Ok to use camera SD cards to transfer non photo files between PCs?

[Golf4food]

Having never attempted it before, I thought I'd ask the experts before potentially ruining a perfectly good SD card:

Can I use an SD card that I normally use in our cameras to transfer other files (like MP3s) from one PC to another? (Don't have a thumb drive and the two PCs are in different homes, one with slower internet so an online transfer is out... I figure an SD card is just a small, square shaped flash drive... just reformat it before trying to use it for pictures the next time?)

 

[Anewman]

I dont see why it would be an issue, data is data.

 

[ukcatfan]

I do it all the time and have never had a single problem. I use my pocket card reader as a flash drive.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

You won't have any issue. It's all just 1' and 0's whether it's a Word doc, mp3, or jpg file. To be safe, once you're done moving files around, I'd format the card in the camera before you start shooting pic's. That'll wipe it clean and you'll be all set to go.

 

[fhirleighinn]

You won't have any issue. It's all just 1' and 0's whether it's a Word doc, mp3, or jpg file. To be safe, once you're done moving files around, I'd format the card in the camera before you start shooting pic's. That'll wipe it clean and you'll be all set to go.

I second this. I have done it (at work when I misplaced my flash drive) and just formated the card again. No problems!

 

[thomas998]

SD cards are just made for pictures... they're just data cards... The only thing you should do is reformat it when you put it back in your camera. I used one to take jpgs to the print shop from a computer and didn't format it when I put it back in a camera... the camera would crash when you clicked on review prints. I can only guess that in this case the jpgs I had left on the chip were very large and the camera couldn't handle them... now I make sure to reformat when I put them back in the camera.