Micro SD cards

Memory Cards microSD Express | SD Express
1

Hello!

I have a problem I have two 32Gb Micro Sd cards one is Sandisk Ultra the other is a black SDHC 1. They have the same problem, neither card will format, I’ve tried all the usual roots. However, my Win 11 pc can read the data on both cards and can write data to both cards. However, nothing can be deleted as all files are read only, but the read only box is blue with a dash in it not a tick. If I select the file and click on the read only box it goes clear, but if I then try and delete the file the box goes blue again with a dash in it. If I look at the cars via Diskpart it says they are FAT32 and healthy. Does anyone have a clue as to what is going on with these cards, please?

2

@Colin250 This normally means the storage on the card has been exhausted and the storage blocks are in data protection (write protected mode).

Have you checked our knowledge base articles?
( Get Support for Your SSDs and Flash Products | Sandisk )

Try this one.

Have you opened a Support Case?
If not, contact SanDisk Technical Support for assistance.
(Contact Support | Sandisk)

3

What you are seeing is a hardware-level write protection, not a Windows permission issue.

When the controller detects memory wear or internal errors, it locks the card to protect existing data. That is why you can read and even copy files, but cannot delete, format, or change attributes. The Read-only box keeps reverting because Windows cannot override hardware protection. Diskpart still shows the card as healthy because the file system is readable. There is no software fix for this. Formatting, diskpart, or registry changes will not work. Copy any important data immediately and replace the cards.

4

Thank you, Ellinor.

One cards is now ok when tested shows no errors, the other is in the bin.

Cheers.

Colin

1 Like
5

Your Micro SD cards have permanently switched to read-only mode because they have reached the end of their lifespan and locked themselves to protect your data. To prove the cards are dead without complicated tools, you can plug an SD card into your PC. Copy a small picture or create a new folder on it. Unplug the SD card from the PC, then plug it back in. Check the card. If the picture or folder you just added has completely disappeared, the card is permanently frozen.

Copy all your files to your PC as soon as possible. Then, run a Clean command in Diskpart to force a hard clear of the attributes:

  • Open Command Prompt as an Administrator.
  • Type diskpart and press Enter.
  • Type list disk and find your SD card number (e.g., Disk 1 or Disk 2).
  • Type select disk X (replace X with your SD card number) and press Enter.
  • Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter.
  • Type clean and press Enter.

Note: If the clean command throws an I/O device error or says the drive is write-protected, this confirms 100% that the cards are permanently dead. You can also read: How to Remove Write Protection from an SD Card