myTouch 1.2v Error "Please Insert an SD card before using the camera"

I purchased my phone on 3-26-2010, its the T-Mobile myTouch 3G 3.5mm Jack - Black with 512MB Flash, 288MB RAM, 8GB Memory Card, 3.2 Megapixel camera. When I got home I proceeded to add my media to the memory card and customize my ringtones and others, then put about 10 apps on it.

2 days later I proceeded to take a picture, while the camera display was there, I had a message displaying across the screen: "Please Insert an SD card before using the camera". I checked Settings/SD card & phone storage to see the total space at 7.40gb so it was reading the SD card. I unmounted, then mounted to make sure that it was installed properly and it was. After going back and forth between the home screen, gallery, and camera, I was not able to take a picture, nor use any data from the SD card (ie: wallpaper, pictures, videos, music). I called 611 and they said I needed a "refresh" so they instructed me to turn my phone off, then turn it back on after about 10 seconds. Everything worked after that.

2 days later, it happened again, only this time the error was more intermittent. I called 611 again and they instructed me to format the SD card a perform a factory data reset. They mentioned that if this does not work, it must be hardware and they recommended I get a replacement phone. The format/reset worked... for 2 hours.

I took the phone back to the original t-mobile store that I purchased the original from on 4-2-2010. They had no problem doing the exchange, but didn't seem to care why I was doing it. I walked out of the store with a brand new phone, SD card, and SIM card. I logged onto my gmail account and left everything else alone, no wallpaper, pictures, videos, music, apps, NOTHING. The next day, I had the same issue. "Please Insert an SD card before using the camera".

After calling 611 again, they suggested the same format/reset, which I have done several times at this point, with no fix. They then suggested that "third time is a charm" I figured that I could not argue that so on 4-5-2010 I went to exchange it again, and again I walked out of the store with a brand new phone, SD card, and SIM card. By the time I got to a restaurant within the mall, and was seated, the third time was NOT a charm. Yes, that dreaded message came again "Please Insert an SD card before using the camera". I went back to the store and he said that there IS a fix coming for it soon, but with no ETA for the OTA (I think he called it). Possibly Eclair ? but no sign of if or when it is due out.

I have called 611 a few more times, with no word of such a fix for this issue, I cannot find anything useful via searches on google about this issue. I like this phone, but it is not nearly 100% me, not even close, my old Samsung t239 was more me. Any ideas for a fix?

I have contact HTC about the issue, but there response was "I understand how frustrating it is when you keep getting that message and are unable to get the device to take pictures or videos because of this. Unfortunately, I will be unable to assist you with this device. T-Mobile does all the support up to a hard reset for the T-Mobile My Touch in accordance with the agreement between HTC and T-Mobile"

I have recorded a video to accurately show what is happening.

ost
   
Default myTouch 1.2v Error "Please Insert an SD card before using the camera"
I purchased my phone on 3-26-2010, its the T-Mobile myTouch 3G 3.5mm Jack - Black with 512MB Flash, 288MB RAM, 8GB Memory Card, 3.2 Megapixel camera. When I got home I proceeded to add my media to the memory card and customize my ringtones and others, then put about 10 apps on it.

2 days later I proceeded to take a picture, while the camera display was there, I had a message displaying across the screen: "Please Insert an SD card before using the camera". I checked Settings/SD card & phone storage to see the total space at 7.40gb so it was reading the SD card. I unmounted, then mounted to make sure that it was installed properly and it was. After going back and forth between the home screen, gallery, and camera, I was not able to take a picture, nor use any data from the SD card (ie: wallpaper, pictures, videos, music). I called 611 and they said I needed a "refresh" so they instructed me to turn my phone off, then turn it back on after about 10 seconds. Everything worked after that.

2 days later, it happened again, only this time the error was more intermittent. I called 611 again and they instructed me to format the SD card a perform a factory data reset. They mentioned that if this does not work, it must be hardware and they recommended I get a replacement phone. The format/reset worked... for 2 hours.

I took the phone back to the original t-mobile store that I purchased the original from on 4-2-2010. They had no problem doing the exchange, but didn't seem to care why I was doing it. I walked out of the store with a brand new phone, SD card, and SIM card. I logged onto my gmail account and left everything else alone, no wallpaper, pictures, videos, music, apps, NOTHING. The next day, I had the same issue. "Please Insert an SD card before using the camera".

After calling 611 again, they suggested the same format/reset, which I have done several times at this point, with no fix. They then suggested that "third time is a charm" I figured that I could not argue that so on 4-5-2010 I went to exchange it again, and again I walked out of the store with a brand new phone, SD card, and SIM card. By the time I got to a restaurant within the mall, and was seated, the third time was NOT a charm. Yes, that dreaded message came again "Please Insert an SD card before using the camera". I went back to the store and he said that there IS a fix coming for it soon, but with no ETA for the OTA (I think he called it). Possibly Eclair ? but no sign of if or when it is due out.

I have called 611 a few more times, with no word of such a fix for this issue, I cannot find anything useful via searches on google about this issue. I like this phone, but it is not nearly 100% me, not even close, my old Samsung t239 was more me. Any ideas for a fix?

I have contact HTC about the issue, but there response was "I understand how frustrating it is when you keep getting that message and are unable to get the device to take pictures or videos because of this. Unfortunately, I will be unable to assist you with this device. T-Mobile does all the support up to a hard reset for the T-Mobile My Touch in accordance with the agreement between HTC and T-Mobile"

I have recorded a video to accurately show what is happening.
YouTube - myTouch Error: "Please Insert an SD card before using the camera"


It has since been brought to my attention (by user IOWA) that: "The reason why it said access denied, is because you need root access, which is basically like administrator access in windows." That makes sense.

By now I have spoken to around 10 different people that answer the phones at T-Mobile, along with 2 "tech specialist" all of which have been very helpful in not solving the issue. Although, t-mobile does have excellent customer service.

Does anyone know of a fix, or future update that will solve this problem with my Android phone? Below are the spec of my phone:
Under about phone is says that I am up to date
Model Number = T-Mobile myTouch 3G
Firmware Version = 1.6
Baseband Version = 62.50SC.20.17U_2.22.23.02
Kernel Version = 2.6.29-g023e5c9
htc-kernel@and18-2 #3
Build Number = 2.10.531.4 CL119339 release-keys

Thank you very much for posting the video of your problem on YouTube. I have exactly the same problem with card read errors on the same model myTouch 3g and, after exchanging it, on a new replacement unit. After talking to three T-Mobile reps who claim they have never heard of the problem, I can now prove that I'm not crazy.  I too have tried to "reformat" the card after unmounting it (does not actually work as some of the original jpg files mysteriously reappear). A T-Mobile rep said just re-inserting the card without unmounting it would work, so he did it; same problem. Tried to reformat the card externally. Also tried a different SD card (alhough the same brand and capacity Sandisk 8gb). Even tried a factory reset of the phone software all to no avail.  I like the phone otherwise, and the camera function is not even that important to me. What is disappointing is that I want to use the phone to download and play podcasts, and the read errors prevent apps like google listen and Beyond Pod from working.

As I too was puzzled about what could be causing the problem, and since it seems to have started when I installed google listen, I wondered if there was some conflict with the camera and another process trying to write to the card at the same time, since I saw the podcast app running in the backround (with an app killer program). Even after uninstalling the program, I still get the please insert card message most of the time when switching between the camera and the gallery, and the same schizophrenic behavior of some pictures being saved while others are lost.

Sorry that I don't have any solutions. It's sad that we have to spend so much time doing our own troubleshooting, while T-Mobile fails to provide solutions or even recognize the problem. I'm going back tomorrow to the T-Mobile store, and I hope that I don't get a "three's a charm" run around.

Thanks Stormtam for posting the that thread to the other forum, and for your solution.

Again, to anyone else who has been told by a T-Mobile customer "service" representative that he alone is the one having this problem, read this:

http://androidforums.com/t-mobile-mytouch-3g/61947-mytouch-1-2v-error-please-insert-sd-card-before-using-camera.html

Just as "potch" here said, it is a SD card prb. HTC has send out millions of defective sd cards w the new 3.5mm jack my touch 2nd generation. That now they are having to replace. The original message of this post n the vid... i had the exact same prbs... and tmobile gave me the exact same run around... unmount, mount. turn off ph turn on.... we cnt help u. restore it to factory settings.... this that.. all bull shit. finally i inserted my old 1GB sd card frm my old blackberry phone and i have never had the issue since... then i had to go thru the trouble of replacing my old defective 8 GB sd card from HTC. Let me warn u they have horrible cs... they take forever. they have sent out so many defective sd cards that they are back logged on sd cards. they have two forms of sending out a new sd cards to u.. 1 - they will mail u a shipping label and u can send ur old sd card back on tht shipping label and they will mail u the new sd card, or 2- u can give them ur credit card no and they wil mail u a new sd card and if u dnt send back the old defective sd card once u recieve the new sd card then they will charge u 50$ or it was something around there. HTC has such horrible customer service, tht i had to call them 5 times in the span of a month and a half to send me the shipping label and they all said its on its way, until finally i gave in and took the 2nd option of giving my cc no and having them mail me the new one and sending my old one back. Im still using my old 1 GB sd card frm my bb. I have received my new 8 gb sd card but have not had the time to use it. Lets hope its also not defective and it works... the only issue u have is the defective sd card frm HTC.