A memory card that suddenly stops working is a very common problem, not least because these cards are everywhere, especially in smartphones and digital cameras.
If your memory card is still not recognized, the fault may be physical and every new attempt counts. Before trying again, see how SD card recovery works, starting with a free diagnosis.
It can happen for various reasons: the card may be corrupted, physically damaged or simply unreadable by the system for some other reason.
Since memory cards usually hold photos and videos, as well as documents and apps, it’s natural to panic when one stops working.
However, as we’ll see in this article, there’s no need to despair: in many cases you can get the card working again or, if not, recover what really matters: the data stored on it.
We’ll also look at what may have caused the problem and how to prevent it from happening again with a few basic precautions.
Why isn’t the memory card showing up?
There are several reasons why a memory card may stop working or stop showing up on your device.
Here are some of them:
Poor contact between the memory card and the computer
Memory cards communicate with compatible devices through a row of metal contacts, each with a different function.
Over time, these contacts can wear or get dirty and cause connection problems.
Poor contact can also be caused by a faulty card reader or a faulty slot on your device or PC.
Your memory card has no drive letter
Drive letters are the alphabetical identifiers Windows gives to every drive on your computer, such as internal hard drives, optical drives, memory cards and external USB drives.
If a drive loses its letter, you can’t open the files stored on it, and any programs that depend on it won’t work properly.
So if your memory card has no letter assigned, it won’t show up on your PC.
Windows normally assigns a letter to each drive it detects automatically, but if your memory card didn’t get one, you can assign it manually in Disk Management.
The memory card’s file system is unrecognized or corrupted
In some cases, the memory card stops working because it is not recognized by the device or because it is corrupted.
This can be caused by bad sectors, by removing the card abruptly or without ejecting it, or by the drive becoming RAW, among other things.
The card reader driver is out of date
When the driver for your card reader is outdated or faulty, the system can’t read the card properly, which makes it look as if the memory card isn’t working.
So check that the card reader driver on your computer is up to date and update it if necessary.
The memory card is infected with a virus
Sometimes a virus or malware infection hides the files on the memory card, making you think the card is empty or can’t be detected by your phone or PC.
What to do when your memory card won’t work
There are several ways to get a memory card working again, and the right one depends on your situation.
Here are some of them:
Insert your memory card correctly
The first thing to try is simply reinserting the card correctly.
To do this, turn off your camera or smartphone, remove the memory card and then carefully insert it back into the device.
On a PC, eject the card properly, remove it, gently clean the contacts and insert it again. If you’re using a card reader, it’s also worth trying a different one.
If your memory card still shows errors, move on to the next method.
Connect your memory card to another device or computer
Sometimes memory cards show errors because of compatibility problems.
In that case, you need to find out whether the card is incompatible with that particular device.
To check, connect your memory card to another computer or device.
If it turns out to be a compatibility problem, you’ll need to replace the card or use it only in devices where it works properly.
If your memory card still doesn’t work, try the next option.
Fix the memory card with CHKDSK
If the file system has logical errors, Windows may not be able to open the memory card. If the card is detected and has a drive letter, you can run CHKDSK to check and repair it. Keep in mind that CHKDSK can remove damaged entries, so only use it if the data is already backed up or you don’t mind losing it, and never on a card that is physically damaged:
- Right-click “This PC” (or “My Computer”) and choose “Manage” > “Disk Management”;
- Find your memory card in the list of drives, check that the system detects it and note its drive letter;
- Type
cmdin the Start menu search box, right-click “Command Prompt” and choose “Run as administrator”; - Type
chkdsk D: /f(replacing D with your card’s letter) and press Enter to run the check.
Format the memory card
If none of the methods above work, the last resort is to format the memory card.
Bear in mind that formatting erases the data on the card. If you don’t have a backup, recover your files first, ideally with a professional recovery service, and only format the card afterwards.
Once your data is safe, connect the memory card to your PC and follow these steps:
- Open “This PC/My Computer” and locate the memory card;
- Right-click on the memory card and select “Format”;
- Choose the file system: FAT32 for cards up to 32 GB, exFAT for larger cards;
- Tick “Quick Format” and click “Start” to format the memory card;
- When it’s finished, remove the memory card and insert it into your smartphone or camera to check that the problem is solved.
How to avoid memory card errors
A memory card that stops working is a real headache, so it’s worth doing everything you can to prevent it.
Here are a few tips to help you avoid memory card errors.
Don’t remove the memory card from the camera or smartphone while taking or viewing photos
One of the simplest, and most overlooked, ways to avoid memory card problems is to never remove the card while taking or viewing photos.
If you remove the card while the camera is still reading or writing, the process is cut off abruptly, which can corrupt the file system or the files being written.
Always eject the memory card properly before removing it
One of the most important things to avoid is removing the memory card from your device without ejecting it first.
If you do, data that is still being written may be left incomplete and, the next time you insert the card, you may run into unexpected errors.
So always eject the card safely, or turn the device off before removing it.
Don’t take photos or use the camera when the battery is low
Avoid using your device when the battery is low, because if it shuts down while writing to the card, the data can be corrupted.
The lower the battery, the greater the risk of corrupting the data stored on the memory card.
Use memory cards from reliable brands
The quality of the memory card also plays a big part in preventing failures.
Cards from unknown or unreliable manufacturers tend to be far more prone to failure.
That’s why you should only buy memory cards from reputable brands.
Back up your memory card regularly
One of the best ways to avoid losing data from your memory card, even if it doesn’t prevent errors, is to make regular backups of your files.
You can back up to the cloud or to another drive, such as an external hard drive or a USB flash drive.
Read next
Conclusion
Versatile and practical as they are, memory cards can sometimes fail.
This can happen when there is poor contact, when the drive has no letter assigned, or when the file system is unrecognized or corrupted.
The memory card may also not work if the device driver is out of date or the drive is infected with a virus or malware.
If your memory card isn’t working, there are a few things you can try.
These include removing and reinserting the card, connecting it to another device or PC, running CHKDSK or, if nothing else works, formatting it, which erases the stored data, so recover your files first.
Memory cards can fail without warning, but a few simple habits greatly reduce the risk.
Good practices include never removing the card from your device while taking or viewing photos and always ejecting it properly from your PC.
It’s also best not to take photos or use your camera or smartphone when the battery is low.
Finally, choose cards from well-known brands and keep a regular backup routine.
If you’ve taken every precaution and your card has still stopped working and you’ve lost access to your data, don’t worry: we at Bot can help!
We are specialists in memory card data recovery, whatever the make, model or file system.
Whether your card has burned out, become corrupted, had files deleted, keeps asking to be formatted, has suffered a firmware failure or has been hit by a virus, we can help you get your data back.
We also understand how urgently you need your files, videos, photos and documents back.
That’s why we diagnose your device within 48 hours, or within 24 or 12 hours if you need it faster.
Don’t wait: start your recovery with us now!
