I'm unable to download RAW images from my Canon Rebel T2i to my flash drives. JPEGS are fine. WHY?

[Wisdom810]

Suddenly I'm unable to download my RAW images from my Canon Rebel T2i to my flash drives when just a few weeks ago I was able to. What happened? I can download JPEGS just fine. No error codes, software works like normal, i see the previews and when i go to my flash drives to open the files the dated file is there but it opens with no images. I've reformatted the memory card twice now, so that's not the problem. Any ideas from all my new friends out there. Thank you.

[TCampbell]

We may need more info.  What are your flash drives?  What are you using to copy?  What computer/OS do you use?

Normally a file is a file... a computer doesn't care what type of file it is.  Whether or not any software knows how to hope the file wont impact the computer's ability to copy it.  This makes me wonder if it is being copied, but can't be opened (e.g. if the software you are using doesn't know how to deal with a Canon T2i RAW file (.CR2).

RAW is more of a "concept" than a "standard".  Every camera model's RAW file will be slightly different.  If you want to open an image in, say, Photoshop... they provide "Adobe Camera RAW" updates for their software and you'd need the update that supports your T2i (btw, when Adobe releases a "new" version of software, they tend to stop providing RAW updates for all previous versions of that software.  So depending on what version of software you use... the only way to get it to work with RAW may involve having to upgrade the software (there are some cumbersome work-arounds.))

[ebiggs1]

" I've reformatted the memory card twice now, ..."

Yes it is!  If you did this twice, you are not going to d/l, or recover, anything from that card as it is lost.  I would get a brand new high quality card, Snadisk or Lexar.  Reset the camera to defaults for Canon. Take some more photos and try again.  General practice.

Any further info from us will require more info from you.