[Leica] Curious M10 startup time issue

[Frank Filippone]

There is a common mistake here.....

First of all, the Camera format is very different than a card format....  The following is a simplified tutorial so we get stuff clear.

During a LOW LEVEL in-the-computer format, the card is completely formatted, including the files and the file directory.... it IS now empty.  Blank.  NADA.  Like new.
During in-the-Camera format, the basic File Directory is modified.  Old entries are deleted, and therefore, the card "looks" blank to the OS.  The Image Files are still there, but the directions to the file locations have been wiped clean so the camera ( or computer) can not locate them. A set of directories is put on the card so the camera can write or read to it... they really are directory ( or Folder, whichever language you speak)  locations with camera known names, nothing more.

The Correct Computer based formatting for a SDHC ( or really any) card is FAT32 ( up to and including 32GB) or exFAT( for 64GB or more)......  NOT NTFS..  NTFS is what your computer (Windows or MAC OS-whatever) wants to do when you ask it to format anything.  To be clear, NTFS is the WRONG format for these cards..
See this:  http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/312/~/formatting-a-memory-card,-flash-drive-or-device-using-a-pc

Here is the location of the SD Association freebie card formatter....    https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/
Download and run it on your card in the computer.
After you do that, THEN you MUST format in the camera.....remember, this is a DIFFERENT type of formatting..... and does different things....

If your card starts acting funny, you should go to the computer,. Download any images you can using whatever methods or programs you want. THEN do an in-the-computer format.  This may make the card useable again.....

If the card is formatted by the computer WRONG, strange results WILL happen.

Comment... if you have performed a format by way of your camera, you can recover the lost images.  If you have formatted the card in the computer, you are SOL.  Your images are lost.

Will any of this "fix" the M10 slow startup time?  I don’t know, but it is a quick experiment that might just work.....

Frank Filippone
Red735i at verizon.net

No offense, but it is my understanding that you should NEVER format camera cards in a computer.  Always format them in the camera you plan to shoot them in.