6 Major causes of SD card failure

5-Major-Causes-of-SD-Card-Failures

SD card is a non-volatile memory card used in digital cameras, camcorders, music players, smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, and other portable devices for storing photos, videos, and other important data. With the ease of storage and convenience it offers, there is no doubt why it is present in almost every electronic device today. But just like external hard drives and other storage devices, SD cards are prone to severe damage and failure. They have a limited lifespan, and with each passing day, the chances of getting corrupted increase. When there is any corruption in the SD card, the whole data stored on it is rendered inaccessible, with the worst cases of getting lost forever.

Therefore, to keep your data safe and sound, always make sure you keep a backup of the whole data in another storage device or system, or else you will be in a regretful zone throughout your life. As a thoughtful user, you should be aware of some of the common causes that can harm your SD cards and result in data loss:

Negligence

It is important to note that SD cards are very delicate and require the utmost care when handling them. Even the slightest negligence on your part can affect the condition of the SD card drastically. SD cards should be kept in proper cases when not put in the device. Also, be extremely cautious while inserting or taking out the SD card from the device. Also, make sure the device is turned off while removing the card and is not stored in hot or humid surroundings.

Accumulation of bad blocks

Just like the hard drive, SD cards tend to develop bad blocks as they age. The bad blocks are the bad storage space where the data cannot be stored anymore. With time, the bad blocks keep on accumulating and reduce the performance level of SD cards. The major cause of these bad blocks is the practice of removing the card without ensuring a safe mode.

Corrupted firmware

SD card consist of three main components. Memory chips, PCB, and controller. Once in a while controller’s firmware can get corrupted. In this case, your SD card may show up at all or show the wrong capacity. For example, 31MB instead of 64GB. In cases like this camera or computer with a prompt to format the card, always decline this prompt if data is valuable. In situations like this, a camera or computer will prompt to format the card. It is crucial to always decline the prompt if the data is valuable.

Virus or malware attack

If you leave your SD card inserted into the computer, the SD card can get infected with a virus or malware. It can affect the current status of the files and also make the data unreadable. Usually, such incidents happen accidentally. And when this happens, the whole data stored on the device is going to get contracted or lost. Some viruses can encrypt your data with a password and ask for a reward in order to unlock your files.

Manufacturing defect

Today, the market is full of brands dealing in the manufacturing of SD cards. Each vendor is giving neck-to-neck competition to another in terms of prices. The price of SD cards ranges from lowest to highest. All this is because of the difference in the quality of the product. Many SD and MicroSD cards are full of defects and give a poor performance because they belong to some local amateur vendor who doesn’t have specialization and knowledge.

If you have recently lost any data, contact a professional data recovery service center specializing in SD card data recovery and MicroSD card data recovery.

Fake SD card

We are witnessing an increasing number of fake SD cards being sold. For instance, you may purchase a card with 512GB capacity, but it actually only contains 64GB. The card’s firmware has been altered to display a false 512GB capacity to your camera or computer. The major issue arises that you will only discover this discrepancy in the middle of a photo or video shoot or even after. You might believe that the camera is recording data to the card, but in reality, it is not. As this issue is becoming more prevalent, we will soon publish a separate article addressing it. Stay tuned!

Robert Clark
About author:

IT professional who strongly believes that technology should serve people, not the other way around. He shares his knowledge by writing articles that simplify technology and makes it understandable to everyone.

David Green
About reviewer:

Engineer with a passion for solving complex problems and keeping up with the latest technology trends. With years of experience in the industry, he has become an expert in data recovery, using state-of-the-art tools and techniques to recover data from damaged or corrupted devices.