Posted 22nd Jan 2017
My 64GB Micro SD card has somehow become 'write protected' so I can't delete files or format the card ?
Does anyone have any insight into what has caused this and how/if it can be removed?
TIA
Does anyone have any insight into what has caused this and how/if it can be removed?
TIA
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sorted byI have tried the above trick with numerous cards, and it didnt work on any of them - but feel free to try.
If the above DOES work, it means you have forced it out of a safe mode, and it may die entirely at any time; there will be a margin of safety, but I dont know what that margin may be.
(edited)
Thanks but no.
I've been using it directly in a Micro SD slot in a Windows device and a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone
(edited)
sdcard.org/dow…_4/
1. Windows key + r
2. type "diskpart" -> runs diskpart.exe from system folder
3. type "list volume" -> now you see all your connected drives, see which one is the drive
4. type "select volume #" -> # being the letter of your drive
5. type "attributes disk clear readonly" -> removing the protection
6. Then open your SD, you can now edit, delete, move files
Do you know if it's a defect in the Micro SD card, or a device it's put into activates 'write protection' on the card?
I'll try that, I was going through that process following a guide earlier but there were further steps where I encountered a problem. I'll try going as far as you say then trying to access the card
In the case of cds, the dye can fade or the reader cannot track the tracks accurately if it's a different reader, for instance.
For me, it was the Micro SD to SD adapter that I was using. Once I used a different SD adapter, it was fine. There's some good advice on that link though. (edited)
Thanks
I haven't even used this card up until recently though. It's been sat in my Windows tablet which hardly gets used and there were 2 files on the card and that's all there's ever been on it. I wanted to transfer around 3 gigs of files from one device to another so used this card. I did the writing to it on my Samsung phone. I wondered if this could have been the cause of the write protection being activated
Either cheap dye/discs or you wrote the discs at high speeds
Then the control chip* may have died; this is a common fault with many fake/cheap flash drives, try to write too much and they go bang!! Had this myself with SD cards bought from 7dayshop**, took them out of the delivery box, put them in the card reader and tried to load 25GB of music - and half way through they went "read only".
h2testw.exe is my first port of call with flash memory now, not only does it test the capacity and speed of the device, but the very act of testing is a stress test; if it has a weak controller chip, it will blow during the test.
*Before anyone starts, I use "chip" as a generic term, the controller is built in to the memory, and not a discrete circuit.
**7dayshop replaced them, but the plastics used were so poor, the replacements didnt last 6 months before the write protect tab on the one broke, and one of the contact guides broke on the other, rendering both cards useless.
Yes I think this may have come from 7dayshop someone put on here as a deal Oh well live and learn
Thanks
Yes I probably did write to it fast and it was all like "WTH is going on?? AAAAHHHHH" X)
Mine was a genuine one from Amazon direct and wasn't even that old. Just bad luck I guess.
I think we're all guilty of that and buffer under runs
Fakes sometimes get into the regular supply chain, I bought a fake Samsung 32GB micro-SD card from Amazon about 2 years ago. I didnt realise it was a fake until I lost a load of baby photos, and by then, the card was 6 months old and Amazon wouldnt have it back.
Now I check ALL cards, regardless of brand name or source, with the little program I mentioned earlier.
it definitely wasn't fake as I loaded it almost to capacity and regularly watched media off it - never hit any corruption or other signs that it was not as it was supposed to be. it was also pretty fast compared with my current card.
I think manufacturers programme this sort of side-effect into the cards as a final hurrah when their controllers break down, because of course most offer stupidly long warranties - and what better way to stop people fulfilling these warranties than leaving all their stuff on the card with no chance of formatting it?