Canon 50D Formatting Error

Ok so here's my dilemma

So the problem I'm facing there's a bit of a back story. I was given a Canon 40D and was told it didn't work, to satisfy my curiosity i put a Pretec 4GB CF 233x cards into the camera and a battery to my surprise the camera worked, or so it seemed.

However i received an error message "format card with this camera" so i formatted the memory card although i just got the status message that it was 'busy' i left it for a while and nothing happened after turning off the camera and putting the memory card in my Canon 50D i got the same message "format card with this camera" i did the same thing and formatted the card although this time it displayed the message "cant format change card" prior to trying to format the card in the 40D the 4GB CF 233x card was working fine, now it wont format in any canon camera but i can read and format the card on my PC...

Any Suggestions?

With a bright flashlight, carefully check the 40D for bent or missing pins.

rrblint wrote in post #16732796
With a bright flashlight, carefully check the 40D for bent or missing pins.

Hey Mark thanks for replying. I've checked the 40D no bent pins as far as i can tell but the main problem now is that i have two CF cards that wont work with my 50D... any suggestions of how to fix them?

I've tried formatting them on my computer
deleting the partition table on the card and creating a new one
numerous format types

no matter what i do or try when i go to format them in the 50D i still receive the error message 'Cant't format change card'

Hmmm, that's a real puzzle.

Both cards worked properly in the 50D prior to your installing them in the 40D?

rrblint wrote in post #16732815
Hmmm, that's a real puzzle.

Both cards worked properly in the 50D prior to your installing them in the 40D?

Yes and here's another piece to the puzzle i have a canon 20D and using the cards that wont format in the 50D format fine in the 20D and function, although still won't work in the 50D

This probably won't do anything, but have you removed the batteries from the 50D? I'd first try the BP511 battery, and if you still have the problem, remove the CMOS battery, and the BP511, and then try again.

It's only a stab in the dark though.

KirkS518 wrote in post #16732909
This probably won't do anything, but have you removed the batteries from the 50D? I'd first try the BP511 battery, and if you still have the problem, remove the CMOS battery, and the BP511, and then try again.

It's only a stab in the dark though.

I have removed the batteries in the hope for a simple fix but with no such luck.

I was thinking about this as a solution removing the internal CMOS battery because the camera seems to have a memory for these two particular cards... but they work perfectly fine with the 20D...

Hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question but where might one find the CMOS battery on a 50D?

Thirkey4221 wrote in post #16732949
Hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question but where might one find the CMOS battery on a 50D?

Go to http://macdyphotos.com …ck-battery-canon-eos-50d/ for full instructions with pictures.

You'll need a single CR2016 battery which is commonly available in drugstores, hardware stores, sometimes even grocery stores.

Another thought comes to mind; most Canon cameras have a very small microswitch in the area of the memory card door. If that switch is defective then the camera will exhibit some strange behavior. So look carefully for a microswitch usually actuated by a protrusion on the door.

I know you have done it but I suggest you recheck the pins in the camera body with a very bright light. It is very easy to miss a pin that is bent, or even missing. In most instances you should see 50 pins configured as two rows of 25 each.