going away at the end of the month, and only had a 256k memory card in my 5mp camera , so thought i'd get a bigger one , 4gb Sandisk SDHC , put it in the camera , camera screen says card requires formatting , press ok , then get "unable to format" :(

camera is a Medion MD85099, which i think is just a rebadged version of another manufacturers camera

so can anybody give me an idea what to do next , have i bought the wrong card ?

Sounds like it doesn't recognise 'HC' SD cards.

Edit:

Medion MD85099

Medion MD85099 Memory Cards (SD Card) & Accessories

The following memory cards are compatible with your Medion MD85099 Every memory card we offer is manufactured to the highest standard and carries a 2 year minimum warranty.Your Medion MD85099 accepts SD Card cards.The largest SD Card card you can use in your Medion MD85099 is 1GB

You may need a seperate card reader for your computer as well, neither my desktop or laptop (both purchased in the last 12 months) have card readers that recognise SDHC cards, SD only :(

what does the "HC" mean ?

High capacity

well theres me thinking all SD cards are the same :(

oh well it was only £5.39 and i don't go away till the 29th

You might get away with a 2GB card which is the biggest non SDHC card available. My guess is that 1GB was the biggest available when your camera was made.

Yeah, I had the same problem when I bought a 4GB microSD for my phone. 2GB one works fine, and as long as I don't lose the 4GB one before I get a new phone, I'm not too bothered...

There may be an update from the manufacturer for the camera. Worth a try.