Why the phone does not see the SD or microSD memory card - all solutions. Why doesn't the phone see the SD memory card or USB flash drive? What to do? Why does it say empty memory card?
Part 2: Top 5 Methods to Fix Unsupported SD Card Error
In this part, we are going to focus on how to get rid of the unsupported SD card error.
Method 1: Reconnect SD card and device
Regardless of whether you received the “SD card is empty” message on your computer or smartphone, the first thing you can try is to remove the card and reinsert it into the device. In some cases, people insert the SD card into the tray or card slot incorrectly. If the device is upside down, the device cannot read the SD card. Then turn on your phone or computer and restart it to see if the unsupported SD card error goes away.
Method 2: Fix unsupported SD card using chkdsk command
Microsoft has introduced a built-in disk diagnostic feature in Windows, chkdsk. This may help you fix empty SD card.
Step 1. Insert the SD card into PC. Open File Explorer, find the SD card under Portable Devices, and note the card's drive letter.
Step 2. Press Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box, type “cmd” in the box and press the Enter key to open the Command Prompt window.
Step 3. Type “chkdsk [SD card drive letter] /f” and then press the Enter key to fix the SD card error.
Method 3: Reinstall Drivers to Fix Blank SD Card
The computer uses drivers to detect the SD card and other portable devices. If there is something wrong in the driver, an unsupported SD card error will occur.
Step 1. To reinstall the driver, right-click My Computer on the desktop and select Manage from the menu bar to open Disk Manager.
Step 2. Scroll down to find the "Disk Drives" object and right-click on the SD card drive, click "Delete" and then click "OK" to confirm it.
Step 3. Then restart your computer, Windows will automatically find and install latest version drivers.
Method 4: Recover Data from Blank SD Card
Even if the problem of unsupported SD card occurs, you can recover data from SD card using Apeaksoft Data Recovery. It best program SD card recovery, which includes many useful functions, such as:
1. Get your files back in one click when SD card is empty.
2. Dealing with various factors caused the SD card error, such as incorrect operations, virus attack, file system corruption, etc.
3. Support various types data and formats, including all image, video, audio, document, archive and email formats.
4. Recover files on an unsupported SD card in original format and quality.
5. Preview all the files and decide to recover all of them or specific items.
6. This SD card recovery tool is lightweight and can recover files quickly and safely.
7. Moreover, data recovery is compatible with 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.
In short, this is the best option to recover data from an unsupported SD card.
How to Recover Files from an Unsupported SD Card
In this part, we will explain in detail how to recover data from compact flash memory. We are using a 2GB SD card and Windows 10 as an example.
Step 1. Launch Data Recovery and be sure to insert the SD card into your computer. First, go to the data types area, select the file types by checking the appropriate checkboxes like Image, Video, Audio, etc. Then go to the location area and select the SD card under " Removable devices" After clicking the “Scan” button, data recovery will work automatically.
Step 2. After the standard scan, you will be taken to the results window. And all recovered files will be saved according to the types and formats. Go into each folder and look at them. Moreover, the "Filter" function on the top ribbon can quickly find necessary files. If you can't find the files you want to get back, click the "Deep Scan" button to deeply scan the SD card. 
Step 3. Finally, select all the desired files on the unsupported SD card and click the "Recover" button to start extracting data to your computer. Once this is done, you can open, copy and paste, or edit the files as usual. 
Method 5: Format an Unsupported SD Card
After recovering data from an unsupported SD card, you can freely format the card and recover file system.
Step 1. Insert the SD card into your Android phone, Windows PC or Mac.
Step 2. On your Android phone, go to Settings > Storage, find the SD card section and tap Format SD card. Then Android will change the file system to a supported format.
On a Windows PC, go to My Computer, right-click the SD card in the Portable Devices area, and select Format. Expand the drop-down menu under "File System" and select the appropriate file system:
NTFS is the operating system format Windows systems default;
FAT32 is a widely compatible format;
On a Mac, open the Disk Utility app, select your empty SD card under External, and click Erase in the top ribbon. Change the file system of the SD card and click "Erase" again. The unsupported SD card should now work fine.
Conclusion:
IN last years The SD card has become widespread in all areas, smartphone owners use it to transfer data and expand memory Android phone, saving photos in the camera. It makes sense that more and more people are experiencing SD card related issues. We have shared several methods to fix SD card unsupported error on computer and smartphone.
What to do if the phone does not see the memory card? Since I often get asked this and similar questions, I answered them all at once in this article. It will be useful to owners of cameras, Samsung, Lenovo phones, laptops - in general, all those devices that support a memory card and refuse to read the data on the card.
First, some technical details describing the problem. Let's say, as a result of some manipulations, a mobile device (phone, tablet, smartphone) stopped identifying a memory card (SD card) even through a card reader. All data is written to, bypassing the memory card itself. This is inconvenient because the SD card is not used, while the memory of the mobile device quickly fills up. Productivity decreases accordingly.
So, the problem is described in detail, let’s move on to diagnosing the phone, smartphone, tablet. Let's look at the most common reasons why phones don't see a memory card (flash drive) and how to fix this defect on your own using a card reader.
The phone does not see the SD card due to an incorrect file system format or a damaged file table
Cause of the problem. 1) The file table on the SD card was damaged and the markings were lost. 2) You formatted the memory card yourself, as a result of which the phone stopped seeing the flash drive. 3) SD card file system is unknown (used in another operating system)
How to fix. 1. Find out the size of your flash drive. If the microSD capacity is greater than 32 GB, it is most likely formatted in exFAT. Not all versions of Android support this file system.
2. Fast way fix the problem - reboot the phone in recovery mode and in service mode Android menu select the Wipe cache partition option. This command will clear the contents of the SD card and format the media in the FAT32 file system - it is best suited for storing files on the phone.
Note. We would not advise inexperienced users to perform this procedure: if you mistakenly format the wrong partition, you will lose all the data on the phone, including files in the internal memory.
3. A safer (and more convenient) method of formatting an SD card is through a computer. You will need a card reader and SD Formatter software. It will help you format the flash drive properly.
4. You can try low level formatting- however, not all manufacturers offer their software for this (check the memory card website).
The memory card of the phone (tablet) has failed
Cause of the problem. As a result of mechanical / thermal damage incompatible with life, the phone stopped seeing the memory card or the SD card stopped working. Alternatively, the phone has stopped detecting the flash drive; on other devices the card is also unreadable.
What to do. Alas, nothing can be done with a damaged SD card. All you have to do is purchase a new SD card that is compatible in size and specifications with your smartphone or tablet. The most unpleasant moment is that all data that was stored on the memory card of an Android or iOS phone is completely lost. You will no longer be able to restore them - neither by connecting your phone with a flash drive via USB, nor through a card reader.
If the flash drive is still under warranty and looks like new (no visible damage), try returning it to the store. If you're lucky, you'll get a brand new replacement card.
Check for bad blocks (bad sectors) via HDDScan
The problem is doubly unpleasant, because the phone was purchased a month ago. I decided to transfer some audio-video files from my old phone. The new smartphone is j7, and the old one is also Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo... The data transfer took place without any emergency situations.
About a week later I looked at the sd, and the card did not appear from my native “my files”. Looked through, through file explorer xplore. All the folders were displayed there, but they turned out to be empty. But it’s important to add this: the phone’s memory also contained music and some video. So, they were displayed, but they were not “empty”, but refused to be reproduced - “reproduction error”. This never happened on an old phone with any sd and different ages, it certainly happened, but not this. And this recorded card can be read normally on the old phone, no problems.
For me, the main thing is, as you understand, the question is the phone, is that the reason? Such refusals to read in a month happened twice with internal memory, and four times with sidishna. Reboot - and everything is fine. But is this not at all the norm for a phone?
Answer. There may be several reasons for this behavior.
Perhaps the cause of the error lies in your method of copying files from internal memory to external memory. Try different methods and test: for example, through a card reader on a PC, through a file manager on a phone, etc. Do the described reading errors occur in all cases?
However, since you noted that there are no problems with other flash drives, then perhaps the problem is with the memory card. Who is the manufacturer, is the SD card compatible with your phone model? Read user reviews.
Third, update the software on your phone and...
Fourth - the SD Formatter utility. Try different file system formats.
1. Last chance to find an answer to my problem. Samsung galaxy not 5 (china) phone uses only its internal memory, but the flash drive is not detected. What I didn’t do... I checked the boxes, and in the other mobile phone I inserted it, formatted it this way and that - it doesn’t help.
2. On a Samsung Galaxy A phone 3 memory card does not work microsd volume 16 GB. For almost six months it was on the phone; all photos from the camera were automatically saved on it. The memory card has not been removed since it was placed in the slot once. I've been using the phone for almost a year. Previously there was another card with a capacity of 8 GB.
R. S I moved the card to another phone - he doesn’t see it either. And the computer doesn't recognize it either. What to do? On the flash drive are all the children's photos and videos taken over six months.
Answer. If your smartphone or tablet does not see the flash drive, the problem may be with an application that does not save files where needed. Check in the settings where the files are saved - on an SD card, flash drive or in the internal memory of your tablet/smartphone. For example, in the Android Gallery settings you can change the storage location for photos.
Re-read the article. If all else fails, then perhaps the phone does not see the microSD memory card because it is faulty.
The phone does not detect the memory card. I transferred everything to internal memory. When the card is disconnected, all files are read, but when connected, they are not. Now, when you disconnect the SD card, the internal memory is also disabled and there is nowhere to save information. Tell me what can be done if the memory card is not readable (if possible).
Answer. Did the memory card work before this time? The phone may not support this model cards.
If the SD card worked before, you may need to format your card - and it will be writable again.
The question is formulated incorrectly: you write that when you disconnect the memory card, the files are read, while you say below that the internal memory is turned off. So where are the files read from then?
1. The phone worked with a memory card. They sent me a congratulatory video. You delete it and it appears again. I tried to reflash the phone, but it didn't work. It didn't detect any updates. After some manipulations in recovery menu he became different, discovered the updates, downloaded and installed them. It shows its own firmware, but with a more recent date.
After this, the SD card is not detected. Android does not see it and does not detect its memory. And other sd too. Without a card, the phone sees its memory and works fine. What to do if the phone does not see the SD card after a virus?
2. I put an SD card in the computer - everything reads well there, you can see. And the phone displays the message: SECURE REMOVE CARD. Why doesn't my phone see the memory card? What to do?
Answer. If the phone does not see the memory card, this may be due to damage to the file table on it. How this is related to recovery is unclear. Try formatting the SD card. If nothing changes for the better, change the firmware.
1. I bought a 4G micro flash drive for my phone, installed it in my computer via a card reader, copied the files and installed it in my phone (Microsoft Lumia 530). After some time, I installed it again in the card reader and connected it to the computer. Windows issued a message that the device is faulty and does not read the flash drive, but everything works fine through the phone. And this happens with all USB media and devices. I checked flash on many computers before installing it on the phone - everything was OK. After installation, the memory card does not work on the computer - only through the phone.
2. I ordered a flash drive on ebay (universal flash drive i - flash device ). I received it yesterday, inserted it into my phone - it works, it also works on the computer. Today I tried to transfer a video from my phone to a flash drive, copying started, I left the phone and went away. Upon returning, I discovered that the program was closed, and the flash drive was no longer detected on the phone, nor was the computer detecting it. What to do?
3. I bought a 32 GB flash drive for my phone from AliExpress. It worked fine, then the photos that were saved to it were half cropped or there was a gray screen instead. Eventually it stopped being detected by the phone. The computer seems to detect it, but does not tear it off. It says something like "insert disk". I tried a lot of things that were written on the Internet, a lot of programs. Some don’t see the flash drive, some see it, but still can’t format it.Tell me how to bring her to her senses.
Answer. Format the flash drive via your phone or Recovery (we wrote about this at the beginning of the publication. If that doesn’t help, go to Management Windows disks and check whether the flash drive is mounted when connected to a PC, and whether the volume is displayed in the list. If necessary, you can create a new partition on a flash drive and format it in FAT or extFAT using specialized programs.
I turn on music on my phone, it says: no music files. Nokia phone RM-1035 and mirex micro sd (HC) class 4, everything worked yesterday. Probably the memory card is not readable! How to find out if it is working or not?
Answer. Check if others can see mobile applications contents of the memory card, you can install another player for this. Connect microsd card to a computer or laptop via a card reader. If the flash drive is not accessible in both cases, try other methods described in the article.
The Samsung Galaxy A3 2015 phone does not read the flash drive. I formatted it in all possible formats, but it didn’t help. Connected it to a PC - everything works great. Why doesn't my phone see the flash drive? Maybe something needs to be changed in the phone settings?
Answer. Go to Settings - Memory. Check the "SD memory card" section. Install a file manager and see if the memory card files are displayed on it.
In addition to standard formatting, you can try low-level formatting - however, not all manufacturers offer their own software for this (check the memory card website).
Another reason why the phone does not see the SD card may be the lack of contact between the memory card and the phone. Check if your device reads other flash drives. If not, take the phone to be repaired.
Phone Doogee x5. The phone didn’t see the memory card, but it was there. Data was transferred to external memory by accident. For some reason the transfer was completed, but the card was still invisible. Pictures, videos, music have safely disappeared somewhere. How to get them back and why doesn’t the phone see the memory card? Is it possible to restore all this somehow? I tried Android Recovery - to no avail.
Answer. If the phone does not see the SD card, then how did you transfer the files to it? Perhaps you simply copied them to another location.
Try connecting the memory card via a card reader to your computer and scanning it with CardRecovery. As for Android Data Recovery, this program is less functional.
After disconnecting the SD card for working in aparted and carrying out manipulations in it, prestigio phone do not turn on the sd card again. By the way, the laptop does not see the memory card either. Actions in recovery did not help. What to do if the phone does not see the memory card?
Answer. Maybe, operating system and the laptop see the SD card, but the markings have disappeared. You need to create a volume on unallocated space. Start – Run – diskmgmt.msc. Find the unallocated area and use the context menu to create a new volume on the SD card, assign a letter, apply formatting. After these manipulations, the SD card disk should be detected as before.
I connected the camera as in the instructions (via a USB port), but the camera reads it as a Portable device, but it needs a Removable disk. The camera does not see the memory card in connected mode or what is the problem? How can I change the display? Nikon camera Coolpix S9400.
Answer. Your camera supports SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards. The computer does not see the memory card as a drive. You need to remove the card from the camera and connect it to your PC via a card reader. If you have a card reader built into your laptop, connecting the card will be even easier. After that, you will see the removable drive in the list.
mico sd 32G in an Android tablet. I distort the connector - everything is ok, but after a while the conductor does not see it and through the setup menu, the SD card memory does not turn on. If you take out and insert a memory card, it appears. I cleaned the contacts, wiped them with rectification, but still Android does not see the SD card where the dog is buried?
Answer. Try testing another SD card with your phone. If the situation repeats and the smartphone does not see the flash drive (the memory card disappears from time to time), then most likely the problem is in the phone contacts.
If another memory card works without errors, we recommend formatting the problematic card in FAT32 or exFAT - in case the phone does not see the micro SD flash drive due to errors in the file table.
The phone (Samsung Galaxy S5) does not read the memory card. I inserted three cards, and none of them are read, although they are displayed correctly on other devices. In this case, the inscription “Connect SD card”, the font of which was previously gray, becomes white and clickable, but if you click, nothing happens. All photos and pictures in the gallery (located in the phone memory) are not displayed. And applications that are not in the internal memory, but in the phone memory, do not open. Tell me what to do?
Answer. There may be a failure at the level of the Android operating system or installed applications. Try to manually resolve the conflict by deleting all unnecessary applications from your phone. Update the OS version to the latest through the Android settings.
If the phone still doesn’t see the memory card, check the phone’s contacts: are there any visually noticeable damages on them?
Do you write "on other devices" when you mean a computer? If yes, it is likely that the file system of the flash drive is NTFS, and you need to format it to FAT or exFat.
When I insert an SD card into the phone, the device does not recognize it. No matter what I tried: even inserted it into other phones, I still can’t see or read its contents.
Answer. There is too little information about the memory card (virtually none) to give specific advice. First, check whether your phone supports SD cards of the size that is on your card (see the documentation for your smartphone or tablet). If you just bought a memory card, you can exchange it under warranty for another one of smaller capacity.
If you have previously used this memory card and it is no longer detected on this and other mobile devices, it is most likely faulty.
1. I cleaned the card on the computer. I deleted everything from it. Now new smartphone teXet X-plus TM-5577. I inserted the Sidi card, he sees it, but nothing swings on the Sidi card and I can’t transfer anything to it. Tell me what to do?
2. The phone started to turn on on its own periodically (Lenovo A 526). Then I left the house and plugged in my headphones and noticed that not a single track was playing. Later, when I took out the phone, I discovered that the flash drive was not readable and the saved music did not play. I tried to reboot the phone - it doesn’t help, I put it in the card reader - it sees the memory card, I put it in a friend’s phone - too. But I don’t want it at all. And the most important thing that drives me crazy is the notification after turning on the phone with the phrase “Remove the MicroSD before deleting it so as not to lose data.
Answer. You need to connect the memory card to the computer again (as you did before), format the SD card in a standard way(for example, through Explorer) or using sdformatter. File system - FAT32. Most likely, it is due to incorrect formatting that the phone cannot write data to the memory card.
After a sudden shutdown, the tablet (Android 5.1) stopped normally recognizing memory cards in the card reader. It either writes, checking errors, or reads, which lasts indefinitely. At the same time, half of the programs stop responding, everything slows down wildly, and it becomes impossible to turn off the tablet (only when the discharge reaches 0 and turns it off). Sometimes (very rarely) after connecting, he sees it, but at the slightest manipulation with the card (even viewing a photo), he immediately loses it and begins to re-read it again, and this is the end. Tested on 3 flash drives, both clean and not, with different formatting and a lot of dancing with tambourines (all according to recommendations on the forums). A system rollback was performed. Nothing helped. He refuses to see the 8 gig card at all, although if you connect it via an adapter to the USB connector, everything works great (like other flash drives). What is the problem, in the card reader or in the system?
Answer. It is best to connect the problematic memory card to a laptop or, alternatively, via a USB adapter, as you mentioned. Next, the SD card needs to be formatted.
Most likely the issue is with the card reader. After a short time, many cheap card readers stop reading memory cards correctly and produce copying errors or read information slowly.
The system (Android) is unlikely to have anything to do with the problem, since you have already tested several memory cards. Perhaps it is a specific application that is slowing down the system, but this can only be determined by resetting the phone to factory settings.
Telephone Lenovo vibe shot, android 6. There is a 32gb sony sd card in the option as an extension of the main memory (ext4). The phone stopped seeing the file system - it says SdCard0 01/01/1970, 00 kb. Windows 7 sees two partitions - 16MB and 30GB, operational, 100% free each.
How can I return everything to its place by restoring the previous files? or at least how to pull out photos and the WhatsApp folder?
Answer. To recover a deleted partition on an SD card, use R.saver or AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition. If the file table on the partitions contains errors, you can try to fix them using the chkdsk utility for Windows. If that doesn't help, try scanning the SD card (unreadable sections) with the Recuva utility. Until you overwrite the information on the flash drive or format it, the chances of getting your files back remain high.
Samsung A3 2017 Samsung memory card 64 GB. I created folders from my computer: photos, ring notes, music, videos, movies, etc. The phone sees only audio, pictures, documents, video. Doesn't see any other folders on the memory card. What needs to be done?
Answer. Install any file manager for your phone (for example, Total Commander or ES Explorer). Create folders directly through these programs and copy everything you need there. Files should be read on the memory card without problems. It is also possible that those folders that cannot be read from the SD card are hidden or damaged. So it would be a good idea to format the card to avoid further errors.
Lenovo phone A2010 does not see the SD memory card. I tried to reboot, it says "Only one SD card is available, it is impossible to switch." Other phones do not have a card. It doesn’t show on the computer through the card reader at all. Is this really the end, so many photos and videos have disappeared? Maybe something can be done?
Answer. It looks like there are reading errors on the card or the markings have come off. Since the memory card does not open on the computer (i.e. the drive letter/individual drive is not shown in file manager), it makes sense to check whether the memory card is recognized as a device at all. To do this, go to diskmgmt.msc (Start - Run) and see if unallocated space appears when you connect the SD card to the PC. If it appears, create a new file volume in this space through the context menu. If nothing happens, most likely the SD card has failed.
Model sony phone xperia m4 aqua dual. For two years, the phone had a microSD memory card installed. Recently, glitches began to occur: at first, in order for the memory card to work, it was enough to restart the phone. Now the phone has stopped seeing the map completely. Failed to format. Installed a new one. The phone recognizes it (it’s in the settings, photos were sent to the card), but applications cannot be downloaded from the play store (it still shows the option to download only to the phone’s memory). What needs to be done in this situation with a flash drive?
Answer. Format the memory card with specialized applications - the same SDFortatter is quite suitable. Next, check the card for errors using the chkdsk tool.
However, you clarified that changing the memory card does not help. The problem may be caused by specific applications or software conflicts within the Android OS. In this case, we recommend updating the firmware or, as a last resort, resetting the phone (execute hard reset).
After encrypting the SD card, Samsung A5 2017 stopped seeing it. Through the card reader on the computer it sees, but does not open. I tried to format (SDFormatter, cmd) - it doesn’t work. Sees other flash drives. I checked for errors - it gives an error, but does not correct it.
Answer. To check the SD card, use the following parameters:
chkdsk (drive letter): /f/r
- /f - fix file system reading errors
- /r - fix bad sectors on the sd card
This should fix errors and allow you to format the SD card in the standard way or through utilities like SDFormatter.
I have a Kingston DTSE3 16G USB drive, the computer doesn’t see it, the flash drive is unreadable. periodically the system displays a message stating that the device can work faster or. Are there any recovery programs?
Answer. The flash drive supports USB 2.0 interface. Your computer ( motherboard) may have more old version ports, which is why this message appears. Therefore, we advise you to update your PC hardware if you have not done so for a long time.
Recovery programs will not help you, but formatting the flash drive correctly (in NTFS/FAT) and then checking for errors using chkdsk will not hurt.
samsung tablet galaxy tab 4 SM-T331 does not see the SD card. available places 0b, free 0b. and I inserted the same SD card into another device, into my phone, and sees the SD card: available 14.57 free 14.57. I insert another SD card into the tablet - again it doesn’t see it, but the phone sees it.
Answer. If the memory card has important files– make a copy of them on your computer. After that, format the memory card and check it for errors. If everything is in order, you can use the SD card on your tablet or phone and write files to it. If the situation repeats, update the tablet firmware or perform a hard reset. However, this is already last resort, we recommend that you first deal with reading errors.
Made a memory card as an internal drive on ZTE blade A 510. After resetting the phone ( SD the card was in the phone all this time) it stopped working on all devices, Android does not save to it.
Answer. You need to format and mount again microSD as an internal storage. If the memory card is opened on a computer, transfer all data on it to HDD.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 NEO. I bought a 16 gig memory card, but after 5 months of use it suddenly stopped seeing all the games that were on it. And the phone sees videos, photos and everything else without any problems. In settings > memory > memory card, the total volume, free space is written - in general, everything is as usual. Help with this problem!
Answer. The easiest way is to reinstall the games. This can be done through the application Google Play . If user data is still stored in the phone memory or on SD -map, games will work as before.If not, try restoring them through the appropriate recovery applications.
From time to time, an error may occur on users' SD cards, in which the camera begins to display messages indicating that there is there are none left free space , although the photographer knows that it is empty. If you have this exact situation, then you have come to the right place and our article will help you fix the drive problem.
Let's look at a couple of examples from user stories to explore the topic in more detail.
Case one.
The user deleted some images from the SD card on the laptop and when he installed it back into the Sony Alpha camera, it informed him that the drive could not be used because it was full. However, when I try to view the content, the device does not show images.
Case two.
A user with the same camera had a similar situation, but in reverse order. First, the error appeared on the camera and only then, when I tried to connect the card to the computer, the operating system was unable to open the contents of the drive.
Useful articles
Is there a way to resolve the issue? And if so, which one?
If your camera's SD card suddenly encounters a full problem, you might be wondering about the possible causes.
- 1) There are invisible or hidden files, so the SD card appears full, although at first glance there is nothing on it.
- 2) Formatting error. You may have removed the card at the wrong time, causing the file system to crash.
- 3) Camera problem.
Solution one. Show and export hidden files
Step 1. Export and recover hidden files from SD card.
The first thing to remember in this situation is that you should not panic if you lose access to the information stored on the drive. Unfortunately, in standard list software Windows software There are no utilities capable of restoring files, so you will have to resort to specialized third-party software.
Starus Photo Recovery will become good choice for both beginners and professional photographers. The application allows the user to forget about the risks of losing important images from weddings and other important events due to a failure on the SD card.
1. Connect the card to your computer. Launch the Starus Photo Recovery file recovery program and select the drive you want to scan from the list provided.
2. Select the analysis type according to your needs. Quick Scan will allow you to carry out a lightning-fast assessment of the drive, finding everything on it latest files. Full analysis will help you perform a deep scan of the SD card and find even the oldest files that you may have already forgotten about.
3. If you wish, you can specify additional search parameters, thereby excluding unwanted or unnecessary files from the list.
4. Wait for the scanning process to complete and carefully examine the results. In the presented list of files, you can find the images needed for recovery with a preview option in the window on the right. In addition to the photo itself, Starus Photo Recovery provides the user with the opportunity to see the file creation date, format and resolution in pixels.
5. Having decided on the images that need to be restored, select the ones you need and click Further(by default, all found files are selected). Select the most convenient method from the four offered and complete the data export process.
Step 2: Show hidden files on SD card.
1. Open start menu and enter in the dialog box Control Panel or open it in the right menu.
2. Toggle option View to mode Category and open the menu Design and personalization.
3. Open Folders settings.
4. In the window that appears, open the tab View, scroll down the list of options and select active Show hidden files, folders and drives.
5. Click Apply And OK to save your changes.
Solution two. Format the SD card correctly
1. Connect the SD card to your computer.
2. Open My Computer and find the damaged drive in the list on the left.
3. Right-click on the name and select Format.
4. Select the NTFS file system and start the formatting process.
What to do if Android does not see the microSD flash drive? This question often worries owners of smartphones and other gadgets, regardless of manufacturer and cost. Problems of obtaining data from a DVR or installing software on a tablet or smartphone can be solved independently if you know the main causes of the malfunction and how to solve them.
How the problem manifests itself
The malfunction manifests itself as follows: after replacing the micro-SD card, after rebooting, flashing or simply turning on the device, the gadget does not see the flash drive or its contents. As a result, data or installed software is lost, the camera and programs begin to write information to the internal memory of the device. The latter quickly becomes clogged, there is no space left for recording OS service information, and the gadget loses performance and begins to freeze.
As a result, if the internal memory is small, it becomes impossible to work without a memory card.
To fix the problem, you need to determine the cause of the breakdown. Very often it is possible to eliminate a defect yourself, without going to a workshop.
The phone does not see the flash drive due to formatting problems
The partition table can become corrupted on any file system (NTFS, ExFat, Fat32). As a result, Android cannot read files written to SD. Most often this happens when the user tries to format the memory card himself and performs incorrect actions. Another option is to insert a card with a different file system, for example, from a camera. You can restore the card's functionality by formatting it again. This can be done either with the phone itself or another Android device, or using a computer with a card reader.
The menu of some phones allows you to format the SD card by selecting the appropriate item in the settings. If it is not there, you can reboot the phone, enter “Recovery” mode and format the file system of the card by selecting “Wipe cache partition”.
Important: errors when working with the device in “Recovery” mode can lead to the loss of all data and even inoperability of the OS. Therefore, inexperienced users should not use this method.
It is easier and safer to format flash drives on a computer. To do this, you need a card reader and a formatting program (standard, built into the OS, or any other). You need to remove the flash drive from the device, insert it into the card reader and format it in exFAT or FAT32 format. After formatting, Android should begin to “see” the flash drive. If this does not happen, the problem is more serious.
The memory card has failed
Flash memory has a limited number of read-write cycles. In addition, the device may be damaged due to microcracks on the board or under the influence of static voltage. In this case, after installation in the card reader, the computer does not detect the flash drive. It is also not readable on other devices.
It is impossible to restore a damaged memory card or the data on it. This cannot be done either from the Android device itself, or by connecting it to the computer as a flash drive via USB, or from the computer via a card reader. All that remains is to purchase a new flash card compatible with your device.
Important: sometimes, due to a board malfunction, phones and tablets can “burn” memory cards. Therefore, if a short time after replacing the flash drive it fails again, it is necessary to diagnose the Android device.
Memory card and Android devices are not compatible
A smartphone or tablet may not see the flash card if it is simply not designed to work with modern storage media. When there is a suspicion that the card does not correspond to a tablet or phone, then you should try to read it on a computer with an adapter for memory cards. If the gadget does not see the card, but the computer does, the reason is incompatibility.
All gadgets have limitations on maximum size memory cards: 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB. This happens if, for example, you bought a 64 GB card, but the limits of your smartphone (tablet) are 32 GB.
Another option is a flash drive made using technical specification, unknown to your device. In this case, the gadget does not recognize it. Therefore, before buying a memory card, you need to study the documentation of your tablet or phone to buy an SD card of the appropriate size and type.
In addition to incompatibility, device damage or software failure may occur. In this case, the computer will also see the flash card, but the phone (tablet) will not.
Software error
In this case, the gadget either does not see the memory card at all, or certain programs do not see it. If you know - the card is empty, although it shows that the space is occupied, the problem is in the settings or performance of the OS and software of the phone (tablet). If Android does not see the SD card in applications, but does see it in recovery, try looking at the settings first. It is possible that the save path for applications is not set to the card, but to the internal memory. Fix it.
Another solution when only one application does not see the card is to reinstall or update it, and also check its own settings.
Important: often the phone OS begins to see the inserted card only after a reboot. If the flash card is not visible without rebooting, and then works fine, nothing else should be done.
When the above does not help, you should try updating the firmware of your tablet (phone). Often after updating the OS to more new version the device starts working correctly with the SD card.
Broken SD card slot
If the smartphone does not see a flash drive installed from another smartphone, it matches technical requirements device, the problem is in the smartphone itself. In this case, you can try to insert the card so that the contacts in the phone fit tightly to its tracks. To do this, you should try to clean and bend them a little. If the problem is not with the contacts, but with damage to the controller or card slot, all that remains is to send the gadget for repair or replace it with a new one.
For example, the HTC srochnyi-remont.ru workshop repairs all models of this manufacturer, as well as other brands. Look for a service center for your phone in your city.
Please tell me how to restore the memory card. She just stopped answering at some point, and they left wonderful photos.
Best regards, Mikhail Borisov.
Flash memory has made it possible to make drives compact and capacious at the same time. In just a few years, manufacturers have gone from the SD format, 32x24 mm, to the miniature Micro-SD, 11x15 mm. Now such drives can be seen in laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Therefore, issues related to them unite almost all owners of mobile devices today. Why can data loss occur on the SD card, and what to do in this case?
Reasons for losing SD card data
An SD card is very thin and capricious electronic device. Therefore, anything can disable it:
- Removing the card from the slot at the moment when the device, camera or phone is writing something to it;
- Discharge of static electricity from the user's hands when the hands touch the contacts of the flash drive;
- Device dropped;
- Sudden shutdown when the battery is completely discharged.
The problem may occur more often if applications have been installed on the card. The likelihood that at the time of a power outage or failure the drive was being written to is higher in this case. Therefore, smartphone manufacturers recommend installing everything important on the phone’s built-in memory, and storing only photos and music on the SD card.
Methods for recovering an SD memory card and data on it
In the simplest cases, regular scanning using the operating system helps: Android or Windows phone. After scanning, file system errors are automatically corrected. At most, only the last photo or song is lost. U Windows Phone 8.1 and higher have their own standard SD card scanning utility. It starts immediately when the phone starts, if the system suspects errors in the removable storage device.
On Android we recommend installing third party program. One of these is. According to user reviews, it helps many.
Recovery using Windows
You can remove the card from your mobile device and scan it using your desktop operating system. 
Insert the SD card into the reader and start a normal flash drive scan. To do this, right-click on the shortcut and select properties. 
Now you can click the Check and repair SD card button. Errors will be found and corrected.
Formatting the SD card
You can also format the SD card. This can also be done through the right-click context menu. 
Remember that the format offered by the desktop operating system is not always the same as the one you are using mobile device. After eliminating the failures, it is better to format the SD card using the tablet or smartphone itself in which it is intended to be used.
SD Formatter
A good solution would be to use the SD Formatter program. It is specifically designed specifically for formatting drives of this type. 
This method helps restore the functionality of some models car navigators . When writing a large map file larger than 1 GB to a flash drive, errors occurred. After formatting the SD Formatter and recording all the files again, the navigator began to work correctly.
In some cases, special utilities such as EasyRecovery can help in recovering data from an SD card.
Attention! If ChipGenius did not see the flash drive or SD card and it cannot be read on any device available to you, then all further attempts to revive the drive may be useless.
What to do if the SD card is write protected?
Another typical failure with drives of this type is transition to the read-only state. If this happened with an SD card, check the position of the switch on the side. Maybe you switched it to read-only mode yourself by mistake. 
Micro-SD does not have such a switch. Therefore we are dealing with a controller failure. If the card is branded, then you can look for a special utility from the manufacturer. They are produced for use in service centers. Essentially, these programs reset the controller to the original state it received at the factory. Sometimes this way you can bring the drive itself back to life.
If something happens to the SD card, then first of all copy all the files from it to your computer’s hard drive or to another storage device! This must be done before any operations with the drive. While working with him special utilities, you risk permanently losing not only the flash drive, but also the valuable data on it.
What to do if your SD card regularly fails
There are only two possible reasons: the drive itself or the device in which you are using it. Try replacing the card in your smartphone or tablet with a new one and observe the process. If the failures have stopped, then it is best not to use this capricious drive anymore. At the very important point it will let you down and leave you without important files.
If the smartphone is also unstable with the new media, then there may be a problem with its controller or firmware. Try to find a firmware update for the device and study the experiences of other users. It is known that Old smartphones work unpredictably with new high-density cards. Perhaps things will be better with a simpler 16 or 32 GB card.
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, camcorders - 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 does not see it. In these cases, usually, we immediately remember that the flash drive contains important photos, files, data - 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 eliminating them. I hope my modest advice will be useful to someone.
Many users confuse one point (although it is not key, it will help in solving the problem). I will show it using the example of one user question.
I took a card from my phone (microSD) and inserted it into my new device, but he suggested formatting it.
Then I brought her back to 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 me get data back from a flash drive.
Case in point. The laptop sees your flash drive and even offers to format it - i.e. it doesn't understand that there is data on it, it can't recognize your flash drive, it can't read the file system (in this case the file system is marked as RAW).
This often happens due to:
- file system failure on the flash drive;
- Windows cannot read a file system it is unfamiliar with (for example, this often happens with disks connected to a TV - it can reformat them into its file system, but then Windows does not see them).
By the way, many people make one mistake when connecting microSD to a computer: when inserting the card into the adapter, they do not push it all the way in (see photo 1 below). As a result, the PC simply does not see anything when connecting the SD adapter.
Checking the flash drive: fixing file system errors
In this case, you can try to restore the functionality of the flash drive and all the files on it using the error checking and correction utility - chkdsk (built into Windows).
To do this, do not agree with Windows' suggestion to format the media (screenshot above), but simply 👉 (The easiest way: press Win+R, then type CMD and press Enter, see screenshot below).
Checking the 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 condition and functions normally to this day. 👌
When the check is successful, usually command line reports something like: "Windows checked the file system and found no problems. Further actions not required".
Typically, 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 a phone and a laptop can read it).
Now what if chkdsk didn’t help, but you need to restore the files from the flash drive... 👇
Recovering files from a flash drive
If after trying to fix Windows errors 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 (if, of course, you need them).
Once you format the flash drive, it will be more difficult to recover data from it (and if new files are written, it will be completely impossible!).
For data recovery there is special programs. I will list some free and popular ones in the table below.
3 free programs for data recovery
| Recuva On the official website |
R.saver On the official website
|
Pandora Recovery On the official website |
Advantages:
|
Advantages:
|
Advantages:
|
In principle, you can use any of the recovery utilities. Easier for beginners is Recuva, which has a master who walks you through the entire procedure step by step from A to Z.
The screenshot below shows my scanned hard drive in Recuva on the subject of searching for old deleted pictures, photos. Many of the deleted files were found and restored (a green circle opposite the file is a good sign, which means the program highly evaluates the possibility of recovery).
Important point: When restoring files, restore them to another medium! ☝ That is if you want to recover a file from a flash drive, save it to your hard drive (if you save to the same flash drive that was scanned in the program, the restored file will overwrite other unrecovered data). Such is the tautology...
In general, the recovery procedure requires another rather lengthy article (to dot all the 👀s).
Formatting a flash drive
Option #1
If you don’t need the data on the flash drive or you have already restored it, but Windows still continues to ask you to format the media (that is, microSD card) - just agree...
Option No. 2
You can also format the flash drive by going to "My computer"/"This computer" (screenshot above) :
- First click on SD card right mouse button and in the context menu select " Format";
- Next, select the file system (I recommend starting from what file system is supported by the device in which it worked / will work. As a rule: FAT 32, exFat);
- Click the button "Begin"(Windows will ask you if you really want to format the media - agree...) ;
- If everything went as normal, you will see a message that formatting is complete (each step is shown in the screenshot below).
Option #3
If in " " your flash drive is not visible, or Windows cannot format the media - you need to use a special one. utilities for working with such flash drives.
How to format an SD card in HDD Low Level Format Tool:
Letter conflict: drive letter change
In general, when you connect any drive (including a flash drive), Windows automatically assigns a letter to this drive (for example, F:).
But there is such a “glitch” that a letter is assigned incorrectly: for example, one that is already in the system - as a result: a conflict occurs and your flash drive is invisible! 👀
Therefore, if the flash drive is invisible, the first thing I recommend doing is going to " ": look at the drive letter and change it (it is possible to format the media).
1) To do this, first press the buttons Win+R , to 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. Right click on it (sign-1 on the screen below) and select from the context menu "Change drive letter or drive path" .
1) If in “Disk Management” the desired flash drive is not listed, proceed to the next subsection of this article.
2) 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 drive letter (A-Z)" and choose some unique letter (the one that is not in the system).
You 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 as normal...
SD card classes and formats
SD card SD cards are different - they differ not only in volume and manufacturer, but also in size, class (working speed), generation. All this, of course, can affect the visibility of the SD flash drive 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, video cameras, tablets, etc.
The most widely used microSD cards (due to their compact size they can be inserted even into a miniature phone or MP3 player).
To connect a microSD card to a laptop or computer, a small adapter is always included with it (see photo below).
Typical information on the SD card
Manufacturer : No comments here. The only thing is that when you buy an SD card for yourself, I recommend choosing well-known manufacturers: SanDisk, Transcend, Sony, etc.
SD card type
| SD card type | Description |
|---|---|
| Card size: from 128 MB to 2GB; Initial file system: FAT16; |
|
SD High Capacity |
SDHC card capacity: from 4 GB to 32 GB; Initial file system: FAT32; Since SDHC works on a different principle than standard SD cards, the new format does not have backward compatibility with SD card readers. Note: card readers released after 2009. must support SDHC format. |
SD Extended Capacity |
SDXC capacities from 64 GB to 2 TB (or ~2000 GB); Initial file system: exFAT; Card readers on laptops before 2009 do not support SDXC cards. SDXC cards will work in SDHC compatible readers (not SD) if the operating system on the computer supports exFAT (Windows 7, 8, 10). |
 Ultra High Speed |
UHS is an addition to the original SD specification interfaces. When the card and card reader support UHS, the maximum speed will be achieved (up to 50 MB/s - UHS-50; 104 MB/s - UHS-104). Otherwise, the card reader and card will use the slower, maximum available SD speed. There is no compatibility issue between UHS cards and non-UHS devices. |
Important! Compatibility table of card readers and SD card types
In principle, on each card reader (on the packaging with it) it is indicated which cards it supports. Naturally, if you insert a newer card, 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 reader, phone, camera, etc. | Supported memory cards |
|---|---|
| SDXC
|
|
| SDHC | |
| SD |
Card class (speed)
Typically, SD cards do not indicate operating speed (in MB/s, although sometimes this is indicated), 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 the card. Some devices require a specific card class (for example, to the camera, otherwise video recording will be slow or not at all)- so be careful with this moment!
Speed class
UHS speed class
| UHS Class | Minimum Speed |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10 MB/s |
| 3 | 30 MB/s |
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 there is no point in overpaying and taking a high-capacity card?
Lack of drivers
It is quite 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 it will not read the SD card. Usually, the flash drive is not visible in "Disk Management" , and in " Device Manager" - a question mark will light up next to the device (means there are no drivers).
There is no driver (that's why the flash drive is not displayed...) - Device Manager
How to enter Device Manager
- Through the control panel (Windows 7, 8, 10);
- Call menu "Run", to do this press Win+R and enter devmgmt.msc, press OK.
In Device Manager, look at the tab "USB Controllers" it should just have something like "Realtek USB 2.0 Card Reader" (see screenshot below 👇). There should be no question marks or red icons lit in front of the device.
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 ways out:
PS
A few more tips:
This is where I end this article.
From time to time, an error may occur on users' SD cards, in which the camera begins to display messages indicating that there is no free space left, although the photographer knows that it is empty. If you have this exact situation, then you have come to the right place and our article will help you fix the drive problem.
Let's look at a couple of examples from user stories to explore the topic in more detail.
Case one.
The user deleted some images from the SD card on the laptop and when he installed it back into the Sony Alpha camera, it informed him that the drive could not be used because it was full. However, when I try to view the content, the device does not show images.
Case two.
A user with the same camera had a similar situation, but in reverse order. First, the error appeared on the camera and only then, when I tried to connect the card to the computer, the operating system was unable to open the contents of the drive.
If your camera's SD card suddenly encounters a full problem, you might be wondering about the possible causes.
- 1) There are invisible or hidden files on the media, so the SD card appears full, although at first glance there is nothing on it.
- 2) Formatting error. You may have removed the card at the wrong time, causing the file system to crash.
- 3) Camera problem.
Solution one. Show and export hidden files
Step 1. Export and recover hidden files from SD card.
The first thing to remember in this situation is that you should not panic if you lose access to the information stored on the drive. Unfortunately, in the standard list software Windows does not have utilities that can restore files, so you will have to resort to specialized third-party software.
Starus Photo Recovery will be a good choice for both beginners and professional photographers. The application allows the user to forget about the risks of losing important images from weddings and other important events due to a failure on the SD card.
1. Connect the card to your computer. Launch the Starus Photo Recovery file recovery program and select the drive you want to scan from the list provided.
2. Select the analysis type according to your needs. Quick Scan will allow you to conduct a lightning-fast assessment of the drive by finding all the latest files on it. Full analysis will help you perform a deep scan of the SD card and find even the oldest files that you may have already forgotten about.
3. If you wish, you can specify additional search parameters, thereby excluding unwanted or unnecessary files from the list.
4. Wait for the scanning process to complete and carefully examine the results. In the presented list of files, you can find the images needed for recovery with a preview option in the window on the right. In addition to the photo itself, Starus Photo Recovery provides the user with the opportunity to see the file creation date, format and resolution in pixels.
5. Having decided on the images that need to be restored, select the ones you need and click Further(by default, all found files are selected). Select the most convenient method from the four offered and complete the data export process.
Step 2: Show hidden files on SD card.
1. Open start menu and enter in the dialog box Control Panel or open it in the right menu.
2. Toggle option View to mode Category and open the menu Design and personalization.
3. Open Folders settings.
4. In the window that appears, open the tab View, scroll down the list of options and select active Show hidden files, folders and drives.
5. Click Apply And OK to save your changes.
Solution two. Format the SD card correctly
1. Connect the SD card to your computer.
2. Open My Computer and find the damaged drive in the list on the left.
3. Right-click on the name and select Format.
4. Select the NTFS file system and start the formatting process.
We recommend that you read all possible ways recovery of SD cards and Flash drives in the article How to recover a damaged flash drive or SD card
