Card Reader not Showing up in Disk Manager

Emmett42 · 11 Jul 2016

I have a Stratitec USB card reader that I am trying to use to read a 64 GB SD Card. It shows up in Device Manager as USB Mass Storage Device, with no ! or ? by the icon, but doesn't show up anywhere in Disk Management. I only see C: drive and System Reserved in Disk Management. I also do not see anything in Computer Devices. Also, whenever I plug it in for the first time it tries to install drivers but always fails after a bit, saying the Device is unplugged, when it is not. It says the drivers are up to date in Device Manager.

ICIT2LOL · 17 Jul 2016

Hello Emmet mate just plugging that device in should not as far as I know need drivers

Have you plugged it in with say an SD card in it?? it should provoke a driver response.

Have you tried DISKPART too to see if it is being "seen"
Follow this Disk - Clean and Clean All with Diskpart Command until you get to list disk that is where the device should show up.

Emmett42 · 22 Jul 2016

There is a 64 GB SD Card plugged in. It has some pictures and videos on it that I took and can access through my camera. No driver response is provoked. I cannot try DISKPART because it doesn't show up as a disk in the first place as shown in one of the image. The only thing that seems to happen is one of the USB Composite Devices in Device Manager changes to USB Mass Storage Device.

ICIT2LOL · 23 Jul 2016

Sorry late reply Emmet look first see this Disk - Clean and Clean All with Diskpart Command

In Heres how follow point 1 (first option) go to point 4 it will give you further instructions > follow these and you should end up with a window as is shown beneath those instructions DO NOT go any further.

Now any disks and a SD card is classed as a disk will be listed as per that pic - let us know what you find.

I find this a surer way of finding what drives/disks I have installed.

If your SD card is listed then run this https://www.partitionwizard.com/free...n-manager.html and run it and if possible send back a pic of what you see. -it should look like the pic of my machine here and do not take any notice of what I have written on it - it is just to show what the program looks like.

run this https://www.partitionwizard.com/free...n-manager.html and see if the drive comes up in that.

jumanji · 23 Jul 2016

Please borrow a working Card Reader from a friend and try it on your PC. Insert your SD Card into the Card Reader and check whether everything is fine. If it works, then your Stratitec card reader may be defective.

Just curious, I plugged in my Transcend TS-RDP8K card reader and observed the Device Manager. The encircled devices were shown. ( This is without any cards plugged into the Card Reader slots)

Card Reader not Showing up in Disk Manager-23-07-2016-18-30-45.jpg

I had a Sony Card Reader previously and after a few years it failed whereupon I bought this.

Emmett42 · 23 Jul 2016

I guess it is just the card reader. I plugged in a DYNEX Card Reader with my SD Card in it and it worked this time. The thing is, I tried this other card reader when I first experienced the problem and that one didn't work either so I thought I had narrowed it down to the computer. However, now the DYNEX Card reader works. It also had to install drivers before I could access it. I still have no luck with the Stratitec Card reader though.

When I plug in the DYNEX Reader it is asking me to format the disk. Wouldn't that erase the data though?

jumanji · 24 Jul 2016

Check the specifications of the Dynex Card Reader. I have a feeling that that some older Card Readers may not be compatible with >32GB SDXC cards or even SDHC cards.

If your 64GB card is fine within the camera but asks to be formatted when plugged into the DYNEX, then try to get a newer Card Reader that can read SDXC cards :).

ICIT2LOL · 24 Jul 2016

Yep sorry late reply mate I get the same as Jumanji and just as a by the by I find SD card slots can be be very "sloppy" when fitting different cards and even brands of cars in them

Emmett42 · 24 Jul 2016

Thank you guys! I will look into a new card reader.