When working with devices, a situation not infrequently arises that makes us panic. This is a memory card containing important information that suddenly ceased to function. What to do if the SD card is blocked?
As a rule, information that the media is locked appears as a result of damage to it. When using such a card in the camera or smartphone, an error message appears on the memory card, and when you connect it to a Windows-based device, a system prompt indicates the need to format the device. Obviously, this is not suitable for everyone: if you need to save information, you can’t talk about it (formatting the SD card will lead to the loss of all saved files).
Fortunately, there are a number of software programs that can scan your damaged drive and recover lost files. And although the programs themselves are rarely highly functional, they can provide significant assistance. In fact, it is very rare that anything is truly deleted or lost permanently, except if you somehow drop the SD card into a vat of acid.
Why is this happening?
Storage media such as SD cards are quite large in size, but they are fragile and do not like abuse. They are able to make your smartphone or camcorder much more functional and versatile. But when the media stops working, you risk losing too much. This error can be made by a budget gadget or an SD card, the price of which is much higher than average. Below is an instruction focused on restoring files, including pictures and photos, videos and text data. As a rule, these data are irreplaceable. You can reinstall lost applications, and music files can be downloaded again from another medium. Interestingly, the principles are the same for all file types.
So what to do if the SD card is blocked? Do not try to format the disk if you intend to save information from it.
What to do first?
First, try to find another card reader. If you inserted an SD card into your laptop or built-in PC slot and nothing happens, try using a different computer or USB card reader. Sometimes the fault is the fault of the port, not the gadget. Today you can buy a USB reader for a small amount, which will accept both MicroSD and standard SD cards.
Special programs
When using such software, you have no guarantee that you can get the files back in an undamaged form - usually the original file names are lost, which can be a problem for some people. However, most users will be able to rename very quickly restored files.
Some such programs have restrictions on the number of files or on the amount of data that they can restore, so pay attention and carefully read the description of the application before installing it. Also avoid unwanted add-ons that can be downloaded with free software: never check the “Recommended installation option” box. In all cases, select Manual and carefully read each message, disabling the additional download of plugins and other software.
ZAR as an example of such software
The well-known free program for SD cards that guarantees data recovery is ZAR (Zero Assumption Recovery). Almost all similar products work similarly, but this one will give you an idea of how to use such software.
Install ZAR, and then insert the damaged SD card into the card reader of the computer. Run the installed program. You may have to disable the security software on your device, in which case it is recommended that you disconnect your Internet connection.
When prompted, click on the image recovery option (Free). This will help you recover lost data from the SD card.
ZAR service will search for all devices that are installed on the computer, and you must specify the SD card. Select the desired drive, and then click the "Next" button. ZAR will now analyze your card. It takes a few minutes.
Once the process is complete, you will see a list of files that have been restored. In the case of most SD cards, there is a chance that by clicking the Root checkbox you can return all the pictures. Select “Next”, after which you can find the folder where the recovered files will be placed.
Remember one important circumstance: you will need to make a choice of a folder for saving restored files. Verify that you have selected a location on the device’s hard drive and not on the damaged SD card. The last option will not help you! The question of how to transfer memory to an SD card should be left for later - first you need to recover lost files.
This will take several minutes until the files are copied to the designated location. After the process is complete, navigate to the folder you selected. You will be able to detect most, if not the full amount of files that you tried to recover. Thus, this is one of the best solutions when the SD card is damaged.
What other programs can help?
Another good SD card application for data recovery is CardRecovery. When you insert your media into the computer slot and receive a message about the need for formatting, do not do this. Download the above program from any thematic site, launch it, and then select the drive letter corresponding to the memory card for scanning. In CardRecovery, this process takes less than 20 minutes, then a list of all the photos and other files on the SD card is displayed on the screen.
However, for some badly damaged media, CardRecovery may not be able to display all the data, and recovery may fail. For SD cards that have been seriously physically damaged or broken, this program will be useless.
But if the damage to the card is minor, CardRecovery is able to recover lost photos even after reformatting the medium (in more than 85% of cases).
Alternatives
What should I do if the SD card is blocked and the listed applications do not like or do not fit? In addition to the ZAR and CardRecovery described above, there are a number of free applications available on thematic sites. The most famous and easy to use among them are Disk Digger and EASEUS Data Recovery Free. These programs do not require user experience and are intuitive.
It is also worth noting that all this type of software is also suitable for recovering accidentally deleted photos on SD cards or MicroSD cards (used in most modern smartphones and tablets). At the same time, if other files were subsequently written to the same medium, recovery of lost data will be impossible.
Mechanical Damage and SD Card Protection
The standard size of the SD card is achieved by its thin plastic shells, which are easy to damage if you carry it in your pocket or bag, among other items.
Sometimes a small write-protect switch may drop out, which causes the SD card to stop working in the camera or any other device, which requires constant recording capability. Regardless of the reason the SD card was locked for recording, you cannot delete and save files on it in this state. In this case, there is only one way out of the situation - to transfer information to another medium. If the SD card is damaged in this way, you can only open it for reading, no more.
Using Windows Tools
What to do if the SD card is blocked and there is no way to use various programs? If your card is not physically damaged, and the switch (if present) is in the accessible write position, you can use one of the predefined basic Windows tools to recover data.
The scenarios will depend on whether the media is displayed in Windows Explorer or not. If it is displayed, right-click on it, select "Properties", then the Tools tab. Click the Check button, and Windows will scan the card for errors and try to fix them.
If the SD card does not appear in Explorer, look for disk management in the Start menu. In this tool you can see which Windows drives can “see”, and the installation of an SD card will not go unnoticed. In addition, this list may include drives that do not have letters. If you cannot identify your SD card in the drive list, it means that either it is damaged very seriously, or the reader does not work well (possibly due to a problem with the drivers).
When formatting an SD card is the only way out
If the SD card is displayed but without a drive letter, you must right-click on it and use the available options to assign it a drive letter or format it in the Windows file system. Data in the second option will not be saved, but the card will be available for re-recording.
However, as already mentioned above, some applications are able to recover information even from formatted media. Of course, not all files can be obtained back this way, but there are chances for success.