BLINKING intermittent image files mystery

[xkaes]

This is a new one for me, and I'm sure there is a solution -- but I don't have one yet.

I've just taken a bunch of shots and they all appear fine on the COMPACT FLASH in the camera -- and I can see the saved file names.

However, when I try to show them on my computer, THREE of the files don't show up. I've tried different file managers and different operating systems, and these three files are nowhere to be seen. I've even typed in the actual file name, and it cannot be found. But there they are, when I turn on the camera.

As I said, I've tried different file mangers, viewer, operating systems, compact flash readers, rebooting, disconnecting, etc. Nothing.

The camera shows them fine, but the computer? NADA. Just those THREE files -- all other files on the CF are fine.

Any ideas? It's driving me NUTS!!

 

[DWThomas]

Some random (and likely useless -- but -- ) thoughts:

a) Do you have any of those file recovery programs stashed away that you might try?
b) How large is the card, and is at least some of the multitudinous stuff you've tried of similar vintage?
c) Can you download directly from the camera with the CF card in? The two CF based cameras I had could do that, mayhaps at less than optimum speed.

I know with SD cards people have encountered problems using larger cards with some device's default formatting not being fully compatible. With CF cards, the camera (or reader, etc) maker might have saved a nickel by not supplying enough address lines to reach the upper half of a card above a certain size.

Recommendations are usually to format the card in the camera you use it in, but that is annoying. And it might not resolve the problem anyway.

My warped mind can envision a messed up, corroded, or broken high order address line that might prohibit addressing beyond some major boundary, but manages to connect when in the camera. Those CF cards have a forest of rather fragile looking connector pins in their physical interface.

Another real-l-ly far out idea -- the data targeted for the upper part of a too-large card where the necessary address line is not implemented could maybe overwrite data elsewhere in the lower part of the memory and appear correct as a directory entry, but actually be corrupting an earlier file. Have you found any bad files among the downloaded ones?

(Geeze, hope this stream of unconsciousness doesn't provoke any insomnia tonight!!)

Well, good luck anyway!

 

[MFstooges]

+1 for connecting the camera and flash card directly to PC
If still doesn't work try to do chkdsk on the flash card to see how big of the data size in there and if there are bad sectors.

This is among two of the things that made me return to analogue

 

[Romanko]

Is it possible that the files are hidden? Did you try running `ls -al .` in a terminal (Linux and MacOS)?

 

[xkaes]

The files are simple *.JPG files automatically named by the camera. The card was recently formatted by the camera, without any bad sectors, and the files show up fine with the card in the camera. There is plenty of space on the card.

I haven't tried connecting the camera (with the card in it) to the computer. That's my next option. Like I said, all the files show up fine except three of them -- and I didn't do anything special when they were created.

I'll let you know what I find out. It's an odd one.

 

[xkaes]

Another computer day from Hell.

I attached my camera to my computer with the CF in the camera -- and all of the files show up. HOORAY!!! Don't ask me why -- but if I try to access the files with any of my CF readers (I have FOUR of them -- two in printers, and two USB stand-alone), the three missing files are still missing. So I'm confident that I can save the files to my computer by accessing them through the camera.

Unfortunately, I can't do that right now. As soon as the three missing files showed up -- while my camera was attached to the computer -- the mouse stopped working. So I decided to reboot. Then a "CORRUPT WINDOWS" screen appeared. I tried to REPAIR Windows with the installation CD, but that failed, so now I'm reinstalling Windows.

That's OK because I have a recent complete system backup, but it's going to take all afternoon -- of course.

PITA!

 

[MFstooges]

I would've just tried Windows healthcheck first rather than reinstalling.

 

[xkaes]

I would've just tried Windows healthcheck first rather than reinstalling.

The computer will not boot -- not in SAFE mode or any mode. The RESTORE is running right now. All my files are fine, but it's just a lot of time. But with Windows you have to make backups, and unfortunately have to use them at times. Much less frustrating than the "trial & error" approach -- "Try this", "No, do this", "Nope, this is what you need to do"...............

Why my mouse would stop working after connecting my camera is still a mystery -- hopefully I can avoid in the future by not needing to connect them again.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

DOn't you have another computer to try out the CF card?

 

[xkaes]

This SAGA gets even stranger. If I attach the camera (with the CF) to a Windows XP machine, all three "missing" files show up fine. When I attach the camera (with the CF) to a Windows 10 machine, only two of the three "missing" files show up.

Gotta laugh!!!

 

[xkaes]

DOn't you have another computer to try out the CF card?

I've got lots of options -- different computers, operating systems, CF readers, file managers. It looks like I can only access ALL the files either in the camera, or attaching the camera to an XP machine. All of my numerous CF readers still miss THREE files on the CF card -- no matter what the CF reader is attached to. They do not list the 3 "missing" files at all, not as a error, or CAN'T READ, or CAN'T DISPLAY -- just nothing, not there.

 

[DWThomas]

Enh -- think of it as part of an anti-Alzheimers program, trying to keep your mind active!

Where what's left of my mind was headed in yesterday's post was that if years had passed between purchase of a card reader and the camera, maybe the card size exceeds what the reader can handle. Directories are generally a linked set of tables. If you're not seeing a directory entry, other than a hidden bit as questioned upthread maybe the external hardware is unable to reach the next table from the link in the previous because it exceeds the address range of the reader. Back in the (ho ho) "good ol' days" when storage was much smaller and simpler, your could prowl through the memory contents with a debugger utility. Nowadays when "small" cards are measured in gigabytes, that concept is less appealing.

 

[xkaes]

Good try, but this is a relatively small CF card and I'm trying several different CF readers. There are only 20 small files on the newly formatted CF card (256Mb). All the files read fine except three -- and the problem files are not in numbered sequence. The camera sees them all, the Windows XP computer sees them all fine -- when the CF card is in the camera -- but when I try to use any of the four CF readers, the computer misses three of them. It's OK because I've figured out a way to get them -- just an unexpected way, and I have no idea how to avoid this problem in the future.

After I get the files off, I'll do another format and a CHKDSK just in case.

 

[MFstooges]

I hope you'll getting somewhere. Windows is always edgy.
What I found to be causing many problems in memory card is when you delete the file via PC instead of from the camera. I now always back up the memcard and delete or format the card from the camera.

 

[xkaes]

I know that doing just about anything to the files on a CF card via a computer can mess things up -- but I haven't. All I did was format the card in the camera, take 20 simple photos -- which all show up in the camera -- and try to access them on a computer (actually different computers with different OSs). All of the file show up in the camera, but THREE of the files don't show up on any of the computers or OSs when using ANY of my FOUR CF readers. Don't know why. Never had this problem before.

I can access the "missing" files if I access the CF card IN THE CAMERA when it is attached to an XP computer. Makes no sense to me.

 

[DWThomas]

I'm guessing from the 256 M card, it and maybe other things in your collection they may span quite a bit of calendar time. As such, there could be enhancements along the way where some interface glitch in the "old reliable" hardware had been ignored, but on a faster, newer device, the glitch impacts function.

I once upgraded to a larger cartridge drive on a company product (circa 1995) hooked to an industrial VMEbus SCSI controller. Started having occasional trashed ID sectors. A few hours setting up tests with a logic analyzer showed a minuscule glitch in a strobe line that could cause picking up data before the data lines were stable. Ended up cutting a line on the controller board and putting a small RC circuit in there to delay a transition enough to kill the momentary glitch. (Fortunately this was in a low volume product! (And the controller had a lot of discrete TTL logic that permitted getting deep into the internals.)) The original flawed setup had been running happily for several years in the field with the older drives.

Sometimes when one contemplates the "magic" packed in behind the scenes in some of these devices, one might be forgiven for being surprised it ever works!

 

[xkaes]

All of my various CF readers are the same "era" as the CF cards themselves. Same thing with my digital camera and computers and operating system -- XP. There's nothing here related to older gear trying to connect to newer gear. Like I said, I've never had this problem in several years of use -- and I hope I never have it again -- but at least I have a way to remedy it. Maybe someone else will have a similar problem -- someday -- and read this thread.