My Olymus xd memory card has an error and will not work in my camera. The camera asks me to format pictures then delete all. What do i need to do to save/retrieve my pictures?

The error can be caused by:

1. The xD-Picture Card or internal memory is not formatted.

2. The xD-Picture Card contact area is soiled.

3. a camera fault

for 1.:

Format the xD-Picture Card or internal memory on the camera (p.130)
To format the internal memory or xD card goto format in the setup menu and chose the correct memory.

for 2.:

Wipe the contact area on the xD-Picture Card with a soft, dry cloth. It may be necessary to format the xD-Picture Card

(p.130).

If the message still appears, replace the xD-Picture Card

for 3.: You won't like this one:

Contact your FUJIFILM dealer.

The max card size for the camera is either M or H512mb. Try the following website to locate cards for sale www.oempcworld.com

Deleting or formatting won't make the data in xd card erased permanently.

Those deleted data is still stored on the xd card, it's just invisible or inaccessible. Only the FAT or NFTS table is erased (the information about where those data were saved), but the real data are still intact there in sectors of xd card .

So as long as those data are not overwritten by new data, it's highly possible to recover them. And the MOST Effective way is to rely on some format recovery programs.

Try asoftech data recovery program, which can recover data after deeply scanning your xd card drive to look for lost data you accidentally deleted or formatted.

http://www.asoftech.com/apr/

Try to use a card reader instead. They are only a few dollars. I use one all the time, and hardly ever will use the camera on different models I have.
Never delete from the PC to the camera. It can cause corruption. Once corrupted, you may lose all pictures on the card.
Always delete from the camera, unless you will format the card anyway.
Use the camera and try to delete the bad picture from the camera. this may fix the problem, if not, try to read from another camera or a card reader...don't ever delete from another camera or the card reader.

The last is not good, and that means to format the card, and you will lose all which is on the card.
You may try to copy to internal memory.

One more thing... take out the card. reset all in the camera menu. Then reset all the things you like. Put the card in and try to read each picture in play mode only. If one picture is very slow, delete it. This may take some time as corrupted files may read slowly. then try again.

A card access error may indicate that an xD-Picture Card memory card is in a write-protected condition. xD-Picture Card memory cards have a special protection feature to ensure that your pictures are kept safe. NOTE: During this condition, you can still use the printer for printing and saving photos from the xD-Picture Card to a secure location, such as the computer hard drive. To resolve this error, try the following:

• Reinsert the xD-Picture Card memory card into your camera and turn on the camera. In most cases, the camera automatically makes the necessary changes.
• Reformat the xD-Picture Card memory card. See the documentation that came with your camera for instructions on reformatting the memory card. Note that this process erases the pictures currently saved to your memory card. To save these pictures, transfer them to the computer before reformatting the memory card. Once you reformat the memory card, transfer those photos back to the memory card using the computer.

I have had success with this... Download Asoftech photo recovery program
http://www.asoftech.com/apr/

You have to use a card reader either on your computer or an external USB card reader. Put the card in the card reader, open the recovery program, then select the drive where files are deleted, then press "Start" and wait for it to do it's magic.

Try re-formatting the card.

When you recieve a "Card Error" or "Card Not Initialized" message, this indicates that your memory may be temporarily corrupted. This can be due to not formatting your memory card on a consistent basis. Most consumers will use the "delete all" feature and continue to take pictures. By doing this, the file format of the card may become unstable.

We recommend formatting your memory card in your camera after saving the images from your previous shooting session. Once a memory card is formatted, the images will not be recoverable.

Try formating the card in the Camera twice. or Download PCinspector from www.convar.com Install this program and run the recovery program with the card in the media slot. Then back to camera and format, Come back

have you tried formatting the card first within the camera, as it may be corrupt, or try it in a card reader and format that way.