera and lo and behold, it also had that switch. Never knew they had that, but it does make sense; you remove a full card and slide it down to keep it from accidentally being written over, much like the old 3.5" diskettes have.
Now if I ever get a write protect error, I'll know where it comes from.

 

[Jim Nelson]

I suspect that most people use their cell phones rather than digital cameras any more but for the folks using game cameras I think this is a handy piece of knowledge.

 

[tow653]

The old 3.5" floppy disk also had this same feature,to protect you from writing over data.

 

[SandburRanch]

Thanks Jim Nelson

You just fixed the problem on my sd card for my Cannon.

 

[Jim Nelson]

Thanks Jim Nelson

You just fixed the problem on my sd card for my Cannon.

That's great,I'm glad I wasn't the only one unaware of this.I could just see myself throwing a perfectly good camera away for some little glitch like this.

 

[SandburRanch]

I hate to admit it but my son mentioned the " on - off " switch a few years ago and my camera read " card locked ". Too many different terms for an old man. H*!!, I just learned how to use a rotary dial phone a few years ago and now they dump this technology on me. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

"WP" stands for Write Protect.

 

[Jim Nelson]

I hate to admit it but my son mentioned the " on - off " switch a few years ago and my camera read " card locked ". Too many different terms for an old man. H*!!, I just learned how to use a rotary dial phone a few years ago and now they dump this technology on me. :laughing:

Boy I hear you,I'll bet I'm the only person in the civilized world that doesn't have a camera phone and about 30 mins. after I posted this I woke up and said " Oh skat people don't use digital cameras any more,now I'm going to look like a fool again".

 

[texasjohn]

To make things more confusing...on one game camera I had it would give the write protect error when the card was NOT write protected....significant research later, I determined that the camera wanted the card to be formatted as FAT 32. did that on my computer, problem solved.