• Why does the phone spoil memory cards? MicroSD Recovery: Guide to Getting Lost Data Back

    In the modern world, flash drives for PCs are quite popular, and microSD memory cards for mobile devices. The popularity of the devices is due to their low price, the ability to store large amounts of data, and at the same time easily transfer all this data to other devices.

    But these devices also have drawbacks - this is a formatting problem. Users of these storage devices are perplexed that the SD card is not formatted. At the same time, the following questions are often asked: The memory card is not formatted, what should I do? And the SD card is damaged Android how to fix it? Let's answer these questions, and also find out what to do if the memory card is not formatted.

    Flash storage devices are an indispensable part of the modern world, so it is important to know how to properly operate and maintain these devices so as not to encounter problems at the most inopportune moment.

    If your SD card cannot be formatted, that is, you have problems formatting the flash drive and you cannot complete this action, then you need to either take the device to a service center or throw it away. But there are also other ways to “save a flash drive.” One of them is a way to format a flash drive through the console.

    In the Windows system, there is one feature when deleting files - if the file itself is occupied by some processes, then it will not be possible to delete it. And through the console we can destroy everything without any problems. So, here's what we do in the console if the micro SD card is not formatted:

    1. We use the key combination Win + R
    2. The Run window appears. Enter the command there - diskmgmt.msc.
    3. Click “Ok” and the “Disk Management” window appears in front of us. We look for our flash drive, right-click on it and select “Format”.

    If everything went well for you and without errors, then you’re doing great. If it doesn’t work, then don’t close the article - we have a couple more ways.

    If your microSD memory card cannot be formatted, then the SNDFormatter utility will help you. The program is free and easy to download on the Internet, and we will tell you how to use this utility.

    1. Let's launch the program.
    2. In the “Drive” tab, select our flash drive.
    3. In the “Format Type” tab, select “Full” or “Erase”. “Format Size Adjustment” set to “On”.
    4. And click “Format”.

    If the program did not work, then try this one - Apacer USB 3.0 Repair tool. The utility is similar to SDFormatter, but it is supplemented with the following functions:

    • low-level formatting;
    • disabling protection for flash drives.

    You can download the program on the Internet.

    1. Open the standard Windows utility “Command Prompt” using the Win+X key combination, or look for it in the Start menu.
    2. In the new window we enter “diskpart”
    3. In the next window that opens, write “list disk”. The window will show us all available data recording disks on the computer, including our flash drive. We find our flash drive (usually it is at the very bottom of the list).
    4. We enter the data in the “select disk 1” window. Your flash drive may have a different name than “disk 1”.
    5. Next, clear the write protection attribute using the command – “attributes disk clear readonly”. To check disk attributes, use the command – “attributes disk”.
    6. We exit the utility using the “Exit” command, and again try to format the flash drive.

    If the above methods did not help you, then the next one is for you.

    Download the Flashnul program. The utility is designed for testing and in-depth work with removable drives on your computer. Therefore, use it carefully and try not to “click” anything unnecessary. Otherwise, you will damage your data and recording disks.

    1. We unpack/install the program on one of the main drives on our computer. For example, let’s take drive C. The path to the program will be – C:\flashnul.
    2. Launch the command line via Win+X or through the start menu and enter this command:

    cd С:\\flashnul

    1. Next, we see a directory with a utility folder where we need to identify our flash drive. We write this command: flashnul –p
    2. In the list that opens, we look for the name of our flash drive (number or letter). Let's remember it. For example, you have a flash drive with the name N. In this case, we write a command to completely clear the data: flashnul N: –F
    3. We run a test for controller errors, and all data will be destroyed along with it: flashnul N: –l
    4. Upon completion of the test, we launch formatting through the management console. After the completed actions, there should be no errors.

    Problems with the program

    There are numerous problems that can occur with Flashnul. One of the important problems is the appearance of this type of error, in which flashnul itself cannot work with internal and external commands.

    To solve the problem you need:

    1. Open a command line and go to the directory where our program is unpacked. Let's take drive C as an example.
    2. On the command line we write “ C:».
    3. Next, you need to go to the Flashnul utility directory. Enter in the line cd flashnul that's all.

    Use the Usbflashinfo utility. After launching the program, click on the “get information about the flash drive” tab. Finding the lines VID, PID. Copy the values ​​found in these lines into a search engine. Most likely, there are special formatting programs for this flash drive.

    On the website flashboot.ru you will find an incredible variety of programs, utilities and useful information for flash drives and microSD memory cards from all popular manufacturers. Perhaps this is where you will find the program you need that will help your formatting problem.

    We hope that the article helped you fully and now you know what to do if your SD card cannot be formatted or other problems arise with formatting other storage media. Now you can not only safely work with flash drives for yourself, but also help your friends and acquaintances, who will thank you more than once for your efforts.

    Read, how to fix a memory card and recover data from it(regardless of the card manufacturer and model), and about the reasons for card failure. Losing images or crashing a memory card containing important photos makes you feel lost forever? Or have you already had the bitter experience of losing important data due to a damaged SD memory card? In our article we will look at the answers to these questions and show how to repair a memory card and recover data from it, regardless of the reason for its failure.

    Content

    Introduction

    Personal electronic computer devices are an integral part of the information flow management mechanism and are used daily in various industries. Their use makes it much easier for users to perform their business duties, process and store various information, create and exchange various projects, and these devices are also actively used for recreation and entertainment.

    Personal desktop computers and laptops are widely used and are rightfully the most popular among other devices. Such successes were achieved largely due to the combination of characteristics of computer devices, firmly securing their leading position: ultra-fast processors and RAM elements, maximum data storage, instantaneous information processing speed, a high degree of device unification, multitasking, allowing you to solve a range of different tasks without reducing device performance, and overall high performance in general.

    The main responsibility for managing, storing, processing and exchanging information is assigned to specialized software, which should take full advantage of the computer's maximum capabilities and have attractive and convenient functionality. The operating system is a leader in its field and fully complies with these conditions. "Windows", developed by the corporation "Microsoft". With a user-friendly interface and the highest speed capabilities, it easily copes with any kind of tasks that end users encounter in the course of their activities.

    A separate type of computer devices, which, especially recently, have become extremely widespread, are mobile smartphones and communicators. The catalyst for extraordinary popularity was the creation and widespread dissemination of an international information computer network "Internet". Possessing noticeably fewer internal characteristics and offered capabilities, they achieve recognition due to high mobility and the variety of communication methods available to users with their help: mobile communications, instant text messages, video communication applications, access to social networks and other platforms for communication in networks "Internet", email messages, etc.

    A separate element that has contributed to the increase in the popularity of smartphones is the ability to use them to create high-quality photographs and videos. Personal archive, instant photos for memory, pictures for sharing on social networks, funny videos and much more can be easily done with smartphones, especially since users always carry them with them. If it is necessary to capture high-quality photographs, professional high-resolution cameras are used, which, due to high competition between manufacturers and the use of the latest developments, have significantly decreased in cost and are freely available to every user for daily use.

    Due to the fact that the volume of photos is growing every day, and they are taken in high resolution, the internal memory capacity of the devices is not enough to store them, and the use of additional storage is required. In such cases, the main storage device for the user's data is memory cards of various formats. Having low cost and significant internal capacity, memory cards are widely used. The most common of them is rightfully considered "SD" memory card.

    However, like any computer device, a memory card is subject to various influences and can be damaged for various reasons. Next, we will look at the possible causes of damage to memory cards and suggest ways to restore the information stored on them.


    Memory card "SD"(English) "Secure Digital Memory Card") is a miniature storage device designed for repeated recording, storage and reading of various digital information. The main place of its application are portable electronic devices: mobile smartphones, digital cameras, e-books, "GPS navigators", some types of game consoles, etc.

    The card has a standard size of 24x32x2.1 mm, which allows it to have its own controller and a special area, directly memory chips responsible for recording and storing user data, the operating principle of which is implemented using flash memory (a special reprogrammable semiconductor technology) .

    As development has progressed, the internal capacity of flash memory has changed, and today, it is available in sizes up to "128 TB". Memory cards have different information processing speeds, which are expressed in digital symbols on them. For a unified designation, a standard classification of speed characteristics of cards has been adopted, called "Speed ​​Class", which reflects the data writing speed.

    Download the program from the manufacturer's official website and run the installation executable file. The installation wizard will launch, which in a simple step-by-step mode will help you install on your personal computer or laptop. Installing the program does not take much time and does not cause any difficulties, even for inexperienced users.


    Once the installation process is complete, launch the program. will perform an initial analysis of the system and display in its window all installed and additionally connected disks and data storage devices.


    The program interface is as similar as possible to a file explorer "Windows", thereby allowing everyone, even a novice user, to work with it. Find your memory card in the list of partitions and double-click on it. The program activates the launch of the File Recovery Wizard, which, in a step-by-step mode, will offer to set certain parameters before starting the file recovery process.

    Place an indicator (dot) in a cell “Full analysis (searching for all possible information)”. In the activated section, leave the cells unchanged "FAT (USB media, digital cameras, Windows 9x)" And “Deep analysis (search by file contents)”. These settings will allow the program to restore the file system of the memory card and conduct signature analysis "SD" card and restore all the information on it, even that which was deleted many months ago.


    After selecting the analysis type, click the button "Next" to start scanning the marked card. The entire process will take place in real time and users will be able to monitor its execution using a status indicator.


    Wait for the analysis process to complete "SD" memory card and press the button "Ready" upon its completion. Depending on the degree of damage to the memory card, its size and other parameters, analysis may take from several minutes to several hours.


    The window will display a list of all found files and folders that were recovered by the program. When you click on each file, its contents will be displayed in a preview window so that users can familiarize themselves with the final result before saving the required files, and make sure that they are fully functional. Mark the required files and folders and click the button "Restore", presented in the form of a lifebuoy and located on the main menu panel.


    The File Recovery Wizard will open a pop-up window in which users will need to indicate the appropriate method for saving the marked files in this particular case. The wizard offers a choice of using one of four methods: save data to any hard drive or external drive, write files to an optical storage medium "CD/DVD - disk", create a virtual "ISO - image" or download data using "FTP protocol". Place an indicator (dot) opposite the cell indicating the method you have chosen for saving files, and click the button "Next".


    Depending on the chosen method, in the next window of the File Recovery Wizard, specify the necessary options for saving files, and click the button "Restore" to complete. For example, when choosing a method "Save to hard drive" You will need to set the save path and check or uncheck additional settings.


    Now all your files are restored and saved to the safe storage location you specified. Open the files and make sure they are completely intact. Then you can carry out the formatting procedure "SD" memory cards to troubleshoot possible problems using one of the previously described methods.

    You can fully explore all the features of the program, get acquainted with its capabilities and advantages on our video channel in the manual: “Recovering files from a memory card of a camera, phone, tablet, video camera, recorder”.

    Conclusion

    With the development of various types of computer devices, the number of types of information storage that users use to create, exchange and store their data has seriously increased. Lightweight and miniature memory cards are widely used and deservedly recognized by users, especially when creating photographs and images.

    However, memory cards are not durable and can become unusable for various reasons, limiting the user's access to them or completely losing their data. Knowing some of the main signs that serve as a harbinger of a breakdown, as well as having knowledge of the reasons that caused damage to memory cards, users can, following a certain procedure, repair damaged cards and restore all the data stored on them.

    Support for external memory cards is an important criterion for many Android users when choosing a new device. Luckily, most of them still support this option. However, failures may occur here too - for example, a message about a damaged SD card. Today you will learn why this error occurs and how to deal with it.

    The message “SD card is not working” or “SD card is empty: needs formatting” may appear in the following cases:

    Reason 1: Random single failure

    Alas, the nature of Android is such that it is impossible to test its operation on absolutely all devices, therefore, errors and failures occur. Perhaps you moved applications to a flash drive, it crashed for some reason, and as a result, the OS did not detect the external media. In fact, there can be many such reasons, but almost all random failures can be corrected by rebooting the device.

    Reason 2: Poor contact between slot and memory card

    A portable device like a phone or tablet is subject to stress during use, even when it is in a pocket or bag. As a result, moving elements, which include the memory card, can move in their grooves. Therefore, if you encounter an error about a damaged flash drive that cannot be corrected by rebooting, you should remove the card from the device and inspect it; It is also possible that the contacts become contaminated with dust, which in any case penetrates into the device. Contacts, by the way, can be wiped with alcohol wipes.

    If the contacts on the memory card itself are visually clean, you can simply wait a while and insert it again - perhaps the device or the flash drive itself just got hot. After some time, insert the SD card back, and make sure that it is seated all the way (but do not overdo it!). If the problem was poor contact, after these manipulations it will disappear. If the problem persists, read on.

    Reason 3: There are bad sectors in the map file table

    A problem most often encountered by those who like to connect a device to a PC and, instead of safely removing it, simply unplug the cord. However, no one is immune from this: this can cause an OS failure (for example, shutdowns when the battery is low or an emergency reboot) or even a banal file transfer (copying or Ctrl+X) using the phone itself. Cardholders with the FAT32 file system are also at risk.

    As a rule, a message about erroneous recognition of an SD card is preceded by other unpleasant symptoms: files from such a flash drive are read with errors, files disappear altogether, or digital ghosts appear. Naturally, neither a reboot nor an attempt to remove and insert a flash drive will correct the cause of this behavior. In such a situation, you should act like this:

    Reason 4: Physical damage to the card

    The worst case scenario is that the flash drive was damaged mechanically or through contact with water or fire. In this case, we are powerless - most likely, the data from such a card will no longer be recoverable, and you have no choice but to throw away the old SD card and buy a new one.

    An error accompanied by a message about a damaged memory card is one of the most unpleasant that can happen to users of devices running Android. Fortunately, in most cases this is just a single glitch.

    Many people have encountered the problem of losing data on memory cards of phones or cameras. There are many reasons for its occurrence. We will tell you how to quickly and safely recover deleted files from a MicroSD memory card.

    Losing data from a memory card is an unpleasant, but fixable phenomenon. In most cases, the user can independently try to recover deleted information. If the data is of great value, then you should contact a service center, where qualified specialists will help you retrieve your information intact and safe.

    Reasons for data loss

    Information can disappear from a drive for many reasons. It all depends on where the memory card was. Data loss can be either logical or mechanical in nature.

    Basic logical errors:

    • gadget failure;
    • accidental formatting or deletion;
    • virus.

    Photo: data loss as a percentage

    The most common mechanical causes are memory wear and physical damage.

    Signs of a faulty memory card may include the following:

    • errors in the folder structure;
    • incorrect volume display;
    • The memory card is not recognized by the computer or phone.

    When they first appear, immediately back up your drive data, format it, and check for errors. If the card works fine, the information can be transferred back.

    What do we need

    If the data has already been deleted, you can try to restore it yourself.

    What you will need for this:


    Important! Before starting the procedure, under no circumstances write new data to the memory card! This can lead to overwriting of existing ones and the impossibility of restoring them.

    Recovering data on a MicroSD memory card via R-Studio

    R-Studio is a powerful software package used by restoration professionals. In the absence of physical damage to the media, it is highly likely to save lost information. With the expansion of functionality and simplification of the interface, the program became available to ordinary users. To start recovering data from a microSD memory card, connect it to your computer via an adapter and launch R-Studio. All connected media will be displayed in the main window.

    Photo: main window of the R-Studio program

    To start scanning, you need to select the memory card and click the “Scan” button. In the pop-up window, you can select the file type, scan area size, and scan type.

    These settings can be left as default. The procedure takes approximately 10-15 minutes. Upon completion, the disk window will display virtual partitions with boot records and files.

    You can see the information found by double-clicking on the desired section (if it has been formatted, then most likely it will be a yellow section). A window will open with a list of directories, where you can view the contents of the found files and save it.

    Program overview

    In addition to R-Studio, there are several other effective utilities that will help you recover lost data. All of them are ideally very easy to use and are great even for novice users. Of course, each program has its pros and cons, but if you know them, you can avoid mistaken actions and choose a utility that is suitable for each specific case. Below we will talk about the most interesting of them.

    Video: Recovering deleted files

    Auslogics file recovery

    One of the best programs of its type. It stands alongside R-Studio, but compared to it it has a more friendly and understandable interface. It is worth noting the ability to search and restore files of any type, as well as compatibility with memory cards of any type.

    A convenient search system allows you to very precisely specify exactly what you need to find, thereby speeding up the scanning process. Preview will help you save only those files that are really needed, thereby not creating unnecessary garbage on your computer. The only drawback of the program is its cost. To buy the full version, you will have to pay about 1000 rubles.

    Hetman Uneraser

    Little known, but also a good program. Outwardly, it resembles an Explorer window in which found files are displayed. In the same window you can immediately restore them. The utility automatically performs a deep scan of the media even with a damaged file system.

    Photo: Hetman Uneraser program interface

    The main advantages of the program are:

    • simplicity;
    • support for all types of devices: memory cards, cameras, phones and other USB devices;
    • work with all major file systems;
    • recovering files from damaged partitions;
    • ability to preview files before saving.

    Hetman Uneraser is a paid product, it costs about $30, but this price, in our opinion, is unjustified. For the same price you can find more effective analogues.

    SoftPerfect File Recovery

    A simple utility that will help you restore information if it is accidentally deleted. Supports most media types and file systems. SoftPerfect File Recovery serves more as an assistant for minor troubles. Unfortunately, it is useless when formatting the media or overwriting already erased data.

    Photo: SoftPerfect File Recovery program window

    The advantages include a very simple interface and the ability to work with compressed volumes. The program is distributed free of charge, which allows each user to keep it with them in case of unpleasant situations.

    Magic Uneraser

    Also a little-known, but this time powerful data recovery program. Its key abilities are simplicity and efficiency. Externally it resembles the Explorer interface. Working with Magic Uneraser is step-by-step: the user independently selects the search location and file type, which significantly speeds up the procedure.

    The utility supports almost all types of media with the FAT or NTFS file system.

    Magic Uneraser has a number of advantages that set it apart from other analogues:

    • correct search and recovery with saving names;
    • restoring file metadata;
    • retrieving lost data from floppy disks;
    • packaging the saved data into an ISO image;
    • an advanced algorithm that allows you to find even those files that other programs do not detect.

    Magic Uneraser, although paid, is worth the money.

    RS File Recovery

    A simple and reliable tool for do-it-yourself data recovery. It will be useful for both beginners and experienced users. Easily copes with tasks of almost any complexity. It has an intuitive interface and preview function.

    The developers have introduced a very useful function that allows you to assess the possibility of file recovery at an early stage. The features of the program are practically no different from similar ones, but at the same time it copes with its functions perfectly.

    If you often encounter the problem of data loss, then it is always useful to have one of these programs on hand. Which one is up to you to decide. Also, do not forget about creating backup copies of important files - this significantly reduces the risk of irretrievable data loss. To minimize the risk, regularly monitor the condition of your memory card and gadget.

    Having problems with your SD memory card? Can't read all the data from it? Or does the phone not see them at all? You can try to recover a damaged SD card using a computer - check it for errors and completely format it.

    Problems with SD memory cards are not uncommon. If a lot of data is recorded on it and you actively use it, for example, on your phone, then there is a possibility that after some time problems may appear with reading the contents. However, this does not mean that it can be immediately thrown into the trash.

    There is always a chance to restore it. It doesn’t always come down to problems with the memory card controller - sometimes the solution may be, for example, checking for errors in the saved files, restoring damaged sectors, formatting, or completely clearing the partitions (structure) and creating them again. Let's consider the listed solutions.

    What will you need to recover an SD memory card?

    To recover data from a memory card, you need to connect it to your computer. Therefore we should have accordingly:

    • computer or laptop with Windows system;
    • An affordable option for connecting an SD card to a PC.

    There are several ways to connect it to your computer. This can be done via the card reader built into the laptop. If this is not the case, then you can purchase a USB card reader. In appearance, it is no different from a regular flash drive, with the only difference being that there is an additional input into which we first insert a memory card, and only then connect it via USB to the computer.

    Method No. 1: Recovering a damaged file system using Chkdsk

    The first and easiest way is to use the system hard drive recovery tool Chkdsk. This is a utility from Microsoft, which means it is only available on PCs with the Windows operating system. Of course, this program is not always enough to recover data from SD cards, but you can check for damage in the file structure without losing data. In this method we will restore the SD card via the command line.

    To begin, insert the memory card directly into your laptop or PC and click on the “My Computer” or “This Computer” icon (Windows 8 and above). In the list of drives, find the connected SD card and remember which letter was assigned to it. For example, let's assume that it is assigned the letter "E:".

    Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run window. Type the following command to open Command Prompt:

    In the Command Prompt window, you need to enter the appropriate command, which will scan the drive and fix errors on it. The command looks like this:

    chkdsk E: /f

    Of course, instead of E: we enter the drive letter that your system assigned (not forgetting the colon). After pressing Enter, the scanning process will begin. Please note that the /f parameter is added at the end of the command, that is, Chkdsk not only finds problems, but will also try to repair them.

    After scanning, we check the memory card again and see if it works properly.

    Method No2: Formatting the SD memory card

    In this method, we will try to restore the drive using formatting, during which all data will be deleted. This operation may solve the problem if restoring the memory card using Chkdsk did not bring a positive result and problems still occur (for example, errors in reading individual files). Of course, we will lose all the data, but there is a chance that restoring this method will prevent damage to new data, which we will later copy to the SD drive.

    Let's look at simple formatting that doesn't break the partition structure. Connect the memory card to your PC, and then open My Computer on your desktop. In the list of drives, find the SD card and right-click on it.
    From the drop-down menu, select "Format". Click on the “Standard Cluster Size” button and make sure that the file system is set to “FAT32”.

    The operation can be performed with the Quick Format option. But for a better effect, we recommend unchecking this checkbox - it will take more time, but it will be done more thoroughly and may solve the problem.

    Once completed, reinsert the SD memory card into your phone, tablet, digital camera or other device and check if it now works correctly.

    Method No3: Deleting partitions or low-level formatting

    An SD memory card is not much different from a regular disk - it can have one or more partitions. By default, one section is always allocated. You can format the device in such a way that the partition is completely deleted and there is unallocated space left. This is the so-called low-level formatting.

    Important! Like regular formatting, low-level formatting will delete all data from the SD card and there will be no way to recover files. Therefore, before restoring, copy the data or part of it that is still readable by the system to the PC.

    You can create a new partition again on the unallocated space that appears after formatting. It often helps in a situation where, when connecting an SD card, it is displayed as “RAW” and the sections that can be entered are not shown. One of the best is the HDD Low Level Format Tool.

    Connect the recoverable SD drive to your computer and run the HDD Low Level Format Tool program. A list of installed hard drives will be displayed. Find the SD drive in it and mark it.

    Make sure to select the memory card and not, for example, the second or third hard drive on the computer. If in doubt, pay attention to the Capacity column, which displays the full capacity of this disk/flash drive or micro SD card.

    Once selected, click on Continue and go to the “FORMAT THIS DEVICE” tab. The drive will be completely formatted, and the partitions will be deleted - only the unallocated area will remain. Exit the HDD Low Level Format Tool SD card recovery program.

    But that's not all. The SD card is not yet usable. Open the Start menu and look for Disk Management. Or type “Creating and formatting hard drive partitions” in the search bar.

    A window will appear in which all drives will be displayed - both installed on the PC and connected via USB. Find the connected SD memory card here, the strip of which will be highlighted in black.

    Right-click on the black unallocated area and select Create New Volume." A partitioning wizard will appear on your screen and will guide you step-by-step through the partitioning process. Pay attention to the File System field and make sure FAT32 is selected and not NTFS.

    Confirm the creation of the new partition. This completes the SD recovery and will now appear in the “My Computer” window with an automatically assigned drive letter. Then insert it into your phone or tablet.

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