You can change the formatting utility in Windows XP
to FAT16 using a drop-down list under Windows
Explorer, but even this is dicey. Some cameras will
not accept cards that have been formatted with this
setting, either.
If you inherit a flash card that won’t work and you
suspect it was formatted in Windows, reformat the
card in the camera. Ensure that the camera is not
connected to the PC when you perform this opera-
tion. Every camera has a slightly different operat-
ing system, so check your user manual for
formatting steps.
An interesting irony of FAT32 versus FAT16 is that
you can now purchase high-speed flash media that
stores pictures much more quickly than older
media. These media usually are high-capacity and
expensive. Today’s high-speed flash media soon will surpass 2GB. Because the media
must be formatted using FAT32, the flash media will actually be slower than flash
media formatted as FAT16.Another Disaster Point: USB
USB is the universal way to connect Flash Media readers to your PC. Two standards
now exist that apparently are backward-/forward-compatible: USB 1.1 and USB 2.0.
Some USB 2.0 multitype flash card readers do not function properly in USB 1.1 ports,
however. As such, this is a potential trouble spot in Windows. The author recently
lost data on an MMC card thanks to a faulty USB 2.0 card reader.
If you have a computer manufactured before 2002, it most likely has USB 1.1 ports;
newer machines sport USB 2.0 ports. Check the manufacturer’s Web site to ensure
that USB 2.0 readers will work in USB 1.1 drivers, and that you don’t need any
firmware or operating system upgrades.
Another USB pitfall is in pulling a USB flash media reader out of its USB port while
the operating system is trying to write data to it. Windows XP can safely recover
from this surprise, but the media might not. In other words, improper removal of
flash media will destroy the file structure on a disk!
The correct and safe way to remove flash media from Windows 98 2nd Edition, Me,
2000, and XP is to use the Remove Hardware button located in the system tray.
Follow these steps to protect data on a flash media device:- Double-click the Remove Hardware icon.
CHAPTER 8 FILE RECOVERY: FINDING “LOST” IMAGES 109If you cannot format a
flash card in a camera,
either the card is physically locked
(look for a lock), the card is cor-
rupted and essentially useless, or
your camera does not have
enough battery power.