Aukey files inaccessible on computer

[itchy]

Hi, I have an Aukey DRA1 with a 64 GB SanDisk high endurance I got a few months ago. I don't drive very much, so it still has video from 2-3 months ago on there. (dates indicated in the photos are off by 1 year)

I had something I wanted to transfer to my computer today, but MacOS can't read it. I can't even copy the video files. Also, MacOS reports the card as 29.5 GB, not 64 GB.

I had the G-sensor set to low, and I suppose that was adding locked files. I just turned it off. I can view the video I want in the camera itself, but I'm not able to use that file in any way on my computer. The file system on the camera seems really buggy, and when I set a file to unlocked, it shows it as locked. Then the next time I look, it shows it as unlocked. I can never really tell what's going on. Anyway, MacOS is able to unlock the files, but they're still completely unreadable and uncopyable.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

 

[Butterfly]

I'm afraid you got a fake sandisk high endurance 64GB. I'd replace the card ASAP for future proof. Where did you buy the SD card?

Try other program like VLC media instead of quicktime.

 

[itchy]

I ended up giving up on the files I wanted and just reformatted the card about 10 different ways. The Aukey native formatting tool didn't help either.

I'm definitely a little concerned that the card could be a counterfeit, but I'm still trying to understand what's going on. I got the card from a seller on Amazon named Calvin & Hobbes, but when I click the link now, it takes me to the SanDisk Amazon page.

It seems there's an issue with FAT32 formatting where most operating systems can't format cards larger than 32 GB to utilize the entire capacity.
I put in an inquiry to SanDisk, and they suggested using the disk utility from the industry SD card standards association:

SD Memory Card Formatter 5.0 for SD/SDHC/SDXC

The SD Memory Card Formatter formats SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card and SDXC Memory Card (respectively SD/SDHC/SDXC Cards) complying with the SD File System Specification created by the SD Association (SDA).

www.sdcard.org

Unfortunately, that didn't do anything for me. They then suggested downloading a Windows disk utility from Hewlett Packard (for my Mac?!) from download.com. Uhh, no.

There's a thread here that hints at my problem, but there's no solid info:

Can Sierra OS support Fat32 SD cards?

I'm buying a dashcam and have read that the Mac is not compatible with the Fat32 format for higher capacity SD cards that are 64GB and up. Is this still true in the latest OS Sierra?

forums.macrumors.com

I'm still waiting to hear back from SanDisk.

 

[SawMaster]

Cards larger than 32GB are not native to the fat32 format, and Windows will only format to native settings. There are several freeware tools to do this with. I'm using a cheaper W8 laptop and mine will only run the "MiniAide" freeware correctly but it works. Not sure what's available for Mac but I know there's something for you as we've got more than a few Mac users here.

What you should do is first format the card with "SDformatter" which resets the card to factory settings. Now run the "h2testw" freeware doing a full overwrite which will test the card for functionality. This will take some time. When it's done the report should show almost all of the card's marked capacity as OK (a tiny portion of the card is reserved for it's file reader code). If you're seeing well under the stated capacity then your card is either bad or a fake. If it's OK so far, use one of the freeware formatters and format it to fat32. After that, place the card in the cam, turn the cam on, then after it boots do an in-cam format. That should do the trick for you

Anytime you place the card in a device other than your cam it's best to reformat it in the cam before using it. Mac OS's usually hide a file or two on the card when it's used in them, so then it becomes critical to reformat every time. Normal dashcam users should pull the card and view the first, last, and a couple random files in between at least a few times a year to ensure everything is functioning correctly, always reformatting the card as above before using the cam again.

Phil

 

[Butterfly]

No need to try hard on your head why are cards fake.

Let's go into detail of your seller:
- CalvinNHobb. I know this name because they are actually characters from a comic book. Calvin is a kid and Hobbes is the tiger.
- Link you click goes back to Amazon: that seller is gone, disappeared forever.
- Legit sellers have better names for their selling page in Amazon. They also wouldn't disappear from Amazon after a while.

If you still want to figure out, I'd suggest asking a friend who has a windows pc and test your sd card.

 

[itchy]

Thanks for all the help, guys. I went through various steps as instructed by SanDisk, and they ultimately tell me the card is either defective or counterfeit. I never did the h2testw test, as I couldn't find a download for Mac.

It turns out CalvinNHobbs is still on Amazon, with good ratings dating back 12 months. I'm honestly still not sure if there's something wrong with the card or If there's just some formatting problem I'm still having. All the same, I've put in a request to return it to them and will repurchase the product directly from SanDisk's Amazon store. (But doesn't Amazon just keep a giant bin of these things and ship them for the sellers?)

Amazon.com Seller Profile: CalvinNHobbs

 

[SawMaster]

When you buy a card from Amazon, you need to get it directly from it's manufacturer, not a reseller, or through a "fulfilled by Amazon" sale. And you need to watch through the whole sales process as Amazon sometimes switches sellers on you, sending your transaction to the most popular seller instead of the one you thought you were buying from This is the only way you can be positively assured of getting a genuine card from Amazon.

Best to check every card you buy right away. As you've found, most of the best card manufacturers will have their own verification process to make sure yours is genuine, and h2testw, Crystaldisk, or other card testing freeware utilities can be used to ensure the card isn't defective or fake. Very rare to get a bad card if it's genuine but it does happen once in awhile;.

If you have received a counterfeit card from any online market like Amazon, Ebay, etc then be sure to file a complaint report with them instead of only getting a refund from the seller directly. This might help someone else avoid problems in the future. Fake cards are everywhere, even huge retailers like WalMart and BestBuy have been affected by them although they are generally safe to buy from as well. Never buy cards based on price alone, especially if the deal being offered is considerably cheaper than what other sellers are changing for that same card.

Gotta be careful out there- buying cards is like walking through a minefield

Phil