SD Card Problems

[donnych]

my Axim has been lossing the ability to reconginze the SD card saying it needs to be formatted.
If I put it in my card reader the desktop says it must be reformatted.
I do that and reinstall programs.
Any answers, BTW I have tried a couple different cards

[QYV]

Try these threads for more info:

Extensive testing and results for 256meg SD card corruption and Axim (http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dellpda&message.id=16086&page=1)

Storage card failures (SD & CF) (http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dellpda&message.id=17452)

The short version is: yes, this is definitely a known problem. Users are trying to put pressure on Dell (and other PPC manufacturers) but there is no solution yet.

[Janak Parekh]

donnych, what do you mean you've tried a "couple different cards"? I've heard that the Sandisk has the most incompatibility issues... FWIW, I haven't had any problems with my Lexar 512MB in a number of Pocket PCs (but I don't have a Dell; YMMV).

--janak

[dh]

I have a SanDisk 256MB SD card and until recently have not had a single problem with it.

Last week however, I bought MS Streets and Trips and installed Pocket Streets onto my Axim.

First thing I did was make some maps for areas that I visit and copied them to my SD card via ActiveSync. I would normally have done this using my card reader, but I had the software installed on a laptop that sits in a docking station and it's a pain to get to the USB port.
Anyway, after downloading a couple of files, ActiveSync claims the SD card is full - I know it's not.

Hmmm, I think, take my card to the the card reader connected to my other laptop and take a look at it ..... disk not formated says "my Computer".

Hmmm.......

Anyway, I remove the software from the first PC and install it onto the one connected to the card reader. No problems now with getting the files into the SD card.

The only other issue since then has been that I decided to move the map files from one directory to another using File Manger. This I did but they could no longer be found, although the memory they had taken up was still in use.

Took the card to the card reader and yep, there they were, just could not be seen in the Axim.
Sorry this is so long winded. It suggests to me, that the problem with the Axim is with writing to the SD card internally, whether via ActiveSync or just moving files around. The larger the file, the more likely the problem.
The Dell forum linked to above suggests that the best way to have success with SD cards is to place all files in the root directory (very messy) and avoid writing files of greater than 3MB to the card, apart from with a card reader.

Looking at the Dell forum, it seems that all brands of SD card have problem to at least some extent. More issues seem to be reported with Sandisk, maybe because there are simply more of them on the market.
There is no question that the Axim does have more of a problem than other Pocket PCs when handling large files with SD memory, although the others are not flawless either.

At least as Dell Axim owners, we have the option of CF memory for our largest files. My Sandisk CF card has been 100% perfect so far.

[QYV]

One clarification: I am 99% certain that no one has reported a SimpleTech SD card as exhibiting the problem. SanDisk seems almost guaranteed to fail, and Lexar seems about 50-50.

[KiLLiN-TiMe]

I dont know but... I got a Sandisk 256MB card in December about one week before my Axim showed up.
Now so far, it's done a better job than my PPC. My Dell has been replaced once for rebooting and never comming out of it. The Sandisk is still going strong. :wink:

[leximaea]

I had the same prob... and it fried my sandisk 256 card. Called dell and one hour on the phone later, dell is sending me a new device AND a new card. Interesting that the card works fine in my buddy's ipaq... he'll format the card and be able to use it... gives it back to me and it doesn't even show up in file explorer. A soft reset fixes that, and then I get the option to reformat the card.

Hope the new axim (advanced) fixes this once and for all!

[dh]

I had the same prob... and it fried my sandisk 256 card. Called dell and one hour on the phone later, dell is sending me a new device AND a new card. Interesting that the card works fine in my buddy's ipaq... he'll format the card and be able to use it... gives it back to me and it doesn't even show up in file explorer. A soft reset fixes that, and then I get the option to reformat the card.

Hope the new axim (advanced) fixes this once and for all!

Yes, there is no question that the Axim does not do a good job of writing to the SD card.

Since I reformated my card (using my laptop, NOT the Axim) it has been working fine again. I can load as many maps as I want using my card reader and the SD card seems quite happy about.

Seeing as how Dell are doing a good job of supporting us with upgrades, I wonder why they haven't produced a solution to the SD problem yet?

[Howard2k]

I had MAJOR problems with Scamdisk cards in my Axim (and digital camera) but no problems with Lexar. I've seen nothing to make me think that the problem is specific to the Axim at all.

[Jake K]

SanDisk seems almost guaranteed to fail

Lol! Such optimism!

[maximus]

or is that ... dynamism ?

[eternalblue]

can't say that i've had problems yet with my sandisk 256mb sd card. but then again i've only had it for about 2 weeks now. i too have an axim and have copied large files and installed several programs onto it as well, with no problems whatsoever.

i bet in saying this, my card is sure to fail me soon after this post. haha.

but seriously, if your card exhibits such problems, can you simply exhange it at the place you had purchased it for the sole reason that it is 'defective'?

[Howard2k]

can't say that i've had problems yet with my sandisk 256mb sd card. but then again i've only had it for about 2 weeks now. i too have an axim and have copied large files and installed several programs onto it as well, with no problems whatsoever.

i bet in saying this, my card is sure to fail me soon after this post. haha.

but seriously, if your card exhibits such problems, can you simply exhange it at the place you had purchased it for the sole reason that it is 'defective'?

From FutureShop I think you're ok within 30 days.. But better check with them. I gave my cards (all 3 of them) a good few hours of constant copying files on and off (via wifi), playing pocket TV and playing OGGs while opening and closing some PDFs..

Tried to give it some stress. It worked. All three cards failed. FutureShop had a Lexar in stock and I was able to swap the Scamdisk for Lexar.

[drop]

I have Lexar 128MB SD and 256MB SD. Fortunately I haven't had any problem with them, knock on wood.

For those who had problems with their SDs, regardless of brand, have you installed the ROM upgrade from Dell? If the Axim driver is to blame, would the upgrade make a difference?

Thanks.

[Dave Beauvais]

... I was able to swap the Scamdisk for Lexar.
"Scamdisk" :rofl: Can I steal that? I just had a SanDisk SmartMedia card for my digital camera crap out on me today. That makes one SD and one SmartMedia card. If it takes them anywhere near as long to replace the SmartMedia as it did the SD (just under two full months), I'm going to say to hell with it and just buy another card from Lexar. :roll:

--Dave