Memory cards are compact, sleek storage media that you see being used increasingly in all kinds of devices like cameras, phones, flash drives etc. They are being used so much that any problem with them can affect our productivity.
Showing cyclic error on file I/O, showing only the drive letter and nothing else, reduced capacity, missing files, inability to add new files are some of the symptoms that your memory card has undergone physical or soft damages. There may also be some kind of data protection that’s not letting you access the card.
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For any reason if you are not able to access your memory card, you may want to look at the following list of possible causes and fixes:
Cause – Corruption due to improper removal: Removing the card while an I/O operation is still on is one of the most common causes of corruption or damage of flash cards.
Fix: Make sure that your system shows “safe to remove” status before removing the card. There may be cases when some internal service or your antivirus may take too long to let go of the card data, in which case the system can’t mark it safe for removal. Put your system in sleep mode and then remove the card. Recovering data from a corrupted or damaged card is discussed later.
Cause – Infection: You memory card may have contracted infection from an infected computer devices it was used on.
Fix: Use an antivirus to clean it.
Cause – Wrong formatting: You card may not have any problem at all, it could simply be that the device or system it is being used on wont show its contents.
Fix: You put it in the device it came with you’ll see data again. If you want to use this card outside the device it came with, format it as recommended by the device console or system you are using it on.
Cause – Physical damage: Your memory card may have undergone physical damage due to rough handing or overheating etc.
Fix: You need to not lose heart as data can still be recovered so long as the card has not undergone excessive physical damage or burns. CardRecovery, PhotoRec etc. are some of the ‘do it yourself’ tools that you can use to recover data from memory cards. They require no, or little technical know how on the user’s part and are very verbose in their helps and instructions in recovery processes.
Cause – Password Protection: If you are not able to access a memory card, it may be password protected.
Fix: If you’ve forgotten the password you sat on your card using the device you have been using it with, try to recover the password by simply reading the contents of “mmc store” file in the system folder at the root of the card memory, using shell or a file explorer. This is an old technique, but if it doesn’t work and your memory card didn’t have critical data, format it and use it afresh.
If, however, your card is inaccessible on account of your Saint Bernard having swallowed it, take him to the vet, feed him well and tend to him the next morning.
