Unable to Format micro SD card


  1. Posts : 217
    Windows 10 Home
       #1

    Unable to Format micro SD card


    Hi.Technically this is not a Win10 question, but hopefully someone can help.I have an microSD card that I use in a dashcam, which I periodically reformat as the camera stops recording after it gets past a certain filename number. However, this time I can't; it's stuck with the information it contains. I have tried various ways to get it to work, but nothing yet. basic format,clean with CMDformatting with disk manager,removing the partition with disk manager.The card seems to be unlocked and all attributes cleared, but nothing works. Any other ideas? As usual I'd prefer not to install any other software, but use Windows apps only.Matt
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 4,780
    Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit 22H2
       #2

    What is the make and model# of the Dashcam? You can try formatting in the Dashcam instead of on your computer. If neither works, it may be time to replace it.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 217
    Windows 10 Home
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks.No the dashcam states there's a problem with the card. Which I fully accept there might be. However, this has happened before and the fix was me formatting the card in the computer and then replacing it where I formatted it again within the DC. This seemed to work before, but not now. Now, I can't do anything with it.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 6,298
    Windows 11 Pro - Windows 7 HP - Lubuntu
       #4

    Does the micro SD card has a read only switch?
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  5. Posts : 13,996
    Win10 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home, Win7, Linux Mint
       #5

    Megahertz said:
    Does the micro SD card has a read only switch?
    I have a 4GB Lexar microSDHC card that came with an SD-slot adapter, neither have a switch. The adapter has a hole where the switch normally fit.
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 16,931
    Windows 10 Home x64 Version 22H2 Build 19045.4170
       #6

    Matt,

    Perhaps the MicroSD card is defective.

    Reverting to read-only is a common indicator of a failed SD card [you could probably keep reading its current contents for a generation]. There is little prospect of repairing it as it's merely a sign of being worn out.

    I am very suspicious of your need to reformat it "periodically".
    Many crooks sell SD cards & USBs with false capacities and it's when you exceed the real capacity that you start to see problems.
    Perhaps its capacity was fake and the excessive reformatting used up its writeable life.


    Denis
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 15,480
    Windows10
       #7

    Card has almost certainly failed.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 217
    Windows 10 Home
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Thanks for all your comments.The card does not have a 'lock'. (To be honest, I've never seen a micro-SD card with a lock feature, only standard SDs.) The adapter I am using does have a lock which is set to off, but I have just considered the possibility that the adaptor is faulty, so I will try a different one when I can find one. However, that fact that the camera suggested there was a fault, seems to indicate that the card is the cause not the adaptor.Denis, the periodic reformatting [in the camera] is due to the cameras inability to filename above "FILE9999". (The camera is an older one that I now use as a security camera that is permanently on. This is obviously another reason that the card may have given up.) When the card reaches its maximum number, the camera stupidly stops saving data rather than reverts back to "FILE0000". The only way to fix this is to in-camera format the card. However, occasionally, (not very often) I have had to format the card (or reset the partition of the card) with the computer. The information I have previously saved on the card suggests that the card size is correct. It's 32GB and I have accessed all 32GB files on the card.From my limited understanding and from those comments here, I guess the card is stuck fast.
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 1,255
    Windows 10 Pro
       #9

    Most likely the device has failed. Flash drives and SD cards are among the least reliable of modern storage media.

    Many of these devices have a special read only mode that is activated when specific types of internal errors are detected. This is done to minimize the risk to existing data. This mode is different from any user controllable write protection the device may have. In most cases this mode is non reversible. In some cases this is possible by some device specific method but it is not recommended.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 2,544
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit
       #10

    Test the SD card for capacity with this: H2testw - Download as others have stated it may be that the advertised capacity isn’t the actual size.
    Have you tried using diskpart to clean the card?
    Right click start>Powershell with admin & enter:
    diskpart
    list disk
    select disk X (where X is the number of the SD card)
    Clean
    exit
    exit

    Then go to disk management & you may be asked to initialise the drive, allow this & then format it.
    If at any point this fails then the drive has failed.
      My Computer


 

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