SanDisk SDDR-86-07 6 in 1 USB 2.0 Hi-speed Reader

• Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified for fastest data transfer, with backwards compatiblity with all USB 1.1 ports
• All four memory slots are active, which allows you to copy data between the different memory cards at the same time
• Separate reader and docking station for quick desktop/laptop connectivity
• Easy to use; just drag and drop your files
• Compatible with Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP and Macintosh OS 9.1x+ and OS X v10.1.2+

With all the digicams I have, I've collected a lot of memory formats and quite a few card readers along the way. None were perfect and none were all that versatile. For example, my Viking combination SmartMedia & CompactFlash required being unplugged and then plugged in again before each use. It was also, as a USB 1.1 device, a tad slow. Recently I got the SanDisk 6-in-1 vertical reader and I have been 100% satisfied. I took it out of the pkg., plugged it directly into the USB 2.0 port, and it self-installed (on WinXP). No power plug is required. Then I opened my junk drawer and found 4 "mystery" cards: a SM32, a CF8, a MS8 & a MMC16 (I think these were all original equipment cards that were quickly replaced by larger ones). Only the CompactFlash 8 was blank. The others all yielded some fun, forgotten about pics that came up on the screen with no prompting whatsoever. Read speed was awesome. This SanDisk unit is a winner at a great price.

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I recently bought the 6-in-1 to use with my Sony Memory Stick and SanDisk SD cards. The Memory Sticks worked fine but the SD wouldn't work at all. In fact, as soon as I plugged in an SD card, the Memory Stick would also stop working. I filled in a problem report on the SanDisk website, and by 7:30 am the next morning I had a response. I must admit that I was skeptical of the suggested fix, which was to disable NAV scanning of the boot sector of removable media. However, when I did as suggested, all cards worked fine. Apparently, when NAV scans the SD card, the reader and/or NAV doesn't know how to handle this and disables the card.

I see several comments in this section about similar problems; this may be the cause.

My observations are therefore that it is a good product, quite fast, SanDisk provides excellent support, and the only negative is that they have to develop an upgraded flash for the reader that doesn't have the NAV conflict. Also, since they already knew about this conflict, they should have posted the information in their knowledgebase on the website.

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I had high hopes for this reader. The specs are great, and the look, feel, and quality are high. This is a nice package. Unfortunately, for the first time in the last 3 or 4 years that I've been using CF cards and all sorts of readers, THIS reader would only recognize 2 out of 6 of my CF cards. It did recognize my one Memory Stick I had.(I'm running XP, by the way.) Going to the Sandisk site and using their instructions for uninstalling/reinstalling the drivers (which involves editing your Registry!) didn't change a thing. I was extremely disappointed, and have returned the unit for a refund. I'm looking now for another brand's USB 2.0 reader to replace it.

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I got one of these from a supplier other than Amazon. It does not work. It sometimes freezes my Windows 98 SE computer (admittedly a USB 1.1 that this is supposed to be backward compatible for). It does not read the cards properly. I thank the person who suggested disabling NAV, but that didn't work either. ...

Recommend against

I own 6 flash cards of varying types and sizes (3 Compact Flash, 1 SD and 2 Sony memory sticks). 2 of them (1 CF card and 1 memory stick) won't work on this unit, and one (a CF card) causes the whole thing to freeze up and malfuntion.

This device is very buggy and although Sandisk knows about the problems, they will not offer refunds or any type of useful support. They have 2 responses: (1)"You can try to return it to the retailer you bought it from" or (2)"We are trying to determine the cause of the problems and develop a firmware fix, but we don't know when that will be available".

I have spent too many aggravating hours on the phone with a customer service manager. Finally I got fed up and called Amazon.com to let them know that Sandisk is trying to leave retailers holding the bag with their defective products, since they are encouraging customers to ask their retailers for refunds.

Amazon was great, and agreed to accept the product for refund even though I had to maul the packaging to get the unit out when I first received it. They even gave me pre-paid shipping, since the unit is defective.

I would have saved myself a lot of hassle by simply buying a different product in the first place.