Deleting empty folders on a CF mem card used in a D70.

[observerguy]

I use a Sandisk 128mb and a Sandisk 512mb Ultra II CF card for my D70. I have deleted the pictures in some of the folders on the CF cards but I can't delete the folders themselves. When I attempt to delete the folders,I get an ERROR message.

I then reformatted the 128mb CF but the folder stays there and still can't be deleted. I just upgraded the firmware to 2.0 but this problem was on the v1.00 (A & B), too.

Any help appreciated.

[JimC]

Well... My guess is that the folders are marked as read only.

So, you'd need to remove that attribute to delete them. Formatting should get rid of them (but it may be recreating them as part of the in camera format process).

If you use your PC, you can delete them.

Just look for the camera under My Computer, thenright click on a folder to get a menu and select properties.Then uncheck the read only attribute and you should be able to delete the folder.

You could also justformat the card using your PC. But, I'd select FAT as the File System type for anything 2GB or smaller. Personally, I wouldn't use a card that's been written to by a PC (including one that's been formatted by a PC), without reformatting it with the camera again first, though.

I always format mymemory cards with the camera prior to every use. That insures I always start out with a Fresh FAT, and the format is exactly how the camera expects it.

[observerguy]

Jim:

I just did as you recommended with the 128mb card. However,I still have a folder that shows up, even after I reformat the CF card. In my PC, I don't see this folder at all with the card in the slot.

Here's what i did: on my PC, I deleted everything on the card, after removing the read-only on one folder I could see.I couldn't see the other folder.

Then I reformatted the card in my D70. The folder I couldn't see on the card in my PC reappeared after formatting.

Makes sense?

[JimC]

Yes... The camera is simply recreating the folder you deleted.

As for the other folder, it's probably got a hidden attribute, too.

If you are not seeing it when viewing your camera's folders with your PC, go to Tools, Folder Options, View, and you'll see a checkbox to allow you to see hidden files.

Is there a reason you are trying to delete these folders? The camera is going to recreate them anyway.

[observerguy]

The only reason was to remove them from displaying, since they are empty. I didn't want unused folders popping up, sinceI upload all photos to my PC immediately after taking them. Normally, I create a folder before each assignment, take photos, upload to PC and remove pics and folders.

I did as you suggested; no luck. However, this is an old card used in my Coolpix 950 before I bought my D70.

Thanks for your assistance. It's good info for the future.

Dan