Warning - Kingston 2GB elite pro SD Card

[slob1]

Hi all,

just had a SD card failure and will like to share my experience with you.

I have a 4 month old Kingston 2GB elite pro SD Card. use it on my FZ7.
before the failure I have use it to take about 40 shots and used my computer which is equipped with a SD card reader to download the pictures.
After that, i have left it alone untouched for about 2 months due to busy schedule and business travel. when I use it again a few days back, it failed on the second shot.
I try to read it using my computer but failed as well.

Contacted Kingston for assistance and warranty.

please note the following two warnings, they are from the tech guy in Singapore that does the warranty for Kingston:

1. there is a known issue on the 2GB SD card when use on both camera and computer (supposedly same thing for all other brand names as well). apparently the computer write something into the SD cards and caused the card to be not readable by the camera and might cause the card to malfunction. it is recommended that you use the camera and the USB cable to download the picture rather than directly from the SD slot in your computer.

2. some Kingston cards are parallel imported by some seller in Singapore. the company appointed by Kingston to do the warranty on Kingston's behalf will not honor the warranty if your Kingston card is not bought directly from their reseller. you'll be stuck with no warranty at all.

please do check where you have purchased your Kingston card and check if you are one of those who is not currently covered. contact Kingston Taiwan directly and make a case to ensure that your rights as a customer is covered. Kingston's number is 800 886 1042 (just dial like normal local call).

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Use the card reader, then format with the camera?

 

[nikkie]

have a problem here too... took 177 pics, then downloading stopped in the middle. one file is said to have error (on the PC). but i can still be read on the camera during playback. however it cannot be altered by the camera for filter effects etc.. the file is said 'cannot be processed' by the camera.
i later managed to copy the rest of the files, skipping this one.

this is risky. what if the file w problem is a critical shot.. urghh..
i wonder if other brands of sd cards will have such problems.

 

[Isaiahfortythirtyone]

i actually emailed kingston tech support once on this issue. they told me that their memory products all have international warranty. so how can it be that convergent doesnt honour the warranty?

 

[mickie]

Did you format your card everytime you use?

 

[silvergetz]

Did you format your card everytime you use?

Format once in a while is enough, not everytime u use it.

 

[mrbinks76]

Did you format your card everytime you use?

I format my card everytime before starting a new series of shots. Better to do that than risk anything.

 

[NeTHaCk]

i actually emailed kingston tech support once on this issue. they told me that their memory products all have international warranty. so how can it be that convergent doesnt honour the warranty?

simple. convergent ISNT the only one who distrubutes kingston products. thats why its much more advisable when u buy a kingston product and has convergent reseller sticker

 

[FilterFunk]

Ingram Micro is the other distributor, thats the distributor Best Bargain got their Kingston products from.

 

[mickie]

I format my card everytime before starting a new series of shots. Better to do that than risk anything.

Yes, ditto.
It's safer this way.

 

[VSonic06]

Do a full format on your PC first, thats what the folks at Convergent said, and it does work wonders. I've done that to my problematic cards (the recent Kingston SD cards) and there hasn't been any bad picture files since. Seems like Kingston don't really zero out the cards in factory anymore.

Formatting in camera isn't really zeroing out the entire card, just writing the FAT directory structure.