I recently purchased an Olympus C2020Z. At the time of purchase the dealer sold me an extra smartmedia card. the new 64MB version.

when I use this card, the camera top display shows 64 images avail in the HQ mode and counts down as shots are taken. Yet when I try to view or download the pics only the first 30 or so will display no matter what program I use (camedia, adobe, paintshop pro). I am using a lexmar media reader and If I look at the card as a removable drive in windows ALL the files show on the card but when I try to access the bottom end of the list I get a message that the file type is not supported by the above mentioned programs.

someone told me that the cameras internal software will only support up to a 32MB smartmedia card since that was the largest card available at the time of camera production. Does anyone know if this is true?

Any ideas or suggestions or do you think the camera is defective?

Thanks for any help you can offer

-- Bob Bailey (arizonadreams@earthlink.net), April 22, 2000

Answers

I'd check the Oly manual for a specifications page and see what it says concerning media size. According to the Imaging Resource review, it can handle up to a 64 MB card.

I think it's likelier that the Lexar Digital Film Reader can't handle smartmedia cards larger than 32MB. I have one(parallel port version), and I never have been able to find specs for the li'l bugger. At the time I bought it, they were fairly new and I think 32MB was the largest card out or just coming out. I checked Lexar's site and they have a driver version 1.05 out for it. Mine seems to have come with 1.01. I'm not sure if this'll help, since they say absolutely nothing about the update, but it's worth a shot? Let me know if it makes a difference.

Good Luck!

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@francomm.com), April 22, 2000.

Whoops! According to Lexar's Faq, the smartmedia version will only handle 3.3V cards up to 16MB's! Bet that's the problem. You might try the 1.05 version driver though, maybe it's a fix? Depending on whether they made connections to then unused pads on the reader/ smartmedia card, a new driver might allow the larger cards to work.

Please let me know if you find a way to use 32 or 64 MB cards with it. I only have 8MB or smaller cards currently, but would like to know.

Good Luck!

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@francomm.com), April 22, 2000.

Hmmm, are you sure your card is 64Mb in the first place? I have a 2020 also and when I use it with a 32Mb card, the display shows 64 in HQ mode. A 64Mb show be able to store 128 HQ shots. Each HQ shot takes up about 0.5Mb of space.

-- Al (imcb_sg@yahoo.com), April 23, 2000.

Sure enough, I also am having problems with the C2020Z and the 64mb card. I did purchase a reader and am now wondering if that is the reason I get an intermitant card error on the camera. once I put the card in the reader, the card gets destroyed and the camera can no longer read the card..."Card Error".

I am only guessing that the reader is the problem as I have yet to understand the chain of events.

Also, formating the card seems to completely destroy the use of the card in the camera. I am wondering if formating the card outside of the camera has also agrevated the situation. There might be hidden files, etc.

Anyone else have this problem?

btw, I get 128 images in HQ as well for the 64mb.

-- Eric Hansen (eric_hansen@stanfordalumni.org), July 23, 2001.

I thought I'd be smart and purchase a 64Mb Smart Media card. Using windows explorer to access the files via the Lexmar USB reader running on Windows Me doesn't even recognize the card is in the reader. Trying to access the card in the reader via Cameida doesn't work either. I can access all the files via Windows explorer and Cameida by using a Flashpath 3.5 inch floppy adapter. Make sure the Flashpath is a newer one that indicates it is 64 Mb capable. If only Lemar could have seen into the future....

-- Mark Krom (lindakrom@cyberia.com), September 10, 2001.

Hey guys- just got a fuji mx-2900 camera...Both of my smart media cards state card error..what's that mean?

-- mandi carlson (mcarlsononline@yahoo.com), March 15, 2002.

The problem is in using Windows Explorer to view the files on the smartmedia disk.

You want to make sure that you only use My Computer to find the Smartmedia Drive. When you see the Smartmedia drive in My Computer, double-click on the drive and then copy thje files to your hard drive. Form here you can edit them.

I would recommend that you only delete and format the Smartmedia Card from the camera!

Good-luck!

-- Brian Lindgren (bglindgren@yahoo.com), April 23, 2002.

Does anyone have an idea of how to ressurrect a SmartMedia card which says "bad card" in the camera, but works fine in a computer? I have a PCMCIA card adapter, and it's worked fine for about 1 year, but today, my card seems to have become corrupted.

My camera (D-360L) just says "bad card". My friend's camera 2020, goes to a menu, but formatting the card in the camera won't work. It's a Kingston 128MB card, and a SimpleTech PCMCIA card.

Thanks.

Todd

-- Todd Chapin (greenspun@destinys-darlin.com), June 10, 2002.

I have an Olympus C3000Z. Recently I found that after deleting some images from a 64MB (non-Olympus) smartmedia card, the card announced itself to be unreadable on my Mac, and to be unable to be read or formatted on the camera)

I purchased a new card. One week later the same thing happened. It "seems" to happen after deleting "some" of the camera images - shooting some more, and then transferring to the computer's PCMCIA card.

Does ANYONE know how to restore these cards to a state where the camera will be able to read and format them again?

-- Marco Overdale (overdale@metservice.com), August 25, 2002.

I to have a Kingston 128MB card and no sooner said than done, I deleted a directory that my wife created from the smartcard from within windows explorer. Now I get a card error and I cannont see the images that i take with the camera even after formatting the card several times with the camera. Does anyone know how to restore the correct directory structure ack to the smartcard?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Phil

-- Phil (dilithium@bellsouth.net), September 15, 2002.

I have an Olympus 2020 -for which I have also purchased a 64MB smartmedia card. I've had the camera for over two years and the card for about one year. I use both on a regular basis and until now, have never experienced any problems. I am getting a "card error" message - not only with the smartmedia card, but also with the smaller card, which came with the camera. I have no idea whether it is the cards, camera or both. Any ideas on what may be wrong or how to remedy the situation? Thanks!

-- Shandy Elizabeth (shandi_e@yahoo.com), September 19, 2002.

Has anybody found a way round reformatting the smart media cards. Mine comes up with the same sort of error after accidentally writing to the card from XP via a USB Card reader writer.

Brian

-- Brian j (brianc@highway1.com.au), October 06, 2002.

I've just bought 32MB and 64MB SmartMedia cards for my "elderly" Agfa 1680 and had lots of problems, mainly with Windows seeing the thumbnails but giving "access denied" at any attempt to download or copy the photos from the cards.

All has been solved by using the Format facility in "My Computer". The cards now behave just like the normal 8 and 16MB cards that have been workinh for years.

I have noticed that the camera "processing" time is longer after each shot.

Hope this is of some use

Steve Rubinstein

-- Steve Rubinstein (SteveRubinstein@compuserve.com), November 06, 2002.

I have made a format utility that repairs the cis and Panorama feature on olypmus smartmedia cards. But need to work with a card reader that uses smrep utility. I rewrote the hex values per this site http://www.geocities.com/roberthaus/pan/ This repaired all of my cards 128mb and 64mb non Olympus cards. And put the Panorama feature on them also.

-- Robert Ashmun (rjashmun@attbi.com), January 12, 2003.

Hello Everyone, I'm having the same problems that we all seem to be having - the sudden loss of access to a smartmedia card in an olympus camera. In my case the problem is that after downloading images on a card reader (I've tried several now, all new but none of them Olympus' own), the camera then cannot recognise the card or reformat it. It seems to me that the readers are the problem for the camera, just wondering why. Has anyone else followed the advice of an earlier answer - to avoid ever deleting or formatting cards other than in the camera? Sounds to me that this might be the way - only ever copying images off the card. If anyone out there has made any advances in sussing this problem out, please let us know! I'm stacking up piles of knackered cards.

-- Graham Stone (graham.stone@ed.ac.uk), January 21, 2003.

There are more resources at my site for this subject. You will need a card reader/writer that uses the Smprep utility Then you may try one the files we have for Zio reader/writers and Microtech so far.

http://home.attbi.com/~slobo66/ or Try http://www.geocities.com/roberthaus/pan/index.html

-- Robert Ashmun (slobo66@attbi.com), February 17, 2003.

Hi! I'm having the same panorama problem as others.. a non oly smartmedia card needs to be reformatted for the oly cam to allow for panorama functions. I have a lexar reader though, and it does not come with smprep! I tried fixed smprep fom another reader manufacturer, but it just reports drivers not installed.

Anyone know how to pano format a card using the lexar usb multi reader?

BTW I have windows xp home, if that helps.

-- Garyu Tabar (gareee1NOSPAM@mchsi.com), April 03, 2003.

Hi! I'm having the same panorama problem as others.. a non oly smartmedia card needs to be reformatted for the oly cam to allow for panorama functions. I have a lexar reader though, and it does not come with smprep! I tried fixed smprep fom another reader manufacturer, but it just reports drivers not installed.

Anyone know how to panorama format a card using the lexar usb multi reader?

BTW I have windows xp home, if that helps.

-- Gary Tabar (gareee1@mchsi.com), April 03, 2003.

Hi Everyone

Well, Unfortunatelly , I can't help, I'm just 1 one more on the list with the problem:). I've bought PQI all in one USB 2.0 reader and coppied some files on the card, and deleted them in the reader/writer afterwards.And now my Oly C-700 says "CARD ERROR" it can not format it at all. However card works perfectly in reader under WINDOWS.. HAve tried suggested utility that writes zeroes to the card, Even after that I can format the card hust under windows.. Huh..Will keep on trying, If anyone fonds some other solution than CW, or SMPREP, please, come back here...

-- Bruno (bruno_@netlane.com), April 05, 2003.

HP Photosmart 1000, XP and a SmartCard

My printer has a card reader function. The reader function, with an Olympus SmartCard 128 megs, worked fine and continues to work fine with a Dell computer (Windows 98). The reader function does not work with a new computer (Windows XP). When attempting to download pictures, the XP computer scrambled the card so that I was not able to read anything on the card. By deleting some "corrupt" picture files, I was again able to read the pictures on my 98 computer.

I read where I had to reformat the card on my camera, which I did. However, this did not make any difference. Has anyone else experieiced this problem?

-- Steve Weiss (sweiss@molex.com), June 17, 2003.

Hi all, Bruno earlier mentioned problem with PQI Travel Flash 2.0.... Here is what I got as official reply from PQI:

---------------------------------------------------

Dear sir,

Regarding your query, this card reader doesn't have SMPREP format function. This SMPREP format is about patent right of Olympus & Fuji. We develope new function can support this type format. Please refer the options:

1. Contact with the distributor for a repair/replacement. Then reformat SM cards under WIN 98/2000 via the new card reader. But we can't sure his stock has the newest type readers.

2.kindly send the SM cards and this card reader to our company in Taiwan as the registered letter. We will low-level format the SM cards asap and add this function on it. Then the reader could support original SM cards and for DSC. Here is the address:

Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. 14F, No.16, Jain Ba Rd., Chung Ho City, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. To: Customer service Tel: 886-2-82265288 Fax: 886-2-82265268

The RMA number is 903070135

But you have to send the SM cards and this card reader together.

3. If you would not like to send this reader and SM card as above. This card reader only can R/W original SM card ( which works with PDA,other brand DC..), not for Olympus/Fuji DSC. Please use other devices ( ex adapter or Olympus's card reader) to low-level format SM cards under WIN 98/2000.

Sorry caused you any inconvenience.

PQI C/S Bonnie 03/07/25

-----Original Message----- From: Vladimir Ivkovic (ZG/ETK) [mailto:vladimir.ivkovic@ericsson.com] Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2003 7:11 PM To: Š¯ˆèŽX(Bonnie Kuan) Subject: Form posted from Microsoft Internet Explorer.

PRODUCT=Travel Flash 6in1 select=others select=0 PLACE=Croatia SERNUM1=FRA3-00 SERNUM2=U2GEA2L01 DESC=Hello!

I got brand new Smartmedia card 128 Mb Kingston SM/128 with corrupted file format. I use it in Fuji Finepix 4800 Z without problems for the first time, but after I put it into Travel Flash USB 2.0 and copied images to PC (with XP Pro), somehow file format was changed/corrupted from Toshiba Smartmedia FAT (digital camera file system) to MS FAT format...I tried to format card again in digital camera, but couldn't do it ('Card error' indication on Fuji). I tried firstly to uncheck 'read only' properties on DCIM directory on SM card, no result ('Card error' indication on Fuji). Then I wiped out (unformatted) card with mediaRECOVER 2.2.1 and tried to format it with dig. camera, no result ('Card error' indication on Fuji).

I would like to do lowlevel format of that Kingston SM card with some lowlevel format utility, compatible with Travel flash (something like SMPREP.EXE version that can use Travel Flash 2.0).

CAN YOU HELP ME, PLEASE?

Thanks in advance, Vladimir

-------------------------------------------------

I'm sending reader and both smartmedia cards (Kingston and Fuji, 128 Mb both) to Taiwan today by DHL....

Vladimir

-- Vladimir Ivkovic (zg2302vi@yahoo.com), July 31, 2003.

Hehe, another poor man. I got the same problem with it and can't find any low level format utility on internet. I hope the some one can tell me where to find the utility for icsi chipset or for pqi travelflash. Thank you very much.

-- Zheng (hdzane@netease.com), August 17, 2003.

I fixed my SanDisk 128MB smartmedia card after getting the "card error" message by using the SMPREP utility that came with my SanDisk Card Reader. Here's the catch though, XP defaults all cards over 32MB to FAT32 instead of FAT (learned that from SanDisk's website). Surely there is some way to change this, but I don't know how. So this won't work with XP, I tried. I ended up installing the card reader on my old Win98 computer and formatted it again. It works fine now. Hope this helps.

-- Josh Suggs (josh_suggs@hotmail.com), August 17, 2003.

I got a card error in my Olympus C-1 after formating a 128MB SmartMedia Card with Windows XP using a PQI TravelFlash. The Card Adapter is based on a ST Microcontroller. After Installing a new driver driver from their website (http://www.stmcu. com/mcdfiles/Win2000_Explorer_Driver_Setup_V2_2_1a.zip) I Was able to do a physical format. The SmartMedia Card is working fine now in my Olympus camera.

-- Willi (williwusel2000@yahoo.de), September 11, 2003.

I have been able to fix (3) Smartmedia cards that were all giving me the "CARD ERROR" message in my Olympus D-360L. This was even done using Windows XP. My reader is a PNY multislot reader. By going to www.pny.com website, I downloaded a file, under "Support", "Flashmedia", called "SMFormat_403.zip". It erases everything so make sure you have rescued as many files as you can. I followed this up with a reformat using the camera's own function. I finally was able to access the camera's internal menu!

-- James MacDonald (mceedees_@excite.com), October 19, 2003.

So the Olympus camera is the shaver and the Smartmedia cards are the blades?

Considering the costs and waste, Olympus is sounding pretty damn slimey. :-(

-- Richard Foulk (blueskyzz2001@yahoo.com), October 23, 2003.

Following the FAQ on the Olympus website,you have to change a brand new media card while counducted the above problem.So we can sure that one things--Olympus is lyer an cheater.

-- honist (72233@163.net), January 14, 2004.

Formatting a card on the computer will destroy the media card. There are files in this first folder called, dcim. This folder is key to the camera. if this folder is not on the card the camera will not know what to do.Also it will mess up some of the clusters of data on the media card. The only way iv been able to get it working after this happens is if you have a 2nd card that is blank, take the dcim files off this card copy them. After that put the formatted card back in past DCIM folder back on to the card. after that you should formatt the card in the camera. Also formatting the card about 10 to 15 uses helps the card last longer. Deleting pictures off the card will leave some memory on the card, and this will build up. in some cases iv seen this take up a large amount of room.

Also on the card type. The C-2020Z accomodates any capacity 3.3v SmartMedia card and comes with an 8MB card. Check to see if you are saving the files in tiff not jpge. alot of programs cant view tiff.

-- Unknown (Oxgon@aol.com), January 15, 2004.

Hi @all,

I had the same probs: my Olympus C-1 won't read the cards, that I used in a Typhoon-Cardreader before. The cards worked very well in my personal computer, but they won't in the camera :-(

I tried various tools to delete all the information on the cards, I formatted them (with FAT) several times, using Win2k and Win98 - nothing worked.

I knew, that a collegue owns an Olympus-Camera (C-3???) too and ask him to bring it to the office. And what should I say: it worked! The camera recognized the cards as not properly prepared and formatted them. Now they work again in my C-1.

Have a nice Weekend :-)

-- Peter Hoff (Peter.Hoff@start.de), January 16, 2004.

Here is a solution to this common problem:

After formatting with a card reader, the Olympus (in my case, a C- 3000) cannot recognize the card and reports "card error" and will fail to format it.

I took the card (a 64meg) to a Blacks photography store, where the owner, very graciously, was able to re-format the card in a FujiFilm camera. Not sure on the model, but this camera was able to format it without a problem!

I was able to use it in the Olympus, but, for safety's sake, re- formatted it in the Olympus any way - Tada!

-- Pedro (peter_g_jenkinsNOSPAM@hotmail.com), February 03, 2004.

If you found this page the same way I did - searching for an answer to the elusive question "why does my Olympus camera not recognize a SSFDC that used to work", I tried EVERY suggestion - reformatting like a disk drive, backup and restore, etc. The ONLY thing that worked was to locate a PNY multislot USB 2.0 reader and download PNY's smformat program. Voila - as j. macdonald pointed out, it works. Ok, $30 for the reader isn't worth the ssfdc, but now I have a multislot reader that is pretty cool, and I rescued the SSFDC (a Memorex 128).

-- Darin_Toohey_ (toohey_@colorado.edu), February 27, 2004.

The PNY multislot reader is fantastic for quickly downloading the pictures off the Smartmdia card. You can download large #'s of files in a matter of seconds. On mine, I also downloaded some firmware from the PNY website. That's because my port was not a 2.0 USB type. It was a 1.?? something. In my case, I just had to make sure that when I exited from the PNY drive, I followed my computer's protocol! My computer recognized the extra drive and asks that I "safely remove the harware" when I finish up. It's just a matter of cliking on a few menu choices. I didn't for a long time and that's what was messing up the card! Maybe if you have the normal 2.0 drive that won't apply.

-- James MacDonald (mceedees_@excite.com), March 14, 2004.

I've tried SMFormat_403.zip but not succeeded (I think I am not using the PNY reader).

But, finally, I got the workable answer!!!!!!!!!

1/ go to http://www.datarescue.com/photorescue/download.htm to download the program "Card Wiper" (or from here -> http://www.datarescue.be/freefiles/cw103.zip)

2/ run the program and choose the SM card to WIPE. It fills Zero's into it and thus likes LOW LEVEL FORMAT the SM card

3/ After wiping the card, insert the card into your camera.

4/ The camera should display "cannot initiate the card" or so (not CARD ERROR!!!), and then you should probably format the card using your cam and make the card alive again

PS. It works in my Fujifilm cam.

Hope this helps!

-- blog blog (blogblog@hotmail.com), May 03, 2004.

Update on my posting above: I got a card error in my Olympus C-1 after formating a 128MB SmartMedia Card with Windows XP using a PQI TravelFlash (USB 1.0). The Card Adapter is based on a ST Microcontroller. After downloading a new driver from their website, I was able to do a physical format. The SmartMedia Card is working fine now in my Olympus camera. You should try this link : http://www.stmcu.com/familiesdocs-19.html or download ST Mass Storage Package version 4.0.1 : http://www.stmcu.com/mcdfiles/1074012170.zip or search for "Mass Storage Package" on www.stmcu.com

-- williwusel2000 (williwusel2000@yahoo.de), May 03, 2004.