Recover an Unreadable SD Card
Losing all the information on your San Disk (SD) card can be devastating. These days just about anything can be stored on a SD card, from photographs to sensitive data. However, like any electronic storage device, the information you thought was safe can somehow disappear or suddenly show up as unreadable. This doesn't mean the information is gone, it simply means your media reader can't find it. Before you hit reformat (which will erase any data), there are ways to recover your missing information.
Instructions
1. Clean the connectors of the SD card with a soft cloth. These are the gold "teeth"-looking connections on the bottom of the card. Remove any dust from the media card reader using liquid air.
2. Check the lock tab on the side of the SD card and make sure it is in the unlocked position. If you have photos on the card and you can see the photos when inserted in your camera, chances are your card is locked and is blocking any other device from reading the information.
3. Install the SD card recovery software to your computer. Make sure your media card reader is connected via a USB if you do not have a built-in reader. Follow the recovery steps as the software dictates.
4. Reformat your SD card once you have removed all the information from it. Many problems occur because there is too much information or too many varying types of information stored on the card. You can reformat the card either in the device you use it in, such as a camera, in the menu settings, or under Options, Tools in any operating system program. Be sure the card you wish to reformat is connected to your computer if you choose this option.
Tags: card reader, media card, media card reader, Recover Unreadable, Recover Unreadable Card, stored card