Some Helpful tips on extending the life of your Card

The best approach is to load your memory card, copy the images on it directly to your hard drive. Then take the card out. Keep the card in the computer no longer than necessary. Do the image downloading from the card, then extract it. Left in the computer it will continuously access the directory, checking the byte order, to see if there are any changes etc.

This action is identical to a write cycle so the life of your card is reduced. Don’t work on the image while it’s still on the card. You could easily knock out half of the life expectancy of the card just by doing that with a single image.

The message: load your card, copy the images from it directly to your hard drive. Then take the card out.

More tips to keep your memory card healthy:
After a shooting session, download the pictures, then reformat the card in the camera. The camera then writes a clean directory, dispensing with leftover and unrelated entries. Reformat the card frequently.

If you have accidentally erased the card in the camera, the pictures may still be recoverable. It’s only when a camera has performed a ‘long erase’ that you may be unable to recover the images.

So, to sum up, here are the tips for healthy Memory Cards

1.It helps to follow these tips to maintain a card’s health and preserve your precious images.
2. Always reformat the card in your camera each time, after you have downloaded the images to your computer.
3. Deleting the images on your card while it is in your computer after downloading is not the same thing as reformatting the card in the camera.
4. Never load nor remove a card into/from the camera during the image transfer process.
5. Never force a card into a camera.
6. Always handle your memory card by its edges. Don’t touch the card’s contact points. Keep them away from dust and moisture. Don’t bend or twist it.
7. Always turn off the camera’s power before you load the card or withdraw it.
8. When using a card reader always move the icon of the card to the trash, then wait a few moment before removing the card from the reader.
9. Always keep your camera batteries fully charged. If power fails while data is being written to the card both card and data may be damaged.
10. Keep away from any high static charges, strong magnetic charges and extreme heart and cold — and be very careful when handling cards in dry, low humidity zones.
11. Before editing the images, always transfer them to the hard drive.