Cannot save here message

[Davidk]

The first time I have ever seen this message or even heard of it. Help requested . . .

Today in class a student presented a project vsp for trouble shooting, using X10 ultimate.
Medium - a new freshly formatted SD card, 8gb, 3 mp4 files on it in the structure recorded by a camcorder, total about 450mb. Imported these OK by using import video file method in storyboard. After changes, could not save the vsp(tp the card) - a cannot save here message appeared. Saving anywhere on that sd card (eg the root directory) got the same result. Importing using the capture from digital media method got the same results.

Anyone else seen this before? And how to fix it so vsp files can be saved on the same SD card?

[BJC]

Is the SD card write protected . it is very easy to knock / slide that little switch on the side when inserting or removing the card

can you save to it in file explorer ?

[Davidk]

Interesting. Never even needed to check that before. Checking with the student (actually, asked him to read this and report)

[lata]

Hi David
Is the Sd card in the camera, you may have problems saving to camera.
Try removing the card and insert to a card reader on pc.
That should allow copying files to the card.

[Ken Berry]

Imported these OK by using import video file method in storyboard. ... Importing using the capture from digital media method got the same results.

I'm a little puzzled about these two references to importing. Why not simply use Windows File Explorer which will see the SD card in the camera (or card reader) as a separate drive from which you can use Cut/Paste to transfer the video from camera to computer?

[canuck]

You should use Windows Explorer to copy the files from the SD card to your hard drive. That way you will not need to have the SD card connected to the computer the next time your work on the project.
I would not use the SD card for saving any part of the project.

[Davidk]

SD cards containing smart packages are much better for projects than usb memory sticks (altho both work) - the transfer rate is better to start with, and I've used them in this mode for years without any issue. Since most modern camcorders record this way (on an SD card, altho some may also have internal HDD) that's been really handy, and never a problem. Since an unrepairable camcorder failure years ago also destroyed all recorded imagery on it (inventive cursing did not fix it either), I have very particularly favoured cameras with easily removable memory, like SD cards, to avoid a similar loss if a device failure occurs again. In that respect, cameras with super-dooper capacity internal HDD are no different to tape based machines: if the device fails you can't get the recorded file data out.

As to the card in question - it was out-of-camera in class, inserted in my laptop PC which had VS on it. And it had been formatted when new and then used to record a specific subject: the only files on it were of the subject and recorded by the camera. It read OK and clearly wrote. A properties check using explorer indicated that it was virtually empty, and none of the other tabs in the properties panel suggested a problem inherent in the way the card was defined, so there was no indication at all that the card was or could be an issue. As the error was presented in VS, that's where we looked for a cause.

Regarding import method - there's more than one way of killing this cat, probably at least 4, and we all have personal preferences. When one VS import method failed repeatedly, we tried one of the others to see if a different method - specifically, one of the multiple others using VS (since that's where the error was) and different parts of the software - made any difference. No, it didn't.

So at the moment I'm unable to test using card in question, because student took it home with him. But I'm leaning to the cause as BJC outlined. Waiting on a test result report as indicated to confirm. But murphy is alive, so watch this space.

[wstagner]

I agree w/what you say about SD cards vs. internal memory.
My last camcorder purchase saved me $100 to get the one w/o internal memory.

[asik1]

I agree that internal HDD were bad. I myself was lucky to recover my relative's clips from a dying internal sony HDD.
But now I'm very glad to have internal flash memory. Only on realy important, "high pay" work, I backup it during lunch break to SD card.

[Davidk]

Student has reported back re his review of BJC's post, and later test/operations. And it's a perplexing story (I would bet murphy was involved here). Reported results:

1. the write protect switch on the card - appears to have been set. moving it to one position enables write or copy using explorer, and to the other, copy attempts got a write protected message.
2. with card set to enable write, using VS to import the files already on it student got a "no valid content message". Student got around that by copying the card files to a usb stick, and then was able to import from the usb stick. Hard to understand why explorer could see the files but VS couldn't
3. the camcorder was used to capture more video clips to the card, and those clips are importable to VS. However, the original 3 files on the card are still apparently invisible to VS. Which is the exact opposite of the situation in class last wednesday - then I could import the files, shuffle the order in VS, but could not write/save the vsp back to the card - which was the starting situation for this post.

There's clearly something about the card that VS doesn't, or didn't, like: the original files imported, but after a switch change those files became invalid content, effectively invisible. Later files recorded in the changed setting were OK. Perplexing isn't the word for it. Hopefully next class I'll get some time to investigate further, but any ideas from others are welcome.