Please Reformat loop (locked micro SD card)

[Ramacher]

Yesterday morning I got a prompt to "Please Reformat the microsd card" followed by "All data will be deleted" with the option to cancel or "ok". First I choose cancel but then the prompt to reformat came back up so I decided to select ok to format the card. Even after doing that it's stuck in a loop asking me to reformat the card. I took the card out and reset the dashcam to default settings and that didn't help.

I put the card in my computer and turns out the entire microsd card is locked/read only. I can view what's on the card and copy things off of it but I can't format it on my Windows or Mac laptops.

Anyone know how to unlock the card and make it writeable again? Googling unlock microsd card is returning results of full size sd cards with the toggle switch on them which doesn't apply.

 

[Mark65]

Hi, I've had that with two memory sticks for my pc, I tried all things recommended, in the end I binned them.

 

[GPak]

Yesterday morning I got a prompt to "Please Reformat the microsd card" followed by "All data will be deleted" with the option to cancel or "ok". First I choose cancel but then the prompt to reformat came back up so I decided to select ok to format the card. Even after doing that it's stuck in a loop asking me to reformat the card. I took the card out and reset the dashcam to default settings and that didn't help.

I put the card in my computer and turns out the entire microsd card is locked/read only. I can view what's on the card and copy things off of it but I can't format it on my Windows or Mac laptops.

Anyone know how to unlock the card and make it writeable again? Googling unlock microsd card is returning results of full size sd cards with the toggle switch on them which doesn't apply.

Are u using SD adapter for MicroSD to put in computer?, if so slider on the side of the adapter could be locked.

 

[Ramacher]

Hi, I've had that with two memory sticks for my pc, I tried all things recommended, in the end I binned them.

I've been able to revive memory cards that wouldn't even show up or get detected when plugged into a PC before using terminal commands on my MacBook but can't figure out how to restore the write permission for this card.

Are u using SD adapter for MicroSD to put in computer?, if so slider on the side of the adapter could be locked.

Nope, no physical lock switch on the USB card reader I'm using.

 

[DT MI]

...
I put the card in my computer and turns out the entire microsd card is locked/read only. I can view what's on the card and copy things off of it but I can't format it on my Windows or Mac laptops.
...

You didn't say what brand the card is but that is normal behavior for good quality cards. When the controller circuitry on the card detects a pending failure it will lock the card in read-only mode to protect the information that's already on the card. You may be able to reset by using the low-level format option of the formatting program from the SD Card Association - but I wouldn't trust the card even if that worked. Time to get a new one.