Strange CF Slot Behaviour

Frank Williams · 01-01-05, 02:02 PM

I have an Axim X5 XScale 400Mhz (A04 05200300EN), which I've had for a year or so.

I have been using the CF slot (and SD slot) for storage since I got the PDA. I've used the following cards successfully:

4MB Kodak Digital Science Picture CF
15MB Sandisk CF Card
30MB Nikon EC-30F CF Card
64MB Sandisk CF Card
340MB IBM CF Microdrive

I got a 1GB Sandisk CF Card for Christmas, and expected to have it work just like my previous 5 cards. Unfortunately, it didn't. Here's a description of my problem:

I have formatted it on my PC, using the default options for formatting, copied lots of files over (not all in the root directory--I have several sub directories, including a "My Documents" folder).

The files read fine on my PC. I can use it like a regular removable drive.

However, when I put the 1GB CF card into my Axim, I can only read it for a few seconds before the data it reads is corrupted. For instance, a wikipedia TomeRaider file that works fine on my PC--using the same card mounted as a removable drive--only reads a few entries before reading corrupt data.

Directories in my "My Documents" directory, that contain .txt and .prc files (ebooks) disappear randomly, and the contents of these files are corrupt when viewed with PocketWord or uBook or MobiPocket reader.

But when I take the 1GB card out of the Axim and reinsert it, the directories are back--temporarily, until they start disappearing and misbehaving again as previously described.

And when I take the card out and re-mount it on my Windows machine, the files and directories are there, pristine, uncorrupt, and readable.

Things I've tried:

1) PocketMechanic Demo. An excellent program. It can format my 1GB card and test it physically and logically. Eventually, though, the Axim forgets about the existence of my 1GB card, and PocketMechanic can't work properly--it only sees my SD card.

2) Formatting the card in the Axim and using File Explorer to copy files from the SD card to the CF card. The copies tend to work, but the files eventually are corrupted.

3) I tried the card in both WM2003 and PPC2002 operating systems on my Axim. The Axim starts to see corruption after a little while in both operating systems.

4) The 1GB card works fine in my old Casio E125--no problems there reading the huge files in Tomeraider, uBook and Mobipocket.

5) The Axim works just fine with a 64MB Sandisk CF card. The same card works fine in my old E125 as well.

Does anybody have any suggestions or ideas? Has anybody had a similar problem with the 1GB Sandisk CF Card, or with other cards?

Thanks in advance,

FTW

ewfaulk · 01-06-05, 09:27 PM

When I first used my cards, I did not have to format them. My pc wanted to on one, but I canceled. Mine all work fine. Maybe you should have put it in your PDA first to see if it needed to format it. Your PC may have used a different format.

jonjon98765 · 01-23-05, 11:18 PM

Frank Williams
Did you figure out what happened??
Might consider sending a note to Jakerich on this site. GPS maps take up a lot of space so 1 gig cards are more common [they might have run across the problem].
My new cards have caused a reformat request once or twice. I rejected the request and it seems to stop.