I recently received a micro SD card with an educational course I purchased online, but it's set to read-only at the firmware level. I can see and use the files on the card, but I want to format it. I've tried various third-party software and even used DiskPart to remove the read-only setting, but it still won't let me format the card. The formatting process either fails or claims that the card is formatted when it really isn't. The firmware version is 1404. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Don't forget to check the little switch on the side of the card. If it’s in the locked position, that's probably why you can't write to it. It’s a quick fix if that’s the issue!
It sounds like your SD card might have developed some bad blocks. This often happens as flash memory ages or gets damaged, leading to it becoming read-only to protect your data. You should check for bad blocks using a tool like CHKDSK or another bad block checker. If bad blocks are present, the best course of action may be to get a new card, especially since you don’t need any data from this one anymore.
How do I actually check for bad blocks? Any specific software you'd recommend?
Honestly, if you're stuck with a card that’s read-only at the firmware level, you might just want to consider getting a new one. Some SD cards can be made permanently read-only through specific commands, which typical card readers don’t support. Fixing it could be overly complicated and costly. Just getting a new card might be the simplest solution.
Yeah, I don't need the data either. Just want a working card!