Pentax Optio s - corrupting memory cards

I recently was using my Pentax optio s which i have had for over a year, and have had no problems with. I was out taking photos on a very windy, cold cliff in wales, and attempted to switch the camera on. When i did this, the camera turned on, but there was no display on the LCD, and it did not allow it to be turned off- i had to take the battery out for this. It turned out the the memory card had been corrupted, and all of my photos lost. The camera seems to operate OK without a card in it. However, i found out that it would cost around 160 quid to get it repaired. I dont want to risk getting another card corrupted, but then again I dont want to buy another camera if this was a one off. Help!

I have only seen a similar thing happen once to a friend who had a Minolta. Cards can be corrupted, but usually when the power is interrupted during writing to the card. If it was very cold, I wonder if the batteries were so low in power that the write process failed and this caused the corrupted card? Just a thought.

Have you tried another card?

I do recall switching the camera off quite a few times while it was still recording data, but it said that it was recording data. I dont want to risk putting another card into it.

It's not a good idea to switch off whilst writing is in progress. I have seen people do it and get away with it, but it's not recommended. Personally, I would try to format the card in the camera. If that doesn't work I'd try to format it on a computer via a card reader and then also in the camera. If that fails I would try another card - cheaper than the repair by a long way.

With computers, and I include the camera as a modestly powerful computer, every time something goes wrong it's an opportunity to have a go and see what can be learnt.