The memory card error associated with the Canon PowerShot S2 IS is fairly widespread. I recently bought an S2 IS and had this problem myself. I have now fixed it, and I will tell you what I did in a moment. That's not to say what fixed it for me will work for everyone who experiences this memory card issue. However, it's certainly worth a try.
First off, the Canon PowerShot S2 IS will only hold memory cards up to 2GB. That is the maximum size it can hold. So if you have inserted a 4GB SD card, your problem, or error message is due to the card being too big. If you have stayed within the size boundaries (2GB or less) and the camera is still displaying a card error, here is what fixed it for me.
Take the SD card out and put it into another camera. For me the other camera was a Samsung WB500 [Read about it here]. Format the card when its inside the other camera. Now place it back in the S2 IS and it should now work fine. That worked for me. Another option if you have a desktop or laptop computer that has a card reader, is to format it from one of those machines. Don't know how? Here's what to do: Put the card in the card reader and let it load.
Right click the card (drive) in My Computer and select properties. This is to check what file system the card is set to. It will most probably be FAT. Once you have checked this right click the drive again and select Format from the list of options. Be warned: I'm sure you're aware, but just in case. Once you Format the SD card all images will be gone, deleted forever. So make sure you have taken everything you want to keep off the card before proceeding.
Format the drive / memory card using FAT file system and set to 32 kilobytes allocation unit size. Once completed take the card and try it in your Canon S2. If it works, great, problem solved. If not do the same process again but change the allocation unit size to Default allocation unit size. Format again and try the card in the camera again. Working? Cool. Not working. Give the same process another try, but this time try using FAT32 instead of FAT. Hope this solves the issue for you.
First off, the Canon PowerShot S2 IS will only hold memory cards up to 2GB. That is the maximum size it can hold. So if you have inserted a 4GB SD card, your problem, or error message is due to the card being too big. If you have stayed within the size boundaries (2GB or less) and the camera is still displaying a card error, here is what fixed it for me.
Take the SD card out and put it into another camera. For me the other camera was a Samsung WB500 [Read about it here]. Format the card when its inside the other camera. Now place it back in the S2 IS and it should now work fine. That worked for me. Another option if you have a desktop or laptop computer that has a card reader, is to format it from one of those machines. Don't know how? Here's what to do: Put the card in the card reader and let it load.
Right click the card (drive) in My Computer and select properties. This is to check what file system the card is set to. It will most probably be FAT. Once you have checked this right click the drive again and select Format from the list of options. Be warned: I'm sure you're aware, but just in case. Once you Format the SD card all images will be gone, deleted forever. So make sure you have taken everything you want to keep off the card before proceeding.
Format the drive / memory card using FAT file system and set to 32 kilobytes allocation unit size. Once completed take the card and try it in your Canon S2. If it works, great, problem solved. If not do the same process again but change the allocation unit size to Default allocation unit size. Format again and try the card in the camera again. Working? Cool. Not working. Give the same process another try, but this time try using FAT32 instead of FAT. Hope this solves the issue for you.
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However, if you don't want to replace anything, and don't mind getting the error as long as the camera still works and can take pictures, do this. Turn the camera on. If / when the error comes up on the screen turn the camera off, and then turn it back on again. It should now work fine. That fixes it for me anyway. Every time.
I'm not sure why this issue exists but some think it could be something to do with using rechargeable battery's. Who knows. But it could well be true, as I have only ever used rechargeable's in my S2, Energizers. And I'd bet thousands of other users do also.