Fix Nikon D40 Memory Card Full Error: Quick & Proven Solutions

Nikon D40 Memory Card Full Error!

When you turn on your Nikon D40 camera and want to take a photo, but it shows “Card is full" error, what should you do? It shows full even after you emptied the SD card. How to fix it? Don’t worry, you will learn the proven solutions to fix your SD card and recover files from the fulfilled SD card easily. Let’s find out.

Why is My Nikon D40 Show Card Full Error?

Why does your Nikon D40 say the memory card is full? There are multiple reasons for that:

Thus, when your Nikon D40 says memory card is full, it's often triggered by a corrupted file system, a locked card, a software hiccup, a physically damaged SD card, etc.

How to Fix Nikon D40 Memory Card Full Error?

Now, it’s time to fix your Nikon D40 memory card back to normal. Try the following proven solutions.

Way 1. Check the SD Card Lock Switch

In fact, on the left side of your SD card, there's a tiny, sliding switch. This is a write-protect lock. When it's slid down towards the metal contacts, the card is unlocked and ready for action. When it's slid up, it's locked, and no camera or computer can write to it. It's incredibly easy to nudge this switch accidentally when handling the card.

So, first eject the card, check that the switch is in the unlocked position, and firmly reinsert it. It's the simplest fix for a Nikon D40 card that's full of panic.

Way 2. Reinsert the Memory Card and Power Cycling

Sometimes, the connection between the camera and the card just gets a little flaky.

1. Turn the Nikon D40 completely off. Remove the battery for good measure, and then take out the memory card.

2. Give the gold contacts on the card a gentle blow to remove any dust.

3. Reinsert the card, ensuring it clicks firmly into place, and then reinsert the battery.

4. Power the camera back on.

This simple reset can clear temporary glitches and re-establish a clean communication line.

Way 3. Clean Up Your Memory Card

Your memory card may not have room for more images. Check your available space on the memory card. If the card is full, try making more room on the card.

Plug the memory card into your computer, copy the contents, and then delete the pictures off the memory card. This should free up room on your card to hold new pictures.

Way 4. Try A Supported Memory Card

The Nikon D40 only supports SD and SDHC memory cards up to 32GB. It does not support larger SDXC or SDUC cards, which will result in a "card full" error.

• SD Cards: Compatible with capacities from 128MB up to 2GB.
• SDHC Cards: Compatible with capacities from 4GB up to 32GB.

Cards larger than 32GB are not compatible because the D40's firmware can only read the FAT32 file system.

So, please ensure your memory card is formatted as FAT32 and smaller than 32GB. You can try connecting cards, 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB, to see if one of them might work.

Way 5. Format Memory Card in Nikon D40

Formatting your memory card might help fix errors on the card. And most importantly: Formatting will erase EVERYTHING on the card. If you have any photos you haven't backed up, you must recover them first using a tool like MyRecover (detailed later) before proceeding.To format a memory card in a Nikon D40:

1. Insert the card, press the MENU button.

2. Navigate to the SETUP MENU (the spanner icon), select FORMAT MEMORY CARD.

3. Press OK. The camera will ask for confirmation. Select "Yes".

This process takes only a few seconds and creates a fresh, clean file system that the D40 understands perfectly.

After a successful format, if you try to review your images, you'll see a "No File" message. Don't be alarmed! This is exactly what you want to see. It confirms the card is now blank, properly formatted, and ready for new photos. If the Nikon D40 memory card full error disappears after this, you've solved the problem. The corruption has been cleared.

Way 6. Replace the Memory Card

Your memory card may be damaged or corrupted. Try using a different memory card. If the camera can save images to this card, your original card has likely gone bad.

Way 7. Reset the Nikon D40 to Factory Settings

Perhaps a deep-seated setting has become corrupted in the Nikon D40. A factory reset can clear this out.

1. Go to the Setup Menu (the wrench) and find the two-button reset option.

2. Typically, this involves pressing the QUAL and Exposure Compensation buttons (marked with green dots) simultaneously for a couple of seconds.

This will reset all settings to their defaults without deleting your images. After the reset, try formatting your card again inside the camera.

Way 8. Update Your Nikon D40 Camera Firmware

While the D40 is a veteran model, Nikon did release firmware updates during its active life. You can check your current firmware version under the Setup Menu. Visit Nikon's support website, see if a newer version is available, and follow their instructions to the letter to update it. This can resolve obscure glitches that cause the Nikon D40 card full error.

It's worth noting that this glitch isn't unique to the D40. It's a known quirk across several Nikon models (D50-D90) from that era, and the solutions are often very similar.

Recovering Files Matters Before Formatting

Before formatting your memory card or performing any operation that might cause data loss, it’s highly recommended to back up your files. However, you might not be able to access your Memory card now because the card is full. You can recover files with the powerful Windows data recovery software, MyRecover.

MyRecover is a comprehensive data recovery tool, which is designed to deeply scan storage devices, even those that are corrupted, unformatted, or showing errors, and pull your files back from the brink. With MyRecover, try the following advantages:

Easy to Use: Simple interface, no technical skill needed.

Deep Scanning: Finds files even after deletion, formatting, or corruption.

Keeps Original Names: Restores files with their original filenames for easy organization.

Preview & Select: Lets you see files before recovering only what you need.

Wide Format Support: Recovers photos, videos, documents, and more.

Highest Recovery Rate: With a 99% recovery rate, you can recover files from a system-crashed computer, a RAW drive, an unformatted drive, etc.

Thus, how to recover files from your memory card from Nikon D40 with MyRecover, here is how it works:

1. Connect your Nikon D40 memory card to your Windows computer. Then download and install MyRecover.

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2. Launch MyRecover, tap USB/SD Card Recovery, choose your Nikon D40 memory card, and hit Scan.

3. Hit OK when the scanning is finished.

4. Preview and choose the files, and hit Recover.

5. It will prompt you to select a destination to save these recovered files safely.

Tips:✎...

Once the scan is complete, you can browse the found files. MyRecover organizes them by type (like JPEG, NEF) and folder structure; you can also use file name and size to search for them quickly. Use the preview function to check the integrity of your photos before recovery.

You can recover unlimited files if you have a large number of files on this memory card.

To recover files from unlimited computers, please try MyRecover Technician to enjoy.

With your photos now safely saved on your computer, you can proceed with confidence to do any operation to the memory card in your Nikon D40, including formatting, knowing your memories are secure.

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FAQs About Nikon D40 Memory Card Full Error

Q: Why does my Nikon D40 say the memory card is full when it's empty?

A: It's a communication error, not a space issue. The camera can't read the card's index, usually due to corruption, the lock switch being on, or a glitch.

Q: Will formatting my Nikon D40 memory card delete all my photos?

A: Yes, formatting erases everything. Always back up or recover your photos first before formatting to fix the error.

Q: Is it better to format the memory card in the camera or on my computer?

A: Always in the camera. This ensures the file system is perfectly tailored for the D40.

Q: My Nikon D60 says the card is full. Are the fixes the same as for the D40?

A: Yes. The cause and fixes are identical for these and most Nikon DSLR models.

Q: What does it mean when any Nikon camera says the SD card is full?

A: It universally indicates a file system problem. The camera can't read the card's data table properly.

Q: I've tried everything, and my Nikon D40 card is full error won't go away. What now?

A: If you've tried everything (including a different card), the camera's hardware is likely faulty and needs professional repair. Replacing the memory card is another option.