How to unlock/unprotect the memory card of canon digital camera

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one-shot

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Jan 13, 2006
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+1 I work with cameras all day and I am frequently asked that same question. Just a little switch on the side of the SD card.
 

spanner_razor

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Sometimes cheap readers claim a card is protected, regardless of switch setting. If the switch is fine then just try taking it out and cleaning the contacts.
 

HN03

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I have the same problem, and despite the switch at the side of the SD card, it still says it's locked once I put it in my Canon powershot SD630. However, it works perfectly fine with my NikonD40
 

AKM880

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You may to format the SD card in the Canon camera. It happens to me when I swap my SD card from my Kodak to Canon.
 

Deb_50

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^+2 :D. It's amazing what questions people ask. :heink:

And it's equally amazing what answers some people will give.

My card is also locked. 99% of people who use memory cards know to use the little tab slider to un-protect their cards. That's a little piece of info that's been around since cassette tapes and video tapes, only back then you broke off the tabs. Floppy discs had slider tabs to protect them. Yes, I slid the tab both up and down and it didn't matter where the tab was, my 8 GIG card remains locked. I could add pictures to my card if I inserted the card into my memory reader in the computer. But once I put the card in my camera, it says "Memory Card Error. Card Locked!"

Going to the menu of my camera to unlock it doesn't work either. The screen 'greys out' the main menu where you protect the card so you can't unprotect it.

I am presently formatting the card (which I can't do on my camera, but am doing it through the card reader on the computer). Weird how it will allow me to reformat, yet I can't take a picture with it.
 

Deb_50

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Just finished formatting the card. Put it back in my S80 p&s camera and it's still saying, "memory card error"...........

back to square one. Why would it allow me to format the card if it's LOCKED? What's the point of locking a card if the data can be erased?
 
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i tried the switch but it still says it is locked
 
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i had my memory card lock and i was about to kill the sucker! but thank god i had the light bulb go off and went online typed in my question and BAM this came up and saved my sanity thanks yall!
 

unclefester

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You can also get the memory card locked/protected message if you are trying to use a SDHC card in a camera that does not support High Capacity (HC). High Capacity is any SD card with over 2GB of memory space.
 
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UGH, i'm having the same problem with my 8gb sdhc.

I just bought the powershot sx120is about a month ago with a centron sdhc class 4 8.0 gb memory stick. after about 300 pictures, the card formated itself, i didnt know what the problem was till after about 200 pictures later, the camera started reading memory card error, card locked! i don't want to loose these pictures and i know it isnt a problem with the camera, my other memory sticks work just fine on it. it isnt the little lock slide on the side problem either. and it can't be because it's dirty or anything. is there a way to fix it. i'm going a little crazy here
 

sharon6076

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Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!! It worked! I didn't even know there was a lock on the memory card!
 
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Switched the "LOCKED" 8GB memory card from the Canon SD300 where it did not work, (even after "unlocking" it with the little gray tab and using tape to secure it) to the Canon SX200IS and it worked fine! The suggestion that it can depend on the camera's capacity was brilliant. Thanks for the help! You saved the day!!!
 
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