Canon Powershot A570 IS users: HELP!!!

[usports2]

DS called from Stonehenge in an absolute panic....He tells me that the camera went into a "reformat" mode and he lost all the pictures he has taken thus far on his European trip.....thank heavens he's only been there 2.5 days.

Any idea why this may have happened. He doesn't think he hit any buttons to do this, but I don't know a point and shoot camera that doesn't double-check with you before it does anything as drastic as reformatting, or erasing.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated....
Donna

[LadyCarolyn]

Oh no Donna, . . . I have a Powershot . . .. not this model . . . and this has never happened to me. If he is in England, maybe he can go to someone in London and see what they say.

[GailS]

I have the A570. I'm not aware of it being capable of any "surprise" reformats of any kind. Looks like the only options for reformatting are in the menu, so if he was trying to set the time/date, numbering conventions, etc., he might have selected the wrong menu item in error?

Here's a copy of the user guide if you want to page through it. It's searchable, I love online versions. :) http://www.it.ringling.edu/fileadmin/pdf/PSA570ISCUGad_ENg.pdf

Lastly, probably too late, but did he keep the card anyway and use another? Reformatted and/or erased memory cards "might" be able to have the data recovered, depends on a lot of stuff I don't understand but usually can't be done once it starts to get written to again.

[usports2]

I have the A570. I'm not aware of it being capable of any "surprise" reformats of any kind. Looks like the only options for reformatting are in the menu, so if he was trying to set the time/date, numbering conventions, etc., he might have selected the wrong menu item in error?

Here's a copy of the user guide if you want to page through it. It's searchable, I love online versions. :) http://www.it.ringling.edu/fileadmin/pdf/PSA570ISCUGad_ENg.pdf

Lastly, probably too late, but did he keep the card anyway and use another? Reformatted and/or erased memory cards "might" be able to have the data recovered, depends on a lot of stuff I don't understand but usually can't be done once it starts to get written to again.
Gail,
OOH, wouldn't it be wonderful if he could find those photos again?! We advised him to use the other memory card he has with him, and then back at the hotel this evening, maybe he could find something that would let him recover.
Thanks to all for your help....atleast he's not traveling alone, so we can get photos from the other members of his group.
Once again, DSP-ers to the rescue!
Donna

[usports2]

With the help of the on line user guide, I found out the new memory cards need to be formatted. Dah me! I took a couple pics with the card prior to DS's departure and had no problem. I can only assume that he pressed the wrong button while in MENU mode and that's why his photos were erased. Hopefully, he can format the new card and have 12 more days of European pics for me to scrap!
Donna