forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1008&message=8803999
So, fear not, as the solution is not that hard.
This site aims at compiling the various info spread throughout the universe =) I personally repaired my cards with an old Olympus MAUSB-2 card reader and found it quite hard to dig up the correct links. So I hope that this sites makes it easier for you.
By the way, much of the info here also applies to other memory cards.
Before talking about corrupt SmartMedia cards, you are probably interested how to save your pictures that are still on the corrupt card, right?
How do I recover images from corrupt cards?
There are many tools available. They vary in price and effectiveness. I personally am satisfied with the SanDisk RescuePRO Tool that came with my SanDisk Ultra II CompactFlash card: Yes, the tool works also on other memory cards of other manufacturers! Inigo posted some info at the dpreview Olympus forum: forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1008&message=4513656.
You can download "Digital Image Recovery" by Alexander Grau either as the current commercial version
www.lc-tech.com/software.htm (now called PhotoRecovery)
or older freeware versions:
home.arcor.de/a.niggemann/dir.zip (version 1.47)
groups.yahoo.com/group/Oly2100/files/ (free Yahoo account required)
Other free tools include:
www.pcinspector.de/smart_media_recovery/uk/welcome.htm (file recovery for memory cards)
www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/uk/welcome.htm (general file recovery)
Follow the instructions of installing and running that come with the programme and you should be ok.
I noticed that when my card was not heavily corrupt, my SanDisk recovery tool did a great job. But once corruption grew stronger, the recovery did not work well. Different tools may be better for certain problems than others. The good commercial tools will provide a shareware version which shows you a only preview of what the full version can do. That way, it is fairly easy to "try before you buy". But check out the free versions above, first, especially PC Inspector's Smart Media Recovery.
After you have saved your pictures from the corrupt card, it is time to repair it.
What is "corruption?"
Corruption means that your card is physically intact but its CIS (card information system) contains wrong data that leads to
- your camera not starting
- your camera hanging unexpectedly
- your pictures being unreadable
- your pictures being only partly readable
forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1008&message=8804953:
Short summary:
Clean card with alcohol, insert wet card partially into your camera, slide it in and out numerous times.
I must admit that I would be too afraid to try this!
There is also a "cleaning card" available over at:
www.wolfcamera.com
it is specifically designed to clean your camera's contacts and costs only 5 US$.
I'd also recommend to check if your camera works with other cards. If it does work, the fault is in your card, so read on. (If it does not work, it might mean the camera's contacts are corroded or even defect.) If you do not have a second card, I'd still recommend doing the recover method detailed below, before you clean your expensive camera with alcohol...
How does my card get corrupted?
Common theory is that some card readers create corruption when they are used to move/erase images on the card. You should use the card reader only to copy images and then delete the images from within your camera's menu. However, I have heard from many people who have never had any problems with their card in their card reader - it's your choice.
I am not sure how my card got corrupted, but I assume it was when I was taking photos next to a very strong strobelight. Its electric and magnetic fields (it's an old scientific one) might have disturbed my camera when writing images to the card.
Another possible reason for corruption is when the power supply malfunctions while a write-process is happening.
How can I fix it?
Often you can fix it by formatting the card in your camera. Formatting in your card reader is usually a bad idea. So, if your camera cannot access the card, because the corruption is too bad, you are pretty lost. The old Fuji cameras are known for being able to format even those cards that cannot be accessed by the old Olympus cameras. So if you have a friend with an old Fuji, try this first.
The USB reader low-level format
The principle is described here:
www.marshost.com/~rashmun/index.htm
Summary:
- get a card reader with SMC chipset. Which ones are those, you ask? Well, mostly older readers. The most obvious may be the Olympus MAUSB-2 (download windows drivers here: downloads.olympus-europa.com/consumer/MAUSB/172/1.01sm2oly.exe, the old Zio (when Smartdisk was called www.ziocorp.com which was called Microtech) sdkbase.smartdisk.com/display/2n/kb/article.asp?aid=1191 drivers, Delkin eFilm Reader-4, and some others. The most current I know of (Thanks, Stef!) is the LDLC reader writer 9 in 1. Some more are listed on the above-mentioned site.
- install the card reader
- Check the installation folder for a file called smprep.exe (for CompactFlash cards it is called cfrep.exe. If you can't find it, try installing the "ZIO! SM" drivers for your operating system from here: www.ziocorp.com/support/Microtech_Downloads.htm. You now should have a file called smprep.exe in the new installation folder.
- start smprep.exe and low-level format your SmartMedia card
- If the formatting has destroyed the panorama function of your Olympus card, you can re-activate it
with the method described here:
www.marshost.com/~rashmun/olympusfix.htm
The panorama function will still work after formatting, when the CIS was not destroyed. There is no knowing the status of the CIS before trying to low-level format.
I don't want money, but I'd be grateful for a nice postcard, a CD with or prints from your best pictures, a broken camera,... ;)
Especially for people in North America, www.SmartMediaRepair.com offers a very fair price for repairing cards and even offers data recovery service.
If you send a card, please use either the original storage case or trap the card by itself between two sheets of cardboard. They can break in the mail.
When all hope is gone...
When your card is bent (the upper shot) or shows cracks (lower shot), it is pretty questionable that the card can be repaired.
