How to recover a damaged flash drive or SD card. Connecting an SD card as internal memory on Android Recovering an SD card and USB drive by deleting bad sectors

For most people, microSD is just a form factor, but in reality it is not. You can easily insert any microSD card into a standard slot, but not all of them will work, since the cards differ in many ways.

Format

There are three different SD formats, available in two form factors (SD and microSD):

• SD (microSD) - drives up to 2 GB, work with any equipment;
• SDHC (microSDHC) - drives from 2 to 32 GB, work on devices supporting SDHC and SDXC;
• SDXC (microSDXC) - drives from 32 GB to 2 TB (on this moment maximum 512 GB), work only on SDXC-enabled devices.

As you can see, they are not backward compatible. Memory cards of the new format will not work on old equipment.

Volume

Support for microSDXC declared by the manufacturer does not mean support for cards of this format with any capacity and depends on the specific device. For example, HTC One The M9 works with microSDXC, but officially only supports cards up to and including 128GB.

Another important point is related to the storage capacity. All microSDXC cards are used by default file system exFAT. Windows has supported it for more than 10 years, it appeared in OS X starting with version 10.6.5 (Snow Leopard), Linux distributions support exFAT, but it does not work out of the box everywhere.

High speed UHS interface

An I or II is added to the UHS card logo depending on the version

SDHC and SDXC cards can support the Ultra High Speed ​​interface, which, with hardware support on the device, provides higher speeds (UHS-I up to 104 MB/s and UHS-II up to 312 MB/s). UHS is backward compatible with earlier interfaces and can work with devices that do not support it, but at standard speeds (up to 25 MB/s).

2. Speed

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Classifying the write and read speeds of microSD cards is as complex as their formats and compatibility. The specifications allow you to describe the speed of cards in four ways, and since manufacturers use them all, there is a lot of confusion.

Speed ​​class

Speed ​​class marking for regular cards represents a number inscribed in the Latin letter C

The Speed ​​Class is associated with the minimum write speed to a memory card in megabytes per second. There are four in total:

• Class 2- from 2 MB/s;
• Class 4- from 4 MB/s;
• Class 6- from 6 MB/s;
• Class 10- from 10 MB/s.

By analogy with the marking of regular cards, the speed class of UHS cards fits into the Latin letter U

Cards running on the high-speed UHS bus currently have only two speed classes:

• Class 1 (U1)- from 10 MB/s;
• Class 3 (U3)- from 30 MB/s.

Since the speed class designation uses the minimum entry value, theoretically a card of the second class may well be faster than a card of the fourth. Although, if this is the case, the manufacturer will most likely prefer to indicate this fact more explicitly.

Maximum speed

The speed class is quite enough for comparing cards when choosing, but some manufacturers, in addition to it, use the maximum speed in MB/s in the description, and more often than not even the write speed (which is always lower), but the read speed.

These are usually the results of synthetic tests under ideal conditions, which are unattainable in normal use. In practice, speed depends on many factors, so you should not rely on this characteristic.

Speed ​​multiplier

Another classification option is the speed multiplier, similar to the one used to indicate the read and write speed of optical discs. There are more than ten of them, from 6x to 633x.

The 1x multiplier is 150 KB/s, that is, the simplest 6x cards have a speed of 900 KB/s. The fastest cards can have a multiplier of 633x, which is 95 MB/s.

3. Objectives

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Choose the right card taking into account specific tasks. The biggest and fastest is not always the best. In certain use cases, the volume and speed may be excessive.

When buying a card for a smartphone, capacity plays a bigger role than speed. The advantages of a large drive are obvious, but the advantages of high transfer speeds on a smartphone are practically not felt, since large files are rarely written and read there (unless you have a smartphone with 4K video support).

Cameras that shoot HD and 4K video are a completely different matter: both speed and volume are equally important here. For 4K video, camera manufacturers recommend using UHS U3 cards, for HD - regular Class 10 or at least Class 6.

For photos, many professionals prefer to use several smaller cards to minimize the risk of losing all the images in force majeure circumstances. As for speed, it all depends on the photo format. If you shoot in RAW, it makes sense to invest in microSDHC or microSDXC class UHS U1 and U3 - in this case they will reveal themselves fully.

4. Fakes

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No matter how trivial it may sound, it is now easier than ever to buy a fake under the guise of original cards. Several years ago, SanDisk claimed that a third of SanDisk memory cards on the market were counterfeit. It is unlikely that the situation has changed much since then.

To avoid disappointment when purchasing, just use common sense. Refrain from buying from untrustworthy sellers, and beware of offers of "original" cards, the price of which is significantly lower than the official one.

Attackers have learned to fake packaging so well that sometimes it can be very difficult to distinguish it from the original. You can judge with complete confidence the authenticity of a particular card only after checking using special utilities:

• H2testw- for Windows;

If you have already experienced the loss of important data due to a memory card failure for one reason or another, then when it comes to choosing, you will most likely prefer a more expensive card a well-known brand than an affordable “no name”.

In addition to greater reliability and safety of your data, with a branded card you will receive high speed and a guarantee (in some cases, even lifetime).

Now you know everything you need to know about SD cards. As you can see, there are many questions that you will have to answer before purchasing a card. Perhaps, best idea will have different cards for different needs. This way you can take full advantage of the equipment without exposing your budget to unnecessary expenses.

They are both small, portable and used for transferring and storing files. Their differences are worth noting, but they are hardly competitors in the world of NAND flash memory. It is important to distinguish what makes these memory formats unique in order to use each to its full potential.

Flash drive

USB drives are removable data storage devices with flash memory capabilities and a USB connector. They are compatible with any system that offers a USB port, including Windows, Mac and Linux. Flash drive memory capacity between 128 MB to 256 GB data. While most flash drives use USB 2.0, new drives on the market offer USB 3.0, which is ten times the data transfer speeds we currently use.

The standard rectangular shape of a flash drive can be transformed into a unique design suitable for brand promotion purposes. Manufacturers tend to create flash drives in original shapes and colors to differentiate themselves in the consumer market. There are no limits in terms of creativity in custom USB drive configurations. The flash drive can be password protected and virus protected in biometric security.

SD Card

Memory card is a compact, rewritable storage medium on which any data can be stored in the form of text, images, audio and video. They are used for small mobile devices such as digital cameras or Cell phones and as a means for porting files from a USB flash drive to a personal computer.

SD - memory card

(Secure Digital) SD card uses non-volatile memory like flash drives. SD cards are an integral part of many devices, including digital cameras, phones, MP3 players and game consoles. Average SD cards offer 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB and 32 GB. (Lexar recently began shipping 128 GB SDXC cards.)

Visually, memory cards look like an asymmetrical, rectangular plate with contact pins. Physical dimensions range from 11mm to 32mm long depending on the type of SD card used.

SD, MiniSD, MicroSD, SDHC, miniSDHC, MicroSDHC, SDXC and microSDXC are the available options. Therein lies the biggest drawback for SD cards: the lack of universal flash drive compatibility. Not every memory card slot is built-in computer system will read all cards. As a result, you must use a card reader.

Flash memory cards come in different sizes, and storage capacity usually directly correlates with price. Compact Flash cards are the size of a matchbox, while Multi Media Cards (MMC) and SD cards are the size of a postage stamp. More recent developments are the size of a fingernail. Since 2009, memory cards with 64 gigabytes are regularly available in trade.

Differences between USB flash drive and SD card

There is no clear winner in terms of flash memory formats. For one thing, you can't control your media devices without an SD card. On the other hand, a USB flash drive is superior in its ability to work with the operating system easily.

1. U USB drives wider scope – who can use them and where. Custom USB drives are also used along with basic storage and transmission data. However, Premium USB recognizes the importance of using an SD card for multimedia and creative professional requirements.
2. One could even argue that SD cards and USB can't live without each other - a flash drive needs image, video and sound, which an SD card can provide, while an SD card needs a flash drive to Reserve copy and easy access to files.
3. If you intend to use your data on more than one computer, a USB flash drive will offer you more in system support and compatibility. Plus, you don’t have to carry an additional device – an adapter.
4. Flash drives are easier to keep track of since SD cards can be so small that they are easy to lose. When it comes to the reliability of the memory itself, they are both comparable.
5. USB can be connected via slot or USB port.
6. Memory cards are originally designed for other devices such as digital or mobile cameras, so transferring data to a computer is slower than USB.
7. USB is designed for computers, so file transfer is faster.
8. Memory cards are storage devices used in digital cameras, laptops, PDAs, phones, music players, game consoles and others electronic devices. Memory cards allow for fast and long-term storage.

Summary

A USB flash drive is small device, which connects to the USB port of the computer. USB small sizes can be used as a keychain. Some flash drives connect to an MP3 player. They are convenient because they are easy to transport and store a lot of data.

The principle of using memory cards is the same as USB flash drives. There are many different memory cards from different manufacturers with different names and memory capacities. Memory cards are smaller than USB, require an adapter to read, and are susceptible to damage.

If your phone or tablet running Android 6.0, 7 Nougat, 8.0 Oreo or 9.0 Pie has a memory card slot, then you can use a MicroSD memory card as the internal memory of your device, this feature first appeared in Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

On the last Android versions All the steps to convert a MicroSD memory card into an internal one are practically the same, but just in case, I will describe the steps separately and provide screenshots (do not forget that all data from the memory card will be deleted in the process, take care of saving important files):

This will complete the procedure. All operating features and the method of returning the memory card to operation as a portable drive remain the same as for previous versions Android.

Video instruction

Features of the memory card working as internal Android memory

It can be assumed that when a memory card size M is added to Android's internal memory of N, the total available internal memory should become N+M. Moreover, approximately this is also displayed in the information about the device’s storage, but in fact everything works somewhat differently:

As a result, after the moment when the SD memory card began to be used as inner memory, the user does not have access to the “real” internal memory, and if we assume that the device’s own internal memory was larger than MicroSD memory, then the amount of available internal memory after the described actions will not increase, but decrease.

Formatting a memory card for use as internal storage in ADB

For Android devices where the function is not available, for example on Samsung Galaxy S7-S9, Galaxy Note, it is possible to format the SD card as internal memory with using ADB Shell.

Since this method can potentially cause problems with your phone (and may not work on every device), please see below for details. ADB installation, enabling USB debugging and launching the command line in the folder with adb, I will skip (If you don’t know how to do this, then perhaps it’s better not to try it. And if you do, do it at your own peril and risk).

The necessary commands themselves will look like this (the memory card must be connected):

1. adb shell
2. sm list-disks(as a result of executing this command, pay attention to the issued disk identifier of the form disk:NNN,NN - it will be needed in the next command)
3. sm partition disk:NNN,NN private

When formatting is complete, exit the adb shell, and on your phone, in the storage options, open the “SD card” item, click on the menu button at the top right and click “Transfer data” (this is required, otherwise the phone’s internal memory will continue to be used). Once the transfer is complete, the process can be considered complete.

Another option for such devices, if you have root access, is to use Root applications Essentials and inclusion Adoptable Storage in this application (potentially dangerous operation, do not perform at your own risk on older versions of Android).

How to restore normal functioning of a memory card

If you decide to disconnect the memory card from the internal memory, this is easy to do - transfer all important data from it to the computer, then go to the SD card settings, just like in the first method.

Then, in the memory card actions menu, select “Portable media” and follow the instructions to format the memory card.

Starting with version Android 6.0, it became possible to use a flash card as internal storage device data. Now the device, after certain actions, can use the memory available on the SD as freely as the internal one. The article will tell you how to connect an SD card in this quality and what restrictions are imposed on it.

How to connect a flash drive as internal memory

Before connecting the drive, you must transfer from it all important information. During the setup process, it will be completely cleared and the data will not be returned.

First of all, you need to go to Settings, and then go to the section " Storage and Drive", where you should click on the SD card.

Next you need to select “ Tune" and click " Inner memory" Immediately after this, the device will warn the user that all information will be deleted and it will become impossible to read it on other devices without full formatting.

Here you need to select “ Clear and Format" and wait for the memory clearing process to complete. You may then receive a message indicating that the media is running slowly. As a rule, this means that the flash drive used is not very good quality and its use as device storage may also affect the performance of the smartphone itself. For good and fast work recommended to use UHS Speed ​​Class 3 (U3) drives.

After formatting is completed, the smartphone will ask you to transfer information, you should agree with this and wait until the work is completed. After the transfer, the work of turning the flash drive into internal memory will be almost complete; all that remains is to reboot the device.

Features and limitations of using an SD card

There are a few things you should be aware of before you start using a flash drive in this way.

1. After conversion, all data, except for some applications and system updates, will be placed on the SD drive.
2. When connected to a computer, only this part of the memory will be available for interaction.

In fact, all actions are performed only with a flash drive, the real internal storage of the phone not available for interaction and is practically not used at all. Firstly, this means that when you remove the drive, almost all your data, photos and applications will be lost. Secondly, if the volume of the flash drive is less than the actual storage capacity of the smartphone, then the amount of available memory will decrease, not increase.

Format the card using ADB for use as internal storage

The function is not available on some devices, but it is possible to connect a flash drive as storage in another way. However, it is worth noting that this method is very labor-intensive and can cause damage to the device Therefore, if you are not confident in your abilities, then it is better not to do this on your own.

To use this method, you will need to perform many steps. You need to download from the site and install Android SDK, then download and install from the official website device drivers, and also, you need to enable “ debug modeUSB» on the device.

• adb shell
• sm list-disks (after execution, an id will be issued in the form disk:ХХХ,ХХ should be written down and entered in the next line)
• sm partition disk:ХХХ,ХХ private

Then you will need turn off the phone, go to settings and click on sd, select menu and click “ Transfer data" That's it, the actions are finished.

How to set a memory card to standard mode

To return the flash drive to standard mode, you just need to go to its settings, as in the first option, and select “ Portable media" Before doing this, all important information should be transferred to another location, because the drive will be formatted during the process.

This article will discuss various methods that will help you recover your damaged SD card or flash drive. Very often we come across the problem of storage device corruption and use several CMD commands to fix it. If you're not comfortable with the command line, you can try restoring your USB drive using Windows Explorer.

Working with a damaged memory card or flash drive is a tedious task. We spend a lot of time trying to get them back into working order, but nothing works. You may have seen online forums asking questions like “My flash drive is damaged” or “My SD card is not working.” This article contains various methods, which will help you recover damaged storage devices.

In order to restore a memory card, it must be removed from the smartphone or camera, inserted into the slot provided on the computer, or connected to the computer using external device card reading (card reader). If you have a microSD card, use an adapter.

Various ways to recover a damaged flash drive or SD card

Changing the drive letter

Sometimes your computer is unable to assign drive letters (such as C, D, E) to your storage media. For this reason, the files on it are inaccessible. To resolve this issue, you can assign a drive letter to the device yourself.

Below are simple steps for correction damaged drive or memory card by assigning the correct drive letter:

• 1. Connect your storage device to your computer.
• 2. Right click My computer/This computer. From the drop-down menu, select "Control".
• 3. In the window that opens, on the left panel, select "Disk Management" and wait a few seconds for Windows to load the virtual disk service.
• 4. Right-click on your media, and from the menu that appears, select “Change drive letter and paths”.
• 5. Click the drive letter (it will turn blue) and click "Change".
• 6. Select a drive letter from the drop-down list. Click "OK".

Try using the device on another PC

Perhaps the problem is specific to your computer, and that is why you are experiencing difficulty starting your USB drive. Try connecting the memory card or USB drive to another computer.

Try a different USB port

Although it sounds strange, you may be wasting your time trying to connect an SD card or flash drive multiple times to the same USB port on your computer. It is possible that the port itself is damaged or there is some problem with software. Try other USB ports if your storage devices are not recognized.

Reinstall drivers

There are times when the drivers that run your drive become corrupted and your computer will not be able to detect the media. Try reinstalling the drivers using the following steps:

• 1. Right click My computer/This computer. In the menu that appears, select "Control".
• 2. In the window that opens, on the left panel, select "Device Manager".
• 3. In the list, double-click "Disk devices". Right-click your drive's name.
• 4. Click "Delete". Click "OK".
• 5. Disconnect your media and restart your computer.
6. Connect the media. Your computer will detect it.

Recover a damaged SD card or USB drive using Windows Explorer

This is the most commonly used procedure to recover a mounted storage media on your computer.

• 1. Open "My computer" or "This computer".
• 2. Select the damaged disk and right-click.
• 3. From the drop-down menu, select "Format".
• 4. In the pop-up window, click "Restore device settings".
• 5. Click "Start" to begin the formatting process. To clean media more deeply, uncheck the box. "Fast"(Clear Table of Contents), but it will take a little longer. Therefore, uncheck the box only if the first attempt does not work.
• 6. Click "OK" in the next dialog box which will warn you that your data will be lost. The formatting process will complete in a few seconds and you will receive a formatted memory card or flash drive.

Recovering a damaged USB drive or memory card using the command line

This process involves working with a team Windows string, which is commonly known as CMD. You will need to enter certain CMD commands and Windows will format your damaged drive/SD card.

• 1. Connect the damaged USB drive or SD card to your computer.
• 2. Hover your mouse over the button "Start" and right click.
• 3. Click "Command line"("Administrator"). A CMD window will open.
• 4. Enter diskpart and press Enter.
• 5. Enter list disk and press Enter. A list of all storage devices connected to your computer will be displayed.
• 6. Enter select disk and press Enter. (Example: select drive 1). Important: Make sure you enter the number correctly. Otherwise you can format the internal HDD. You can enter the command again list disk to make sure you make the right choice. The selected drive name will have an asterisk (asterisk symbol) in front of it.
• 7. Enter clean and press Enter.
• 8. Enter create partition primary and press Enter.
• 9. Enter active.
• 10. Enter select partition 1.
• 11. Enter format fs=fat32 and press Enter. The formatting process will complete in a few minutes. You can write NTFS instead of fat32 if you want to transfer files larger than 4 gigabytes. Don't close command line until the work is completed.

Recovering SD Card and USB Drive by Removing Bad Sectors

Our storage devices store data in different sectors. For various reasons, these sectors become unusable, which leads to various types of failures and errors when trying to read data from the media. By running a few simple commands, you can restore your flash drive. Read more about this.

Recover Lost Data

You can use the tool Starus Partition Recovery to recover your data in case you deleted files or formatted your SD card/USB drive by mistake. The memory card must be in working condition to complete the recovery process. The device must be identified by means operating system and appear in the list, then your data will have a very successful recovery!

Tools Provided by USB Flash Drive and Memory Card Manufacturers

You may not know, but many storage device manufacturers such as SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung, Sony, etc. provide their own low-level utilities for formatting and other recovery purposes. Such tools can very well be used to repair and recover SD cards and flash drives. You can find these tools by visiting the device manufacturers' websites or contacting their support.

Other SD card problems

Recovery methods for memory cards and flash drives may be similar, but SD cards are different hardware. Therefore, there may be several issues with memory cards that prevent you from accessing them on your computer.

Problems with external card readers

Most modern laptops and 2-in-1s have an SD card slot, but the drives may not appear on desktops. That's why people resort to using cheap external card readers, which are often problematic.

External card reader does not work

Sometimes it may happen that your card reader is faulty while you are troubleshooting your computer. The card reader may not be getting the power it needs from the USB port, or may not be receiving power at all if its USB cable is damaged.

You may be using an old card reader trying to access your memory card. It may not support higher SDXC capacities, newer UHS-I or UHS-II interfaces, or may not work in latest versions operating systems.

Check if the SD adapter is working properly

When you try to connect microSD card using a MicroSD adapter, make sure the adapter is working properly. Additionally, there is a tiny slider on the memory card adapter that, when turned on, allows you to write data to the card. Check if it is in the correct position.

Damaged SD card

If you are one of those who don't care much about careful use, the device can become unusable quite quickly. Improperly inserting or removing an SD card from a media card reader can damage the connectors and even render it unusable. So, if your card is not recognized, check the connectors.

Chances are that your damaged USB flash drive or memory card is still under warranty. So if your storage device keeps having problems, take a moment and make a return or replacement. I recommend this because you shouldn't put your faith in a USB drive that shows signs of unreliability over and over again.

Note. Please note that the above methods for repairing a memory card and USB drive are general for device recovery. Due to problems associated with specific device, there may be cases where these methods are not suitable.

Just in case you are looking for methods to restore damaged hard drive, then you can familiarize yourself with our