Format an SD Card
the Easy Way
SD cards can be tricky little
gadgets. They sit in our
cameras and cell phones,
just waiting for us to take
the picture of a lifetime, at
which time, of course, they
stop responding. While
nothing can predict when or
where an SD card will die,
proper formatting can both
lengthen the life of the card
and provide the most
available space possible.
The SD Association
provides an SD card
formatter for this purpose.
Yes, they recognize
Windows has a built-in
formatting feature, however,
they warn that by using the
generic operating system
formatter, “optimum
performance may not be
experienced.” Translation:
SD card death and less
picture-saving space.
The program can be
downloaded on both Mac and
Windows. All SD, SDHC and
SDXC cards are supported
and using a USB SD card
reader is recommended for
the formatting process.
Once you install and run the
program, it initializes with
just one small screen.
Make sure you insert your
SD card into the reader
before you start up the
program. The program is
smart enough to scan all the
drives and find the drive for
the SD card. If not, just click
the Refresh button. If
you’re having trouble getting
the card to show up in the
dropdown, you might have to
install the SDXC driver for
that particular type of card.
Next, click Option to select
how you want the SD card
formatted. A dialogue box
appears with a dropdown
menu listing three “format
type” options. The first,
Quick, is simply a standard
format that erases the
Master Boot Record (MBR) on
the SD card. Even though the
data cannot be accessed
using Explorer or Finder
on Windows and Mac, it
remains on the card itself.
The Full (Overwrite)
option will initialize the card
and overwrite all the data
with meaningless data. This
method is more secure than
simply erasing the data on
the SD card because it is
much harder to retrieve
previously written data if
you overwrite it. This option
will take much longer than
Full (Erase) or Quick.
The Full (Erase) option
deletes the data on the SD
card. Using special software
and tools, it is possible to
retrieve data that was
deleted using this method. If
the card does not support
this method, it will revert to
the Quick format.
Under the Format Type
dropdown menu is a second
menu called Format Size
Adjustment that asks if
you want to try to increase
the amount of space on your
SD card or not. Turning this
option on will allow you to
use the maximum space
possible on your SD card.
Once you have made your
selection, click OK.
My recommendations are to
choose Full (Overwrite)
and turn Format Size
Adjustment to ON. Back
on the main screen, it should
show you the settings you
have selected.
Finally, click Format. You
will be asked one last time if
you are sure you want to do
this. If you are sure, click
OK.
A new dialogue box then
displays the status of the
formatting process. For the
options selected above, it
will overwrite the entire card
with random data and then
format the card. If you are
using a larger disk, the
process could take a while.
Do not turn off your
computer or remove the disk
until the entire process is
complete.
When complete, a dialogue
box appears telling you the
results of the formatting
process.
Overall, the program works
well and it will ensure that
your card lasts longer and
that your data is
permanently removed, if you
are planning on giving it to
someone else. If you have
any questions, feel free to
leave a comment. Enjoy!
January 19th, 2016 by