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Micro SD Write Protection

ArrogantAdam
By ArrogantAdam
in Troubleshooting
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Hi all,

 

I have recently been having some problems with my Micro SD cards since upgrading to a Galaxy S5.  My old Micro-SD suddenly became write protected, and there was no way for me to remove this.  I thought that it had just given up and died, so I ordered a new card.  The new card came, and the exact same thing happened.  I sent it back, and a new one was dispatched.  Yet again, the same issue arose.  The card is also not showing up in Windows.

 

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this issue?  It's incredibly frustrating!

Many Thanks,

 

-ArrogantAdam

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https://linustechtips.com/topic/180329-micro-sd-write-protection/
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I assume you have tried re-formatting the card? Is there any little switch on the card?

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I assume you have tried re-formatting the card? Is there any little switch on the card?

When I try to reformat the card, I get an error stating that the card is write protected.  There is not a switch on the card, however I do have an adapter.  I tried to use the adapter to remove the write protection, however nothing happened.

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Have you got another device/computer etc you could put the card into? Just want to make sure if it's the phone or the card.

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro | PSU: Enermax Revolution87+ 850W | Motherboard: MSI Z97 MPOWER MAX AC | GPU 1: MSI R9 290X Lightning | CPU: Intel Core i7 4790k | SSD: Samsung SM951 128GB M.2 | HDDs: 2x 3TB WD Black (RAID1) | CPU Cooler: Silverstone Heligon HE01 | RAM: 4 x 4GB Team Group 1600Mhz

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Have you got another device/computer etc you could put the card into? Just want to make sure if it's the phone or the card.

I have tried the card in 2 different computers, and the results have been the same.  When in Windows the adapter is recognised, however the SD card isn't as there is no storage shown

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I have tried the card in 2 different computers, and the results have been the same.  When in Windows the adapter is recognised, however the SD card isn't as there is no storage shown

I remember a piece of malware that does this... I forgot which...

 

Try reformatting the card with a FAT file system and the default allocation using a Linux-based OS or a Mac. Do not use your phone to reformat it. Then put it in your phone again and see if it gets write-protected again...

Mutsuki:

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I remember a piece of malware that does this... I forgot which...

 

Try reformatting the card with a FAT file system and the default allocation using a Linux-based OS or a Mac. Do not use your phone to reformat it. Then put it in your phone again and see if it gets write-protected again...

I tried reformatting in OS X, but the option to erase the drive is greyed out.  Also, the card is showing up as read only

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Just for giggles: does this only happen after putting them in your phone?

What if you tried a different brand?

 

Does the SD Association's tool do anything for you?

https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/

I tried to use the tool, but it was also unsuccessful

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