Micro SD Card Formatting Question

blue skies · 24 Oct 2018

Hello. I have a strange issue and I'm hoping somebody here can shed some light on it.

The old micro sd card that was in my phone suddenly disappeared from the phone's available storage along with the files that were on it. I removed it and used the sd card reader to try to format it on my Windows 7 laptop, but it would not format. I also couldn't see any files on it. I sent it in for warranty exchange and received a brand new replacement.

The brand new micro sd card needed to be formatted before I could use it, so I used the sd card adapter so I could have my Windows 7 laptop format it. I wasn't in a hurry and unchecked the quick format option. At the end of the process I got the same error message I got with the dead card - "Windows was unable to complete the format."

I was frustrated that the brand new replacement also seemed to be dead on arrival. I tried a couple more times and got the same error message.

But then I noticed that My Computer showed the card as having what seemed to be about the appropriate amount of free space, which surprised me. I expected it to show 0 GB of free space.

So I transferred a few music files to the card and popped it in my Android Moto G phone. I didn't get the notice that there was a new card installed, but I was able to play my files just fine. Also, the card showed up in storage with what looks like an appropriate amount of free space.

I ended up reformatting it on the phone to be used as internal memory, (although after reading that may be more likely to kill the sd card I may change it back to external at a later time... that's a whole other issue.)

Anyway... sorry for the long detailed post, but I was just wondering:
1. Why would Windows say it couldn't complete the format? Does that indicate there are some bad sectors on the card or something?

2. Is it typical that an incomplete format would result in a partially formatted card that is still usable with normal reliability? (I always assumed that that message meant it completely failed and therefore the card couldn't be used... but obviously that is not the case here.)

3. Any chance that it could be 100% completely and normally formatted with healthy sectors and just an erroneous error message?

4. Should I ask for a second replacement through the warranty program because of this? The card is not expensive but, from what I've read, the Moto G phones have a long history of killing sd cards and I don't want to increase my chances of that by starting out with a faulty card.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can answer any of these questions, or give me some idea about what it all means. I had no luck in trying to Google an answer since most of the time when people are dealing with this error their card is dead. I also apologize if these are stupid questions. I am pretty unfamiliar with micro sd cards in general.

Emma Yazz Aza · 24 Oct 2018

Hello @blue skies. So, with this issue it can be a few things. Issues with the micro SD card's sectors, issues with Windows/dependencies for the main programs/services responsible for formatting the micro SD card, it can even be the micro SD card reader/converter (placing the title of "coincidence" on the first bad SD card. Although, the bad SD card could have caused issues for the used SD card reader's ability to interact with the Windows environment, or the Windows environment's ability to interact with the card reader or the driver that's installed for the reader's device when it's connected.)

A possible way to solve this is to uninstall the driver, run it through Linux or a Linux Live CD/USB environment (I find the Linux environment to more often successfully format micro SD cards, have less issues with readers and have more formatting options.)

Hope this helps, hope this issue is solved,
Emma Yazz Aza

blue skies · 24 Oct 2018

Emma Yazz Aza said:

Hello @blue skies. So, with this issue it can be a few things. Issues with the micro SD card's sectors, issues with Windows/dependencies for the main programs/services responsible for formatting the micro SD card, it can even be the micro SD card reader/converter (placing the title of "coincidence" on the first bad SD card. Although, the bad SD card could have caused issues for the used SD card reader's ability to interact with the Windows environment, or the Windows environment's ability to interact with the card reader or the driver that's installed for the reader's device when it's connected.)

A possible way to solve this is to uninstall the driver, run it through Linux or a Linux Live CD/USB environment (I find the Linux environment to more often successfully format micro SD cards, have less issues with readers and have more formatting options.)

Hope this helps, hope this issue is solved,
Emma Yazz Aza

Thank you for your reply Emma. You make some interesting points, although some of that is a bit over my head. The possibility of the previous bad card causing the current odd behavior is intriguing.

Do you have any opinion about whether it's possible or likely that the formatting on the new card could actually have been completed with no errors, bad sectors or potential problems (since it seems to be working) even though it said the formatting was not completed?

Emma Yazz Aza · 24 Oct 2018

Hello again @blue skies. Well, there is a chance. Depending on the issue it could either be finishing it will non-critical issues or it could just be reading an error out due to issues with something else (like the drivers or the reader.) i can't count how many times an "error" was just a signal for a different issue that wasn't stated in the error.

If it didn't complete it successfully it could compromise the micro SD card's integrity, which could cause slowness, future issues, or a lower lifespan (before completely breaking, showing critical errors or requiring another formatting.) It's also a possibility that while it can host files on it, it could still have issues with hosting things apps on your phone are dependent on if they're on your micro SD card or they need to interact with something on your SD card.

If issues come up in the future where it stops working, I suggest reformatting it again, either by your own methods or the one I stated before. Right now, I'd say your previous issues are a red flag, but unless you wanna be overly sure of your situation it's completely optional to look into this further. Backing up your micro SD card's content is also something I would suggest.

If you want to continue with your daily activities but are worried that issues may arise in the future, feel free to add me for future contact.

Hope this helps, hope this issue is solved,
Emma Yazz Aza

blue skies · 25 Oct 2018

Emma Yazz Aza said:

Hello again @blue skies. Well, there is a chance. Depending on the issue it could either be finishing it will non-critical issues or it could just be reading an error out due to issues with something else (like the drivers or the reader.) i can't count how many times an "error" was just a signal for a different issue that wasn't stated in the error.

If it didn't complete it successfully it could compromise the micro SD card's integrity, which could cause slowness, future issues, or a lower lifespan (before completely breaking, showing critical errors or requiring another formatting.) It's also a possibility that while it can host files on it, it could still have issues with hosting things apps on your phone are dependent on if they're on your micro SD card or they need to interact with something on your SD card.

If issues come up in the future where it stops working, I suggest reformatting it again, either by your own methods or the one I stated before. Right now, I'd say your previous issues are a red flag, but unless you wanna be overly sure of your situation it's completely optional to look into this further. Backing up your micro SD card's content is also something I would suggest.

If you want to continue with your daily activities but are worried that issues may arise in the future, feel free to add me for future contact.

Hope this helps, hope this issue is solved,
Emma Yazz Aza

Thank you Emma! I did already format it again - directly on the phone - so perhaps, if anything was missed in the first formatting, it's been corrected now. I hope so anyway.

I spent this evening reading about what seems to be a chronic problem for the Moto G phones (especially the generation I have) killing micro sd cards since the Android Marshmallow update. It might be more common when the card is used as internal storage, so I think I will see if I can reformat it once again (using the phone to format) back to external storage.

I had everything backed up when the first card died, so I didn't lose any data. It was just a big annoyance that I would like to avoid if I can.

I appreciate you sharing your ideas with me. I have no real knowledge about how micro sd card technology works, so I've been left to wonder and speculate about what any of this strange issue actually means. (If it even means anything significant.)

Thanks again for taking the time to reply!

Emma Yazz Aza · 25 Oct 2018

No problem @blue skies. I've had a Moto G before and issues arose with my micro SD card, although this was before the Marshmallow update. Either way I'm glad to put your mind a bit more at ease.

Happy this helps, happy your issue is solved,
Emma Yazz Aza

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