Read All About it: WP7 SD-card format working.

[ceesheim]

So I was in the same boat you are in. Nothing could read the card except for my Nokia n97 mini. It recognized the card as "locked" and prompted for a password. I bypassed the prompt and went to the file manager. From there it let me format the card and it is back to normal. See, Symbian is good for something after all!

PS: I tried the same process with an E71 and had the same successful results. All recent Symbian phones should work as it appears they can handle the encryption and password. The card is now happily back in my HTC EVO.

This is the best news of the day .

 

[RustyGrom]

Has noone tried a low level format utility? I once "bricked" a USB flash drive and fixed it with a low level format utility. Instead of reading file partitions and the like it just accesses the raw disk and 0s it out. From there you should be able to reformat it with the normal windows formatting tools.

 

[ceesheim]

Has noone tried a low level format utility? I once "bricked" a USB flash drive and fixed it with a low level format utility. Instead of reading file partitions and the like it just accesses the raw disk and 0s it out. From there you should be able to reformat it with the normal windows formatting tools.

if you could tell how to low level format works and where to find a good working tool ( I know I could google but then I still don't know if it is a good app)

 

[RustyGrom]

if you could tell how to low level format works and where to find a good working tool ( I know I could google but then I still don't know if it is a good app)

Pretty sure this is the one I used to recover a "dead" flash drive previously.

http://hddguru.com/software/2006.04.12-HDD-Low-Level-Format-Tool/

I don't know if it'll work but I would think that it should.

 

[dmontes]

Excuse my ignorance, but would this be used to format a MicroSD card that has been "bricked" by using it in a Samsung Focus, or to make a MicroSD card usable in a Samsung Focus?

 

[ceesheim]

Excuse my ignorance, but would this be used to format a MicroSD card that has been "bricked" by using it in a Samsung Focus, or to make a MicroSD card usable in a Samsung Focus?

its to debrick a sd-card that is used in a wp7 phone , if you have a bricked card please first try low level format .

I have to first buy a small torx to open my phone

 

[pencilcase]

Pretty sure this is the one I used to recover a "dead" flash drive previously.

http://hddguru.com/software/2006.04.12-HDD-Low-Level-Format-Tool/

I don't know if it'll work but I would think that it should.

this tool does not work to reformat wp7-used cards

 

[ceesheim]

this tool does not work to reformat wp7-used cards

OK thanks for testing , but the symbian way is confirmed .

if you can't find a symbian phone maybe I can help ( I have one )

ps there are rumours that wm6.5 can do it to .

 

[Tom Servo]

Anyone actually tried the damn disk manager in Windows (i.e. diskmgmt.msc)? You know, before one runs out downloading esoteric tools, why not try the built-in stuff? I'd be surprised if this is anything beyond WP7 overwriting the MBR with its own crap. (The MBR keeps the partition table, too, and you aren't required to have one if your operating system uses an alternate way and/or doesn't need to boot from it).

 

[pencilcase]

Anyone actually tried the damn disk manager in Windows (i.e. diskmgmt.msc)? You know, before one runs out downloading esoteric tools, why not try the built-in stuff? I'd be surprised if this is anything beyond WP7 overwriting the MBR with its own crap. (The MBR keeps the partition table, too, and you aren't required to have one if your operating system uses an alternate way and/or doesn't need to boot from it).

obviously yes. tried all obvious tools, windows does not even detect the card as plugged in to the computer.
event tried a blackberry!
only question is now, who lives around Frankfurt/germany and has a symbian device?

 

[fallenczar]

obviously yes. Tried all obvious tools, windows does not even detect the card as plugged in to the computer.
Event tried a blackberry!
Only question is now, who lives around frankfurt/germany and has a symbian device?

including gparted???

 

[pencilcase]

including gparted???

including:
-diskpart
-mmc
-blackberry device
-multiple card readers
-hp storage format tool
-the mbr format tool above

blackberry fails : corrupt disc

all others fail because the disc doesnt show up for them to find it. if this was something trivial we would not have started the post.

 

[RustyGrom]

this tool does not work to reformat wp7-used cards

If you're running Windows 7 or Windows Vista, did you run it as administrator? What does it do? Does it see the card?

 

[ceesheim]

all others fail because the disc doesnt show up for them to find it. if this was something trivial we would not have started the post.

If you're running Windows 7 or Windows Vista, did you run it as administrator? What does it do? Does it see the card?

That is the problem , the system don't see the card .

 

[ceesheim]

I think we need a symbian guru that can explain us way symbian see the card and windows doesn't

 

[RustyGrom]

That is the problem , the system don't see the card .

You have to define "the system don't see the card." Like in device manager, is anything there? Just because it doesn't show up as a drive doesn't mean squat.

 

[pencilcase]

in mmc computer management the card does not appear AT ALL.
in device management, the card shows all "-" under volumes.

not sure how i can describe this in more detail, its simply as if i never plugged it in.

 

[ceesheim]

You have to define "the system don't see the card." Like in device manager, is anything there? Just because it doesn't show up as a drive doesn't mean squat.

I can't tell you exact (I can't test it at this moment , need a good screwdriver) , but what I understand is that device manager isn't seeing .

I did read somewhere that the os sees the card as write protected and 0 GB .

 

[ceesheim]

in mmc computer management the card does not appear AT ALL.
in device management, the card shows all "-" under volumes.

not sure how i can describe this in more detail, its simply as if i never plugged it in.

dos it tell you the name of the card or the ID

 

[pencilcase]

dos it tell you the name of the card or the ID

no, it simply gives me the name of my sandisk micromate that carries the card. I have tried other usb card readers too though, same result