Tip Number One: Format Your Memory Card Regularly!

Have you ever scrolled through your memory card and see big question mark images and wonder what happened to your pictures?  I don't know about you, but I never formatted my memory cards when I began taking digital pictures, and I saw these question marks all the time!

Formatting a memory card clears everything on the card so that it is ready for reuse, and is as good as new.  Every time you erase pictures, whether individually or all together, remnants of your images are left behind.  After a while, these remnants build up and your card becomes corrupt and your computer is unable to read the card.  The result is that you can lose many precious memories recorded in that memory card.  Sooo, this is what you need to do often.  Some recommend at least a few times a year, but I do it every time I upload pictures to my computer.

Every camera is different.  But these are the basic steps.

Steps:

1.  Upload all your images to your computer and back up all your images.  Once you format your memory card, everything on the memory card is gone and lost forever.

2.  Format your memory card through your camera and NOT your computer!  Your computer may format the memory card in a way that is not readable to your camera.  So keep it simple.  Leave your memory card in your camera and let it do the work.  

3.  Look at the menu in your camera and erase all your images (I don't think this step is necessary, but I do it anyway).

4.  Scroll through the menu options until you see "format."  (For Canons, it's under one of the orange-brown tools tab).  Choose that option, confirm it, and you are done!  The whole process takes less than a minute.  Below are links if you want to learn more.

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/memory-card-tip-reformat-often/
http://improvephotography.com/749/memory-cards-sd-cf-replaced-old-reliability/