Memory card I have a coolpix 8800 camera it has been working fine, until the last download of photo's, now it keeps comming up on the screen memory card not formatting, I have ejected it and put back in on several occassions but, it is still comming up not formatting, please can you help! Mrs j. shaw

ALTERNATE WAY TO TRANSFER PHOTOS TO COMPUTER
If your photos are stored on the memory card, then remove the memory card from the camera and insert it into an USB memory card reader. Connect this USB memory card reader and memory card into the USB port of your working computer. Your computer will see this as an USB Mass Storage Device or an external storage device; you can then open the folder on the memory card and copy the photos to your computer. Memory card reader is a handy device and is inexpensive. You can copy photos from other cameras and you can also download photos off your memory card to someone else's computer without the need of installing any programs.

ALTERNATE WAY TO TRANSFER PHOTOS TO COMPUTER
If your photos are stored on the memory card, then removethe memory card from the camera and insert it into an USB memory card reader.Connect this USB memory card reader and memory card into the USB port of yourworking computer. Your computer will see this as an USB Mass Storage Device oran external storage device; you can then open the folder on the memory card andcopy the photos to your computer.Memory card reader is a handy device and is inexpensive. Youcan copy photos from other cameras and you can also download photos off yourmemory card to someone else's computer without the need of installing anyprograms.

ALTERNATE WAY TO TRANSFER PHOTOS TO COMPUTER
If your photos are stored on the memory card, then removethe memory card from the camera and insert it into an USB memory card reader.Connect this USB memory card reader and memory card into the USB port of yourworking computer. Your computer will see this as an USB Mass Storage Device oran external storage device; you can then open the folder on the memory card andcopy the photos to your computer.Memory card reader is a handy device and is inexpensive. Youcan copy photos from other cameras and you can also download photos off yourmemory card to someone else's computer without the need of installing anyprograms.

Having a "System Error" message display on the camera's LCD display generally indicates a problem where the camera will need to come to Nikon for repair. A System Error is a general error which can be caused by many things: lens problem, CF Card problem, general camera failure, etc. Before sending the camera in, check these:

1. Use the memory card that originally came with the camera (or a Nikon approved card) [/*]
2. Remove and replace the battery [/*]

Probably one of two solutions.
First, the memory card should have all the pictures intact. If you are using the camera to review, you may need to just keep going back until the memory card photos show.
Another possibility is that the internal memory supersedes viewing the card memories. You may have to run a USB cable to your computer, download the internal memory photos, and then you can possibly see (on the camera) the memory card photos. It might be a good idea to download those photos to your computer too, if the computer has a memory card slot. Otherwise you will have to go through them and download via the USB again. Once you know the photos are saved, you can either change cards with a new one , or clear the old card and start again.
Good Luck

The best way to download pictures from your camera to your computer involves removing the memory card from the camera and plugging it into a card reader (either built-in to the computer or connected via USB or FireWire). This is likely to be faster than connecting the camera to the computer, and won't run down your camera's batteries.

Once the card is plugged in, it will appear to your computer as a removable drive. You can use the operating system's drag&drop facility to copy pictures from the card to the computer's hard drive. Or you can use Nikon Transfer or any other photo cataloging program.

You can get the current versions of all (free) Nikon software from
http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/61

Try this...go into the menu and try to find an entry for "reset" to get back to factory default settings. Then, assuming you've safely downloaded any pics from the card, insert it into the camera, go into the menu and find "format"....follow the on-screen instructions to erase and optimize the card. Let me know how this works for you.

In the absence of the contents of the message, I am going to guess that it is having some issue with the memory card. Memory cards have grown enormously in capacity in the last couple of years, and even relatively new cameras may not be able to cope with the memory size of the newest cards. Some cameras seem to work with too-large memory cards at first, then throw a serious tantrum as the card starts to fill.

I think you need to try formatting the card, using the camera's own function to do so. This will establish whether the card is compatible with the camera. BEFORE you do this, save your pictures to your computer, as they will be deleted by the format.

SD and SDHC cards fit the same slots, but many cameras won't work with the SDHC (high capacity) cards. SDHC is not backwards compatible.

Check the memory card. It's probably damaged. If not it should be a software error, and you have to take it to the dealer where you purchased it from

I would put the card in my pocket and take it to work...
Nearly every desktop made in the last 5 years has card readers, and if you can't DL the pics at work (to a file that you attatch to an email for DLing later at home),
then hit a coffee shop with public machines...the library...even most drugstores (CVS, for example) have card-readers in their photo dept.

Walmart has printing/document service (near electronics dept) with card-readers and can transfer the pics to disk...as will most any downtown document service, including many UPS stores (Yes, they have document services).

Once the pics are recovered, you can of course re-format the card.