Sandisk Flash Drive Problems
SanDisk is one of the most popular manufacturers of flash media in the world. Their flash drives and memory cards are famous among digital photographers and computer users for their speed and reliability. Problems can occasionally happen, however, and knowing how to resolve these issues quickly can prevent your next photo session from going awry.
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Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Cards
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Any Secure Digital card greater than 2GB in size is an SDHC card. If a camera or card reader fails to recognize an SDHC card, it unfortunately means that the device is not SDHC-compatible. In the case of a card reader, the reader can simply be replaced. It may not be worthwhile to replace a camera simply for the purpose of using larger memory cards, however. Consider using multiple 2GB cards instead.
File Size Limitation
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Most SanDisk flash drives arrive from the factory formatted using the FAT32 file system. This increases their compatibility, as Mac computers are generally unable to write to media formatted using the NTFS system, but both Macs and PCs can read and write FAT32-formatted volumes. This practice also extends their life, because more read/write operations occur on NTFS-formatted drives. However, a limitation of the FAT32 file system is that it cannot support files over 4GB in size. If very large files are to be written on the flash drive, it must be reformatted using the NTFS file system.
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File Corruption
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File corruption in a memory card or flash drive generally occurs because the media loses power during an operation. Taking pictures on a camera with batteries that are nearly dead should be avoided to prevent this. Additionally, dust and moisture should not be allowed to enter the card or drive.
Poor Performance
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Although little can be done to improve the performance of a camera that takes an inordinate amount of time to save files, the speed of SanDisk flash media can only be truly appreciated in a computer with a high quality card reader. The reader or USB flash drive should only be connected to a high speed USB 2.0 port, as older USB 1.1 ports cannot provide sufficient throughput for high speed file transfers. In laptop computers, some users report greater speeds with ExpressCard readers than with external USB readers.
Counterfeit Media
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SanDisk flash media, particularly CompactFlash cards, tend to be priced much higher than cards from competing manufacturers. Some unscrupulous online merchants have been caught attempting to take advantage of this fact by selling non-SanDisk media on auction websites with counterfeit printed SanDisk labels. Counterfeit SanDisk media may exhibit poor construction, unreliable operation or transfer speeds that are below expectations. SanDisk's technical support department is able to assist customers in confirming that their SanDisk-branded media is legitimate.
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