How long does a memory card last?

Question

I have an SD memory card of 256 MB and have been using it in a digital camera for nearly three years. Suddenly the camera has stopped recognizing it. I also tried it in another camera - same problem. Could it have developed errors and is now unusable just as the old floppy disks use to get this problem once in awhile?
Is there anyway to repair it in order to save the images that are on it?

Answer 1

If you still have images on the card that you need to salvage, do NOT format it yet. That might repair the card for future use, but it will also blast any trace of your pictures away!
You could try Googeling for recovery software. Some cards even come with recovery software included.
If that doesn't work, there are companies that specialize in this - but it will cost you.
Like you guessed, sometimes a card can fail just like a floppy disk. Under normal circumstances however, a memory card should outlive the camera. They are supposed to last for tens of thousands of write cycles.

Answer 2

Thats a bit of a how long is a shoe string question. It comes down to how often you format the card as that will help clean it internally and clear up bad sectors which happen when you don't format the card, i recommend doing it everytime the the card is full and its been copied onto the computer or a CD, as it wipes the card and gets rid of any eranious data on it.
The other problem is the type of card you have, the SD cards have exposed gold panels where it transfers the data onto the camera and everytime you remove that card from a camera or card reader, you scratch those panels and eventually they will become damaged to a point when you can't use it anymore.
Most cards have either a 5 year, 10 year or lifetime warranty, the lifetime warranty however, is the life of the card and that might be 1 year depending on how often its used...

Answer 3

Suppossbly forever. If it goes bad it is probably because the plastic around the guts of the device will break.
Try the device on a different input. If you have photos on it you can go to your local pharmacy where they have developing machine and test the card (if it is not the card , it's the camera card combination)

Answer 4

try it in a computer. if it works in the computer, then format the card using your camera. refer to your manual.

if you can not find your manual, insert the card into your computer. go into my computer. right-click the card's drive and click format. in the window that pops up, select 'FAT' under file system (not FAT32 or FAT16; just FAT). leave all the other settings alone and click start. this may or may not work, depending upon your camera which is why it is best to format it using the camera.

WARNING: FORMATTING ERASES ALL INFORMATION FROM THE DEVICE!!!

Answer 5

try to format it in the camera
sometimes that solves the problem