Hacking Diskwriter won't reformat SD Card

Potato Paste

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I tried reformatting my Micro SD card (in disk writer )to try to change the card back into NTFS but windows will not show the card back again. Tried using partition wizard after reformat and card is shown as bad drive. Removing and reinserting the card back into the computer brings me back to step one. Additionally, I cannot add or remove games at all on the current SD card. The current games on the card can be played on the 3DS though. I tried 2 SD card readers still no difference. Reformatting it in other devices shows the card as locked. Is there anyway to save this SD card?
 

Osmosis

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Go get EaseUS Partition Master (from filehippo for free)

Open EPM and find your SD card.

DELETE PARTITION

DELETE MBR

APPLY CHANGES

CLOSE

Now OPEN Diskwriter

SELECT YOUR DRIVE WITH UNFORMATTED mSD

FORMAT

CHANGE TEMPLATE (get latest templateXXXX.txt file)

WRITE GAME


If you don't want to use it in Sky3DS/Diskwriter anymore, after using EPM, just format it using windows. Set to defaults when you do.

If all else fails, did you use OPTIMIZER in Diskwriter? Try restoring the BACKUP file to the entire card. Still no luck?

Try using a USB adapter not an SD card slot adapter. Some vendors ship it with one. Or you can get really crafty (like moi) and put the mSD into an SD adapter into an SD USB adapter. (these things are really handy if you can find one. great for both mSDs and SDs that you need to use on your 3DS)

Cross fingers.

Post results.
 
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Potato Paste

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Go get EaseUS Partition Master (from filehippo for free)

Open EPM and find your SD card.

DELETE PARTITION

DELETE MBR

APPLY CHANGES

CLOSE

Now OPEN Diskwriter

SELECT YOUR DRIVE WITH UNFORMATTED mSD

FORMAT

CHANGE TEMPLATE (get latest templateXXXX.txt file)

WRITE GAME


If you don't want to use it in Sky3DS/Diskwriter anymore, after using EPM, just format it using windows. Set to defaults when you do.

If all else fails, did you use OPTIMIZER in Diskwriter? Try restoring the BACKUP file to the entire card. Still no luck?

Try using a USB adapter not an SD card slot adapter. Some vendors ship it with one. Or you can get really crafty (like moi) and put the mSD into an SD adapter into an SD USB adapter. (these things are really handy if you can find one. great for both mSDs and SDs that you need to use on your 3DS)

Cross fingers.

Post results.
It didn't work. I got some error saying that operations could not be completed. However, the problem here was the SD card reader. I was using a USB hub (it was working fine) and then updated the firmware and everything went lock protected from there. I didn't think it was the SD card reader because I also tried another one. Everything was able to be read but not written. And then I tried a 3rd reader from your suggestion and it worked perfectly again. Thanks!

Someone should also add this to some sort of Diskwriter guide
 

Osmosis

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Someone should also add this to some sort of Diskwriter guide

If I get bored enough... might even do a whole Sky3DS Ultimate Guide. (not by myself of course)

It's funny that Diskwriter keeps having USB hub problems. You're not the first one.

I think it has something to do with the disk selection during startup. They should look into that for their next SkyDW version.

Glad you found the problem.

NOW GO PLAY SOME GAMES!!!!! :grog:

(If you ever want some pokemonzterz friend me. My code is in my sig below)
 

Potato Paste

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I think I might have spoken to early. One SD card doesn't want to be ReFormatted or anything. After being reformatted and formatted multiple times it stays the same. All the games that were there don't get deleted. Game saves on the card don't save either. I tried the formatting process with at least 5 microSD card adapters and one micoSD->full SD->USB this time. I even tried doing a Live Boot with Partition Wizard to delete all the partitions but it just freezes. Even the EaseUS Partition Master reboot thing does nothing. It stays the same. It is as if it cannot be written or deleted. I even tried formatting it with mutiple cameras and an android tablet. Any ideas for this SD card? Its a Sandisk Extreme 32GB card

Thanks for the Pokemon offer but I don't really play it anymore. I just can't get into the post game. Not sure if I'm just still mad there is no battle frontier in ORAS.
 

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Got same problem..

Card has 3 games on it, i try to format, reformat etc and diskwriter wont work...

it says its done but when you rerun diskwriter they all appear,

have tried to partion etc etc but get errors
 

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¿Someone recovered their micro sd´s? mine wont reformat properly, I mean it does it but after a re run of disk wirter is all back there... Please help I want my sony 32 Gb micro sd card back :/, I want to install BS9 on it :/ P.D I have tried formating the micro sd directly in w10, but it just pop up a message saying that windows couldnt complete the format.
 
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¿Someone recovered their micro sd´s? mine wont reformat properly, I mean it does it but after a re run of disk wirter is all back there... Please help I want my sony 32 Gb micro sd card back :/, I want to install BS9 on it :/ P.D I have tried formating the micro sd directly in w10, but it just pop up a message saying that windows couldnt complete the format.

Try formatting with this. If this doesn't get your card working again, it's dead.
https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/

After you format, you absolutely need to check the card isn't physically damaged, going bad, (and fake cuz that happens) with this:
Do a full write + verify test. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
https://3ds.hacks.guide/h2testw-(windows).html
 

Rekner

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Thanks poo, im gonna try that program, and nope, the sd is not damaged, I bougth it from best buy at a price of 50 bucks, I have never used the sd in any other thing that is not sky3ds, and the games still "work" when I put the sky3ds card on... I think it all started when some games started to crash i was going to rewrite the games, then I found out about BS9 so I decide to use that instead of my old crap, but bam, the skywriter doesnt reformat properly :/
 
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Thanks poo, im gonna try that program, and nope, the sd is not damaged, I bougth it from best buy at a price of 50 bucks, I have never used the sd in any other thing that is not sky3ds, and the games still "work" when I put the sky3ds card on... I think it all started when some games started to crash i was going to rewrite the games, then I found out about BS9 so I decide to use that instead of my old crap, but bam, the skywriter doesnt reformat properly :/

Anytime you use flash memory, you wear and tear the cells whenever reading and writing stuff to it. SD cards have finite life where some give up the ghost sooner than others. It's like a light bulb that burns out over time, except you can't see the damage as it's microscopic. You have to check for flaws using H2testw; do not skip this safety measure or you're in for a bad time if your card's dying.
 

Rekner

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I already used the sd formatte, didnt work..., I mean the games are there and no matter how many times I delete them trough diskwriter, after a re run they all back there; when I open the micro sd in w10 I can only see a folder called "setup" with a version of diswriter and a template file in it.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Anytime you use flash memory, you wear and tear the cells whenever reading and writing stuff to it. SD cards have finite life where some give up the ghost sooner than others. It's like a light bulb that burns out over time, except you can't see the damage as it's microscopic. You have to check for flaws using H2testw; do not skip this safety measure or you're in for a bad time if your card's dying.
Done, I already used the h2test and it says test finished witouth erros, but it was instantly, weird.
 
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I already used the sd formatte, didnt work..., I mean the games are there and no matter how many times I delete them trough diskwriter, after a re run they all back there; when I open the micro sd in w10 I can only see a folder called "setup" with a version of diswriter and a template file in it.

If SD Memory Card Formatter 5.0 isn't working for you, your card has died and has entered into Read-Only Mode. There is a safety feature built into most modern flash memories where if enough NAND cells wear out, the memory controller will lock you out from writing or deleting anymore stuff. This is so you can copy stuff off the card.
 
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U.U anyway to bring it back to life, I dont want to spend another 50 bucks in another card :v

I know you're in the stages of grief, but no. This can't be fixed. Death is death whether it's living, breathing meat bags or high tech silicone whizzing with electrons.

This is like if I asked you make spoiled milk fresh again. Not reverse-able.

You can't break the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Reality and entropy's a bitch.

I know you don't want to spend another $50, but check out my signature for a good micro SD card deal.
Edit - NVM. that deal won't apply for you as you're in Canada. Sorry for the gut punch. :(
 
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