Hardware My SD card corrupted again

[Bondgirl85]

It all started with Miitopia data being corrupted and it made me wonder what other files were corrupted. Then soon that night, I was not able to access my data management again without it crashing showing the dump files and error code. It also didn't show lot of my NES titles, it showed the game but not the title and the year it was released because it was all blank but the games still played. Then I was not able to open the Talking Phrases app without it crashing.

I told myself last time if this happened again I was buying a new SD card but this time have it be a sandisk or a samsung since those have never failed me. I had to scan the card again and do copy files and paste to find the corrupted memory and then format the card and re copy everything and I will see what data is corrupted because it won't be on that card. Either Kingston sucks or the card was defective and I bought it from Fred Meyer. It went for 50 bucks but it was on sale for under 20 bucks. But I have two strikes with a sd card or else I get another one.

I still have my sandisk back up card that came with my 3DS. I was just using it and deleting games on it I don't want and now I have around 40,000 slots left. I know I can always use that card but I won't be able to have all my retail games on it I want since one of them takes up 17,000 and I can always play games I want to try and then delete, same as for videos. That way I won'y have to worry about memory card corruption again. I hope it's not the game system that is causing the card to corrupt. That would be bad but at the same time it means I have my other hacked 3DS as back up and I can always use the card for it but just format it and recopy everything and that means starting over from scratch with my other games.

 

[TurdPooCharger]

Here's the old thread for reference:
Can losing internet connection cause files to corrupt?

I already told you that you can't trust buying flash memory anywhere in this day and age. Big name stores and SD card brands cannot be taken for face value because counterfeiters have polluted the supply chain delivering the goods from factory to store shelves. The race to the bottom for the almighty dollar is the unfortunate adverse side effect of degraded delivery inspections where fake goods can slip in and mix with the reals. This is made worse with how businesses are globally interconnected. Competitors, like Target vs Walmart, can trade blows at one another in sale numbers at the checkout counters but may be helping one another when they barter their suppliers for bulk purchases and try for discounted freight & shipping across the Pacific Ocean by compartmentalizing with one another.

Here's your quote from the other thread and my reply to that:

I just tested the program and there seems to be a maximum of how many files they can test from the card. I bet a 32 GB card will be more than 3777 MB which is the maximum. I tested it with my husband's card from his phone and his was only 1583MB and his card was a 4 GB. I could tell that was once inside a 3DS because it had a Nintendo 3DS folder but it was empty and only had like one game file to it.

Yo gotta test the cards when they're empty or else the program won't be able to map out the entire card. 1 GB = 1024 MB. You'll never get the entire 32 GB as manufacturers round down to 1000 MB per 1 gigabyte. In fact, if Windows states your card is 32 GB on the dot , that card is definitely a fake.

Your 32 GB card should have an actual real size of about 29.75 GB (give or take). You getting 3777 MB (if the test was done when it was empty), means it's fake.

If you tested your 32 GB card when it was empty, and H2testw stated it could only account for 3777 MB, the results are interpreted to mean the other 26 GB * does not physically exist within the card itself. Despite the outward appearance and label, your card's a fake.

* I already mentioned flash memory manufacturers round down their capacities due to using a bastardized definition of what 1 GB is. A 32 GB sd card has about 30 GB of usable space, give or take. Don't be surprised you were shorted 2 GB.

 

[Bondgirl85]

I hadn't downloaded anything new on the card, instead I have only deleted stuff because I didn't want it anymore and it still corrupted so what does that tell you? I think the data being overwritten can be ruled out since I have not downloaded anything else and I only deleted some games off my card. There is nothing else for me I want to even download. Besides I only lost two games and my Miitopia saved data and the Talking Phrases App which I didn't really need. I just redownloaded the two games again and redownloaded Miitopia on my other game system so I can play it without worrying about losing any data. The first time it corrupted it was 115,000 blocks left and this time I only had 126,000 blocks left because I had deleted some stuff I didn't want so that would mean I would have had more space on my card and nothing else would have been overwritten.

I never bothered buying a new SD card because I wanted to rule out it was the internet connection loss before I go wasting any money (and I hate wasting money) and since I wasn't really playing that game system, I am in no rush buying a new card because I have other finances to deal with so the card isn't my top priority.

 

[TurdPooCharger]

I hadn't downloaded anything new on the card, instead I have only deleted stuff because I didn't want it anymore and it still corrupted so what does that tell you?

I think the data being overwritten can be ruled out since I have not downloaded anything else and I only deleted some games off my card. There is nothing else for me I want to even download. Besides I only lost two games and my Miitopia saved data and the Talking Phrases App which I didn't really need. I just redownloaded the two games again and redownloaded Miitopia on my other game system so I can play it without worrying about losing any data. The first time it corrupted it was 115,000 blocks left and this time I only had 126,000 blocks left because I had deleted some stuff I didn't want so that would mean I would have had more space on my card and nothing else would have been overwritten.

I never bothered buying a new SD card because I wanted to rule out it was the internet connection loss before I go wasting any money (and I hate wasting money) and since I wasn't really playing that game system, I am in no rush buying a new card because I have other finances to deal with so the card isn't my top priority.

That tells me you did not do your due diligence. Despite advising you to check your card with H2testw, you reported back the program stated it has failed to verify data it has written past the 3777 MB mark. Your natural followup instinct at that point should have been to discontinue using that fake card, cut your loses or raise hell at Fred Meyer for a refund, and move on migrating your 3DS data to a new SD card <- known to be good with H2testw, of course.

I'm sorry if you cannot see that for yourself. Believe me, the shame of realizing you've been ripped off is no easy thing to get over, and you want to tell yourself it couldn't happen to you because you're too smart for scams like that. This is coming from a dude who's embarrassed about begging his mother $132 to buy a 32 GB Sony Memory Stick PRO duo years ago when the Sony PSP first launched... Only to later find out the hard way he's been bamboozled with a fake 256 MB (that's right, 256 megabytes). Flash memory back then was much more costlier, so the burn hurts that much more when compared to today's going rates.

I wished I could go back in time and beat myself up for being a little shit prick. Stupid kid me who should have learned the lesson then; I made a similar mistaken with another fake Samsung 256 GB micro sdxc in my adulthood. Lol.

Data corruption cuts both ways whether you add or delete files to the card. Your computer and 3DS constantly tries to rearrange your data where they think best fits in for efficient search up and retrieval. This is akin to your computer or 3DS playing a never ending game of Tetris in Feng Shui style with those blocks of 1's and 0's on the card, except they're not allowed to ever F up.

With a working card, you shouldn't lose any games under normal use. How long would you trust a bank to hold your money if you made a $2000 deposit one day under a no interest fee account and then came back later another day to withdraw all $2000 only to get shortchanged with $1800? Despite your service contract terms & agreement, your bank has no legal basis in arbitrarily taking stealing your $200, you're okay with that? Hells no! No excuses for the card to do the digital equivalent of that to you. No exceptions.

 

[Bondgirl85]

I tested the card with the program and it showed no errors or anything being over written so I guess it was a bad card and defective? Yes I did format it this time. I am still going to get a new card when I have it in my budget. I could just buy one now if I wanted to and pay it later but I don't want to. I just know none of the saved files would be safe on the gaming system.

I used my husbands SD card last time when I was testing the program and it reported no errors. I never tested my card last time.

I didn't have a receipt because I lost it so I couldn't return it and I didn't save the packaging if the company has money back gaurentee or warranty. I am sorry you lost $132.

Did you also buy those cards from a retail store?

Can Nintendo also have fake SD cards in the gaming system?

Can fake SD cards pass the H2testw test?

 

[TurdPooCharger]

I tested the card with the program and it showed no errors or anything being over written so I guess it was a bad card and defective? Yes I did format it this time. I am still going to get a new card when I have it in my budget. I could just buy one now if I wanted to and pay it later but I don't want to. I just know none of the saved files would be safe on the gaming system.

I used my husbands SD card last time when I was testing the program and it reported no errors. I never tested my card last time.

Thank you so much for checking, and apologies if I came across harsh. In your first thread, I thought I read one of your posts stating that the H2testw program was only able to partially accounted for both your's and your husband's cards. If the results came back normal, that means the cards are legitimate. This doesn't necessarily mean they're free from defects or up to performance spec for 3DS usage (SD card speeds are graded by Class ratings).

Check out this thread for someone who's also having similar experience as you are in data corruption using a real card:

• New 3DS XL/CFW/SD Corruption

There are explanations in what can go wrong and look out for when card passes H2testw.

I didn't have a receipt because I lost it so I couldn't return it and I didn't save the packaging if the company has money back gaurentee or warranty. I am sorry you lost $132.

Did you also buy those cards from a retail store?

Oh, that's a bummer.
Not sure how Fred Meyer handles returns, but for some stores, had you kept the package and made the purchase through debit or credit card you might have been able to return or exchange. They do a lookup on their register if your debit/credit card was on file.

Eh, thanks. At times, I try to think that $132 was money well spent in firsthand lesson in how to look out for scams and not get further ripped off for bigger future purchases. So far it's been a (mostly) good investment. Last fake card i got was $50 at least; I got my refund back and mailed glitter to my seller.

Nah, my stuff were mostly purchased from eBay. I did one time buy a 16 GB Sandisk standard SD card some years ago from Best Buy. That one gave up the ghost after 2 months. Flash memory purchases are really another form of lottery. :/

Can Nintendo also have fake SD cards in the gaming system?

For the 4 GB sd card that comes with all 3DS systems, those will 99% of the time be real. Not only will card companies like Lexar, Sandisk, and Samsung directly batch ship to Nintendo their requested order for X amount of cards that month to meet 3DS production making it next to impossible to slip in fakes, there's no financial incentives to make fake 4GB cards as most fake SD themselves are 4 GB to begin with.

Now, if you're talking about those Nintendo licensed SD cards with partnership with SanDisk like this:

At this moment, you're probably not going to encounter any of these as fakes, but this can quickly change if the counterfeiters believe there's incentive to chase and undercut this market. You pay a premium for the Nintendo name and quality label, but don't count on those alone. H2testw check every newly purchased card anyhow, not only for fakes but the small off chance your card has defects. <-Save yourself the heartbreak from this source of data corruption.

Can fake SD cards pass the H2testw test?

H2testw is the one litmus test that flash memory such as SD cards, USB drives, and Compact Flash can't ever cheat. The way that program works is that it fills
the entire card with random bytes of 0's and 1's first and then reads back the entire data against what it knows it put in.

The analogy is like this:
You are "supposedly" given a 1 gallon container that's contained within a box and hidden behind a black curtain that can't be seen within. There are two front holes for your hands to reach in and the left & right sides of the box are open. You're not allow to examine this mystery container by seeing it nor feeling it, except the rim to know where to pour water in and the handle for pouring water out.

You're given (2) one gallon containers at your disposal, one is filled up with water and the other is empty. You're reasonably sure if not outright know they're 1 gallon in size because not only can you see and hold them, there's a US customary units proctor who's present to assure you those are definitely 1 gallon containers. That proctor is also there to ensure there's no funny business and peek-a-booing... The two given containers are inserted into the box by the proctor, one on each side.

How do you know if your mystery container really has a 1 gallon capacity?

 

[Bondgirl85]

Nah, my stuff were mostly purchased from eBay.

Ah ebay, I am glad I never felt comfortable buying on there when the prices were too good to be true and was unsure if it would fail on my game system. I did bid on a sandisk card once that was in it's original package you would find in the store but lost the bid. It was the only item the seller was selling. If he had a bunch, it would be suspect. Then I learned about all the fake sd card stuff and how ebay is a playground for it. Sad how sellers take advantage of people who are frugal or have limited income. Sure some of them will refund you but they are always hoping they will get a sucker and not get caught. Most people won't know until months later when they see their photos or videos missing. Then they think the card was just defective.


It's good to know my car probably wasn't fake and it was maybe defective. I have had other sd cards fail on me in the past but they probably got old and I never bought any online before nor from third party sellers. I used to have photos and videos disappear on my phone and I thought it was the phone but it did the same on my new phone so I changed my sd card and the issue stopped. I also couldn't clear the card and get the music off it and even unlocking it, the computer still said the card was locked. Then I have had one other card I hand't used in a while and my son's 3DS kept saying no SD card was found even though it was in it and it kept happening seconds later after reinserting it so I changed the card and the problem stopped. We have a lot of SD cards kicking around. I keep them in cases and one of my Switch game cases or have kept them in gaming systems.

Good thing for google photos and syncs.