When a SmartMedia card recorder stores new files, it squeezes them into any bits of space it can find. As a result, the data winds up scattered all over the hard drive. When the data from one song file, for example, is stored in many locations within the card memory, the card is said to be fragmented. When the recorder plays back a file from a fragmented card, it has to grab a little piece from here, another piece from there and so on. This is much harder than playing one continuous chunk of data from a single card location. This can slow things down unacceptably and lead to errors during playback, recording and/or any other function in the recorder.
Fragmentation is a naturally occurring process for a card used with any computer or recording device. SmartMedia cards that record audio are especially prone to fragmentation due to the start-and-stop nature of recording.
We recommend initializing the card to clear out this normal fragmentation. To avoid receiving errors and/or problems, initialize the card every 3 months if the unit is being used constantly or every 6 months if the unit is being used only occasionally. The following steps will guide you through the Card Initialize procedure:
- Press [UTILITY].
- Press PARAMETER [<] [>] to move the cursor to “INI,” and press [ENTER].
- Press PARAMETER [<] [>] to move the cursor to “CRD,” and press [ENTER].
“Format?” appears in the display. - Press [ENTER].
“Are you sure?” appears.
* If the write-protect sticker is affixed to the memory card, “Protected!” appears in the display. You cannot format the memory card if this message appears. - To continue with the formatting, press [ENTER] (YES).