I'm using Windows 11 with a Samsung EVO Plus 128GB SD card. The card appears in File Explorer, but I can't use it without formatting it first. Every attempt to work with it causes problems: BalenaEtcher can't write an image, choosing Format in File Explorer crashes Explorer, DiskPart crashes, and a low-level formatting tool also crashes. Sometimes File Explorer even crashes as soon as the card is inserted. Other SD cards work normally in the same computer. Is the card defective, counterfeit, or could there be another explanation?
3 Answers
Formatting won’t fix the underlying issue if the card’s controller or flash memory has failed. The card showing up in Explorer only means Windows can partially identify it; it doesn’t mean the storage is usable. If it also crashes DiskPart and image-writing software, replacement is probably the practical solution.
Try the card in another computer, camera, or USB card reader just to rule out a problem with the built-in SD slot. If it behaves the same way elsewhere, the card itself is the culprit. Also consider that it could be counterfeit—some fake cards report a larger capacity than they actually have and fail once you try to write beyond the real storage limit.
That card is very likely failing. Since your other cards work in the same reader, the computer and slot are probably fine. A storage device causing DiskPart and File Explorer to crash is generally a sign of a serious hardware or controller problem. If the data matters, stop trying to format it and focus on recovery; otherwise, replace the card.
The fact that several other cards work normally makes a bad SD slot much less likely, but testing another reader is still a quick way to confirm it.