This format cannot be used for autobooting - you must reformat these cards as FAT32 on your PC. Some recent cameras format SD cards as exFAT. Details of what to do in each situation are given below.įor recent cameras, a single FAT32 partition configured to be bootable is the preferred SD card configuration for automatically loading CHDK. The best method to use depends on when your camera was released, the size of your SD card and your tolerance for needing to take extra steps with some configurations. There are several possible configurations that can be used to enable the Bootable SD Card method of loading CHDK. Note : setting up an SD card to be bootable is not the same thing as setting the "boot" flag in the card's MBR. Listed below are various methods of configuring an SD card for the "SD Card Lock" method. Setup of the SD card is somewhat complicated as different cameras have different requirements and limitations. Cameras released after January 2011 can boot from either a FAT16 or a FAT32 partition, although each format requires a different modifications to the boot block. This means that for cameras released prior to January 2011 there needs to be a FAT16 partition with a slightly modified boot block. Note that your SD card needs to be "bootable" to use the SD Card Lock method.
Insert the card into your camera and turn it on normally - you should briefly see the CHDK logo, indicating that CHDK has successfully loaded. To use this method, format and load the card using the instructions below, and then set the card's lock switch (the little slider mechanism on the side of the SD card) to the "LOCK" position. This is done via the "Bootable SD Card" method of loading and requires that the SD card be setup specially for this purpose.
BOOT OFF SD CARD UPDATE
Do not start the camera with the On/Off button - the firmware update method will not work if you do.
BOOT OFF SD CARD ARCHIVE
If so, then you cannot use the firmware update method for those cameras until the software is released in the CHDK Autobuild Server Also, Mac users should read the hints in FAQ Mac as as you may have issues with permissions when using Apple Archive utiliy. Beta release versions of CHDK downloaded from the CHDK forum might not contain this file. Note that for this method to work, there must now be a file called either ps.fi2 or ps.fir in the root directory of the card. Make sure that the CHDK folders are also copied to the SD card.
BOOT OFF SD CARD PC
Use your PC and SD card reader to unzip the appropriate CHDK distribution file for your camera model and firmware version into the main root directory of your SD card. If the camera does not want to format your card, it is probably already formatted. This should happen automatically when you put a new card in the camera.
The Firmware Update Method allows you to load CHDK from any SD card formatted to work in your camera.