EXTREMELY Discouraged with New Camera

Hello all...

I thought I was very fortunate last week, when for my birthday I received not only a copy of PhotoShop ("Elements 9"), but also a Nikon digital camera ("CoolPix L22 - which may not sound like much to some folks, but was an upgrade for me, from the inexpensive HP digi-cam that I've been using for years).

The Nikon has been taking really great photos for me, however I now have two issues (problems):

1. I have always had the program set to "Erase Photos after importing" - but now, they never finish erasing...actually the "4/5" shown in my screenshot attachment here is better than usual, as usually it's been only "Erasing" (supposedly) about half of what it imports - and then the box just hangs/freezes on screen. I am then "offered" screenshot #2 attached here, below.

This first one, #1 above, really is more of an "issue" than a "problem", that is, unless it is related to the REAL PROBLEM I am experiencing listed as number "2", below...

2. I cannot "Save As" as I always have, when editing or modifying any pics (in Paint) from this camera. And I have no clue why that would be, but this situation is (once again) REALLY turning me OFF, and AWAY FROM the tech, my Friends...and I don't like feeling this way, but I am unbelievably "DOWN" on (extremely upset over) the technology now.

Any suggestions would really be greatly appreciated - thanks in advance,
glenn

 

I agree, always format the card in the camera, never just delete using the computer.

 

Personaly i use the pc to delete stuff off my camera, but would use format if i didn't want to leave some of the stuff on that card.

 

Wow...thank you so much, however I don't know exactly what that means "format in the camera", and much less even how to do that?

I am pressed for time at the moment, and will be away all (most) of the weekend, but this is of GREAT importance to me, so I will return to it on Sunday evening or Monday...

Thank you all again - VERY much - and in advance!
g...
PS ~ Here is "where" (I "guess"??) my photos are "Saved", in Windows Photo Gallery (I think??) ~ attached screenshot...now that I think about it, I reckon they are saved in two places on the PC, no?? OH, and now the other place ("Pictures" folder) too...

 

You format the memory card in the camera. The camera should give you the option. A suggestion for you, I love this program, but it can be a little tricky with saving files to the computer in my experience, or inexperience... :-D

http://majorgeeks.com/download4476.html?2010-03-23

You have some nice pictures in your earlier post.

 

I just went through the manual (though only the English section ~ ha), and found not the word "Format" ("format") once.

I will go through it again, but I'm confident in my fist look-through...

 

*EDIT* - Oh. I just looked in the box. There is a 2nd disk included, and labeled "User's Manual" .......... I reckon the "format" info is located there (?). I apologize

Well thank you David but no, my manual has a total of 24 pages - of English - then it goes to French (then several other languages).

The only simple way I know to show this is to include a pic of the Table of Contents (labeled "Quick Start Guide"), which shows to Page "20 - Other Functions", and where it ends, four pages later...

Thank you for the rest of this here...this looks quite intensive (for me), so I may be awhile before I get back here on it, especially as I have to go out of town tomorrow morning for a couple of days.

Thanks again very much.....

 

Absolute certain levels of insanity involved in THIS process, I must say.

So, I have no clue why I am doing this and will need to scroll back through the replies here, read back, to see if it's the "Memory", that I'm formatting (I think it was mentioned to, "format the "camera"?), and again, I don't understand "why" I am doing this (so I won't have the problems I was having? Somehow I just don't see that happening), anyway, this whole reading my owners manuals from a computer screen, and jumping from page 100, to 86...to page 11 (and BACK to 86...or was it back to page 100???), well, I'm just not this technically inclined, or appreciative of the tech itself, to hang-out in THIS "neighborhood" for very long...

This really does strike me as somewhat "insane". I sure just hope it eliminates the issues I've been having, or allows me some more memory - or "something" beneficial........?

 

Okay, again, this IS nuts.

The directions said to "remove" the card, but you all are saying to format it (obviously IN, the camera) correct, please?

Thanks...

PS - My point of reference with all of this is my previous, HP camera, which was becoming a bit dated (old, I think), was less complex, and was less expensive, but I didn't have any problems with it...

Does more "bells & whistles" just naturally equal "more problems"? Am I having real "problems" here, or is this all simply normal - to have these...um, "issues"?

:confused?:confused?:confused

 

Thanks David...actually, I was halfway through the format twice now and got interrupted here at home, and was not finding anything that I did feel I could perform - it's just that the directions jumped around (as I mentioned, from page 'here' to page 'there'), and I was (as I have a tendency to do) looking or 'standing' TOO close (the whole, 'forest for the trees', thing).

Once I got past the jumping-around to pages all over the place (and yes, I understand why they do that, though I feel there's a better way to do it), and in getting past the various "drills" of 'removing the card - replacing/installing the card', etc.), I was doing fine before the interruptions here, and the time-lapse before returning to the task), so I think I need to move-forward with the format, and we'll see how it goes...

Thanks again,
Glenn

 

Well I meant to report...the link "HERE" is broken David...or at least I couldn't get it to work in either Firefox or Chrome (and OF COURSE I can not seem to find the copy I "had" on my computer... sheesh!!)....

 

Hi David - thanks.

 

Well...here I am, six MONTHS later, just now, finally, getting-back to this.

I am probably wrong again, but the question begs to be asked (as I did just now, cycle through/perform this "formatting" procedure), and, it is now my understanding, that the word "formatting" here (or "format"), is being used/substituted, for the word(s) "delete" and/or "erase".

Is this correct, please, and is this ALL it is - "Format/Formatting = Delete/Erasing"...?

Or is there some other magical, mystery process that I have now performed, via this simple (simple NOW that I've been through it once) procedure, please?

 

Formatting sets up the media to receive the particular info from the device and be read by a computer. One effect of getting that set up is to erase/delete all of the info on the media.

 

The procedure for formatting the card should be something to the affect of turning the camera on (NOT plugged into the computer), click Menu> appropriate submenu(s)> Format Card. When asked if you really wish to do this even though the world will come to an end you click Yes, and the Earth will continue to revolve.

Formatting the card is necessary to clean up the card and get it ready to be the most efficiently used by your camera. A simple delete will lead to fragmented files, which will cause the processor in the camera to pause while it writes some of an image here, some there, the rest over there. The more you simply delete (and an incomplete delete exasperates the issue) the more your file system looks more like swiss cheese than a continuous flow of information. But this gets even worse if you take your card out and reinsert it. The camera will try to verify that the file system is compatible, if it doesn't see that it is it tries to write to the registry of the card. If it starts doing that multiple times there'll be more registry there than is needed. Insert the card into a different device and it will try to write to the registry of the card as well, confusing things more.

Formatting the card wipes the card completely (for the sake of argument) and the card is as if brand new. A blank slate. Like a clean chalkboard. Deleting images (not via Format) is like taking a chalk eraser to a chalk board, usually it wipes it and can be reused but it's by no means "clean". Formatting is like cleaning a chalkboard, it returns the chalkboard to a clean "like new" state.

Formatting in camera insures that the card's registry is optimized for the camera, which is limited in the number of file systems it can read. A computer is a powerhouse by comparison and can read and use many different file systems. If you format in the computer it may not be usable by a camera at all (more likely with older cameras that were less powerful) or if it can use the file system it may not be able to use it as well as one native to the camera.

The problem with having your PC delete the files from your camera (assuming you're tethering the camera to the PC with a USB cord) is that most cameras are not designed to really take much input from the PC. Yes it's possible, but the main goal for the camera is to take an image and transfer that to the PC. It's not like an MP3 player that's designed to interact with a PC in a more dynamic way. So it's best to just transfer images and let the camera manage the memory card.

 

Excellent...y-o-U, my geeky-Friend, are VERY smart! Thank you VERY much!

WOW!!! And whooooaaaa...thank you...you sound as if you DESIGNED the technology (or certainly COULD have!?!) ... in any event, it occurs to me, from reading your post here, that I MUST have more to do, than the simple process (now done) on page 100 here (?)--->http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/noprint/L22L21_ENnoprint.pdf

 

Well...I don't usually "quote myself", however...this was meant to be a question, please.

Is there more to do, please, than simply what's shown on page 100 of the Nikon link I supplied, please?

Thanks in advance,
glenn . . .

 

Well, again, I just simply really need to ask:

Is this (Nikon link, page 100) really all there is to it?

And lastly (I think/HOPE!?!), is this the procedure to follow each, every, and any time I want to "delete" and make room/space on this cam, please?

Thanks in advance . . .

 

Yes it's that simple. Menu> Setup Menu> Format Card.
Yes you'll want to do this every time you want to wipe the card completely.
No you will not want to do this if you just want to delete a few images and leave others on the card. Formatting the card will wipe the entire card and get it ready for it's next use.


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6019/6336786268_0cbdd0f87b_b.jpg

Please note that this is PRINTED page 100, the number at the bottom of the page.

 

I believe they made a movie about this, titled: "Life is BEAUTIFUL"~!~ I believe this is the PERFECT answer - THANK YOU~!~

 

No problem.