S9 Erasing SD Card

[jwynia]

When I take the SD card out of my S9 machine, and put it back in, the machine insists on erasing the card. Given the medical supply store wants the card to verify usage for insurance, etc., I'm kind of stuck. Either I pull the data for my own analysis or I leave it there and make everyone in the insurance end of things happy. Can I have it both ways?

The one time I've needed to send the card in, it did have 30 days of data on it. I copied it off for my own use before sending it in. But, I just pulled it and the machine insisted on erasing it again (either erase it or remove it and use the machine without it seem to be the only choices). If the ask me to send in the card, it won't have the last 30 days worth of info on it.

I have kept a snapshot of the card's data every time I pulled it (I'm a software engineer, so am careful about never losing data).

Do I have any options?

[JDS74]

On the side of the SD card is a small slide switch.
In one position it allows reading and writing.
In the other position it only allows reading.

When you take it out to look at your data, slide the switch to the read only position before putting it in your computer.
When you are ready to put it back in your CPAP, slide it to the read-write position.
What is happening is that your computer is writing a file to the card and the ResMed machine doesn't like that.
So, it erases the card and starts over.

This problem doesn't happen with Respironics machines.

Nor does it happen with ResMed machines and Windows 7 or earlier computers.
Some Windows 8+ computers have been reported to do it also.
It does happen with ResMed machines and Apple Mac computers.

It's just a way of life with ResMed.

[library lady]

This doesn't happen with my Windows 8.1, but I have System One 60 series.

[JDS74]

Yep, that's a Respironics machine.

[jwynia]

Thanks. That makes sense (though it's stupid). If this had been a Mac, I'd have assumed that was the problem. Wasn't aware that Windows (8.1 here) had started writing that crap to external media now too.

[space45]

for me it would seem it may also have something to do with inserting the chip after midnight.

I have windows 7 and I can read the card fine and insert it back into the machine with no problems, but if it is after midnight, it will want to format the chip.
this could be a time stamp thing, out of machine to long and it will reformat. not sure but so far every day I insert it after mid night it wants to erase the data
if your reading the chip with the resmed software then a .CSV file can be exported by res scan. in my computer the main data files are stored in the

C:\Users\Public\Documents\ResMed\ResScan3\Patients

directory, it will have the full data in the form of a .rlk file format
if you save the data in your Patient dir to a chip they should be able to use it with no problems, that is if you have a tech savvy person your dealing with.
you could just tell them to copy your data folder into the above folder and it should work fine.
this will work if you used res scan and saved the info each time when you exited

[krassus]

Does anyone know what file is being written to the card? I try to remember to flip the switch, but sometimes I forget. I have accidentally erased the card twice this way. I am wondering if it is possible to remove the file that has been written so the machine won't try to erase it.

Edit: I'm using a Windows 8.1 machine with sleepyhead, but I have a mac or a chromebook that I could remove the offending file with if I knew its name.

[JDS74]

I believe that the problem lies not with the file on the SD card but the fact that it is written at all.
Respironics uses a "real" file structure and directory as the basis for what it is doing.
ResMed uses a "pseudo" file structure that Windows and Mac OS can recognize and read. If that is changed in any way, the ResMed machine no longer finds the things it needs in exactly the places they need to be in this "pseudo" structure. Erasing the offending file doesn't return the file structure to the pristine mode the ResMed machine needs.

At least that's my theory of what is happening.

The file being written is likely to have the "hidden" attribute attached to it. You can use Windows Explorer to see hidden files by resetting the properties attribute of the root directory. At that point, you can delete them.

I do this all the time when moving media from a Mac environment to a Windows environment. Macs leave all sorts of hidden stuff that just takes up space and is meaningless in a Windows environment. For example, I believe that Macs leave backup copies of deleted/modified stuff so you can recover. Windows doesn't.

I don't know what the latest versions of Windows is doing to the file structure that messes up the ResMed information but it seems to do this sometimes and not others from reports I have seen. I don't have a Windows 8.1 machine for testing purposes nor do I have a ResMed CPAP to use as a test vehicle to create pristine SD cards for testing.

It is likely that anything happening is a Windows effect since Rescan would be unlikely to make changes to the SD card and cause this type of problem for the patient or doctor. SleepyHead only reads from the SD card so it can't be the culprit. SleepyHead on a Mac will have the Mac problems already so in that environment, setting the switch to read-only, would be mandatory in any case.

[chunkyfrog]

I had it happen once with my Autoset; but the necessary data was immediately re-written by the machine.
It only happened when Hubby read it on HIS computer.
I always read it on my Win 8.1 netbook and no problems--I have never used the write protect switch.

[letsride]

I found this problem started when I installed version 4.3 on Vista.
What strange is you can't see what is being written to the SD card, must be a hidden file.
I upgraded to Windows 8.1 still have the writing to SD card issue.
Is it Windows or ResMed version 4.3?

Changing to the SD card to read only works great! Thxs!

[Bama Rambler]

It's a hidden system file. Windows volume information file. It's written by system restore or backup. You can delete it and then ResMed will accept the card. In order to see it you have to set the Explorer view options to view hidden and system files.

[Guest]

I was having the Sam problem with my s9 needing to erase data and start over after putting it in my windows 8.1 computer. Rescan was also not always running properly. I simply went in and told windows to run rescan in compatibility mode for windows 7 and so far it has worked.

[RogerSC]

I have Windows 8.1 on a laptop with the card reader that I use built into the laptop. I ALWAYS slide the write-lock down to "read-only" when I take the card out of my cpap. Haven't had a problem in over two years. Pretty simple, just get in the habit of putting on write-lock, and you shouldn't have any problems, Mac or PC.

[space45]

my 12 midnight idea just went out the window

H ave no idea why I can go all day with chip in computer and look at data with resmed and then out into machine and it reads, yet others times it want to erase the chip. why something and not others? guess I will have to start doing the chip lock thing.

[archangle]

Someone posted a suggestion on how to make Windows 8 not do this. I think it may have been something like turning off System Restore for the drive in question, but I don't remember the exact details.

Luckily, I don't yet have a machine infested with Windows 8.