My Tapo doorbell camera stopped working after it was recharged, and I traced the problem to its 64GB Patriot SD card. The card was formatted as FAT32 by the camera and contains recorded footage. Windows can read it, but neither a quick format nor a full format completes successfully. I can delete files or add new ones, but after ejecting and reconnecting the card, the deleted files return and any new changes are gone. Running chkdsk H: /f reports no file-system problems but says it cannot write the boot sector. I have tested two different SD card readers, both of which have worked reliably before. Since the card is only a few months old and the camera monitors a motorbike, I would like to get it working temporarily if possible. Does this indicate that the card has failed or switched to read-only mode, or could the reader or adapter still be responsible? Is there anything else worth trying before replacing it?
2 Answers
You could try the official SD Association formatting utility instead of Windows’ formatter. It may be able to rebuild the card’s formatting, although it cannot repair physical flash memory or a controller that has locked the card read-only. A full overwrite may take a long time, and you should treat any failure during that process as confirmation that the card needs replacing.
The card has most likely failed and entered a read-only state. Flash cards can do this when their controller detects that writes are no longer reliable. The fact that deleted files return and new files disappear after reconnecting strongly points to the card refusing to save changes. Since it is only a few months old, check whether it is still under warranty and request a replacement, but do not rely on it for the camera anymore.
That makes sense. I was hoping its age meant there was another fix, but I’ll check the purchase warranty before replacing it.
A formatting tool is worth one last attempt, but a low-level format is unlikely to revive a card that cannot retain writes. Save any footage you need first.