40D: Can't format the CF card

I have a 2GB Sandisk Extreme III CF card pulled from a working Nikon camera. I put the card in the card reader and formated it on a computer. Now when I put it in my 40D, first thing it says: this card need to be formated. But if I do so, it complains: this card cannot be formatted.
Any one has clue? Or it's the time to dump the card (although it works normal on the computer, you can copy file in and out of it)?
Thanks.
Don

Don't know the answer to your question, but I'm not a fan of Sandisk. The only cards I've ever had problems with have both been Sandisks - one ended up being chucked, the other would only work on my computer. I've used CF cards since they first came out and have several, and no problems with any other brands.

ok, thanks for the reply.

Just a long shot.......

Did you format it FAT or FAT32? If you formatted it FAT, try again using FAT32.

peterbj7 wrote in post #6431625
Don't know the answer to your question, but I'm not a fan of Sandisk. The only cards I've ever had problems with have both been Sandisks - one ended up being chucked, the other would only work on my computer. I've used CF cards since they first came out and have several, and no problems with any other brands.

I'd bet you're in the minority. I've used Sandisk for years in cameras, PDAs and other devices and they've performed flawlessly for me.

runninmann wrote in post #6431784
I'd bet you're in the minority. I've used Sandisk for years in cameras, PDAs and other devices and they've performed flawlessly for me.

Second that.

If it doesn't work SanDisk will be more than happy to replace it, I can guarantee you that much.

Jim_T wrote in post #6431716
Just a long shot.......

Did you format it FAT or FAT32? If you formatted it FAT, try again using FAT32.

I did it as FAT32 (the default setting). I realized the title said NIKONxxx while the cards out of Canon always had EOS_DIGITAL as title so I tried to change the title with no avail.

I guess for <$20 I would just let it go, just curious if I had missed something silly.

Do not format cards in the computer, only in the camera. Try deleting/erasing everything in the card in the computer, then formatting in camera.

Thanks for the reply but I can't. That's the problem.

gasrocks wrote in post #6432118
Do not format cards in the computer, only in the camera. Try deleting/erasing everything in the card in the computer, then formatting in camera.

gasrocks wrote in post #6432118
Do not format cards in the computer, only in the camera. Try deleting/erasing everything in the card in the computer, then formatting in camera.

Why not, if I may ask?
I have formatted CF cards in computer million times and never had a problem.

As a matter of fact, performing full format in computer is the easiest way to fix problems with memory media.
Formatting in camera does nothing other than deleting the content and recreating the folder/file structure.

If the CF card cannot be formatted in computer, the problem is either with the card reader, or the card itself.

If the card still shows the Nikon label, then the camera probably won't like it -- nothing personal against Nikon, but you will need to do a low-level format, or even something like fDisk and reformat to get the label blank, I suspect.

I'm with Tony - changing the label can have strange effects. Have you ever tried viewing the camera a picture you've renamed on a computer with a non-standard-camera-format name? It doesn't work.

If the Windows format doesn't work, try repartitioning it with something like Partition Magic.

EnronRocks wrote in post #6431896
Second that.

If it doesn't work SanDisk will be more than happy to replace it, I can guarantee you that much.

++Ditto

Try to just remove all the partitions.

On Windows, go to Control Panel > Administrator Tools > Computer Management > Disk Manager, then select the partitions with for the CF card and delete. Then eject the card, and format in the camera.

On Mac, go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility, select the CF card on the left, then select partition and delete all the partions. Then eject the card, and format in the camera.

peterbj7 wrote in post #6431625
Don't know the answer to your question, but I'm not a fan of Sandisk. The only cards I've ever had problems with have both been Sandisks - one ended up being chucked, the other would only work on my computer. I've used CF cards since they first came out and have several, and no problems with any other brands.

I've got many GB of SanDisk cards and I've had more trouble with the 4 Kingston cards (totalling less than 3 GB) I have. And SanDisk Extreme III cards have a lifetime warranty.

dchen99 wrote in post #6432069
I did it as FAT32 (the default setting). I realized the title said NIKONxxx while the cards out of Canon always had EOS_DIGITAL as title so I tried to change the title with no avail.

I guess for <$20 I would just let it go, just curious if I had missed something silly.

gasrocks wrote in post #6432118
Do not format cards in the computer, only in the camera. Try deleting/erasing everything in the card in the computer, then formatting in camera.

I too am curious where you got this idea. I routinely format my cards in the computer; it's the safest way to prepare your cards for use in any camera without transferring file numbering. It's also a bit more effective, so if there is a problem area in the card, you're more likely to catch it before the middle of a shoot.

tonylong wrote in post #6433246
If the card still shows the Nikon label, then the camera probably won't like it -- nothing personal against Nikon, but you will need to do a low-level format, or even something like fDisk and reformat to get the label blank, I suspect.

Label names don't matter; I've got many different labels on the cards I use. And you can always change the label in Windows Explorer, for instance, the same way you'd rename a file. Or right-click, choose "Properties" and rename there. Not to mention the "Format" option of Windows Explorer also allows you to change the label. If none of those allow you to relabel the card, it is bad; let SanDisk replace it for you.

peterbj7 wrote in post #6434251
I'm with Tony - changing the label can have strange effects. Have you ever tried viewing the camera a picture you've renamed on a computer with a non-standard-camera-format name? It doesn't work.

If the Windows format doesn't work, try repartitioning it with something like Partition Magic.

File names, directory structures and volume labels are all very different animals. Volume labels are irrelevant; directory structures for different cameras can coexist on the same card, but file names are affected by the last file name on the card regardless of the camera it's from.