What would you do when you cannot visit or access your data on storage devices? Several common issues may happen to any brand of storage devices. Here, taking SanDisk as an example, we have categorized the typical problems that occur on SanDisk USB flash drives, pen drives, micro SD cards, SDHC cards, and SDXC cards into two groups along with their respective solutions.
All these issues can be resolved by either formatting the disk using a reliable SanDisk formatting tool or manually repairing the device with a SanDisk repair utility.
Identify which category your issue falls under, and then follow the respective guide to restore your SanDisk or other branded devices to functioning properly.
Whether the issue is with your internal hard drive, external hard drive, USB, or memory SD card, utilize the recommended SanDisk formatting tools or SanDisk repair tools, accompanied by how-to tutorials, to restore functionality to your device.
When encountering SanDisk issues similar to those listed in the first category, proceed to download SanDisk format tools for assistance. In this section, we have compiled 4 formatting tools that you can choose to format your SanDisk devices: 1. **SanDisk Memory Zone**: This official app from SanDisk helps manage and format your SanDisk storage devices. It is available for both Android and iOS devices. 2. **SD Card Formatter**: Developed by the SD Association, this tool is specifically designed to format SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards, including those from SanDisk. It is available for Windows and macOS. 3. ** tools Partition Master**: A powerful partition manager that can format various types of storage devices, including SanDisk USB drives and memory cards. It is compatible with Windows operating systems. 4. ** Disk Utility** (for macOS): This built-in utility in macOS can be used to format SanDisk external storage devices. It supports various file systems and is suitable for both SanDisk SSDs and flash drives. Please ensure you back up any important data before formatting to prevent loss.
Rather than suggesting built-in Windows tools, we recommend giving tools Partition Master Free a try. We recommend this free partition manager as the top choice for SanDisk formatting工具 because it allows you to perform more advanced operations in addition to formatting.
Guide: 4-Step Process to Format a Sandisk Drive in Windows
Connect your problematic SanDisk drive or removable device to your PC and proceed with the following steps to format it easily.
Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click the partition on your external hard drive/USB/SD card that you wish to format, and select "Format".
Step 2. Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and cluster size to the selected partition, then click "OK".
Step 3. In the Warning window, click "Yes" to continue.
Step 4. Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click "Apply" to start formatting your external hard drive/USB/SD card.
Since Windows File Explorer is a built-in tool of Windows, there's no need to download it. As long as File Explorer is functioning correctly, you can easily format your SanDisk or other branded devices.
Step 1. Connect the SanDisk device to your PC. Open Windows File Explorer, right-click on the SanDisk device that needs formatting, and select "Format."
Step 2. Rename the drive and format it with the FAT32 or exFAT file system.
Step 3. Click "Start" to begin the formatting process.
Step 4. After the formatting is done, click "OK" and close File Explorer.
Download Partition Master as an alternative if you want to make formatting easier.
Similar to File Explorer, Windows Disk Management comes pre-installed on Windows computers. You can readily use it to format or change a device's file system, thus eliminating the need for any downloads or installations.
Guideline: 4-Step Process to Format SanDisk Device
Step 1. Connect your SanDisk device to your PC, right-click "This PC" or "My Computer," and select "Manage."
Step 2. Go to "Disk Management."
Step 3. Right-click on the SanDisk hard drive partition and select "Format."
Step 4. Assign a volume label and file system, then click "OK" to begin formatting the drive.
When the formatting process is complete, exit Disk Management.
Download Partition Master as an alternative if you want to make formatting easier.
The Windows DiskPart command prompt is more like a disk management utility that can not only format your SanDisk device but also help resolve other issues on your devices. You can easily access it without the need for downloading or installing it separately.
< strong >Step-by-Step Guide: Format SanDisk Device using DiskPart< /strong >
Step 1. Keep your SanDisk device connected to your computer. Type cmd in the Search bar, right-click on Command Prompt, and select "Open as Administrator."
Step 2. Type diskpart in the Command Prompt and press Enter.
Step 3. Type the following command lines in DiskPart and press Enter after each one to quickly format the SanDisk drive:
Ensure you enter the correct command each time.
Step 4. Type exit and press Enter to close the command window once DiskPart reports that it has successfully formatted the volume.
CMD commands can be challenging without a tutorial to guide you. Therefore, it's essential to share a detailed guide to assist more users. Here's how: 1. **Opening the Command Prompt:** - Press `Win + R` on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. - Type `cmd` and press Enter. 2. **Basic Commands:** - **DIR** or **LS**: Lists the files and directories in the current directory. - **CD**: Changes the current directory. - **MD** or **MKDIR**: Creates a new directory. - **RD** or **RMDIR**: Removes an empty directory. - **COPY** or **CP**: Copies a file to another location. - **DEL** or **RM**: Deletes a file. - **TYPE** or **CAT**: Displays the content of a text file. - **HELP** or **/?**: Provides information about commands. 3. **Advanced Commands:** - **PING**: Tests network connectivity with a specific IP address or domain. - **IPCONFIG**: Displays network configuration information. - **NETSTAT**: Shows active network connections. - **TRACERT** or **TRACE**: Traces the route to a destination IP address. - **SYSTEMINFO**: Provides detailed system information. - **CLS**: Clears the command prompt screen. - **EXIT**: Closes the Command Prompt. 4. **Using Command Line Arguments:** - Many commands accept arguments to modify their behavior. For example, `dir /w` displays a wide listing of files. 5. **Batch Files (.bat):** - Create a text file with `.bat` extension and write commands inside to automate tasks. 6. **PowerShell (for advanced users):** - It's an enhanced version of CMD with more features and better scripting capabilities. Remember to always exercise caution when using commands that modify system settings, as they can potentially cause problems if used incorrectly. Share this guide with others to help them navigate the world of CMD more effectively.
For issues in the second category, simply formatting the disk might not be adequate. It may necessitate more advanced operations, such as utilizing SanDisk repair tools to address these problems on your device.
Here, we've also gathered several SanDisk repair tools for you to choose from and use to fix corrupted, unreadable, or even write-protected SanDisk devices:
Since the approaches to resolving various issues may differ even when using the same SanDisk repair tool, we will guide you through the process of fixing different SanDisk device errors with their respective repair tools below.
When a SanDisk card, USB, or other storage device becomes write-protected, you cannot use direct formatting to remove the write protection.
For instance, when an SD card or USB becomes write-protected, you can attempt to解除保护 the device by switching its lock slider. However, if this method fails, you'll need to fix a SanDisk write-protected drive using the following approaches:
Method 1: Fix Write-Protected SanDisk Device using CleanGenius and Partition Master Tools
Connect the SanDisk device that has the write protection to your computer. Proceed with removing the write protection using the following steps. This method is free.
If you don't consider yourself a power computer user and are not familiar with command lines, don't worry. There are graphical-based solutions to help you remove write protection from your hard drives, USB drives, and even SD cards.
CleanGenius is one of these tools that helps you fix the aforementioned issues on your drives without knowing a thing about command-line.
Here's a simple step-by-step guide on how to utilize this tool to resolve your issues:
Step 1: DOWNLOAD and install the CleanGenius tool (free) on your computer.
Step 2: Run CleanGenius on your PC, select Optimization, and choose the Write Protection mode.
Step 3: Select the device that is write-protected and click Disable to remove the protection.
Once the write protection has been removed from the device, you can utilize the Format feature in Partition Master to format the device, making it usable once more. You can refer back to the formatting tutorial in Part 1 for guidance.
Method 2: Remove Write Protection from SanDisk Device using Command Prompt
Remember to connect the write-protected SanDisk device to your computer before proceeding with the following steps. Exercise caution when using the DiskPart command line.
Step 1. Press "Windows + R" and type cmd. Open Command Prompt as an Administrator.
Step 2. Type diskpart and press Enter.
Step 3. Type the following command lines and press Enter after each one:
Step 4. Type exit and press Enter to close DiskPart.
Download Partition Master as an alternative if you want to make formatting easier.
Method 3: Remove Write Protection from SanDisk using Registry Editor
If you're new to Windows, we recommend sticking with Method 1 and using CleanGenius as a tool for assistance. The Registry Editor is effective in eliminating write protection errors, but it's not suitable for beginners.
Any incorrect operation might lead to device malfunction on your computer. Carefully follow these steps to remove the SanDisk device write protection error:
Step 1. Type Regedit in the search bar and press Enter.
Click "Yes" to open the Registry Editor when it appears at the top of the list.
Step 2. Navigate to the following key: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
Step 3. Double-click the WriteProtect value in the right pane of Registry Editor.
将值数据从1更改为0,然后单击“确定”以保存更改。
Next, close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.
Share this article to let more users know how to remove write protection.
大多是当SanDisk或其他品牌的存储设备未被Windows电脑检测到或变得无法访问时,可能包含文件系统错误、坏扇区或内部错误。为了解决此问题,你可以尝试使用可靠的SanDisk修复工具采取以下方法:
Method 1: Utilize a Free Partition Manager - tools Partition Master
The tool Partition Master Free Edition, equipped with its Check File System feature, allows you to effortlessly repair file system errors, soft bad sectors, and even some internal issues that prevent you from accessing the device on a Windows PC.
Here are the steps: 1. Identify the language to be translated. 2. Open a translation tool, such as Google Translate or DeepL. 3. Input the text you want to translate into the tool. 4. Select the source language (the language the text is currently in) and the target language (the language you want it translated to). 5. Review the translation provided by the tool. 6. If necessary, proofread and edit the translation for accuracy and fluency, as machine translations may not always be perfect. 7. Copy the translated text and paste it into your desired location. 8. Ensure that the context and meaning of the original text are preserved in the translation. 9. Save or submit the translated content. Remember, while translation tools can be helpful, they might not capture the nuances and cultural references of a language. For professional or sensitive content, consider hiring a human translator or a language expert.
Method 2: Run Disk Error Checking in File Explorer
Step 1. Open File Explorer, right-click the SanDisk device, and select "Properties."
Step 2. Under the Tools tab, click the Check button in the Error-checking section.
Step 3. Next, select "Scan drive" to scan for errors, and click "Repair drive" if any are found.
Method 3: Run the CHKDSK Command to Repair SanDisk Drive Error
The CHKDSK command is used to fix internal device errors on all types of storage devices. When you need to run this command to repair a corrupted SanDisk device, carefully follow these steps:
Step 1. Type cmd in the Search box.
Step 2. Right-click "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator."
Step 3. Type the following command: chkdsk E: /f /r /x
Replace "E" with the drive letter of the SanDisk drive you wish to repair.
Bonus Tip: SanDisk Official Resolution - Repair using Registry
SanDisk's official knowledgebase states that a corrupted registry entry can prevent your SanDisk product from being detected by the computer. Eliminating the registry keys created during the installation of your SanDisk product enables the computer to reinstall the device completely, which might solve the issue.
Step 1. Back up the registry
1. Disconnect the SanDisk device from the USB port.
2. Run regedit.
3. From the registry menu, select "File" then "Export".
4. Name the file SNDK.reg and save it to your desktop.
If you have issues after editing the registry, restore the backup by following steps 1 through 3 but choose File > Import instead. Select the SNDK.reg file you backed up, allow it to import, and then restart your PC.
Step 2. Remove SanDisk entries from the registry
WARNING: Do not delete any registry keys except those containing VID_0781, which correspond to SanDisk devices. Deletion of critical registry keys can lead to booting problems and other system malfunctions.
1. From the registry editor, click on "Edit" and then choose "Find." 2. Type VID_0781 into the search field and click "Find Next." 3. When the search completes, right-click on the highlighted registry entry and select "Delete." 4. Press the F3 key to search for the next registry key containing VID_0781. 5. Right-click on the highlighted key and choose "Delete." 6. Continue this process until the search yields "No results found."
注意:在Windows 7、8和Vista系统中,某些注册表键可能受到保护而无法删除。如果收到无法删除键的提示,只需跳过这些键即可。
7. After deleting all registry keys containing VID_0781, restart your computer. 8. Once the computer has finished rebooting, plug in the device. It will be reinstalled.
If you encounter difficulties finishing this process, you can attempt to fix a USB flash drive not showing up through an alternative method.
Upon completing the entire process, you might lose some files following the formatting or repair of the SanDisk device. Reliable data recovery software can come in handy in such situations. For a detailed guide, please refer to format recovery software for assistance.
On this page, we addressed the symptoms encountered when a SanDisk or any other storage device fails to function correctly on a Windows PC. We categorized these issues into two groups and provided corresponding solutions to assist in restoring the functionality of your SanDisk device through the use of the SanDisk Format Tool and the SanDisk Repair Tool.
For Windows novices, we recommend using tools like Partition Master and CleanGenius to format and fix problematic SanDisk memory cards, SD cards, USB drives, external, and even internal hard drives.