HELP.....4150 wipes away SD data on it's own accord??!!

[Sooner Magic]

I have a 4150 (ROM 1.10) which has served me well. About 6 months ago and quite spontaneously, several of the programs which were installed on the SD card stopped working and weren't even recognized. In addition, there were several new folders with wierd names (CY548PSQ?????, etc). I reinstalled the apps and figured it was a hiccup.

Unfortunately, the "episodes" are continuing and becoming more frequent. I have switched SD cards with no change in behavior, so I have ruled out any card specific causes.

I always plug it into a surge protector, it has not been dropped and I have no other suspected cause(s) for this wierdness.

Any thoughts out there as to the cause and a remedy?

Thanks in advance.

[ctmagnus]

The weird names suggest to me that the cards are suffering from FAT corruption. The odds of having that happen to multiple cards are slim, but afaict that's the case.

[Sooner Magic]

Thanks ctmagnus.

What causes the corruption and how do I address it?

I have previously used the chkdsk drivename: /f command (via a card reader), but the behavior has continued....

I am assuming that something within my iPAQ is electronically screwed up..anfd that it may be time to replace it. :(

[ctmagnus]

I should have mentioned in my previous post that I have yet to experience this ( 0X ) but probably the best route would be to copy all the (recoverable) data to the desktop, reformat the card using the Windows defaults, and copy all the recoverable data back to it.

[Sooner Magic]

Thanks for the advice.

As I try to identify what could be causing the corruption in the first place, I have thought of the following situation...

When I power the iPAQ on, the SD card takes a second or two to "come to life" even though the iPAQ itself is up & running. If during this interim second or two, I try to access a file or program which is installed on the SD, it gets confused and hence, corrpution takes place. Is this accurate and/or a likely cause?

While I can reformat the card, run chkdsk and get my data back, it would be helpful to learn what I can do (or not do) to prevent it in the future.

If I remember correctly, Menneisyys has posted about installing apps to a SD card and FAT settings in general to optimize memory cards. Maybe he can shed some light?

[ctmagnus]

I would try to not access the card for a few seconds after you turn the unit on. It's possible that the initialization time is causing the issues you're experiencing.

[Menneisyys]

Also see http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=47122