"Cannot Display Image" - pls help

Hi all, having some issues with an old Pentax K-x. Im not an aficionado, I know sod all about cameras, I just point and shoot. I was out taking photos today and noticed that the last 50 or so photos I'd taken couldnt be displayed on the screen, it only said "Cannot Display Image". I kept going bc I could see there was still data being stored in the image and the first ~50 I had taken were fine. Once I got home I went to get the images off the SD card (kingston 16GB) and 98/144 of the photos could not be opened. Theres data in them though, I looked in properties for the files and they all have ~5MB of data in them, yet no software can make any sense of any of them. Upon closer inspection, the last photo before they all started going wrong is partially obscured by a big grey rectangle. I cant take any more photos either, they all throw up the same issue, even with different SD cards. Please help!

Can't say what your problem is but the camera looks to be suffering badly from dust on the sensor suggesting the camera has been left without a lens or body cap in situ. It would seem to require a good overhaul.

I wouldn't think it is a memory card fault, more likely the shutter getting stuck half way. Perhaps someone else has experienced the issue and resolved it. Sand or grit getting blown in might cause a sticky shutter, if it is that.

I've not experienced an issue like this but it sounds plausible that it's a shutter problem - that last partial shot may be the shutter failing and if all subsequent shots are black then that would be the shutter failing to open at all

You would probably need to have it checked over by a service centre or competent camera shop to confirm (or otherwise) - Sorry I can't be more positive, but do wait for other suggestions, maybe someone else has had this same issue as JAK says

Yeah its had a rough old life this camera, its definitely in dire need of some TLC but I dont have the expertise to do it or the money to get someone else to do it. Could be time to put it out to pasture if I can't sort this issue.

Thanks for ur advice, yeah I've just managed to recover one of the images and it's entirely grey so I reckon ur right about the shutter. Ah well, after 10 years of pretty poor treatment she was gna pack it in eventually, what can you do.

Maybe try and track down a new camera body if your lenses are OK?

You seem to care enough to want to get it right and you have come to the right place to find oodles of advice so maybe you should indeed find a new body and rectify the 'I know sod all about cameras'. It feeds on itself because the more you know the more enjoyable it becomes.

It sounded like data being corrupted but if other cards also fail to work then it's either that the camera is corrupting the data itself or, as others suggest, a shutter problem.

Go into the menu and set the camera to operate without a lens (if not already set to do so), take the lens off and set the camera to a bulb (B mode) exposure. Press the shutter button and keep it down and look down into the mount to see if the shutter is moving.

A K-x is unlikely to be worthwhile repairing, you could find another used one for less than the cost of the repair. It was a decent camera in it's day and I'm sure you can find a replacement or even a newer model for very little.