What should I do if the SD card is locked? Troubleshooting tips

When working with devices, there is rarely a situation that causes us to panic. This is a memory card containing important information that suddenly ceased to function. What should I do if the SD card is locked?

As a rule, information that the media is blocked appears as a result of its corruption. If you use this card, a memory card error message appears in the camera or smartphone, and when you connect it to a Windows-based device, the system prompt tells you to format the device. Obviously, this is not suitable for everyone: if you need to save information, it can not go about this (formatting an SD card will result in the loss of all stored files).

Fortunately, there are a number of software that can scan your damaged disk and recover lost files. And although the programs themselves are rarely highly functional, they can be of considerable help. In fact, very rarely anything is actually deleted or lost irretrievably, except if you somehow drop an SD card into a vat of acid.

Why is this happening?

Media such as SD cards are fairly large in size, but they are fragile and do not like bad handling. They can make your smartphone or camcorder much more functional and versatile. But when the carrier stops working, you risk losing too much. This error can give a budget gadget, and SD-card, the price of which is much higher than average. Below is an instruction focused on restoring files, including pictures and photos, video and text data. As a rule, these data are irreplaceable. You can reinstall lost applications, and music files can be downloaded from another media. Interestingly, the principles are the same for all types of files.

So, what if the SD card is locked? Do not try to format the disk if you intend to save information from it.

What to do first?

First, you need to try to find another card reader. If you inserted the SD card into your laptop or built-in PC slot, and nothing happens, try using another computer or USB card reader. Sometimes the fault is 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 will be able to get the files back intact - 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 recovered files.

Some such programs have limitations on the number of files or the amount of data that they can restore, so pay attention and carefully read the description to the application before installing it. Also, avoid unwanted additional applications that can be downloaded along with free software: never put a check mark in the "Recommended installation option". In all cases, choose Manual and carefully read each message, disabling additional loading of plug-ins and other software.

ZAR as an example of such software

A well-known free program for SD-cards, which guarantees data recovery, is ZAR (Zero Assumption Recovery). Almost all such 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 computer card reader. Run the installed program. You may need to disable the security software on your device, in which case it is recommended that you disconnect the Internet connection.

When prompted, click on the option to restore the image (Free). This will help you recover lost data from the SD card.

The 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 Next. ZAR will now analyze your card. This will take 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 possibility that by clicking on the Root check box, you can return all the images. Select "Next", after which you can find the folder into which the recovered files will be placed.

Remember one important circumstance: you will need to make a selection of the folder to save the recovered files. Check that you have selected a location on the hard drive of the device, and not on the damaged SD card. The latter option does not help you! The question of how to transfer the memory to the SD-card, leave it for later - first you need to restore the lost files.

It takes a few minutes for the files to be copied to the designated location. After the process is complete, go 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 application for SD-cards, which allows data recovery, is CardRecovery. When you insert your media into the computer's slot and receive a message about the need for formatting, do not do this. Download the above program from any thematic site, run it, and then select the drive letter corresponding to the memory card for scanning. In the CardRecovery application, this process takes less than 20 minutes, then the screen displays a list of all photos and other files on the SD card.

However, for some heavily damaged media, CardRecovery may not be able to display all of the data, and recovery may fail. For SD cards that have been severely physically damaged or broken, this program will be useless.

But if the damage to the card is insignificant, CardRecovery is able to recover lost photos even after reformatting the media (in more than 85% of cases).

Alternative options

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 software of this type is suitable for restoring accidentally deleted photos on SD-cards or microSD cards (used in most modern smartphones and tablets). However, if other files were subsequently written to the same medium, the restoration of the lost data will not be possible.

Mechanical damage and SD card protection

The standard size of the SD card is achieved by its thin plastic shells, which are easily damaged if you carry it in your pocket or in a bag among other items.

Sometimes a small write-protect switch may fall out, which causes the SD card to stop working in the camera or any other device that requires a permanent write capability. Regardless of the reason why the SD card has been locked for writing, you can not delete and save files on it in this state. In this case, the only way out of the situation is to transfer the 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 should I do if the SD card is blocked and there is no possibility to use different programs? If your card is not physically damaged and the switch (if present) is in the accessible recording position, you can apply one of the preinstalled basic Windows tools to restore the data.

Variants of the development of events will depend on whether the medium is displayed in Windows Explorer or not. If 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 the explorer, find the "Start" menu on disk management. In this tool, you can see which Windows disks can "see", and installing the SD card will not pass unnoticed. In addition, this list can include disks that do not have letters. If you can not determine your SD card in the drive list, it means either it is severely damaged or the reader is not working (probably due to a problem with the drivers).

When formatting an SD card is the only way out of the situation

If the SD card is displayed but without the 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 version will not be saved, but the card will be available for re-recording.

However, as mentioned above, some applications are able to recover information even from a formatted media. Of course, not all files can be retrieved in this way, but there is a chance of success.