Floppy disks and digital cameras

[Stephanie]

I took some pictures of my girls while chopping down our Christmas tree this afternoon. The disks that I used were all supposed to be formatted. I took the pictures and they appear on my digital camera, but when I went to download them into my computer......it tells me that the disk is not formatted. Now I don't know what to do because these are one time pictures and I don't want to lose them. I hope that someone can help me. Thanks.

Stephanie

 

[Emtronics]

Stephanie, Please provide a little more info. How exactly are you trying to open your pics? For example, have you tried to view the contents of the floppy in Windows Explorer? Or, are you trying to open them in a special program? What operating system? What is the name of the camera's program? If you haven't tried to just view the contents of the floppy in Windows Explorer, then see if you can and see if they can be dragged to another folder instead of trying to download them via the camera's software program. If you are not sure how to use Windows Explorer, the double click on My Computer, with the floppy inside your drive, double click the A drive icon. Do you get your error here or do you see the contents listed? If so, what format are the pics? (ex; .jpg, jpeg, other??)

 

[4 Computer Fix]

I'm assuming you are using a digital camera that puts the pictures directly on a floppy (such as Sony Mavica does). So when you put the floppy in the computer it says that it's not formatted? What kind of camera do you have? Hope to be of assistance, just need little more info.

 

[Stephanie]

The second poster is correct. I am using a Mavica from Sony. When I took the pictures, it saved them directly onto the floppy disk. Usually I can just take the floppy out and slip it into my A: drive and I can see them when called upon whether it is in Windows Explorer or my photo program, Corel Photo House 5. But this time it keeps saying that the disk is not formatted, and it doesn't matter what I do. I don't want to format the disk because I am afraid that I will lose the pictures that I took. I am using Windows 98 operating system with Corel Photo House 5. I can see the pictures on the digital camera's view option, but my pc is saying the disk needs formatting. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[4 Computer Fix]

Have you tried viewing the disk in another computer?

I truly don't know how to get the pics back - I am still looking around trying to find some more information for you though. I know what you mean about not wanting to lose the pictures - lost over 50 on a memory stick from Christmas because the stick was bad. *sigh*

I'm still trying here!!

 

[RandyG 🎂]

Have you tried a different floppy in that drive to confirm that it is not a problem with the disk used in the Sony?

If you can still see the pictures on the floppy when it is still in the camera, then it has already been formatted correctly, and there is no problem with that floppy

 

[Stephanie]

I have attempted both suggestions. I tried another floppy disk in my A: drive and that floppy worked in both the pc and the camera. I also took the "damaged" floppy over to my sis-in-laws house to see if the disk would play over there. It did not. It gave me the same error message. But I do have good news....I was able to luckily find a disk copy feature on my camera and I made a copy of the disk onto a disk that I knew worked. I didn't lose any pictures at all. I was so lucky....but I am still wondering why that disk would say that it needed to be formatted. If anyone comes upon a logical solution, let me know. Thanks for the help though.

 

[4 Computer Fix]

I did read in a Sony troubleshooting forum on Sony's website about sometimes the floppy needs to be formatted in the camera even though you have purchased already formatted disks. Why you say? I have no clue - just tellin ya what Sony said.