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Two of my SD cards won't format - should I get rid of them?
  • RikerRiker

    I'm sorting my SD cards and 2 of them are giving me headaches.

    32GB SDHC Transcend Class 10 8GB SanDisk Ultra SDHC 30 mb/s

    They won't format in My Computer, they won't format via Total Commander (it uses Windows disk tools) and they won't format with a program I just downloaded, SDFormatter. I've tried quick and full erase, it stops after few seconds and says it can not complete the format.

    Is this a sign of these cards dying? Or are there other solutions to fix this, or at least diagnose it...

    PS the cards do format when I do the format on Lumix TZ5...

  • 6 Replies sorted by
  • goannagoanna

    If the cards have been used a lot and given trouble since, they could be failing. If not discarded, they should be clearly labelled and never used for anything you wish to keep.

    If new, return them but if never properly formatted it's worth persevering, at least so you'll feel you've done your best before discarding . Low-level formatters and partitioners do exist - mainly command line apps. See an IT techy friend.

  • rockroadpixrockroadpix

    Maybe try erasing and reformatting them on your computer? On a mac, you can do it in disk utility.

  • RockHunterRockHunter

    Suggestions:

    Try a different card reader. Try a different computer.

  • htinlahtinla

    Failure from two different makes of cards is suspicious. Yep, try a different reader and/or computer.

  • jleojleo

    Try cleaning your card reader, with compressed air and/or some thin cardboard. They can collect dust and stuff...

  • DrDaveDrDave

    Before you ditch them, try a format with EASUS.

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