Write protected micro sd card format quickly

psaus

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Jun 13, 2006
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typically when a SD card goes into write protected state it's because the card is about to fail completely. This is a safety measure so you can recover data before it completely dies.
One last try you can use is the SD Card formatter from the SD association. Works with any manufacturer's card
https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_3/

If this can't format, then the card needs replacing.

Oh, there is one other cause - if you've put this in a full sized SD card adapter, and that adapter has the "lock" switch put down, it will also cause this.
 

psaus

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Oh dear is right... :heink:

Sorry, mate. But formatting any removable storage to NTFS is a no no.
Plus he stated that if he tried a FAT32 format, the system said unable to format. This isn't going to change if NTFS is selected.

The best format tool was linked in my 1st post - SD Association format utility. If that format, then nothing will be able to format.
 

Mart78in45

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Mar 21, 2013
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Perhaps, this is what you want: http://www.digicamhelp.com/accessories/memory-cards/erasing-and-formatting-a-memory-card/

I find it over the internet and never tried it before. But, you can try it yourself. One more time, one more chance, right?
Good luck!
 

Lifechng1946

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Had a similar a similar problem reformatting a 64 G Micro SD card. Windows would claim it was write protected no matter which way the switch was placed, on ANY mini/sd converter. Tried the SD card formatting tool as well with no success. Finally tried a microSD/USB converter and it worked like a charm. Nice thing about the SD card formatting tool: It allowed me to see the progress of the reformatting... With the Windows tool, you can't see if it's working, you just have to wait till it tells you it's done.
 

suzman

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Could you clarify what you mean by a micrSD/USB converter please? I have an 8GB Kingston microSDHC card fitted into a Kingston microSD adapter. With this pairing I can format the microSDHC card using my camera but when I put the same pairing into a USB adapter and plug the new 'device' into a USB port on my PC and try to format I always get a write protect error even when I use the SD formatter utility.
 

mann1331

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James9080

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Thanks Lifechng1946! The micro SD/USB converter was the quickest and easiest fix. Saved me a lot of time and trouble. I was going crazy trying to get the write protection off, but that was a very easy fix. Glad I found this thread.
 

jerrag

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Well I found "the final solution" for my locked sd card - trash can and replace. Tried formating in three different cameras, tried several different addapters, and nothing. Mine failed after writing a linux OS to it, then using it to boot my Orange pi pc card. It booted all the way but when I went to enter my password the machine froze, the card has never worked for anything since, and reports that it is locked even though there is no lock key on micro sd cards. As stated above, this is an indication that the card is damaged beyond repair, and being as small as they are, throwing them in the trash can is really very easy. If you think you might have some data that could be dangerous if released, take a pair of pliers and squish it, or run it through your shredder.