Various flash drives and memory cards have stuck very well in our lives. At the moment, they are attracting attention for their cheapness and large memory capacity. But, as it turned out, many manufacturers have not yet found a way to produce successful models of flash drives and memory cards. Unfortunately, unsuccessful ones are also produced. What's the matter? The fact is that one of the problems with formatting is often an error - Windows cannot finish formatting the drive... The recording on different OS may differ, but it does not change the essence. Now we will figure out why the flash drive is not formatted and we will analyze all possible solutions.
Standard formatting procedures if the flash drive is not formatted
If it was not possible to format the flash drive in any way, then there are two options: either carry the device to the service, or to the trash heap.But the attempt is not torture, we still have a few more ways to fix our problem.
So, the first thing we will do is try to format the USB flash drive through the console. We have already done a similar procedure in the article, but this time we will use a different command.
If the files on the flash drive were occupied by some process, then "formatting" in the usual way - through my computer, would not work, since windows will not let you destroy such files. Through the console, we will clean everything up.
Using the key combination Win + R and in the window that opens, enter the command:
| diskmgmt.msc |
The Disk Management Manager will open. Look for your flash drive, right-click on it and select format.
If everything worked out, you can close this article. If not, then read on, there are a couple more ways.
Methods for SD cards and flash drives
The flash drive is not formatted by standard options? Then we turn to using the program USB Disk Storage Format Tool... The program is free and you can safely download it, but how to use it is written in.
Now about MicroSD. If you also get a similar error when formatting memory card data, you can try using the SDFormatter utility. Here's a link: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/
Run it and in the window that opens, select our USB flash drive (where Drive). Press Option and set Format Type there Full (Erase), and where Format Size Adjustment is set On... And we press Format.
Update as of 24.07.2016 ... This program - SDFormatter may not work, so let's move on to other methods. Found an interesting program called USB Flash Drive Repair Tool... This utility is capable of low-level formatting and disabling write protection on a flash drive, let's try it. Here is the download link. If any method helped, please unsubscribe in the comments.
And here are described, I advise you to look.
Diskpart Command
We start the command line. Pressing the keyboard shortcuts Win + X, select "Command line". In the window that opens, write:
It shows all disks that are connected to the computer, including: flash drives and memory cards.
We find a USB flash drive (it is usually at the very bottom) and write the following command that selects a USB flash drive:
To view the attributes of the disk, you need to enter this command:
| attributes disk |
We exit the utility using the command exit and try to format the flash drive or SD drive again.
And finally, if the flash drive is not formatted, there is another way.
Formatting with Flashnul
Download the special flashnul utility. This is a utility for testing removable drives and you need to work very carefully with it, otherwise you can damage data on other drives. Here is the link (must be copied and pasted into the address bar: http://shounen.ru/soft/flashnul/index.html)
We unpack the program to some disk, for example, D... Then the path will be like this: D: \ flashnul.
Now, using the same Win + X keyboard shortcuts, launch our command line, where we enter the following command:
cd D: \\ flashnul
Once we are in the directory with the utility folder, we need to identify the USB flash drive.
We write the following: flashnul –p
In the list that appears, we find the number of our flash drive and remember it. You can also remember the letter, it does not matter.
Let's say that your flash drive has the letter M, then you need to write a command that will overwrite all data to zero:
flashnul M: –F
Now let's run a test for controller errors, which will also destroy the data:
flashnul M: –l
At the end of the test, start formatting again via control console... And the error shouldn't appear again.
I hope this article has fully helped you get rid of the problem of formatting flash drives and memory cards.
I noticed that users have a problem with the Flashnul utility. It consists in the appearance of an error that flashnul is not an internal or external command. Everything is solved here simply. First, open a command line and go to the directory where you unpacked the flashnul program, I have this drive E. In the line, just write "E:".
Now go to the flashnul directory, for this you need to enter "Cd flashnul".
After that, you can enter all the other commands described above. Good luck to you. Attached is a screenshot of the action.
Can't format the USB flash drive even in the ways that are indicated by yours? You can try using the Usbflashinfo program. After starting the program, click on "Get information about the flash drive"... Need to find the lines VID and PID... The values that are indicated in them you copy and paste into the search engine. It is possible that for this memory controller there is a special utility with which it is possible to perform the formatting procedure. Here is the download link: http://www.antspec.com/usbflashinfo/
Also, you can use the site flashboot.ru. There are many different programs for flash drives and memory cards from well-known manufacturers.
It happens that no matter how hard you try, but the result is zero, then you just have to throw out the USB flash drive and buy a new one, hoping that it will not fail for a very long time. If you purchased it recently, then give it back under warranty, as you may have a marriage. Now you basically know what to do if the USB stick is not formatted.
So, good afternoon, dear readers of the Fans-Android site. In this article I will try to tell you how to deal with the problems of files and folders disappearing from the memory card and what to do if different audio and video players partially cannot see the files recorded on the memory card.
Let's first look at the LOST.DIR folder - why is it filling up? This directive is created when Android launches File System ChecK (analogous to Windows Chkdsk) and searches for lost file chains. These files appear if you pull out the memory card at the moment when something will be written to it. After all, Windows tries to write files using the caching mechanism. When you unplug the cable, the contents of the cache will not have time to successfully appear on the disk and these files are considered to be defective. After the device is disconnected from the computer, Android launches scanned maps and detects such "broken" files, and then they are automatically moved to the LOST.DIR folder.
Now let's start looking at the issue from a practical point of view. First of all, so that you do not have such problems, you should always select "Safely Remove" before disconnecting the device from the computer, and then "Disconnect USB-storage" in the device itself (the name may differ slightly, depending on model and firmware of the device).
In addition, it is worth checking the memory card regularly using the ScanDisk application - after all, the problem may lie in the memory card itself. Try to format it and, following the advice above, write files to it.
How do I format it?
- To completely format the card on your phone, you will need to follow the path: Menu-Settings-Memory-Unmount memory card (Eject card) -Clear card-Connect SD card (names may vary slightly depending on the phone model).
- Also, there is an option to format using a computer with a choice of different cluster sizes.
- Format using the special SD Formatter application or the Hard Disk Low Level Format Tool. This is the so-called "low-level" formatting.
You can also try changing the cache on the memory card using the ® SD Speed Increase application. If formatting does not help, then it is worth trying to replace the card with another option. There is also a situation when the files you have recorded are visible on the computer, but they are not displayed on the device. In this case, check if there is a .nomedia file in the folder where they were written. If there is, remove it immediately.
If the files that were written there disappear from your memory card
- We have noticed that some of the files may be missing due to installed applications. Try to uninstall the latest installed programs, after which you notice this problem.
- There is a solution to the problem using the QuickPic gallery. In the menu, select "show hidden folders" - the thumbnails folder, which may contain missing photos and video files.
- If none of the suggested methods helped you, try doing a factory reset - this may help with identifying whether the problem was in the program or in the firmware - which is also quite likely.
- Try updating the firmware version.
If your music player can't see most of the audio files
- Try looking at the length of the file name, and whether it contains any characters (punctuation marks, etc.). If the titles are too long, try shortening them. In some cases, this procedure has been helpful.
- If there are a large number of files, and they are all in the same folder, then most of them may not be displayed. Try to distribute them into several folders, approximately equally.
- Go to Settings - Applications - Manage applications - Applications, find the item "Media storage" and select "Clear data".
- If you are using a standard player, then try installing any of the third-party custom application catalogs on your smartphone.
- Also, formatting the memory card often helps in solving this problem.
Greetings, dear reader! Remember where we keep our beloved and dear photos and videos? Right! On little assistants, microsd. Everything about them is good, both the price and the volume. Only one thing is bad. Often an error message pops up on the computer when formatting. Then the question arises very sharply: "The memory card is not formatted, what should I do?" Let's figure it out because you still need to know. After all, we use micro-storage devices in smartphones, cameras, recorders, readers.
Formatting the memory card removes all old files from it, detects damage and repairs them. Be sure to back up important files to your computer before formatting.
Standard formatting
The first way to format a memory card that any user uses is formatting on a PC.
- In the "My Computer" menu, select a memory card, right-click on it
- In the drop-down context menu, select the item "Formatting"
- Choose a suitable file system type
- Click on "Start"
- Wait for the end of the process
Attention! By default, the FAT32 file system is selected on the computer. It works correctly with a 32GB micro SD format. The larger 64GB is formatted in a different exFAT file system.
This is where the first difficulties may arise when the computer writes
windows cannot complete formatting.
What to do in this case?
Use other methods of flashing the card.
Command line formatting
Work in this way begins through the "Start" menu. We choose "Execute". Perform the following manipulations with the dropped console:
- Enter the command diskpart, activate enter
- Enter the command list disk, activate enter and select a disk, focusing on the size of our flash drive
- Enter select disk and disk number, activate enter
- Enter attributes disk clear readonly and enter. At this stage, the drive will be unlocked.
- Enter clean and enter. This will clear the media completely.
- Enter create partition primary, activate enter. A new section will appear on the map
- Then select partition 1, press enter
- active, enter. Section is activated
- format fs = fat32 quick. A successful formatting message appears
- Assign and enter. The flash drive will receive a new name
- To check, create a new folder
This is one of the best methods for formatting a USB flash drive, without using third-party utilities.
If the formatting error persists and you are unable to work with files on the memory card, try using an additional program.
Formatting with utilities
Windows cannot format the memory card and that's it! Then we turn to the almighty Internet and download helper programs.
When working with third-party software, you should be very careful. Be sure to choose the correct name for the micro SD, otherwise you can seriously harm your computer. The choice of the file system type also matters. Remember that FAT32 is used for 32GB memory cards. For more venerable colleagues - exFAT. Additional programs will always clean the drive completely, creating a backup copy of the data, in this case, is mandatory.
Here are the most common ones:
- AutoFormat Tool. Simple enough to use. It doesn't take much time to work with it. I recommend running as administrator.
- HDD Low Level Format Tool. A solid program that does low-level formatting. Remember, you won't be able to recover files after using it.
- The utility requires installation on a computer. Intuitive and easy to use.
Fixing problems with micro SD
Sometimes it happens that files from the card on the phone are not deleted. You erase them, but nothing works, they come back again, annoying more and more. Then you need to try all the actions in combination:
- Reboot phone
- Remove and insert the card back
- Download the utility to your phone
- Make formatting
- If all else fails, come to terms with the inevitable - the memory card has "died"
Write protection
When you try to format, the message "The disk is write-protected" may appear. This happens in several cases:
- if the write protect button on the SD card has switched, which needs to be returned to a different position. (More about locking / unlocking a memory card);
- if the computer has caught a virus that blocks writing to hard media. It is necessary to conduct antivirus diagnostics.
Hidden files
In the case when the card is readable, but cannot be formatted, it is worth checking it for hidden files like autorun.
Autorun.inf is a hidden startup file that tells the system how to properly start the disk. It displays a colorful menu with an algorithm for further actions on the screen, replaces the icon on the desktop. The developers of viruses liked these properties very much and they make full use of the file for their own purposes. Plain hidden text contains the code for launching the program, and it is through it that viruses get into the computer.
At the same time, viruses that have infected the removable media are trying in every possible way to protect themselves. Including, and not giving the opportunity to format the micro SD card. Removing such a virus is very easy.
Let's try together if none of the above methods helped get to the micro drive:
- Open the command line (you already know how)
- Find our flash drive
- Change the parameters of the attrib file -a -s -h -r autorun.inf
- We destroy the virus on the del autorun.inf map
- Trying to work productively.
Sometimes the Anti Autorun, Autorun Guard, USB_Tool programs help to identify and remove the virus.
In order to protect micro SD from re-infection, you can do one interesting way. The bottom line is the following, a file named Autorun.inf is created on the media. Newly arrived viruses will no longer settle on the drive, where there is a folder with the same name as theirs. Why does it work? Because Windows does not allow creating folders with the same name. That's all!
Outcome
Only a memory card of a trusted manufacturer can serve for a long time without interruption and not cause trouble to its owner. With careful handling, the consoles will stay in place for a long time. Do not under any circumstances pull or remove the card from the slot while working with files.
Remember! The recommended operational load on the card is no more than 20% per day. This means that you cannot remove and write files more than 6 GB per day from a 32 GB memory card. This will significantly extend the life of the card consoles and help avoid formatting problems in the future.
If all of the above methods of solving the problem did not help, specialized service points will help you to remove important files from the card.
It's always better to buy two 32gb micro sd than one 64gb. This will simplify the work for the common user, save important information and make formatting simple and accessible.
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Bye everyone!
Thank you for the attention! Until next time on my blog. Best regards, Rostislav Kuzmin.
In today's world, millions of terabytes of digital content are created every day, which includes photos, videos, software and more. All this is stored on hard drives, flash drives, memory cards.
Every day, our smartphones also accumulate information that can be lost at any moment. This is because the data on memory cards can be lost at any time due to accidental deletion or improper removal of the flash drive. In general, there are very, very many reasons, but now this is not the most important thing.
In this article, I would like to tell you how to recover data from a memory card that has been deleted. Unfortunately, it is impossible to carry out this process using standard Windows tools, so we will turn to the help of programs for recovering photos, video and audio recordings.
As an example, I will use a microSD card from an MP3 player, which was previously mentioned on the site in articles about, as well as about. I will deliberately erase all audio tracks from it, and then, using the programs described below, I will restore it back.
You, in turn, will be able to recover from your memory cards not only music, but also photos, videos, documents and many other files.
Recuva (for Windows)
Recuva is a freeware program that runs on all versions of the Windows operating system (XP, 7, 8, 10, Vista). You can download it below:
Free download of the Recuva program
When installing the program, you should not have any difficulties, so I will not describe this process. I'll get straight to the point. To recover files from your SD card, you need to connect the USB flash drive itself to the computer via a card reader, mobile phone, digital camera, etc.
Then open " My computer»And right-click on the corresponding removable disk. In the context menu that appears, select the command " Search for deleted files».
At the end of the scan, a list of files on the memory card (both current and previously deleted) will appear. To recover a deleted file, right-click on it and select the command “ Restore Selected».
Pandora Recovery (for Windows)
Pandora Recovery is a free utility that is also designed to recover deleted data from SD cards, hard drives, USB sticks, etc. You can download it belowFree Download Pandora Recovery Utility
For the reliability of the experiment, I reformatted my flash drive again. To restore files, you need to reconnect your storage device to your computer or laptop.
Now let's dwell on an important point that will arise when you first start the program - you need to choose a scanning method. I recommend choosing deep scan, as this method allows you to recover photos, music tracks, documents and other files, even from damaged media.
Have you set up? Then we turn to the search and restoration of the lost. Launch Pandora Recovery and go to the tab Search... Next, select the disk on which the search will be carried out, and then click on the button " Search".
At the end of the search, you will see a list of files at the bottom of the screen. Find the one you want to restore and right-click on it. Then, in the context menu, select the command Recover to.
A dialog box will open in which you need to click on the "Browse" button, and then select the location where the file will be restored. Then just click on the button " Recover now"and you're done.
Stellar Phoenix Mac Photo Recovery (for OS X)
Unfortunately, I am not able to demonstrate how this program works, but I know for sure that Stellar Phoenix Mac Photo Recovery is one of the best programs for recovering deleted files from media for Mac computers running OS X 10.5 or higher.
Among other things, I would also like to highlight the following free programs for recovering deleted photos, songs, videos or documents from memory cards:
- R.saver
- USB Flash Drive Recovery
- CardRecovery
- chkRepair
In general, now you don't have to worry about an accidentally deleted photo on your phone, because you know that having at least a USB cable and 5 minutes of free time, the image can be restored without any problems.
By the way, I almost forgot, in the next article we will look at the best applications for devices running on the Android operating system, with which you can also recover deleted files.
