# Memory Card Acts Full...why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101 "2010-11-27T21:28:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/1 "2010-11-27T21:28:34Z")
I have a 1 Gigabyte memory card which can be used for a digital camera or a digitial photo frame. 🆒 It is only 1/4 full; however, it will not allow me to move any more pictures onto the card. ☹ Why? The error message is “Cannot copy \: The directory or file cannot be created.” :rolleyes: Notes: a) The card is not write-protected. I already checked this. b) If it matters, I am moving photos from my PC’s “C” drive onto the card which plugs directly into the PC- as opposed to, say, downloading pics from a camera onto the card, etc…or even using the card in quesiton as the camera’s card. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/2 "2010-11-27T21:44:20Z")
What OS is your computer? ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/3 "2010-11-27T21:50:02Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > What OS is your computer? It’s Windows XP. Curiously, I should add we’ve never had trouble with my wife’s 2 Gig memory card - both made by SanDisk. Of course, we’ve only downloaded pictures off it. Who would ever upload pics to their digital camera’s card from the PC, right? ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/4 "2010-11-27T21:54:08Z")
Ok, even weirder? I put the 1Gig card in my wife’s digital camera, and it too thinks the card is full! However, by right-clicking on this drive, under “properties” (when the card is in the PC), the PC claims the card is 1/4 full! Hmm…could the card be defective??? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/5 "2010-11-27T21:58:48Z")
Your card is OK. There is a limit to the number of files and directories in the root directory. Move your pictures into a subdirectory instead of the root directory. (If you don’t have directories, delete a couple pictures, make a directory, then you’ll be able to add pictures to that directory.) ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/6 "2010-11-27T22:09:33Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Your card is OK. There is a limit to the number of files and directories in the root directory. Move your pictures into a subdirectory instead of the root directory. > > (If you don’t have directories, delete a couple pictures, make a directory, then you’ll be able to add pictures to that directory.) My wife says if the pictures are not in the root directory, then the electronic picture frame device (for which this is all intended) will not find the photos. I should add we deleted all photos off the memory card, and pasted the same photos PLUS new photos onto the memory card. It could handle that. Very weird and inconvenient. Why? (Mr. “Flawed Products R Us” Gates strikes again!) ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/7 "2010-11-27T23:03:38Z")
I don’t know then. How many pictures before you have a problem? ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/8 "2010-11-27T23:09:19Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > ..I should add we deleted all photos off the memory card, and pasted the same photos PLUS new photos onto the memory card. It could handle that… I was going to suggest this, along with formatting the card. Not that it should matter, but is this a CF or SD card? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/9 "2010-11-28T12:50:41Z")
If it is the file number limit, that means the card is formatted as FAT. You can reformat it as FAT32 by right clicking on its drive in My Computer. The program is pretty self explanatory. And, yes, that will mean you’ll have to copy the pictures back anew. And, unless it’s some very weird picture frame, it will accept FAT32, but check it to make sure with just a couple photos on your newly reformatted card. The card itself could only be the problem if you bought it overseas or something–there are fakes that are formatted improperly to make them seem larger. In fact, I think we ran into one of those on this very board. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/10 "2010-11-29T01:11:08Z")
Copy off what you need and then reformat the card. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/11 "2010-11-29T01:20:41Z")
It’s a Sandisk, right? Did you buy it from a reputable dealer? There are many, many fake cards around, especially Sandisk. Generally the fakes do have the stated capacity, but some will identify themselves as (say) 4gb when in fact they only have a 1gb capacity. ETA: BigT’s suggestion is more likely. Format it as FAT32 to see if that solves the problem. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/12 "2010-11-29T15:27:57Z")
I’ve had this same problem with differing media. Memory sticks, SC cards, etc… Make a folder, and put all the pix in there. Then you can fill it to capacity and your picture frame should be able to find it. Try making the folder, and put 4 pictures in it and then test it. If it works, it works, if not, then look at formatting it. I’ve been fighting my Kodak frame for a week because it won’t recognize the 16gb card I use. If I just put a few pix on, it’s ok, but more than a couple of gigs and it won’t play at all. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/13 "2010-11-29T18:42:12Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > I’ve been fighting my Kodak frame for a week because it won’t recognize the 16gb card I use. > If I just put a few pix on, it’s ok, but more than a couple of gigs and it won’t play at all. Does your picture frame recognize SDHC cards or just SD? They look the same but 16G cards are SDHC and appliances designed for SD won’t work properly with them. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-card-acts-full-why/562101/14 "2010-11-29T21:32:55Z")
[USB Flash Tools](http://www.sdean12.org/USBFlashTools.htm) > [@](#): > > Verify the actual size of the USB drive/flash card’s capacity (a fake SD/CF/other card detector; _ **to detect fake flash memory cards and USB drives** _ which deliberatly misreport their capacity) Emphasis theirs. And the misspelling too.