Problem: 'I can not format a USB flash drive'

One can not even doubt that very few of the owners of memory cards such as MicroSD and the like suggest that one day will have to write on the forums "I can not format the flash drive" and ask for help advice.

At first glance it seems that in this operation there is nothing complicated. You can even think that the user who asks the question "Why can not I format the USB flash drive?" Is a beginner. However, this is not always the case. Indeed, this operation is standard and has been known since the days of the first IBM-compatible computers. It has migrated to the world of flash memory from the field of storage media with a magnetic recording principle, in particular, floppy disks and hard disks. This is an advantage and a disadvantage of flash drives. If someone says, "I can not format a USB flash drive," then, quite possibly, the reason is not in the "crooked hands", but the real problem with the carrier. After all, if the benefits of standard formatting can not be remembered (they are familiar to everyone), then the statement of shortcomings needs to be explained. When performing such an operation, tracks, tracks, and service information are created on the media. Obviously, on a chip of flash memory much of the above just loses its meaning. Take, for example, the control information involved in positioning the read-write heads. For solid state drives, it is not needed. The efficiency of the 50h command on the USB flash drives is provided by a controller that converts the control signals into the actions necessary to it. In the light of this, it is not surprising that one or another user often states: "I can not format a USB flash drive".

Consider why this happens. One reason is obvious, because it is the consequence of all of the above - if the controller fails, the flash drive partially or completely loses its efficiency. If we are talking about USB flash drives, then the problem can be solved by flashing the controller. All the necessary information is available through the search engine.

Quite a different reason for questions like "Why can not I format a microsd?". Often these memory cards are used in conjunction with the adapter for SD size. It features a special mechanical switch-lever, which makes it possible to prohibit recording (formatting) on the medium. Therefore, you need to check the position of this switch. The indirect cause is related to problems in the reader itself: since the position of the switch is determined electromechanically in the receiver, it is necessary to check its operability. Sometimes in the Card Reader the detecting microswitch "sticks", and the memory card is always considered write-protected. Therefore, before writing on the forum "I can not format a USB flash drive", it is necessary to check the reader with another similar card (adapter). When the problem is repeated, the "diagnosis" is obvious: it is necessary to restore the switch in the card-reader itself.

The next common problem of impossibility of formatting lies in the discrepancy between the card standards supported by the receiver and the type of flash drive used. The designation of the "flash drive MicroSD" has long been generalizing, making confusion. Memory cards of this type are of two types - standard SD and more progressive SDHC. Although there are no external differences, the logic of the work is substantially revised.

The original type (SD) has a maximum theoretical capacity of 4 GB, and formatting uses byte addressing (RAM structure). In turn, SDHC allows you to achieve 32 GB, and the format is sector-based (as with hard disks).

If you insert an SDHC card into a reader for SD, at best some of the functions will be unavailable (among which is the formatting required). The solution is simple - replacing the Card Reader with a new model or, alas, buying a new target device. In other words, for example, it is impossible to connect an SDHC card to a digital camera of the previous generation (usually models up to 5 Mp), since it will not work properly.

And, of course, do not forget about the wonderful program SDFormatter - often with it you can format the "failed" memory cards.