A fast and safe utility for formatting SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards. The program also supports working with other types of external storage media (external HDDs, USB flash drives, digital cameras, etc.)
Program description
The SD Card Formatter tool is simple and intuitive enough for users of any skill level. After a simple installation procedure, the utility is immediately ready to work and does not require any settings.
After launching SD Card Formatter in the main program window, you need to select the desired memory card to format from the drop-down list. After selecting a storage device, technical information about the media will be displayed.
When formatting an SD card, two modes are available:
- Quickformat(Quick Format)
- In this mode, the data on the SD physically remains, but the space on the memory card is marked as unused. The advantages of this type of formatting are the fast execution process, and the disadvantages are the ability to restore confidential information after losing a memory card.
- Overwriteformat(Full format/overwrite)
- During the formatting process, this mode writes zero values over the entire available space of the external storage medium. The procedure may take a long time depending on the capacity of the SD card, but data recovery is not possible afterwards.
Before formatting, you can also specify a new “label” for the SD card. After formatting the memory card is complete, SD Card Formatter will display a detailed report on the status of the storage device (available capacity, file system type, cluster size).
Low-level formatting of a flash drive- this is the layout of a flash device into sectors for recording service information necessary for its operation. This process completely erases information from the drive and subsequently cannot be restored. Therefore, it is advisable to carry out this action in cases where it is necessary to prevent confidential information from reaching third parties or to block damaged areas of the flash drive so that they cannot be written to (and the flash drive does not become dull).
Important: It is highly not advisable to resort to these actions unless absolutely necessary!
How to low-level format a flash drive?
It will help us to format our flash drive using a low level.
Download and install the program. Launch it and select “Continue for free” (1):
This will allow you to use the program for free.
In the window that appears, you will see a list of storage devices connected to your computer and available for formatting. Select your flash drive (1.10) from the list provided and double-click on it.
A new window will open with information about the flash drive. You will need the “Low-level format” tab (2), click on it. The actions performed by our utility during formatting will be displayed here.
To start formatting, click the “Format this device” button (3):
You will see a warning about the destruction of all information on the selected media, click “Yes”:
Formatting will begin, the ongoing process of which you can observe by the indicator (4) (filling bar). You can also see detailed formatting information (5) below the indicator.
You will know that formatting is complete by the indicator (6) - it will be completely filled, and by the inscription “100% complete” (7) below the bar:
Now you can close the program.
Low-level formatting deleted all data on the media, including the media's file system. So you won’t be able to log into such a device. Therefore, to resume normal operation of the flash drive, it is necessary to perform high-level formatting after low-level formatting. Before this, you need to decide on.
Have you found out which fs is right for you? Onward to formatting! I already wrote how this is done, read below:
I think you figured it out and successfully performed low-level formatting of the flash drive.
It’s no secret that you can format a USB drive or hard drive using the tools built into Windows - just right-click on the corresponding drive and select “Format” in the context menu. But what can this system utility actually do, and what is it capable of? If a bad sector is detected on the disk, the format procedure will not show you any notification about this, leaving the cluster available for writing along with good areas.
So that you have maximum formatting options, we will tell you which alternative low level formatting program hard drive and USB devices currently available in the market is the best in its class and what features are built into it.
Important: before using any of these applications, copy all data from a flash drive or corresponding logical drive to a safe place, since when working with utilities, all information can be destroyed and irretrievably lost.
JetFlash Recovery Tool
A proprietary utility from Transcend. An excellent choice for owners of USB devices from this brand, as well as devices from ADATA. Using JetFlash Recovery Tool, you can not only format flash drives, but also recover data on them. It will be especially useful if your flash drive contains unreadable sectors, it takes a long time for the computer to detect it, or information cannot be written to it. The utility is incredibly easy to use, and even a child can master it. There are only two buttons available on the start screen: to start the recovery procedure and to exit.
The interface is absolutely intuitive and clear. The disadvantages include the lack of a Russian-language interface and support for USB drives of other brands. Not long ago, Transcend recently posted an alternative software product on its official website JetFlash Online Recovery, running on a cloud service. We recommend you try it too.
HP Drive Key Boot Utility
A convenient and functional program for cleaning a flash drive with bad sectors. Allows you to format flash drives from SanDisk, Transcend and Kingston. Three file systems are supported: FAT32, NTFS and FAT. It is worth noting that using the first of the file systems mentioned, it is possible to wipe a device larger than 32 GB, which, in fact, exceeds the FAT32 threshold. The main advantage of HP Drive Key Boot is its interface. All program options are concentrated in one window, and all operations can be performed without literally leaving it.
It is possible to create bootable flash drives based on the OS distribution using only the included tools. The application is portable, so you can use it on any PC without installation (simply by copying the folder with the executable file and libraries). The disadvantages of the utility include the lack of HDD/SSD support and the ability to correct system errors. In addition to this, on Windows Vista/7/8.1/10, the presented data formatting program is available to work only in compatibility mode. For modern operating systems, the development company has created an alternative product called HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. All HP Drive Key Boot functionality has been successfully transferred here.
USB Disk Storage Format Tool
Official page USB Disk Storage Format Tool
A powerful, fully functional and free program for formatting flash drives from any manufacturer, as well as resuscitating them in case of broken clusters. There is support for all modern operating systems from Microsoft (Win 8/10). Using the program is incredibly convenient: insert a flash drive, select it in the list of devices at the top, indicate the desired file system and enter the drive label just below. What's especially convenient is that error correction and formatting functions are clearly separated. So, you can scan a USB device for bad or unreadable sectors and fix them by simply checking the corresponding additional options and clicking the Check Disk button. A separate button includes the process of clearing a USB drive from its contents without the possibility of recovery (quick and low-level formatting is available).
Another distinctive feature of the USB Disk Storage Format Tool is the maintenance of a detailed log of all operations, which will give you complete information about the actions performed by the utility. What’s especially impressive is that you can format any memory card (SD, Compact Flash, SDXC, SDHC, etc.) using the tools built into the application. Among the minor shortcomings are the inability to create bootable disks and the lack of Russian localization, but given the functionality built into the application, these disadvantages are practically leveled out.
HDD Low Level Format Tool
Official page HDD Low Level Format Tool
Basic program for low-level formatting of HDD/SSD and flash media. The design is very unpretentious and simple. To start the format procedure, you should choose what exactly you will work with: a flash drive or a hard drive. After this, by switching between tabs, you can perform a quick (deleting information about the drive in the corresponding partition and clearing the MBR record) or full formatting.
What distinguishes the application from all others is that the presented software solution has the option to obtain SMART, but this is only relevant for screws. By the way, you can work with HDD, SSD and other devices connected via any interface (FIREWIRE, IDE, SAS, SCSI, SATA). You can clear data not only on flash drives, but also on memory cards of any format from MemoryStick to MMC. There is support for the latest OS. In fact, the only limitation of the software product is the limited data processing speed (50 Mb/sec), but in essence, the advantages and functionality of the application more than cover this shortcoming.
MiniTool Partition Wizard Free is the best program for low-level formatting HDD/SSD, and more
Official page MiniTool Partition Wizard Free
Perhaps this is the most expanded and developed project, both in terms of functionality and usability. As for the available functions, their variety and number are simply beyond expectations. In addition to basic operations with individual HDD and flash partitions (full disk partitioning, checking for errors, setting a label, changing the letter of the name, converting from one file system to another), there are also unique capabilities unique to this product. This includes migrating the installed OS to another HDD/SSD, copying the contents of disks/individual partitions to another drive, a data recovery wizard, and a host of other functions. As in most commercial paid applications, all operations can be performed both through a graphical menu and using a visual panel, which contains the lion's share of functionality.
You can work with both single screws and RAID arrays. Among other programs for low-level formatting of a hard drive, MiniTool Partition Wizard stands out due to its high speed, high-quality design and active support from developers, thanks to which the utility runs without problems in . An excellent candidate for the must-have category, both for ordinary users and administrators.
In this collection, we tried to find out which program for low-level formatting of a hard drive, as well as removable USB drives, is the most relevant at the moment. All products presented are absolutely free and do not require the purchase of a license. We hope that, depending on your tasks, you will be able to choose the best product for you as an alternative to the software tools available in Windows by default.
SD Card Formatter is a free desktop program for formatting SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. It is an indispensable tool for restoring compatibility of SD and microSD memory cards with operating systems and devices. Correct formatting does not always, but in many cases eliminates the problem of file system incompatibility.
The SD Formatter application is designed entirely for working with memory cards, formatting them using SD/SDHC/SDXC standards. Therefore, if for certain reasons your SD card cannot be formatted, we strongly recommend SD Formatter as a formatting tool instead of the standard utilities included with the operating system. Those applications also work with almost all types of flash drives and cards, but the result is not optimal in performance. Manufacturers advise formatting the SD card using special applications. SDFormatter is one of the best for formatting.
How to format an Android device
In fact, formatting the memory of a tablet or phone running Android is not difficult.
To format the memory card, you need to go to Settings - Privacy - Reset settings. However, in the latest versions of Android this method is not available, so we would advise formatting the memory card on a computer. How to do this - read below.
How to format a phone tablet using a card reader
To format your tablet or phone, you will need a card reader and the installed sdformatter program, which you can download from the link above.
- Remove the microsd/sd card from the android device
- We take a card reader, connect it to the computer and insert a memory card into it
- Launch the sdformatter program
- In the list of disks in the sdformatter window, indicate the letter of the memory card connected through the card reader (you can check the match by the disk label or by the contents of the memory card). Be careful, make sure that you are going to format the exact memory card that was in the phone!
- Go to the settings of the sdformatter program (Option button) and select the formatting type Full OverWrite.
- Click Format and wait for formatting to finish.
- We take out the SD card from the card reader and insert it into the phone.
How to format a memory card on your phone using SD Format
You can read about how to work with SD Formatter in the official instructions or follow the instructions in the Message Area of the program. The utility is very simple in design, and we will note the key features when working with it.
Download SD Card Formatter
The first thing you need for successful formatting is to download the SD Memory Card Formatter application.
Important. Administrator rights are required to run SD Card Formatter.
Connecting a memory card to a computer
We carefully remove the memory card from the mobile phone (or tablet) and connect it to the PC using a card reader. Alternatively, you can simply connect the device to your computer on which the SD Memory Card Formatter program is installed.
To work with media, you will need one of the special devices:
- USB SD Card reader is a separate device connected via the computer’s USB port
- SD Card slot - usually available in any laptop/Macbook.
Formatting Settings
Formatting is configured through the Option window. Format Options provides two types of formatting:
- Quick format - files and folders are marked as writable, but formatting does not affect the data in the files
- Full (Overwrite) format - the program deletes the contents of files.
In other words, after Quick format you can still try to recover files, while after Overwrite format the chances are extremely low.
Selecting a drive to format
From the Drive list you need to select the SD card to format. As a rule, the program does this on its own. Conveniently, hard drive partitions are not displayed here, so it’s difficult to get confused and select the wrong drive. However, it is still worth double-checking the name of the letter if other storage media are connected to the computer.
If the flash drive was inserted into the SD slot after the program was launched, the disk may not appear immediately. In this case, you need to click the Refresh Button and check the status field. The blue logo in the main window indicates that the SD card has been successfully connected.
A similar scenario also applies if you don’t know how to format an Android phone: follow the instructions carefully, SD Format is quite suitable for working with this mobile OS.
Perform formatting
To apply the settings, you must click OK; to start formatting, click Format in the main program window.
When formatting is complete, a window with the status Memory Card Format Complete! Information about the file system, available memory card capacity, and cluster size is also available here.
Instructions on how to format an SD card
Summary. SD Formatter is an excellent program for formatting microsd, sd and other memory cards. If you do not know how to format an SD card using standard means or have encountered certain problems reading information from a memory card, this utility will provide all possible assistance. The program is absolutely free and safe, and you should not be afraid that after formatting you will receive a “brick” at your disposal.
Supported SD memory card interfaces
The sdformatter utility supports multiple device interfaces for working with SD, SDHC, microsd and SDXC
- SD slot on computer
- SD reader via USB protocol
- PC card, CardBus or ExpressCard SD adapter
Before downloading sdformatter and immediately before starting to work with the application, you need to make sure that you have the ability to work with an SD card using one of the above protocols with the sdformatter program.
SDFormatter application interface
SD Formatter program interface A few settings of the SDFormatter program required when formatting a memory card. If your memory card cannot be formatted, we advise you to pay close attention to all parameters without exception.1 Status
This field shows the status of the SD memory card/SDHC/SDXC memory and the device interface.
- Blue: activity status.
- No logo: SD memory card or SDHC/SDXC memory card or SD interface of the device is disabled.
- Grey: no connection. These can be SD memory cards, SDHC/SDXC cards recognized by the SD Formatter utility.
2 Drive
This list indicates the SD/memory card drives, SDHC/SDXC cards that have been opened and recognized in the SD Formatter. A drive from this list can be selected to format the SD memory card.
3 Size of SD card
This field indicates the capacity of SD/SDHC/SDXC cards on the selected drive.
4 Message Area
This area displays SD Formatter messages or notifications to users. This area is useful for additional information in case the SD card not formatted.
5 Refresh Button
This button is used to update information on the SD memory card/memory card or SDHC/SDXC storage cards. When you press this button, the SD Formatter receives the latest information from the SD memory of the storage card. This button is useful when new memory cards, SD/SDHC memory/SDXC cards are added via the device's SD interface.
6 Volume Label
This field in the sdformatter program is used to display the sd volume label. Enter the new volume label that will be written to the SD card during formatting. You can enter up to 11 characters in the Volume Label field. If the language used in the volume label name is NOT English, this field may not display correctly. In this case, you should enter the new SD card volume label in English.
7 Option button
This sdformatter utility button is used to select options when performing a format operation. When the button is pressed, a window with options for formatting the SD card is displayed on the screen.
8 SD card formatting options
This area shows the current SD card format options selected in the format window options. If the SD card is not formatted, you should vary the program options.
9 Button to start formatting SD (Format)
This button starts formatting the SD memory card. After clicking this button, a confirmation window for the formatting operation will appear on the screen. You can continue or cancel formatting the disk/sd card.
10 Exit button
This button is used to exit the SD Formatter application after formatting the memory card
It should be noted that memory cards supporting SD/SDHC/SDXC protocols have a so-called protected area intended for standard security functions. The SD Formatter 4.0 utility does not format this security zone. Therefore, always use the corresponding application or SD-compatible device to provide SD-protected function to format the protected area on the memory card.
System requirements to run sdformatter
This information will be useful if your memory card cannot be formatted and there is a need to install the sdformatter application.
If an SDxc card is connected directly through the computer's SD slot without installing a driver, the card may not be recognized correctly, and therefore a message will appear indicating that it needs to be formatted. In this case, do not agree to format the memory card; doing so may completely erase the data on the storage device and result in unwanted formatting to a file system that is not compatible with the SDXC device.
SD Card Formatter vs standard formatting tools
In Windows and Mac OS, basic tools are available for formatting a hard drive, USB drive and SD card. But this method is not recommended: formatting may significantly reduce the performance of the storage device.
SD Card Formatter has no such drawback. Moreover, the program is often used to fix problems with memory card recognition after incorrect standard Windows formatting.
Unlike system utilities, SD Formatter does not affect the protected area. This reserved area on the memory card is required for security functions. It is not recommended to format it.
As the SD Formatter developers clarify, formatting is configured for maximum performance (for the FAT file system). This way, you can use the default settings when formatting.
Like other programs, SD Formatter cannot format encrypted memory cards (for example, BitLocker To Go). Therefore, a mandatory step is to decrypt the content before performing the operation.
Answers to readers' questions
How to format a flash drive on Android?
Answer. To format a memory card of a device on the Android platform, you need to remove the card from your phone or tablet, then use a card reader to connect it to your computer. After that, open SD Formatter and find the flash drive in the list of storage devices. All subsequent steps are described in the instructions for formatting a memory card above.
The operating system displays the following error: "Windows cannot complete formatting." What would this mean, how to solve the problem?
Answer. Typically, this error appears in two cases: if for certain reasons it is not possible to complete the formatting or if it is not possible to format the flash drive using standard OS tools.
There are two methods for solving formatting errors and, accordingly, two tools. The first is the built-in system utility diskmgmt.msc (launched via Start - Run). The second program, as you may have guessed, is sd formatter. Through it you can perform quick and deep (low-level) formatting of a microSD card.
What is low-level formatting microsd?
Answer. - this is a type of formatting of a memory card and flash drive, which involves cleaning and subsequent testing, creating a table of files and copying it to the service partition of the storage device. As a rule, you should resort to low-level formatting only in extreme cases, if the microsd or sd card is working with errors.
I recently bought a 16 GB memory card. The phone supports more, but there was a problem when using the phone for a long time for an hour or two. Applications on the memory card open and close immediately, but when the phone is rebooted, everything goes back to normal, and then goes bad again. Why is that?
Answer. It is not a fact that the problem is related to the memory card. If a particular application causes a conflict, other programs may be affected. It may be running in the background.
Check if there are any unnecessary applications on your phone. Removing them may correct the situation.
If the method of deleting applications does not work, try formatting the microSD memory card. This can be done either through your phone (in the Android settings) or through a card reader on your computer. SD Formatter is precisely this program for formatting a memory card.
Problem with flash drive. 2 days ago I bought a new 16 gig flash card. I inserted it onto Android and formatted it completely and then moved the files from Android to it. After formatting the sd card everything is fine, but when I download some videos and applications from the Internet after 5 minutes, they get damaged. More precisely, he writes: it is impossible to play the video and the black screen. The application says: package parsing error. I formatted the microsd again - everything seems to be clean. And again the files are damaged. Last night in the android folder on the SD card I saw strange files with an unknown format measuring 2-3 gig. I tried to delete it, but it says the deletion failed. I rebooted Android and they disappeared. Could it be a virus or something else?
Answer. An error in parsing a package in Android occurs, as a rule, due to the incorrect size of the apk file. This means that the installer was not completely copied to the microSD card.
It is possible that the wrong format was specified during formatting. Android supports FAT and exFAT, try this one or this one. Read above for information on how to format microsd using SDFormatter.
If the problem cannot be resolved, remove unnecessary and recently installed applications on your phone, or, as a last resort, update the Android firmware.
The phone sees the flash drive, reads the photos that were on the flash card, but does not open applications on the flash drive. Samsung galaxy s3 mini phone.
Answer. If you can't open apps on your phone, you can move them to your phone's internal memory using the app manager. The second option is to download them again from Google Play and install them on a memory card.
If the application still does not open, format the memory card to FAT or exFAT.
I was watching a video on my Nomi_i4510 phone and suddenly I forgot about the charge percentage and the phone turned off. I put it on charge, turned it on, and in the notifications it says “there is no SD card, if you can’t connect the SD card, click forget device.” I reboot the phone and go into settings, then into storage and storage and there is this picture: the internal storage SD card (damaged) and below - the SD card is missing. I go to the SD card and it says that in order to continue using the SD card you need to format it. I click “Format” and it’s formatted, everything is ok. But the fact is that the SD card partition (missing) is still there and rebooting does not help. That is, the SD card is connected and works normally and it’s as if it’s missing. What to do, how to format the SD card?
Answer. Try formatting the SD card not through your phone, but using the sd formatter program. Also try inserting another memory card into your phone and see if information about the missing card appears. If yes, update the phone firmware and reboot the device. As a last resort, you will have to do . Whether the game is worth the candle is up to you to decide (save all important files from your phone to your computer first).
About 2 months ago I bought a HUAWEI LUA - 21 phone. It reads the memory card, but when I take a photo or download a program from the Internet, they always write: “no memory,” although I have a new micro flash drive. And every time the “Preparing SD card” notification appears.
Answer. Errors may occur due to incorrect formatting of the memory card. This is a fairly common problem and is easy to fix:
- remove the sd card from the phone,
- connect to PC (via card reader)
- copy files from the flash drive to your PC (make a backup copy)
- format the memory card to Fat32 or exFAT
- copy files from PC back to USB flash drive
After these steps, the SD card should be normally detected by the phone.
Please tell me, is it possible to decrypt an SD card using this program? Because there was a failure in the phone, and the files remained encrypted and the phone does not read them.
Answer. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to return encrypted data after resetting the settings. Neither additional software like SD Formatter nor the built-in capabilities of Android will help. For further use, you need to format the SD card. It is clear that you will lose the encrypted data on the microSD.
I formatted the phone. Now it asks for the account that was synced with it. I don't know this account because I turned off synchronization. What to do?
Answer. We are probably talking about a Google account, which is specified in the Android settings or immediately during the initial setup of the phone. Create a new Google account and connect a new email.
Phone Lenovo A7000. Reads microsd as internal memory. There is a lot of free space on the card, but it doesn’t even allow applications to update. I deleted a bunch of applications, left only the most necessary ones - I still can’t download anything. How to make a memory card as an external storage device? Only resell?
Answer. Most likely, the problem is due to incorrect formatting of the card. Try formatting the SD card on your computer, selecting Fat or extFat as the file system on the microsd. The SDFormatter utility will handle this task.
Good time!
It’s not uncommon for all sorts of troubles to happen with SD cards and USB flash drives: sometimes they can’t be read, sometimes copying takes too long, sometimes various kinds of errors appear (what, what formatting is required, etc.). Moreover, this sometimes happens out of the blue...
In this article, I want to recommend a dozen utilities that have helped me out more than once or twice. With their help, you can work with flash drives and drives from different manufacturers (Silicon Power, Kingston, Transcend, etc.), i.e. This is a universal software. I think the material will be very helpful to everyone who periodically faces similar problems.
For testing and diagnostics
CrystalDiskMark
A very useful little utility. Allows you to quickly obtain read/write speed data. Supports not only USB flash drives, but also classic HDDs, SSDs, external hard drives and other drives (which Windows sees).
Note: in most cases, they are guided by the first line “Sec” (sequential read record speed). Read - reading, Write - writing.
USB Flash Benchmark
Developer website: http://usbflashspeed.com/
Another utility for testing the speed of flash drives. Allows you to get not only some numbers, but also compare them with other drives (i.e. evaluate your flash drive with other device models). This can be done due to the fact that the test results are saved on the website of the same name (along with flash drive models).
By the way! If you are thinking of buying a fast flash drive, just go to the website http://usbflashspeed.com/ and look at the top 10. This way you can acquire what other people have already experienced in practice!
H2testw
A small utility from German programmers. Designed to scan USB drives for their actual capacity (approx. : some flash drives, for example, from Chinese manufacturers, come with a “fake” inflated volume) . In these cases, it is enough to run the flash drive using H2testw, and then format it correctly.
How to find out the real capacity of a flash drive and restore its functionality (using H2testw) -
Flash Memory Toolkit
Flash Memory Toolkit is a good package for servicing USB devices. Allows you to perform a whole range of the most necessary actions:
- testing drives for errors when reading and writing;
- data recovery from flash drives;
- viewing properties and characteristics;
- the ability to create a backup flash drive;
- low-level drive speed test.
Flashnul
Developer's website: http://shounen.ru/
This program can diagnose and correct many software errors (especially when it is unclear what is happening with the flash drive: that is, no errors are displayed). In addition, it supports almost all flash memory media: USB flash drives, CompactFlash, SD, MMC, MS, XD, etc.
Possibilities:
- reading and writing testing: the availability of each sector of the media will be checked;
- checking the integrity of files located on a USB drive;
- the ability to make an image of the contents on a flash drive (may be useful for data recovery);
- possibility of sector-by-sector recording of an image to a USB device;
- Some operations can be performed for other types of media: HDD, CD, Floppy disk, etc.
ChipEasy
A free and very simple utility for obtaining complete information about a flash drive. It is very useful in cases where the markings on the flash drive itself have been erased (or there were none at all).
What data does ChipEasy provide:
- VID
- manufacturer;
- controller model;
- serial number;
- firmware information;
- memory model;
- Max. current consumption, etc.
Flash Drive Information
The utility is similar to the previous one. Allows you to find out all the information about the drive (flash drive, memory card) in 2 clicks: model, controller, memory, etc.
For formatting and repair
HDD Low Level Format Tool
A program for low-level* formatting of hard drives, SD cards, flash drives and other drives. I would note its “unpretentiousness”: even if other utilities freeze when trying to access a flash drive (or don’t see it), the HDD Low Level Format Tool can help in most cases...
Peculiarities:
- Most manufacturers (Hitachi, Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, etc.) and interfaces (SATA, IDE, USB, SCSI, Firewire) are supported;
- formatting clears absolutely all information from the disk (partition table, MBR);
- Recovering information from a disk after formatting using HDD Low Level Format Tool is almost impossible!
MyDiskFix
A free small utility designed for low-level formatting of failed flash drives. It is useful in cases where your flash drive cannot be formatted using standard Windows tools, when the flash drive shows the wrong volume, or a recording error occurs.
Note: before formatting in MyDiskFix, you need to find out how many actual working sectors are on your flash drive. This can be done, for example, using the H2Test utility (which I cited above).
USB Disk Storage Format Tool
A small utility for formatting HDD/USB Flash drive (file systems supported: NTFS, FAT, FAT32). By the way, the USB Disk Storage Format Tool does not require installation, and does not freeze if it works with faulty flash drives, from which you need to wait minutes for a response (like, for example, the standard formatting utility in Windows).
Peculiarities:
- fast and safe formatting of the drive;
- when fully formatted through the utility, all data from the flash drive is deleted (later, not a single file from it will be recoverable);
- scanning the drive for errors;
- creating partitions with the FAT 32 file system larger than 32 GB;
- tested with 1000 different flash drives (Compact Flash, CF Card II, Memory Stick Duo Pro, SDHC, SDXC, Thumb Drive, etc.), and various manufacturers (HP, Sony, Lexar, Imation, Toshiba, PNY, ADATA, etc. ).
Format USB Or Flash Drive Software
A specialized utility for working with failed USB drives. Allows you to format and restore the flash drive. I would also note its very simple interface (see screenshot above), and the ability to work without installation.
Peculiarities:
- file system support: FAT, FAT32, eXFAT, NTFS;
- simple and convenient interface;
- possibility of full and quick formatting;
- the ability to “see” drives that the explorer refuses to “show”;
- possibility of integration into the Windows menu;
- Compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10.
Transcend RecoveRx
Multifunctional program: allows you to recover files from flash drives, format them, and protect them with a password. In general, this program is intended for flash drives from the manufacturer Transcend, but I can’t help but note that the formatting option also works for flash drives from other manufacturers.
RecoveRx is a fairly “omnivorous” program: it supports USB flash drives, memory cards, MP3 players, external hard drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD).
JetFlash Recovery Tool
This utility will help in cases where standard Windows tools simply do not see the flash drive. Officially supported USB flash drives are only from Transcend, JetFlash and A-DATA (unofficially - much more).
Important! Keep in mind that during the process of repairing (restoring) a flash drive, the program completely deletes all data from it! If you have the opportunity to save something from a faulty flash drive, do so.
Peculiarities:
- simple and free utility (only 2 buttons!);
- compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10 (also works with older OS Windows XP, 2000 (other OS - operation is not guaranteed));
- Only 3 manufacturers are officially supported: Transcend, A-DATA and JetFlash;
- automatic recovery of the drive (the user only needs to press 1 button);
- low system requirements;
- no utility installation required.
SD Formatter
Formatting a Canon SD card in SD Formatter
This utility is designed to repair and restore memory cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC, microSD. The developers specifically targeted their product to the needs of photographers, videographers, and service specialists for such equipment.
The drive is restored in auto mode. Suitable for a variety of cases: software errors, virus infections, failures, due to improper use, etc.
Note: while working with a flash drive, SD Formatter will delete all data from it!
D-Soft Flash Doctor
A small portable program for diagnosing and repairing broken flash drives (low-level formatting, soft reset). In addition, it can create images from flash drives/memory cards and write them to other storage media.
The program supports the Russian language (since the developer is from Kazakhstan), and is compatible with all modern Windows 7, 8, 10 operating systems.
To recover files from a flash drive
R.Saver
An easy-to-use program for recovering deleted files from various types of media: hard drives, memory cards, flash drives, etc. Can be used for various errors, file system failures, after formatting, virus infection, etc.
Supports NTFS, FAT and ExFAT file systems. For residents of Russia (when used for non-commercial purposes) the program is free.
Important!
You can learn more about working with R.Saver in the article on how to recover photos from a MicroSD memory card or USB flash drive -
Recuva
File recovery program from the developers of CCleaner (the famous utility for cleaning Windows from junk files).
Recuva allows you to work not only with HDDs, but also with USB flash drives, external drives, SSDs, and memory cards. The program is aimed at the novice user, so its use is very simple.
Peculiarities:
- all actions in the program are performed step by step;
- 2 modes for scanning drives;
- sorting files by their name, size, status, etc.;
- The utility is free;
- Russian is supported;
- Compatible with Windows XP, 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).
MiniTool Power Data Recovery
A very powerful program (with unique scanning algorithms) that will allow you to recover data from damaged flash drives, memory cards, external drives, CDs and other drives. Popular file systems are supported: FAT 12/16/32, NTFS.
I would like to note on my own that, in my humble opinion, the program’s algorithms are actually different from other programs of a similar kind, because several times with its help it was possible to recover information when other software simply did not find anything...
Note: in the free version of MiniTool Power Data Recovery, you can only recover 1 GB of information.
Addition!
In general, there are quite a lot of similar programs ( approx. : which can scan the drive and recover some of the deleted files). In one of my previous articles, I already cited a dozen of the most successful free products (most of them work not only with classic HDDs, but also with flash drives). I am posting a link to the article below.
10 free programs for recovering deleted data: files, documents, photos -
That's all for now. Additions to useful and interesting utilities are always welcome.
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