Apologies for this very basic question.
I regularly trash the recordings I do on my Zoom Q3. But today it gave me the message that my card was full. Doesn't the card work like a hard disk ?

Hmm, could be that you have a bad card or you haven't really trashed everything you need or even a bad Q3 ...

... try putting the card in a PC's card reader if you have one. That way you can poke around at the file system and see what's there and whether the card looks ok.

Thanks for replying Andy. Unfortunately I don't have a PC card reader.
Can you believe this ? I bought my Zoom on 6 April last year, it's already 7 April here, so it's run out of warranty by literally one day.
I have had problems with this Zoom before, the button was once so depressed that the Zoom could not switch on and off. The retailer and the repairer were even worse than the Zoom.

I might have to start saving for another Zoom. This time I will go to a different retailer.

What about a USB? You can plug the zoom into the PC via the USB and it will see the drive in the same way. Of course then you aren't getting the Zoom out of the picture so it could still "lie to you".

Yes, your flash memory card is full. The technology is not quite the same as a hard disk on a computer, but conceptually, it serves the same purpose (to store digital files).

There are two options that will solve your problem.

1. Delete unwanted files (from your existing card)
2. Purchase another card (its cheap)

Your existing card can hold 2 gigabytes of information
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Class-Flash-Memory-SDSDB-2048-A11/dp/B0009RGLSE

It also comes in a 4 gigabyte capacity version
http://www.amazon.com/Sandisk-Secure-Digital-Memory-SDSDB-4096/dp/B000P1O73A/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_image_2

Hope this helps.

I thought the OP indicated that they had been deleting unwanted files as they went along. I don't use the Q3, but I wonder if the file system works like most computers where deleting is really a two stage process (i.e. the delete operation just moves the file to a trash folder, but you then have to "empty the trash" to actually free up the space). Just a thought.

Oops, I must have misread the question.

You can try formatting the card (which will erase everything on it).

Perform the following steps to format the card.

1) Turn power on while holding down the [DELETE] key.

2) The SD/SDHC card format confirmation screen appears.

3) Press the [+] key to select ''Yes''. Formatting will start.

Thanks so much Andy, packa and Akira. Your advice was awesome and has saved me a trip to the shop.
I formatted the card per your instructions and I don't have the Card Full message anymore.

Sweetwater rocks when it comes to guaranteeing you get a fully functional piece of electronics. They replaced an entire (mildly) defective DP for me, with all shipping at their expense.

Just a satisfied customer.

Hi tangleweeds
I wish we had Sweetwater in Australia. We don't have many multimedia stores here.

Oops, forgot to look at your location! My bad...

At least over here, you can pick up cheap little card reader pretty easily, on the web (they're so little they ship swiftly, just like a letter), or in a general computer/electronics store.

That way you'd at leas be able to figure out whether it's the card or the recording device that's behaving badly.

I bought a bigger card for my R-09 almost immediately. All these devices come with a relatively small card (usually). Make sure you check in the manual the maximum card size it supports if you buy a new one.

I only use my Zoom for audio recording. I'm interested in how many hours the card that comes with the Zoom Q3 can record for audio ?