What to do with a memory card. How to use SD card on Android device. Memory card incompatibility with device
Good day everyone!
Today, the popularity of SD flash drives, I think, is not inferior to USB flash drives. Judge for yourself: phones, tablets, cameras, cameras - SD flash drives (sometimes called SD cards) are used everywhere!
In general, I must admit that SD cards are quite "capricious" devices, and it is not uncommon that the computer does not recognize or see it. In these cases, usually, we immediately remember that there are important photos, files, data on the flash drive - which simply need to be 100% returned and restored!
In this article, I will give the most common reasons for the invisibility of an SD card by a computer (laptop), as well as recommendations for their elimination. I hope my humble advice will be useful to someone. So...
Many users confuse one point (although it is not a key one, it will help in solving the problem). I will show it on the example of one user question.
I took the card from my phone (microSD) and inserted it into my new device, but he offered to format it. Then I returned it back to the old phone, but he also wanted to format it. My laptop also does not see this card and offers to format it. What to do? Help to recover data from a flash drive.
Illustrative case. The laptop sees your flash drive, and even offers to format it - i.e. he does not understand that there is data on it, cannot recognize your flash drive, cannot read the file system (in this case, the file system is marked as RAW).
This often happens due to:
- file system failure on a flash drive;
- Windows cannot read a file system that is unfamiliar to it (for example, it often happens with disks connected to a TV - it can reformat them into its own file system, and then Windows does not see it).
By the way, many people make one mistake when connecting the microSD to the computer: when inserting the card into the adapter, they do not push it all the way (see photo-1 below). As a result, the PC simply does not see anything when the SD adapter is connected.
Checking a flash drive: fixing file system errors
In this case, you can try to restore the performance of the flash drive and all the files on it using the chkdsk utility for checking and fixing errors (built into Windows).
To do this, do not agree with the Windows suggestion to format the media (screenshot above), but just run command line (The easiest way is to press Win+R, then type CMD and press Enter, see screenshot below).
Check disk / flash drive
An example of recovery is shown in the screenshot above. After such a simple procedure, the flash drive returned to its working state and functions normally to this day.
When the check succeeds, the command line will usually report something like: "Windows has checked the file system and found no problems. No further action is required".
As a rule, if there was a small file system failure, then chkdsk it will be eliminated and the flash drive will become readable (after this procedure, both the phone and the laptop will be able to read it).
Now what if chkdsk did not help, but you need to restore the files from the USB flash drive ...
Restoring files from a flash drive
If, after trying to fix errors, Windows still intends to format it (that is, the OS sees it, but does not recognize it), then first of all, I will recommend that you restore files from it (unless, of course, you need them).
After you format the USB flash drive, it will be more difficult to recover data from it (and if you write new files, it will be impossible at all!).
There are special programs for data recovery. Some free and popular ones, I will give in the table below.
Instruction! How to recover photos from MicroSD memory card or USB flash drive -
3 Free Data Recovery Software
| Recuva
One of the best programs for low-level formatting of various drives: hard drives, flash cards, etc. Key features:
How to format SD card in HDD Low Level Format Tool:  Letter conflict: drive letter changeIn general, when you connect a drive (including a flash drive), Windows assigns a letter to this drive (for example, F:). But there is such a "glitch" that the letter is assigned incorrectly: for example, the one that is already in the system - as a result: a conflict occurs and your flash drive is invisible! Therefore, in case of invisibility of the flash drive, the first thing I recommend to do is go to "Disk Management": look at the drive letter, change it (it is possible to format the media). 1) To do this, first press the buttons Win+R, to a line "Open" enter the command diskmgmt.msc and press Enter.
2) Next, find in the list the disk (microSD card) that is not displayed (not visible) for you. Click on it with the right mouse button (sign-1 on the screen below) and in the context menu select "Change Drive Letter or Drive Path" . If the required flash drive is not in the list in Disk Management, go to the next subsection of this article. If the file system is marked as RAW, the flash drive must be formatted (more on this at the beginning of this article).
Change drive letter 3) In the next step, press the button "Change"(number-1 on the screen below), then set the slider to "Assign a drive letter (A-Z)" and choose some unique letter (one that is not in the system). Agree with the changes made. Sometimes, you may need to restart your computer (laptop).
If the problem was related to an incorrectly specified drive letter, the flash drive will become visible and will work in normal mode... Classes and formats of SD cardsSD-card SD-card is different - they differ not only in volume and manufacturer, but also in size, class (speed), generation. All this, of course, can affect the visibility of the SD-stick in the card reader... SD card sizes There are three form factors of SD cards: SD, miniSD, MicroSD (differ in size). Cards are used in a variety of portable devices: phones, cameras, camcorders, tablets, etc. The most widely used microSD cards(due to their compact size, they can even be inserted into a miniature phone or MP3 player).
To connect a microSD card to a laptop or computer, it always comes with a small adapter (see photo below).
Typical information on the SD card
Manufacturer : no comments here. The only point is when you buy an SD card for yourself, I recommend choosing well-known manufacturers: SanDisk, Transcend, Sony, etc. SD card type
Important! Compatibility table for card readers and SD card types In principle, each card reader (on the package with it) indicates which cards it supports. Naturally, if you insert more new map- he simply will not see it and you will not be able to read it. The table below will show you the compatibility of card readers and SD card types.
Card class (speed) Usually, SD cards do not indicate the speed of work (in MB / s, although sometimes they indicate it), but the class of the card. Using the tables below, you can find out what speed your card will support. Important: the higher the speed, the more expensive map. Some devices require a specific card class (for example, a camera, otherwise the video recording will be slow or not at all) - so be careful with this moment! Speed class UHS speed class
Capacity, card size The bigger, the better. True, try to proceed from real needs: if you need to store a dozen or two photos, then maybe it makes no sense to overpay and take a high-capacity card? Lack of driversIt is possible that your flash drive is not displayed due to the fact that the drivers for the card reader are not installed. In this case, the card reader itself does not work, which means that it will not read the SD card either. In this case, usually, the flash drive is not visible in "Disk Management" , and in device manager - a question mark will be lit in front of the device (it means that there are no drivers).
There is no driver (that's why the flash drive is not displayed ...) - device manager How to enter device manager
In the device manager, look at the "USB Controllers" tab, it should just be something like "Realtek USb 2.0 Card Reader" (see screenshot below). Opposite the device, no question marks or red icons should be lit.
If you do not have a device (card reader) in the lists, and there are unknown devices with question marks (example - ) - most likely you simply do not have a driver. There are several exits: PS A few more tips:  I am finishing the article on this. For additions on the topic - a separate merci in advance. All the best! |
One of the possible problems that you may encounter when inserting a Micro SD memory card into a phone or tablet is Android simply does not see the memory card or displays a message that the SD card is not working (device SD card is damaged), not supported, corrupted or there is a problem with the drive.
This manual details possible reasons problems and how to fix the situation if the memory card does not work with your Android device. Note: the paths in the settings are for pure Android, in some branded shells, for example, on Samsung, Xiaomi and others, they may differ slightly, but are approximately the same.
Not all Android devices support any size of memory cards, for example, not the newest ones, but the top Samsung Galaxy smartphones supported Micro SD up to 64 GB of memory, "not top-end" and Chinese - often even less (32 GB, sometimes - 16). Accordingly, if you insert a 128 or 256 GB memory card into such a phone, it will not see it or report that it is not supported. Among modern phones, almost all can work with 128 and 256 GB memory cards, with the exception of the cheapest models (which can still be limited to 32 GB even today).
If you are faced with the fact that the phone or tablet does not detect a memory card, check its specifications: try to find on the Internet whether the size and type of memory card (Micro SD, SDHC, SDXC) you want to connect is supported. Information on the supported volume for many devices is available on the official websites and Yandex Market, but sometimes you have to look for specifications in English sources.
Dirty contacts on the memory card or slot for it
If dust has accumulated in the memory card slot on the phone or tablet, as well as in case of oxidation and contamination of the contacts of the memory card itself, it may not be visible to the Android device. In this case, you can try to clean the contacts on the card itself (for example, with an eraser, carefully laying it on a flat hard surface) and, if possible, on the phone (if you have access to the contacts or know how to get it).
More rarely, more serious damage to the contacts inside the phone or, sometimes, the memory card itself is possible. In the first case, the phone will not see any memory cards, not just one, in the second case, the memory card will not be read on any device.
The phone does not see the memory card - video
Additional Information
If none of the options described above fit and Android still does not respond to connecting a memory card and does not see it, try the following options:
- If the memory card, when connected via a card reader to a computer, is visible on it, try simply formatting it in FAT32 or ExFAT in Windows and reconnecting it to your phone or tablet.
- If, when connected to a computer, the memory card is not visible in Explorer, but is displayed in Disk Management (press the Win + R keys, enter diskmgmt.msc and press Enter), try to follow the steps from this article with it: and then connect it to your Android device.
- If formatting using the phone or on the computer fails, try using the special SD Card Formatter utility (on the computer) - it can potentially see and format the memory card even if it is not visible in Explorer. The program is available on the official website https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/index.html
- In a situation where micro card The SD is not displayed either on Android or on the computer (including in the Disk Management utility), and you are sure that there are no problems with contacts, with a high probability, it was damaged and cannot be made to work.
- There are "fake" memory cards, often purchased in Chinese online stores, which claim one amount of memory and it is displayed on the computer, but the actual amount is less (this is implemented using the firmware), such memory cards may not work on Android.
I hope one of the methods helped to solve the problem. If not, please describe in the comments the situation in detail and what has already been done to fix it, perhaps I can give useful advice.
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Expanding free space on the internal drive is quite simple using a mircoSD memory card. But the disadvantage of solid state drives is a limited resource of work, as a result of which they often fail. Let's consider in what situations an SD card can be damaged android and how to fix this problem.
In some cases, you can transfer data from a damaged memory card without formatting using a USB Card Reader with microSD support. Such a device can be purchased at almost any computer hardware store.
It is also no larger than a regular USB flash drive, so you can always carry it with you.
Action algorithm
So, if the flash drive does not open on the phone and there is a computer at hand, as well as a USB Card Reader, then you can start data recovery. To do this, follow these steps in sequence:
- Turn off mobile phone or tablet.
- Remove the back cover and battery (if needed) and then carefully remove the microSD memory card from its slot. You can find out exactly where the flash drive is in your device model by going to the official website of the developer. An alternative option would be to view the necessary information from reviews on the Internet.
- Insert the USB flash drive into the USB Card Reader and connect the device to the PC.
- If the memory card data is displayed on the computer screen, then copy all its contents to the hard drive.
After copying information from a memory card, it should be formatted. With a high degree of probability, now the flash drive will open in your mobile device. Learn more about the card reader microSD memory on a computer, watch the tutorial video.
Legacy file system
Modern smartphone models support memory cards of various file systems, including exFAT, NTFS and FAT32. The last one is more outdated and quite often the problem with reading a flash drive on phones lies precisely in its use. In addition, if you watch movies on your mobile phone High Quality, then FAT32 is definitely not suitable for you. After all, it is impossible to dump a file larger than 4 GB on such a flash drive. Other advantages of the NTFS file system include higher reliability and fault tolerance during active operation.
Action algorithm
Fixing an Android microSD card corruption due to an outdated file system is not easy. The fact is that it will not work in the standard way by default in the computer's OS. Well-known utilities designed to format disk drives, PartitionMagic and the like, will not cope with the task either. But still, using the device manager or a special program, you can change the file system and “revive” a damaged flash drive. True, it is advisable to take care of the backup data from it to a computer or other storage device, since the recovery procedure involves formatting the media.
Consider the algorithm for converting the file system of a memory card using the free utility HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. In this case, you will need to do the following:
- Download the utility from the official website as a zip archive and unpack it in any directory of the OS partition.
- Connect your phone with installed card memory to any available USB slot on your computer.
- Run the program's executable file named HPUSBFW.EXE.
- When connecting several USB devices at once, select the one you need from the drop-down menu. In this case, the phone in which the drive is installed.
- In the File system window that appears, select NTFS.
- To speed up the formatting process, check the box next to Quick Format.
- Press the start key and agree to the warning about formatting the media.
- Wait for the process to finish and you can try to open the map in the phone's file manager.
Windows Device Manager
In a similar way, you can restore a USB flash drive by changing the file system, and through the Windows Device Manager. In this case, you will need to go to the tab with disk devices and open the menu of your drive. Next, select the “Policy” item and check the box next to “Optimize for performance”. From now on, it will be possible to format the memory card in the standard way, through the properties menu from the “my computer” sections.
Disk devices
We offer you to watch a training video on getting to know and using the SB Disk Storage Format Tool program.
Using special recovery programs
As practice shows, it is possible to fix the state of a damaged memory card by formatting it and changing the file system. But what if the flash drive is not readable, but there are very important files on it? It is for such cases that special utilities, which with a certain degree of probability will help to recover most of the data.
Action algorithm
Among the most effective for recovering information from a memory card, the following utilities can be distinguished:
- Smart Data Recovery.
- Recuva.
- BadCopyPro.
- DiskDigger.
Smart Data Recovery Utility
The listed programs are able to recover information even from those drives that have damaged individual memory sectors. Here is a more detailed specification and algorithm of actions for data recovery using the Smart Data Recovery utility.
Russified interface and compatibility with all computer operating systems, including Windows 8 and 10, testify to the high popularity of Smart Data Recovery. With this utility, you can not only recover existing data on a damaged flash drive, but also create a backup copy of previously deleted files. Smart Data Recovery supports all types of file standards, including NTFS and FAT32.
Let's start recovering information from a damaged memory card. To do this, you will need to do the following:
- Download and install the free utility on your computer.
- Connect phone or USB Card Reader with installed mircoSD card.
- Follow the instructions given on the screen.
The result of Smart Data Recovery will be found applications and folders, which will be located on the left side of the screen. Attached files of various extensions will be displayed to the right. To recover data, just press the appropriate button, after which you can format the flash drive and try to open it on a mobile device.
Greetings, dear reader! Remember where we store our favorite and dearest photos and videos? Correctly! On little helpers, microsd. Everything about them is good both price and volume. Only one is bad. Often an error message pops up on the computer when formatting. Then the question arises very sharply: “The memory card is not formatted, what should I do?” Let's figure it out because you still need to know. After all, we use microdrives in smartphones, cameras, registrars, readers.
Formatting a memory card removes all old files from it, detects damage and eliminates them. Before formatting, be sure to back up important files on your computer.
Standard Formatting
The first way to format a memory card that any user uses is formatting on a PC.
- In the "My Computer" menu, select the memory card, right-click on it
- In the drop-down context menu, select "Formatting"
- Select the appropriate file system type
- Click on "Start"
- Wait for the end of the process
Attention! By default, the FAT32 file system is selected on the computer. It works correctly with the 32 GB micro sd format. A larger volume of 64GB is formatted in a different exFAT file system.
This is where the first difficulties may arise when the computer writes
windows can't finish formatting.
What to do in this case?
Use other ways to flash the card.
Formatting via command line
Work in this way begins through the Start menu. Select "Execute". With the dropped console, perform the following manipulations:
- Enter the diskpart command, activate enter
- Enter the list disk command, activate enter and select the disk, focusing on the size of our flash drive
- Enter select disk and disk number, activate enter
- Enter attributes disk clear readonly and enter. At this stage, the drive will be unlocked.
- Enter clean and enter. This will completely clean the media.
- Enter create partition primary, activate enter. A new section will appear on the map
- Then select partition 1, press enter
- active, enter. Section is activated
- format fs=fat32 quick. A successful formatting message will appear.
- assign and enter. The flash drive will get a new name
- To check, create a new folder
This is one of the best methods for formatting a flash drive without using third-party utilities.
If the formatting error persists and you are unable to work with files on the memory card, try using an additional program.
Formatting with Utilities
Windows can not format the memory card and that's it! Then we turn to the almighty Internet and download assistant programs.
When working with third-party software, you should be very careful. Be sure to choose the correct name for the micro sd, otherwise you can cause serious harm to your computer. The choice of file system type also matters. Remember that 32 GB memory cards use FAT32. For more venerable colleagues - exFAT. Additional programs will always clean the drive completely, creating a backup copy of the data, in this case, is mandatory.
Here are the most common ones:
- AutoFormatTool. Fairly easy to use. Working with her does not take much time. I recommend running as administrator.
- HDD Low Level Format Tool. A solid program that does low-level formatting. Remember, you will not be able to recover files after using it.
- The utility requires installation on a computer. Intuitive and easy to use.
Fix problems with micro sd
Sometimes it happens that files from the card on the phone are not deleted. You erase them, but nothing happens, they come back again, annoying more and more. Then you need to try all the actions in the complex:
- Reboot phone
- Take out and put the card back in
- Download the utility to your phone
- Make formatting
- If all else fails, accept the inevitable - the memory card "died"
Write protection
When you try to format, you may get the message "The disk is write-protected." This happens in several cases:
- if the write protect button on the SD card is switched, which must be returned to another position. (More on locking/unlocking the memory card);
- if the computer has caught a virus that blocks writing to hard drives. It is necessary to carry out anti-virus diagnostics.
Hidden files
In the case when the card is readable but cannot be formatted, it is worth checking it for hidden files like autorun.
Autorun.inf is a hidden autoload file that tells the system how to properly start the drive. It displays a colorful menu with an algorithm for further actions on the screen, replaces the icon on the desktop. Virus developers really liked such properties and they use the file to the fullest for their own purposes. The usual hidden text contains the code to run the program, so viruses get into the computer through it.
At the same time, viruses that have infected removable media are trying in every possible way to protect themselves. Including, and not giving the opportunity to format the micro SD card. Removing such a virus is very easy.
Let's try together if none of the above methods helped to get to the micro drive:
- Open command line (you already know how)
- Finding our flash drive
- Change file parameters attrib -a -s -h -r autorun.inf
- We destroy the virus on the map del autorun.inf
- We are trying to be productive.
Sometimes Anti Autorun, Autorun Guard, USB_Tool programs help to identify and remove a virus.
In order to protect the micro sd from re-infection, you can do one interesting way. The bottom line is that a file called Autorun.inf is created on the media. Newly arrived viruses will no longer settle on the drive, where there is a folder with the same name as theirs. Why does it work? Because Windows OS does not allow creating folders with the same name. That's all!
Outcome
Only a memory card from a trusted manufacturer can serve without interruption for a long time and not cause trouble to its owner. With careful handling, the consoles will stay in place for a long time. In no case do not pull or remove the card from the slot while working with files.
Remember! The recommended operational load on the card is no more than 20% per day. This means that more than 6 GB of files cannot be removed and written from a 32 GB memory card per day. This will significantly extend the life of the map consoles and help avoid formatting problems in the future.
If all of the above methods of solving the problem did not help, specialized service points will help you remove important files from the card.
It's always better to buy two 32GB micro sds than one 64GB one. This will simplify the work for a simple user, save important information and make formatting simple and accessible.
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Bye everyone!
Thank you for your attention! See you again on my blog. Sincerely, Rostislav Kuzmin.
We are all familiar with the situation in which SD card or flash drive stops working or lose the ability to be recognized on different devices. There may be several reasons for this: an outdated or corrupted driver, the presence of a malicious software, drive RAW format and format error.
Regardless of the problem that caused given error, it will not be difficult for you to fix it. In this article, we will look at 3 effective ways to restore the visibility of an SD card on a computer, phone, or digital camera.
If you are worried about losing important files or photos, at the end we will tell you valuable information on how you can recover a document of any extension from a formatted drive, including an SD card
Method number 1. Update SD card driver
The first thing you need to make sure is the relevance installed driver. It is an important link in the functioning of every device on your computer, so if it is outdated or damaged, it can lead to some negative consequences.
1.
2. open Device Manager. The easiest way to open it is to go to Properties icons My computer and select an option Device Manager located in the left menu.
3. In the list that appears, find Disk Drives and expand the menu. Find your drive. In our case, this is an SDHC Card.
4. Right click on the name of the SD card and press the key Delete device.
Warning! Do not be afraid that the device name will disappear from the list of disks. That's the way it should be. This indicates that you have uninstalled an existing driver.
5. Click on an option Disk devices right click and select Update hardware configuration.
6. Upon completion of the process, your disk will again appear in the list of devices and will be suitable for further use.
If this method doesn't work for you, move on to the next one.
Method number 2. Disk Management
This method of solving the problem does not offer complicated paths with the need to update the software or enter a long list of obscure commands. However, it is simple and effective to use.
1. Connect your SD card to your computer.
2. Open the utility Run using hotkeys Win+R and enter the command diskmgmt.msc.
3. An application window will appear in front of you. Disk Management, which will force your SD card to show up in the list of installed devices.
In the same window, if you wish, you can Open the contents of the map just by clicking on its letter with the right mouse button.
In case something went wrong and your SD card is still not visible to the computer, try the third method.
Method number 3. Remove malware
Often the cause of most of the evils on our devices are viruses that can easily block their functionality. To fix the problem where the SD card still does not want to “come out”, in this method we will look at how to remove the virus that causes it.
1. Connect your SD card to your computer.
2. Open the start menu and run command prompt as an administrator.
3. In the window that opens, enter the command attrib -h -r -s /s /d F:\*.*
Instead of F: enter your drive letter. She may be G: or whatever, don't forget to check in explorer.
Data recovery and SD card formatting
In rare cases, the above methods may not be able to solve the problem you are experiencing. The only possible way out of this situation is to format the device. But what about the data?
If you have valuable files on your SD card that you can't afford to lose, use the Starus FAT Recovery app. It will quickly and efficiently recover a document of any extension from a FAT-formatted device and even be able to please you with the discovery of an old file that you may have already forgotten about.
1. Connect the SD card to the computer and run the program Starus Fat Recovery. You will be greeted Recovery Wizard, whose autorun can be disabled in the future. Click Further.
2. In this window, you will see a list of all found disks. Select the device you want to scan and click Further.
3. Select scan type:
Quick scan- conducts a lightning-fast check of the HDD and identifies the latest files installed on it.
Complete Analysis- deep scanning of the device, allowing you to detect even the oldest documents. This check can take significantly longer than the quick check.
4. A convenient preview function allows you to examine a file of any format before proceeding with its recovery. With Starus FAT Recovery you can view images, videos and read any text file.
5. Highlight the files you want to check in, right-click on any of them and press the key Reestablish.
You can evaluate all the chances of “returning the lost” before registering the instrument Starus Fat Recovery.
