This might be late, and it's 2024 now, but cleaning the contacts of the card (the gold one) is very wrong. Such a B.S. advice. That will damage the card. Some people try fixing the battery by removing and attaching it back, but is a temporary solution. There are several factors or causes as some say, and they could differ depending on the situation. My DSC-L1 had the same problem. For 2 days, while the cam is turned on I have removed the memory stick and attached it again just for it to work. The VX (Fine) mode was limited to 5 seconds only. I soon realized it was a Memory stick compatibility problem. Now, I am able to work it, and I can even use the digicam without errors, and use the VX mode without any limits. Take a look at this Memory Stick compatibility chart for your reference: https://www.sony-asia.com/support/resources/en_AP/html/Co...