Can't Format Corrupted SD Card

I have a USB SD card reader connected to my Windows XP Pro (SP2) system.
When I Explore the SD card, the names of the files and folders on the card
all contain illegal file/folder characters (e.g., / \, etc.), I believe the
data on the card is corrupted.

Anyway, I would like to format the card and start again. So I right click
on the SD drive in My Computer, select Format, use the default settings but I
continue to get an error telling me that it can't format the card because
there are programs accessing the card, which I believe to be untrue. If I
try to Explore the card and delete the files/folders individually, I also get
an error message telling me I can't delete the file or folder.

Can anyone help me format and/or erase this SD card?

Some cards have a write protect 'switch': is this true for your, if so change
the setting.

If this is for a Camera, then some of them use a unique format that allows
for PCs to read the files when using the manufacturers software but the card
cannot be manipulated as a 'removable' hard disk drive in explorer.

Check with the manufacturer for further troubleshooting tips.

"CalZon65" wrote:

I have a USB SD card reader connected to my Windows XP Pro (SP2) system.
When I Explore the SD card, the names of the files and folders on the card
all contain illegal file/folder characters (e.g., / \, etc.), I believe the
data on the card is corrupted.

Anyway, I would like to format the card and start again. So I right click
on the SD drive in My Computer, select Format, use the default settings but I
continue to get an error telling me that it can't format the card because
there are programs accessing the card, which I believe to be untrue. If I
try to Explore the card and delete the files/folders individually, I also get
an error message telling me I can't delete the file or folder.

Can anyone help me format and/or erase this SD card?

I am beginning to suspect that there may be a bug in XP's handling of SD cards

My experience with SD cards used in a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC70 camera is
that 16Meg cards are readable in the SD slot on my HP 1350 all-in-one, but
128Mb cards are not, even when the total amount of data on the 128Mb card is
not greater than that which could be stored on the 16Mb card - attempts to
transfer the data cause Explorer to hang up, and only Task Manager will get
me out of it

Whilst I was nattering Digital Cameras with a friend recently, he asked me
if I knew of a solution to a problem he was having - he has a Casio camera
and uses a free standing USB card reader and, guess what, he can read 16Mb SD
cards but not 128Mb ones :-(

"BAR" wrote:

If this is for a Camera, then some of them use a unique format that allows
for PCs to read the files when using the manufacturers software but the card
cannot be manipulated as a 'removable' hard disk drive in explorer.

Check with the manufacturer for further troubleshooting tips.

"CalZon65" wrote:

I have a USB SD card reader connected to my Windows XP Pro (SP2) system.
When I Explore the SD card, the names of the files and folders on the card
all contain illegal file/folder characters (e.g., / \, etc.), I believe the
data on the card is corrupted.

Anyway, I would like to format the card and start again. So I right click
on the SD drive in My Computer, select Format, use the default settings but I
continue to get an error telling me that it can't format the card because
there are programs accessing the card, which I believe to be untrue. If I
try to Explore the card and delete the files/folders individually, I also get
an error message telling me I can't delete the file or folder.

Can anyone help me format and/or erase this SD card?

"CalZon65" wrote in message
...
| I have a USB SD card reader connected to my Windows XP Pro (SP2) system.
| When I Explore the SD card, the names of the files and folders on the card
| all contain illegal file/folder characters (e.g., / \, etc.), I believe
the
| data on the card is corrupted.
|
| Anyway, I would like to format the card and start again. So I right click
| on the SD drive in My Computer, select Format, use the default settings
but I
| continue to get an error telling me that it can't format the card because
| there are programs accessing the card, which I believe to be untrue. If I
| try to Explore the card and delete the files/folders individually, I also
get
| an error message telling me I can't delete the file or folder.
|
| Can anyone help me format and/or erase this SD card?

Try using the format utility that came with the card reader. It should be on
the driver disk that came with it. If not, check the manufacturer's website
for a formatting utility.

Just a few follow-up items:

1) The Write-Protect switch is set correctly to allow write access.
2) The card is used in my Samsung I600 Windows SmartPhone and has worked for
over six months with no problems. I have been able to add/change/delete
files on the card when the card was plugged into my SD card reader on my
desktop Windows XP Pro computer or if the card was in the phone. I can't
even delete files when the card is in the phone using the phone's Explorer,
which is part of Windows SmartPhone.

I have never seen anything like this. If I could, I bet I could format the
card in DOS, but there is no way for me to access the card from a DOS system.
I think the problem is that since the file/folder names on the card contain
"illegal" characters, formatting or even deleting is craping out. If this
were just a floppy like the old days, I would run a magnet across it and that
would definatly solve the problem.

I am really stumped on this problem but hope someone out there might be able
to help.


"CalZon65" wrote:

I have a USB SD card reader connected to my Windows XP Pro (SP2) system.
When I Explore the SD card, the names of the files and folders on the card
all contain illegal file/folder characters (e.g., / \, etc.), I believe the
data on the card is corrupted.

Anyway, I would like to format the card and start again. So I right click
on the SD drive in My Computer, select Format, use the default settings but I
continue to get an error telling me that it can't format the card because
there are programs accessing the card, which I believe to be untrue. If I
try to Explore the card and delete the files/folders individually, I also get
an error message telling me I can't delete the file or folder.

Can anyone help me format and/or erase this SD card?

I have exactly the same problem when using a Kingston 512Mb card with
XP. The card works fine with my Kodak camera, but if I use the card to
store data other than pictures, the data often becomes corrupted and
cannot be deleted using XP (nothing to do with illegal characters as
far as I know). I can delete the content of the file using XP (maybe
an MP3 file), but not the file itself which stays as a zero byte file
and refuses to be deleted. The way I have got round it is to put the
card back into my camera, select 'Format' and the offending file
disappears. I blame XP as well...

CalZon65 Wrote:
Just a few follow-up items:

1) The Write-Protect switch is set correctly to allow write access.
2) The card is used in my Samsung I600 Windows SmartPhone and has
worked for
over six months with no problems. I have been able to add/change/delete
files on the card when the card was plugged into my SD card reader on
my
desktop Windows XP Pro computer or if the card was in the phone. I
can't
even delete files when the card is in the phone using the phone's
Explorer,
which is part of Windows SmartPhone.

I have never seen anything like this. If I could, I bet I could format
the
card in DOS, but there is no way for me to access the card from a DOS
system.
I think the problem is that since the file/folder names on the card
contain
"illegal" characters, formatting or even deleting is craping out. If
this
were just a floppy like the old days, I would run a magnet across it
and that
would definatly solve the problem.

I am really stumped on this problem but hope someone out there might be
able
to help.


"CalZon65" wrote:

I have a USB SD card reader connected to my Windows XP Pro (SP2)
system.
When I Explore the SD card, the names of the files and folders on the
card
all contain illegal file/folder characters (e.g., / \, etc.), I
believe the
data on the card is corrupted.

Anyway, I would like to format the card and start again. So I right
click
on the SD drive in My Computer, select Format, use the default
settings but I
continue to get an error telling me that it can't format the card
because
there are programs accessing the card, which I believe to be untrue.
If I
try to Explore the card and delete the files/folders individually, I
also get
an error message telling me I can't delete the file or folder.

Can anyone help me format and/or erase this SD card?


--
palafico
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