Unbiased digital camera reviews, advice, and prices
Note: This camera was first sold in May 2003. It has been replaced by the Canon S410.
Canon PowerShot S400
Canon PowerShot S400
  • 3 out of 5
"Disappointed"
  • 3 out of 5
"memory card error"
See rating based on 714 user reviews
Submit your own Canon S400 review!
No current offers available
Ask

Have a question about the S400?
Enter it here: (You can enter more details in the next step)

Back to List
Question Answered!
Clara Li (clarali) 13 pts
June 9, 2007 5:14 PM
10 people rated this question helpful, 1 people rated this question not helpful Subscribe for Email Updates for this Question

memory card error

When I use my camera it says I have a memory card error, how do I fix it so I can continue taking pictures?
Report Abuse Did you find this question helpful or not helpful?
Answers This question has been answered!
bukit97 (bukit97) 12611 pts
June 9, 2007 5:40 PM
7 people rated this answer helpful, 5 people rated this answer not helpful
 
usually formatting the card with the camera will solve the problem.

In more stubborn cases, you may have to wipe the card and empty everything before formatting with the camera.
Best Answer
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Clara Li (clarali) 13 pts
June 10, 2007 11:14 PM
3 people rated this answer helpful, 1 people rated this answer not helpful
 
thanks! I'm not the most tech savy.
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
greg 0 pts
June 18, 2007 3:24 PM
0 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
after formatting this same problem,new card too :(
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Margartet 5 pts
June 20, 2007 1:19 PM
5 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
Hello,

Does anyone know if I can retrieve my photos once I have a "Memory Card Error"? I inadvertantly pressed the short video after which I received the Memory Card Error message. I have several pictures of Paris on the card and I would love to retrieve them.

Thank you.


Margaret
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Christina 3 pts
June 22, 2007 4:07 PM
3 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
I just got back from a trip with loads of photos and got the "memory card error" and did what I've done before, which is just take out the memory card and put it in again. Sometimes that works. This time it didn't. So I recharged the battery, took the card in and out numerous times, and finally, it worked again! Now I'm shopping for a new memory card (this has happened with other new memory cards, SanDisk, not some offbrand) but as I'm researching, I'm finding out this seems to be a common problem...
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Regina 1 pts
July 17, 2007 8:07 AM
1 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
My memory card was supposed to be transferred thru a memory card reader. When I uploaded it, the computer said, there are no pictures. When I returned the mem. card to the camera, it said, mem. card error. did i lose my pictures?

Thanks.
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
bukit97 (bukit97) 12611 pts
July 19, 2007 2:28 PM
0 people rated this answer helpful, 1 people rated this answer not helpful
 
Something went wrong and for a month or two, I could see your questions but not able to open it.
So let me answer all your questions before that something happens again.

Regina and Margaret :
You have not lost your pictures, if you din't do anything drastic to the card. Just download a copy of Zero Assumption Photo Recovery from this location and follow the instructions on the same web page to recover your photos.

Christina and Greg :
As you have found out, re-inserting the card a couple of times sometimes do the trick, but not always. If you have pictures in the card that matters, try to use Zero Assumption as mentioned above and your card will be OK.
It is a contact problem and Zero Assumption is a good cure, though nobody knows how it does it.
Otherwise use the format command of Win2000 or XP and format the card with Fat 16, or simply Fat. It works better than anything else although I normally tell people to format the card with the camera.


Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Djodi 1 pts
August 14, 2007 1:21 AM
1 people rated this answer helpful, 1 people rated this answer not helpful
 
I have done what has been recommended and still have the message. I live in Egypt and don't trust taking it to anyone really. I have no pictures to lose, so I am not worried about that. It worked one day and not the next. Anymore suggestions?

I am heading to the USA next week. Is there a reliable place that can fix this problem. Is there some programming to do with the camera? Has anyone ever finally solved this problem?

Djodi
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Valerie Duval 0 pts
August 19, 2007 8:39 AM
0 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
I have a MAC and you only gave infor for Win2000 or XP..........can you help???? Thanks.....

Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
lilSaint963 3 pts
September 30, 2007 11:31 PM
2 people rated this answer helpful, 1 people rated this answer not helpful
 
Help! I have an SD750, and the memory card does not format! This also happened when we got it out of the box - brand new! The memory card is an SD 2.0 GB. Also, when I've been taking pictures for a little over 30 minutes, it says, "Memory Card Error" and will not save pictures that have been taken. This has happened multiple times and I'm frustrated! Any ideas?
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Zach 8 pts
October 21, 2007 8:31 PM
8 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
Great news! I found a page on Canon's USA website that says they know about htis problem and will fix the camera free of charge, in or out of warranty!! I have sent them an email already and will be calling their support # tomorrow about this issue as i have TWO S400 Elphs that now are both doing it.... I spent good money when this camera came out AND loved it for all my uses. Now that i know they can be fixed i'm even more excited.

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&fcategoryid=223&modelid=8777&keycode=2112&id=27465
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Julie 0 pts
November 2, 2007 2:27 PM
0 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
ZACH!!
THANK YOU for the info & link to Canon's website. As you stated, the MEMORY CARD ERROR is a known internal camera problem. The tech 1st had me format the memory card to see if that fixed the problem & it didn't, so they are going to pay for shipping both ways + repair my camera for free.
Thanks, again, for the info.
It's amazing what info you can get by doing a quick online search!!!
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
greg 0 pts
November 2, 2007 3:20 PM
0 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=23686283
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Deanna Squires 0 pts
September 17, 2008 9:57 PM
0 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
Im having the EXACT same problem LilSaint is having!! :( :(:(
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
Kanna 0 pts
December 27, 2008 12:23 AM
0 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
Hi, I kept getting a "memory card error" on my S500 (very similar to the S400) as well. My fix is a little different: It turns out that one of the pins in the CF memory card slot was bent. I had to take apart the whole camera to get in there and straighten out the pin, but when I put it all back together, it works great! No more errors. If you decide to take it apart, be very careful about keeping track of where each screw goes... they are tiny and they are different sizes.
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?
armadillo 0 pts
March 28, 2009 12:21 PM
0 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
If you have problems with your memory card in 80% of all cases the controller of your card is damaged and no software or card reader can help. You must separate the memory chip and dump the raw data to recover your data, look here: CF xD SD memory card error
Report Abuse Did you find this answer helpful or not helpful?

This Question is Answered. If you have further information you may add it here.

Need to add formatting or links? Use BBCode.
Spell-check
Start Here!
Most Popular
  1. Panasonic FZ35
  2. Canon SD1200 IS
  3. Canon 500D
  4. Canon A1000 IS
  5. Canon SX20 IS
  6. Panasonic FS15
  7. Samsung SL30
  8. Canon 50D
  9. Nikon D90
  10. Canon SX120
Camera Brand
Price Range
Camera Type
Camera Line
Megapixels
Hands-On Reviews
Latest Cameras
Top Searches
Our Other Sites

Close
Loading