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SD cards still remain very important data tools and most people still use them to store small and large files and even to transfer data between devices. Besides, they are also very crucial in collecting data on the go such as in video cameras.
However, while these tools remain very important to business and our lives today, they do not stay clear of challenges. Some of these challenges include accidental loss, accidental loss of data, damage due to bad weather, physical damage, disc corruption, virus attack among many other challenges.
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| Image credits: Internet Google |
When you use an SD card, therefore, proper care must be taken. This is because when SD card is corrupted for instance, it may request you to institute disk formatting. When this happens, and if you go ahead to format the card, you may end up with lost folders or lost data all together.
SD card needs formatting can be a very daring situation especially to newbies. However, if you are an expert disk user, you may have known a few ways to maneuver this scenario. You should not worry about what to do if you do not have any technical SD card usage skills. This is because you are already reading the right guide.
Before we go straight into how you can handle the SD card needs formatting situation, we will show you some of the common issues that might prompt your SD card to behave in that manner. These include:
- Disk read or write errors
- Damaged partitions on the SD card
- Virus attack
- Disk corruption
We still urge you not to panic as it is still possible to get out of this problem without losing data. However, should you lose data, you can still recover data from formatted SD card without breaking a sweat.
How to Handle the SD Card Needs Formatting Situation
Like we said already, handling this situation is simple. We will show you a few cases that contribute to SD card needs formatting and best troubleshooting methods for these situations.
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| A Guide to Handling the "SD Card Needs Formatting" Situation |
Case 1: SD Card Needs Formatting Due to Virus Attack
Where the SD card is virus infected, removing the virus from the disk will help you make the device safer while solving the formatting error too. Viruses are generally transferred to SD cards when you connect them to virus infected devices such as PC computers or when you download virus infected files from the internet.
How to go about it? There are several methods to remove viruses from SD cards.
Method 1: Remove Virus with Antivirus Software
Before you can format the card, your solution may just be an Antivirus software away. While they support virus removal, they also support data recovery as they help you safely remove viruses and help you regain access to your files. You however need to choose well so that you do not put your data in jeopardy by using an antivirus that does not do what it says to do.
Method 2: Remove Virus with Command prompt
Command prompt is one of the best ways to remove viruses from the SD card among other storage devices. If you prefer to use this method, follow the steps below:
- Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer.
- Step 2: Press “Win + R” on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
- Step 3: Type cmd and tap the Enter button.
- Step 4: Now key in the drive letter of your SD card then tap Enter.
- Step 5: Once logged in, execute the commands below separately to remove the virus:
- Del autorun.inf
- Del svchost.exe
- Del Ravmon.exe
- Del headp41a
- Step 6: Close the command prompts.
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Method 3: Format the SD Card
Formatting the SD card is not advised especially when you are dealing with a card that needs formatting. While this can be a quick solution, it will erase all your files. We advise that you only do this if all your SD card data has been backed up somewhere. Otherwise, avoid it!
If you believe that all your SD card data have been backed up, you can follow this guide to format the card.
- Step 1: Begin by connecting the SD card to your computer.
- Step 2: Launch My PC and right-click the SD card letter and choose the “Format” option.
- Step 3: On the popup that appears on your screen, tap the “start” button followed by “Yes” to continue with the card formatting.
Remember, you can still recover formatted SD cards if you act quickly and use the right method. Where you think you need to go this step, we recommend stopping to use the SD card further and using Disk Drill from Cleverfiles to perform the recovery.
Case 2: SD Card needs Formatting Due to Other Problem
Other than virus infection, SD cards may request formatting as a result of read or write errors, damaged partitions, or disk corruption as we listed above. These other problems can also be solved by methods similar to the ones we have described above.
In this section, we will take you through two methods you can use to troubleshoot corrupted SD cards that need formatting.
Method 1: Change Drive Letter
You could be dealing with an unnamed SD card or one that uses an inappropriate drive letter. This makes it unrecognizable and as a result keep asking for formatting. Follow the steps below to change or assign the right drive letter to the SD card on your PC.
- Step 1: Begin by pressing “Win + R” on your keyboard to open the Run Window.
- Step 2: Type “diskmgmt.msc.”
- Step 3: Right click the drive and select “Change drive letter and paths.”
- Step 4: Tap the “Add” button and select an appropriate letter from the drop-down menu then hit “Ok.”
- Step 5: Now check if the SD card has an appropriate letter and that you can open it without asking for formatting.
Method 2: Fix the SD Card with Data Recovery Software
Data recovery software is a powerful tool for troubleshooting data storage devices especially when you have lost data. However, while there are lots and lots of these tools in the market, finding the best one can be a little challenging. Without being overly subjective, we recommend using Disk Drill data recovery software for Windows.
The steps of troubleshooting SD card needs formatting with Disk Drill is more or less the same as that of data recovery. You simply need to install the software on PC, insert the SD card on PC, and launch the software to begin searching and fixing bad sectors.
Generally, the process takes just a few minutes depending on the size of the disk. Once the disk is fixed, you can use it again to store or transfer data. We however recommend that you avoid connecting your storage devices on computers you do not trust.
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