In this article, we will consider the question of what to do if the micro sd card is not formatted? This sometimes happens in the process of partitioning the drive. Most likely, technical damage or malfunction of the memory card is to blame. In any case, before handing over the micro SD for repair, you should understand the reasons for the formatting error and try alternative ways solving the problem.
Sometimes it is not possible to format the SD card due to the fact that the files downloaded to it are busy with some process. This is because Windows does not allow deleting such documents, so as not to disrupt the operation of the system. In this case, formatting the memory card is possible through the console or the Diskpart command. For the first option, you need to do the following:
- Press the key combination Win + R.
- In the window that opens, enter: diskmgmt.msc.
- In the appeared disk management manager, find the necessary USB flash drive, click on it right click mouse and select "Format".
- The Diskpart command is invoked through the command line (Win + X). Next you need:
- In the input field write: diskpart.
- In the window that opens, enter: list disk. After that, a list of all drives will be available for viewing.
- Find a memory card, next to enter the command: select disk 1.
- For the selected drive, write the command: attributes disk clear readonly.
- To exit the service, you need to click Exit, then you can try to format the memory card of the DVR or any other gadget again.
Flashnul is an SD formatting utility that can test removable storage. You should work with it very carefully, as the application can damage information on other disks. Formatting a flash card using Flashnul can be done as follows:
- Unpack the archive with the program;
- V command line register the path to the application. For example, if the utility was unpacked on drive D, then you need to enter: cd D: \\ flashnul. After that, the user will find himself in the directory with the program folder and will have to identify the memory card;
- Make an entry in the line: flashnul -p. Remember the letter for the USB flash drive;
- Enter the command: flashnul X: -F, where X is the letter corresponding to the formatted card;
- Next, you need to run a controller test for errors with the flashnul X command: -l;
- After the work done, you can format the microsd memory card through the control console.
Drive recovery software
If the OS asks you to format the USB flash drive before recording, then to solve the problem it is better to use software that will help save the data on it. Most of the apps are free or offer a trial period. The best programs for formatting microsd are as follows:
- D-Soft Flash Doctor. The utility helps to restore the drive and create an image of it for subsequent recording on a working disk. The intuitive interface will not cause any difficulties for the user.
- EzRecover. It will help if the memory card is not formatted or the information to it indicates that the volume is 0 MB. The process is started by pressing the Recover button. It is able to recognize only a damaged drive and connect to it even if it is not detected by the operating system.
- JetFlash Recovery Tool. A program for formatting SD cards and USB drives. It has standard set tools. Designed for use with certain brands of drives only. Compatible with Windows 10 and older. The menu consists of 2 buttons - "Start" and "Exit". Automatically selects the best layout method based on the situation.
- MiniTool Partition Wizard. A universal tool for working with hard drives and removable media. It can be used to divide the memory card into multiple logical drives. MiniTool Partition Wizard is a godsend for those who are interested in how to format a flash on Android. The reason is that this utility is one of the few that supports the ext2,3,4 (Linux) filesystem.
- SD Formatter 4.0. Created specifically for those cases when the flash drive is not formatted on phones and cameras. The program will also be useful when working with a storage device connected via USB without an adapter or card reader. Supports Mac OS. Before formatting the card with this utility, you must install the driver. Using this program, you cannot partition password-protected drives.
- Format USB Or Flash Drive Software. The application duplicates the functionality built into the OS Windows service but recognizes the drive even if it does not appear in My Computer. It uses standard algorithms in its work. Partially Russified. Although it provides an opportunity for free use, it persistently offers to buy a license.
Disabled utilities that may be useful in some cases:
- AlcorMP. Designed to format a USB flash drive with Alcor controllers.
- Format Utility For Adata Flash Disk. Fixes bugs on USB drives A-Data.
- Kingston Format Utility. Recovers flash drives of the company of the same name.
So that the problem does not arise in the future
Sometimes the partitioning fails even on a new drive. This indicates a defect in the product. In this case, it is better to hand it over under warranty or change it with the seller.
If the user is faced with a problem when, after formatting a memory card on Android, the files are restored by themselves, then this is a sure sign that the drive has outlived its usefulness. No methods will help here.
To avoid problems with the memory card, you need to adhere to the following 2 rules:
- To enjoy safe shutdown when removing a device with a USB flash drive.
- Do not pull out the drive while recording. This can damage not only information, but also the flash drive itself.
If the memory card on the phone is not formatted, then first you need to complete its work in the gadget settings, then turn off the device and remove the drive. Then you need to wipe the contacts with a dry cloth and blow out the SD slot on the smartphone.
Before formatting a memory card on Android using third-party programs, you must first try to do the markup through the gadget settings. If you repeat the error, you should try to use another USB flash drive in the process. If the problem persists, then this indicates a malfunction of the phone.
Sooner or later, each user of additional memory cards needs to format the microSD card.
There are several ways to do this efficiently and efficiently. But first you need to figure it out what is microSD and how is formatting?
What is microSD?
Read also: TOP-12 Best memory cards for smartphones, cameras and video recorders | Review of popular models + Reviews
MicroSD is a small flash drive designed for portable equipment (mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, etc.).
There is a type of equipment to which only an SD card can be connected. Often in this case, bundled or separately, special adapter sold, allowing you to make the transition from microSD to SD.
There are already four generations of cards:
- SD0 - from 8Mb to 2 Gb;
- SD 1.1 - up to 4 Gb;
- SDHC - up to 32 Gb;
- SDXC - up to 2 Tb.
MicroSD development history
Read also: TOP 12 Best USB flash drives for all occasions: for music, movies and data backup
This memory card format was developed in 1999 working together companies such as Panasonic, SanDisk and Toshiba.
Later, in order to "promote the idea", a separate company was created to develop and improve this format cards - SD Association.
Despite this early appearance, it wasn't until 2004 that microSD cards came into use. It was then that the company SanDisk introduced the standard for such cards, which was originally named TransFlash.
A year later, the name TransFlash was officially changed to MicroSD.
The device was originally doomed to great popularity, and they were right, especially now that it has a very compact size(20 * 21.5 * 14 mm and weighing 1 gram) and can store up to 128 GB of data inclusive, while having excellent processing speed.
Areas of use
Read also: TOP 11 Best Hard Drives (HDD) for Your Computer, Laptop or Network Attached Storage (NAS) | Review of current models in 2019
As mentioned above, cards of this format are used mainly for portable equipment. There are only three kinds of SD cards: microSD, miniSD, and regular format SD cards.
Regular and miniSD cards used most often in photo and video cameras... They store the filmed material.
The third kind used in more compact technology- mobile phones, smartphones, communicators, MP3-players and others.
Such devices are equipped with a special connector that supports this format. In this case, the memory card stores photos and videos, music and even many applications.
SD cards are used not only for use in portable technology, but also in a PC as a storage medium. In the modern world, more and more laptops have a connector for connecting conventional SD cards.
TO desktop computers you can connect the device via a card reader. For a microSD card, in this case, a special adapter is used, which is exactly the same size as a regular SD card.
Why should you format
Read also: TOP 10 Best Network Attached Storage (NAS) for Home and Work | Rating of current models in 2019
First of all, formatting allows you to completely free the memory card from the files in it... The second reason is the presence of viruses.
It is impossible to completely get rid of viruses by simply deleting virus files, so you will need to format the microSD.
And finally, the third reason is the slow operation of the card. Performing a full cleaning of your drive can speed up its performance.
Formatting using standard Windows tools
Read also: TOP 10 Best SSD drives for your laptop or computer. Choosing which one is better: SATAIII, M.2 or PCIe in 2018
You can format the card using standard Windows tools, but will this have the desired effect? After all, often on microSD cards there is write protection.
Therefore, it will not be possible to delete files either. To check this, you can try to format the USB flash drive without using programs.
To do this, insert the card into the card reader and wait for the computer to "see" it.
Then go to "My Computer", find the desired removable disk and click on it with the right mouse button.
In the context menu that opens, select the item "Format".
In the opened window change the file system to FAT... If it is the default, then do not change it. Then we press the button "Start".
After completing the process, your card is left blank. But not always completely.
After "filling" new files and safely removing the removable disk, when reconnect it may turn out that old files that were on the microSD before formatting and new ones overlapped.
In this case, self-formatting without third-party software will not help you. We'll have to seek help from various kinds of programs.
Let's take a look below what programs can help us free up our SD card.
AutoFormat Tool
Read also: Transferring the system to an SSD disk: transferring data and operating system Windows 7/10
This program is very easy to use. It has a very small volume and is completely free. To use it, you need to download a bootable archive.
You can do this on any site that has it. You just need to enter its name in search bar browser.
After downloading and installing, click on the shortcut using the right mouse button, in the context menu that opens, select the item "Run as administrator».
After the program itself opens, in the utility window, select the arrow in the Disk Drive line and find the letter of your device.
Then we put a marker on the SD item and press the "Format" button to start formatting.
After pressing the start formatting button, another window will appear asking you to confirm the deletion of all files. Click "Yes" and start the formatting process.
When finished, your card will be fully formatted and ready to use. If you cannot format the card using Windows, then this program will help you 100%.
Read also:
This program is just as easy to use as the previous one. With her help you can format not only SD cards, but also USB media and even RW disks.
The program is capable of low-level formatting, so it is used to clean up any removable media.
This program also has a drawback - after formatting with it, the data can no longer be recovered.
The program can be downloaded for free on any site that has similar software.
After downloading the program easy to install and does not take up a lot of hard disk space, which is also a big plus. To format, proceed to the following steps:
1 Run the program as administrator by right-clicking on the shortcut. In the window that opens, select the media that needs cleaning and press the "Continue" button.
2 In the next window, open the "LOW-LEVEL FORMAT" section and complete the action by pressing the "FORMAT THIS DEVISE" button. After that, we are waiting for the end of the formatting. This program has a slight delay in the cleaning process, so you will have to wait a bit.
SDFormatter
Read also: TOP 15 Best Free Cloud Storage: A Choice of Reliable Place for Your Information
With this program you can do better cleaning of the microSD card or any other removable media. It is more effective than standard means Windows.
The developers of this utility are sure that it is best program for formatting.
To get started with this program, download and install it. You can download it from any site where it is available.
The program also absolutely free and does not take up a lot of hard disk space... After downloading, the program should be installed as usual and run as administrator.
After starting the program, a window opens in front of you, in which, in the "Drive" field, select desired device for formatting.
After we have completed all the steps described above, just click the "Format" button and wait for the formatting to complete.
This method is quite simple, easy program to use and does not take up much space. Random access memory also uses not a lot. So this way very well suited for such purposes.
Starting the formatting process
It's no secret that you can format a USB drive or hard drive using the built-in Windows Media, - just right-click on the corresponding disk and select the "Format" item in the context menu. But what really can this system utility, and what is it capable of? If a bad sector is detected on the disk, then the format procedure will not show you any notification about this, leaving the cluster available for writing along with healthy areas.
For you to have the maximum possibilities when formatting, we will tell you which alternative program for low-level formatting hard disk and USB devices currently available on the market is the best in its class, and what features are built into it.
Important: before using any of the specified applications, copy all data from a USB flash drive or the corresponding logical one to a safe place, since when working with utilities, all information can be destroyed and irretrievably lost.
JetFlash Recovery Tool
A proprietary utility from the Transcend company. An excellent choice for owners of USB devices from this brand, as well as devices from ADATA. With the JetFlash Recovery Tool, you can not only format flash drives, but also restore data to them. It will be especially useful if your flash drive contains unreadable sectors, it is determined by the computer for a long time, or information cannot be written to it. The utility is incredibly easy to use, and even a child can master it. There are only two buttons available on the start screen: to start the recovery procedure and to exit.
The interface is completely intuitive and straightforward. The disadvantages include the lack of a Russian-language interface and support for USB drives of other brands. Not so long ago, Transcend posted an alternative software product on its official website. JetFlash Online Recovery based on cloud service... We advise you to try it too.
HP Drive Key Boot Utility
Convenient and functional program to clean a flash drive with damaged sectors. Allows you to format flash drives from SanDisk, Transcend and Kingston. Three file systems are supported: FAT32, NTFS and FAT. It is worth noting that using the first of the mentioned file systems, it is possible to clean up a device larger than 32 GB, which, in fact, exceeds the FAT32 threshold. The main advantage of HP Drive Key Boot is its interface. All program options are concentrated in one window, and all operations can be performed without literally leaving it.
It is possible to create bootable flash disks based on the OS distribution using only the included toolkit. The application is portable, so you can use it on any PC without installation (just copying the folder with executable file and libraries). The disadvantages of the utility include the lack of support for HDD / SSD and the possibility of fixing system errors... In addition to this, on Windows Vista / 7 / 8.1 / 10, the presented data formatter is available to work in compatibility mode only. For modern operating systems, the developer company has created an alternative product called HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool... All HP Drive Key Boot functionality has been successfully migrated here.
USB Disk Storage Format Tool
Official page USB Disk Storage Format Tool
Powerful fully functional and free program for formatting flash drives from any manufacturer, as well as reanimating them in case of broken clusters. There is support for all modern operating systems from Microsoft (Win 8/10). Using the program is incredibly convenient: insert a USB flash drive, select it in the list of devices at the top, indicate the desired file system and enter the disk label just below. Conveniently, the error correction and formatting functions are clearly separated. So, you can scan a USB device for bad or unreadable sectors and fix them, just by checking the corresponding boxes. additional options and clicking the Check Disk button. A separate button contains the process of clearing the USB drive from its contents without the possibility of recovery (fast and low-level formatting is available).
Another distinguishing feature of USB Disk Storage Format Tool is the maintenance of a detailed log of all operations, which will give you full information about the actions performed by the utility. What's especially impressive is that you can format any memory card (SD, Compact Flash, SDXC, SDHC, etc.) with the tools built into the application. Among the minor flaws, one can note the impossibility of creating bootable disks and the lack of Russian localization, but given the functionality built into the application, these disadvantages are practically leveled.
HDD Low Level Format Tool
Official page HDD Low Level Format Tool
Basic program for low-level formatting of HDD / SSD and flash media. The design is very unpretentious and simple. To start the format procedure, you should choose what exactly you will work with: a USB flash drive or a hard drive. After that, switching through the tabs, you can perform a quick (deleting information about the drive in the corresponding section and clearing the MBR record) or full formatting.
What distinguishes the application from all the others is that in the presented software solution there is an option to get SMART, but this is only relevant for screws. By the way, you can work with HDD, SSD and other devices connected via any interface (FIREWIRE, IDE, SAS, SCSI, SATA). You can clear data not only on flash drives, but also on memory cards of any format from MemoryStick to MMC. There is support for the latest operating systems. Basically, the only limitation software product- this is a limited data processing speed (50 Mb / s), but in essence, the advantages and functionality of the application more than cover this disadvantage.
MiniTool Partition Wizard Free is the best low-level HDD / SSD formatting software, and more
Official page MiniTool Partition Wizard free
Perhaps this is the most extensive and detailed project, both in terms of functionality and usability. In terms of the available features, the variety and number of them are simply beyond expectations. In addition to basic operations with individual HDD and flash partitions (complete partitioning of disks, checking for errors, setting a label, changing the letter of the name, converting from one file system to another), there are also unique capabilities inherent only to this product. This is the migration of the installed OS to another HDD / SSD, and copying the contents of disks / individual partitions to another drive, and the data recovery wizard, and a lot of other functions. As in most commercial paid applications, all operations can be performed both through the graphical menu and using the visual panel, which contains the lion's share of the functionality.
You can work with both single screws and RAID arrays. Among other programs for low-level formatting of hard MiniTool disc Partition Wizard favorably stands out for its high speed of work, high-quality design and active support from developers, thanks to which the utility runs without problems in. An excellent candidate for the must have category, both for ordinary users and for administrators.
In this collection, we tried to find out which program for low-level formatting of a hard drive, as well as removable USB-drives, is the most relevant on this moment... All presented products are absolutely free and do not require a license purchase. We hope that depending on the tasks set, you will be able to choose the optimal product for you as an alternative software tools available in Windows by default.
In the modern world, flash drives for PCs are quite popularized, and microSD memory cards in mobile devices. The popularity of 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 - it's a formatting problem. Users of these storage media are bewildered 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 SD card is corrupted Android how to fix? Let's answer these questions, and also find out what to do if the memory card is not formatted.
Flash data drives 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 run into problems at the most inopportune moment.
If your SD card is not formatted, that is, there are problems in formatting the flash drive and you just cannot make this action, then you need: or carry the device in service center, or throw it away. But there are also other ways to "save the flash drive". One of them is a way to format a flash drive through the console.
V Windows system There is one peculiarity when deleting files - if the file itself is occupied by any 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:
- We use the key combination Win + R
- The Run window appears. We enter the command there - diskmgmt.msc.
- Click "OK" and the "Disk Management" window appeared in front of us. We are looking for our flash drive, right-click on it and select "Format".
If everything went well for you and without errors, then you are great. If it didn't work out, then don't close the article - we have a couple more ways.
If your microSD memory card is not 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.
- We launch the program.
- In the "Drive" tab, select our flash drive.
- In the "Format Type" tab, select "Full" or "Erase". Set "Format Size Adjustment" to "On".
- And click "Format".
If the program didn't work, then try this one - Apacer USB 3.0 Repair tool. The utility is similar to SDFormatter, but at the same time it is supplemented with the following functions:
- low-level formatting;
- disabling protection for flash drives.
You can download the program on the Internet.
- We open the standard Windows utility"Command line" through the key combination Win + X, or look for it in the start menu.
- In the new window, write "diskpart"
- In the next window that opens, write "list disk". In the window we will be shown all the available data recording disks on the computer, including our USB flash drive. We find our flash drive (usually it is at the very bottom of the list).
- We register the data in the "select disk 1" window. It is your flash drive that may have a different name, and not "disk 1".
- Next, we clear the write protection attribute through the command - "attributes disk clear readonly". To check the attributes of the disk, use the command - "attributes disk".
- We exit the utility through 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 program "Flashnul". The utility is designed for testing and deep work with removable drives on your computer. Therefore, use it carefully and try not to "impose" anything superfluous. Otherwise, you will damage your data and data recording discs.
- We unpack / install the program on one of the main disks on our computer. For example, let's take the C drive. The path to the program will be - C: \ flashnul.
- We launch the command line through Win + X or through the start menu and enter this command:
cd C: \\ flashnul
- Next, a directory with a utility folder appears in front of us, where we need to define our flash drive. We register this command: flashnul –p
- In the list that has opened, we are looking for the name of our flash drive (number or letter). We remember it. For example, you have a flash drive named N. In this case, we write a command for complete cleaning data: flashnul N: –F
- We run a test for controller errors, all data will be destroyed along with it: flashnul N: –l
- Upon completion of the test, start formatting through the management console. After the performed actions, there should be no mistakes.
Problems with the program
There are many problems that Flashnul can encounter. One of the important problems is the appearance of this kind of error, in which flashnul itself cannot work with internal and external commands.
To solve the problem, you must:
- Open a command prompt and go to the directory where our program is unpacked. Let's take the C drive as an example.
- In the command line, write “ C:».
- Next, you need to go to the directory of the Flashnul utility. Enter in the line cd flashnul that's all.
Use the Usbflashinfo utility. After starting the program, click on the tab "get information about the flash drive". Find lines VID, PID. Copy the values found in these lines to the 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 various programs, utilities and useful information for flash drives and microSD 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 to the fullest and now you know what to do if your SD card is not formatted or if there are other problems 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.
Any of the applications we have considered effectively removes information completely, connects by usb port to external devices, HDD, SD cards, etc. The most popular ones are able to find bad sectors, resize volumes, format flash drives for Unix systems. But each special program our own audience, so we will choose the best in several categories.
We really liked the toolkit Flash Memory Toolkit... It is a pleasure to use the utility. Her context menu provides access to all the necessary functions. The developers have even "screwed up" the benchmarks, which already deserves respect! However, it was not without its drawbacks - latest version program dates at times Windows XP, it means that the algorithms of the utility are outdated. Its high cost also scares off.
An alternative is the combination D-Soft Flash Doctor and MiniTool Partition Wizard Free... Both tools are free. You can download the programs from the official website in the latest edition, updates are released regularly, they functionally complement each other.
Suitable for home use JetFlash Recovery Tool– proprietary utility for flash drives and hard drives Transcend. Its interface is intuitive and simplified as much as possible. But again, there is only one limitation - only brand devices and a number of compatible chips are supported.
It is devoid of such shortcomings USB Disk Storage Format Tool... It was developed by HP, but is compatible with any equipment. The program not only recovers flash drives, but also at a low level will overwrite all information from any HDD, which will be useful, for example, as part of the pre-sale of a laptop.
It's a shame, but the HP app doesn't always find damaged devices. For this there is a "one-button" EzRecover... The algorithm of its action is simple - we find the device, click on it, reset it programmatically and overwrite it with the default settings.
Main features of the program Low Level Format Tool will be appreciated by professionals. It most likely detects a damaged drive, meticulously formats and remap sectors, but does not know how to do trivial things - create partitions. The application will be able to supplement the functionality MiniTool Partition Wizard or Acronis Disk Director.
I also want to pay attention to SD Formatter- this specialized service software was developed for memory cards of cameras and smartphones. He himself will select the best recovery algorithm and conduct it with high quality. Fine tuning is present.
And if you are engaged not only in the repair of flash drives, but also conduct testing, you cannot do without Flash Memory Toolkit... The utility is a bit outdated, but its benchmarks and diagnostic methods are up-to-date.