New memory card for Canon ELPH

Nature Talk
1

I’ve been having problems with my camera’s memory card lately; sometimes I copied the files and they’re empty, or it fails to mount (there’s a /dev/sdc, but the kernel can’t read anything), and I have to try again. I wasn’t sure if the fault was in the card or the reader (a thing with a slot for the card and a USB plug). Yesterday I observed a plant growing up a signpost; tonight I put the card in the reader, plugged it in, and ran “getpix”, but had to hit ^C because it went into an endless loop trying to delete an old photo. After a few more tries, my computer hung and I had to reboot it. I tried on the laptop, which didn’t hang, but still couldn’t delete the files. I then put the card back into the camera and turned it on; it said “Memory card error”. That means the card’s worn out.

I then took the card back to the laptop and copied everything to /var/tmp/. It’s a 2 GB card, and by the file dates I guess it was made in 2017 and — I was going to say installed in the camera in 2024, but I’ve had it since before then. (Does the date on “System Volume Information/IndexerVolumeGuid” mean anything?)

When I buy a new card, should I copy everything from the old card to the new card, or should I tell the camera to format the card? If I format the card, it’ll start over again at img_0000.jpg, and I’ll have to move all the stuff in Pictures/incoming/ somewhere else; it’s up to img_3191. If I copy to the new card, it should resume at img_3192, but I don’t know what’ll happen when it gets to img_9999.

Do you know where on the card an ELPH stores the number of the next picture?

2

If it was me, I’d format the new card for my camera. I wouldn’t copy anything from the old card to the new one in case I copied a bit of faulty code that muzzed up the new one. I know that the card companies sometimes offer free recovery solutions (I’ve had these from SanDisc, but I don’t think they’re the only ones doing it). I’d look to get access to one of these and use it to save any pictures on the old card onto my pc. As soon as I’d done that, the old card would go straight in the bin. Good luck, whatever you choose to do.

3

I bought a card, put it in the reader, and found it empty. I then put the UUID in /etc/fstab. Then I put the card in the camera and turned it on. It came up as normal, no error.

Yesterday I went to the field and took pictures of a muscadine, a fungus, some deer footprints, and other things. Tonight I put the card in the reader and tried to mount it, but it said the UUID was not found. I put it back in the camera and got “Memory card error”.

Looks like I have to take it back to the store and try another brand.