I wonder if this a mini SD card issue? I raise this because my 2G mini SD card just went haywire... in a completely different device (a Symbian-based Nokia e61 smartphone).

Both devices are Nokia, of course, but use completely different software and hardware.

Zerojay,

While I understand the basic difference between mounting sync and async, I'm not aware how to change the method on the N800. After the first SD card died, I made sure not to remove the cards or even open the back or slot cover unless the N800 is turned off to ensure that no data is being read/written at the time of removal. Anytime the cards have ever been in the SD slot on my laptop I always unmount them before removal. I've had may other devices that use memory cards, phones, cameras and my trusty old Sony Clie NZ90 and never fried a mem card in any of them. After loosing so many pics, movies and other files I'm worried that it will just keep happening and I'm wasting more time doing recovery attempts that I can't enjoy using the damn thing.

Just contacted Nokia tech support. After getting a speach about not supporting non-nokia products (ie sandisk or other memory cards) The guy said all I could do is send it in for evaluation. Unit must be stripped of memory cards, battery cover and battery as well as the stylus. No comment as to how long it will take or how much they'll charge for it. I'm convinced that they won't find a damn thing wrong with it and just blame it on incompatibility with non-nokia products. Just checked the Nokia website and they don't even offer Nokia memory cards for the N800. Nice way of absolving themselves of the issue. As I said before POS.

There never has been any such thing as Nokia memory cards. They've always been outsourced and simply branded with the Nokia name if sampling indicated the lot met Nokia's strict criteria. The need to multisource led to the removal of the branding last year. Note that this applies to bundled cards and any offered as accessories.

I haven't checked deeply enough to see what current policy is regarding the N800 and 770, but I would think Nokia would be listing preferred brands.

Also, keep in mind that counterfeit cards are becoming increasingly pervasive (as we've discussed here before) and you're going to have problems with those.

Well aware of the outsourcing / relabeling thing, as my company does it with 25% of its products. From what the tech guy said if it doesn't have the Nokia name on it you're SOL. By the way all my cards came from either Best Buy, Staples or CompUSA. Not to say they couldn't get shamed by their suppliers, but it's not like they were from an Ebay auction.

I have had SD chips have had the data messed up because I was running thru a hub.... As soon as I went directly to my pc's port the problem ceased. The prob was intermittent and drove me crazy. I kept trying to format the messed up chips in different units and eventually they all reformatted and are now being used. Al beit it took more than a month before the last one gave up and took the format. Not sure if this relates directly to your prob but it is good info to file away for the future.

I recently purchased an N800 and added an 8 G SD card (OsZ). Two days later, without removing the SD card from the N800,I found that it no longer recognized the card. Trying the card in other devices implied that the card was dead. If there is validity to this thread, and I see no reason why there shouldn't be, the N800 is the cause. I returned the card to the store and reinstalled it. I will write back if and when it also dies.

SD card counterfeiters are doing a "respectable" job of duplicating branded cards and insinuating them into legitimate channels such as amazon.com and buy.com.

But even disregarding that possibility-- there are a multitude of obvious factors in play here, and nothing singles the N800 or a the current OS as a sole cause of card failure. Note that, even though a number of people are complaining of SD corruption problems, it isn't every user (yet). That's why the bug reporting and troubleshooting is so important-- it is highly impractical for Nokia to replicate every conceiveable combination of factors involved in house, especially without knowledge of all likely suspects. Yes, Nokia should be well aware of the most likely culprits but I guarantee you those are tested against prior to OS release.

That said, I understand why someone who encounters card corruption while using a specific device would expect compensation-- I sure would.

My n800 doesn't seem to trash cards, but only recognizes them when it seems to want to. 9 out of 10 times when I turn machine on it refuses to admit there is an internal card installed, half the time it also says no external card installed. Then I'll turn it on and be surprised it recognizes and reads both cards. Frustrating!.!

Yeah, every once in a while mine doesn't see its external card. Happens too rarely to get me pissed off... so far.