Nintendo 256GB SD Card

Deleted member 625007 · Dec 24, 2022

I have a Nintendo Switch 256GB SD Card for a while but now it can’t be detected neither on Windows or Switch.

I tried “Diskpart” but it says 0bytes
And “diskmgmt” doesn’t show the SD
And “chkdsk” is impossible because the SD Card can’t be detected or recognized by Windows.

I am using MXT SD to USB Reader.

Does anyone know how to make it readable again?

godreborn · Dec 24, 2022

Maybe the disk is fake.

Deleted member 625007 · Dec 24, 2022

Do you mean I got stolen I purchased from a trusted shop and it is from Nintendo it is supposed to have a long age.

Noctosphere · Dec 24, 2022

godreborn said:
Maybe the disk is fake.

I wouldn't say fake
If it worked before and now just cannot be read, i doubt it's a fake problem
I don't know what the problem could be, but when the SD card is fake, you can still read it with the console/PC except that the memory is flashed, meaning that the first (lets say) 16gb are real, the other part of the memory are fake and won't store anything

SylverReZ · Dec 24, 2022

Either the reader is faulty or the card is corrupted. Here are ways to tell if this is the case:

- Open up the "Device Manager", right-click on the device and select 'Properties' and it will tell you if the device is properly functioning.

- In the 'Start Menu', type in the search box: "Create and format hard disk partitions" then select the first item that comes up. If the partition is unallocated or RAW, then you will need to delete the old partition and re-format it. Make sure it is the right one and that it matches the size of your SD card and not another device.

Noctosphere · Dec 24, 2022

M4x1mumReZ said:
Either the reader is faulty or the card is corrupted. Here are ways to tell if this is the case:

- Open up the "Device Manager", right-click on the device and select 'Properties' and it will tell you if the device is properly functioning.

- In the 'Start Menu', type in the search box: "Create and format hard disk partitions" then select the first item that comes up. If the partition is unallocated or RAW, then you will need to delete the old partition and re-format it. Make sure it is the right one and that it matches the size of your SD card and not another device.

My guess is on the card, since none of the reader (pc's or switch's) can read it from what he says

SylverReZ · Dec 24, 2022

Noctosphere said:
My guess is on the card, since none of the reader (pc's or switch's) can read it from what he says

"h2testw" or "FakeFlashTest" is your next bet.

Noctosphere · Dec 24, 2022

M4x1mumReZ said:
"h2testw" or "FakeFlashTest" is your next bet.

I don't know these program, but based on their name, I doubt it will help him
As I said earlier, it doesn't seem like a problem related to if it's a fake card or not
If it could be read before and now not, it means it's something else, no?
The problem with fake card is just that they can't actually store what they say, right?

SylverReZ · Dec 24, 2022

Noctosphere said:
I don't know these program, but based on their name, I doubt it will help him
As I said earlier, it doesn't seem like a problem related to if it's a fake card or not
If it could be read before and now not, it means it's something else, no?
The problem with fake card is just that they can't actually store what they say, right?

I have never seen any fake Nintendo branded SD cards in the wild from my knowledge, so it might be just a corrupted card. If none of these solutions help, then it might be best to just buy another SD card and get a full refund.

Noctosphere · Dec 24, 2022

M4x1mumReZ said:
I have never seen any fake Nintendo branded SD cards in the wild from my knowledge, so it might be just a corrupted card. If none of these solutions help, then it might be best to just buy another SD card.

and get a refund?

SylverReZ · Dec 24, 2022

Noctosphere said:
and get a refund?

Yes, definitely.

linuxares · Dec 24, 2022

Sadly it sounds like it's broken. If two different systems can't see it. It really sounds damaged.

SylverReZ · Dec 24, 2022

linuxares said:
Sadly it sounds like it's broken. If two different systems can't see it. It really sounds damaged.

I can agree with you on this, it definitely sounds like the card was the culprit and neither the PC or reader was causing the issue.

fringle · Dec 24, 2022

Unfortunately SD cards can be quite volatile and are be prone to an early death if they are succumbed to, too many read/write cycles. As a side note, don't remove them when the device they are in is powered on or if using a computer remember to first unmount them as this is known to cause random corruption of data and can possibly brick the card as well.

CoolMe · Dec 24, 2022

Use something like AOMEI partition manager it should tell you if it's unallocated partition. Also you should try with a different sd card adapter, and usb reader.

Deleted member 625007 · Dec 24, 2022

Noctosphere said:
I wouldn't say fake
If it worked before and now just cannot be read, i doubt it's a fake problem
I don't know what the problem could be, but when the SD card is fake, you can still read it with the console/PC except that the memory is flashed, meaning that the first (lets say) 16gb are real, the other part of the memory are fake and won't store anything

It worked well before with 256GB. but now it is unreadable