Lexar 64GB Micro SD Card - format dramas. Shows only 27.64GB Capacity!

Forums › Desktop computing › Lexar 64GB Micro SD Card - format dramas. Shows only 27.64GB Capacity!

pinkbellbird

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Topic # 148696 27-Jun-2014 22:53

guys,

bought an SD card for my Note II, it seemed ok in my phone, but when I plug it into either of my computers, one W7, other W8.1, it refuses to read & prompts to format.
It didnt have much on it so I went ahead.

not its ended up formatted & only reading 27.64GB!

It is a legit Lexar card, bought in NZ from a retail store.

Ive googled my a$$ off trying to fix this tonight, but cant. Ive tried multiple software to format it including fat32gui, easeus partition master, mimi tool partition wizard, SD Formatter from the SD Association & 1 other.
Also tried the std windows admin device manager to format & thing.
anytime i format it only formats the 27.64GB doesnt indicate that there is any partition there or any other size to format.

Im lost with this at this point... hence Im here!

If I cant fix it this weekend, I will be returning it as it has a lifetime warranty. But Id just like it fixed tbh.

any bright ideas??

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Reply # 1075832 27-Jun-2014 23:04

Format it in a device that supports sd xd cards and see what happens.

Boot Linux and run gparted which is on most live iso images. Check there are not partitions made by your phone which may not handle it well doing the format.

Richard rich.ms

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Reply # 1075833 27-Jun-2014 23:18

do a quick format in a digital camera

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Reply # 1075834 27-Jun-2014 23:19

if that doesn't work return it

freitasm

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Reply # 1075836 27-Jun-2014 23:28

I have a Lexar 64GB SD card here. I found them a lot faster than the SanDisk 64GB card. I've used the USB 3.0 adapter it comes with to format on my laptop, and currently use it on my ASUS tablet.

Have you tried format using another PC (not one of yours) and make sure you EJECT the card from the right-click menu (just in case your PCs have some malware).

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pinkbellbird

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Reply # 1075837 27-Jun-2014 23:28

Im using the genuine Lexar Card reader that it came with.

Ive also tried formatting it in my phone (Samsung Galacxy Note II) & in a spare phone of mine, new Samsung Galaxy Neo. No good.

tried talking with Lexar online help, they didnt know squat!

err... linux, gparted??

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pinkbellbird

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Reply # 1075846 27-Jun-2014 23:39

freitasm: I have a Lexar 64GB SD card here. I found them a lot faster than the SanDisk 64GB card. I've used the USB 3.0 adapter it comes with to format on my laptop, and currently use it on my ASUS tablet.

Have you tried format using another PC (not one of yours) and make sure you EJECT the card from the right-click menu (just in case your PCs have some malware).

I have both, Sandisk 64gb & this Lexar one, lots of gadgets!

I had originally plugged it into my Notebook, Acer R7-571G on W8.1, windows prompted me to format it. I did, but it wouldnt complete.
So thought id try sorting it on my PC, HP Touchsmart 610a on W7, same issues, hence I tried some alternate software.... and still not fixed, and wasting hours on this rubbish so far.

just tried it back in my Notebook on W8.1, it dinged to say it was connected, but thats it. it shows up as 'Removable Disk E' & cant be accessed, properties say its 0. lol!
right click to format & capacity shows up as 'unknown', but when clicking start, it tells me 'windows was unable to complete the format'
no surprises there!

over it.

I expect better from Lexar. paid a pretty penny for this one too, sure glad it comes with a lifetime warranty!

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freitasm

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Reply # 1075848 27-Jun-2014 23:40

Are you sure this is a legit card? Which retailer did you buy from?

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pinkbellbird

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Reply # 1075854 27-Jun-2014 23:50

freitasm: Are you sure this is a legit card? Which retailer did you buy from?

Oh na, its definitely a legit card. I work in retail & got it from our supplier Cellnet, who are a NZ Distributor for Lexar, even says that on the Lexar Website.

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freitasm

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Reply # 1075856 27-Jun-2014 23:50

In this case it could have been damaged. Sad...

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pinkbellbird

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Reply # 1075858 27-Jun-2014 23:58

sad yes, I like to think when I shell out for a good brand, it will last. Ohh the fickleness of digital products!

Not sure whether to accept a replacement or get my $ back & try another brand, another Sandisk or purchaps a Samsung card.
In saying that, Ive had issues with Sandisk cards in the past also.

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NZtechfreak

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Reply # 1075860 28-Jun-2014 00:15

Agree with your conclusion, if authenticity is assured this card is faulty.

Lexar are a good brand, I wouldn't be put off them by this one bad experience - all manufacturers have a sporadic failure rate. The reason brands become known as good brands is the QC ensures the failure rate is very low, and that is true of Lexar. If it were me I'd accept a replacement.

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Reply # 1075864 28-Jun-2014 00:49

It possibly is defective but the following might be useful to you.

To be precise, your 64GB SD card is SDXC. I think that is what richms was telling you but mistyped XD which is a different older card type.

Part of your issue is the different measures used for size on SD cards. Storage on SD cards is measured like disk drives in decimal GB =1,000,000,000 bytes whereas Windows Format uses the binary GB, called the GiB, = 1,073,741,824 bytes. If the devices were only SDHC compatible then you'd expect to get a formatted size closer to 30GB which converts 27.8GiB. That is close to the 27.64GB you mention which makes me think it is formatting as 32GB.

Potential sources of your problem could be:

If the SD card is partitioned in half then formatting would always be limited to the space you are getting. 32GB would be a logical partition size to use but I've not heard of any being partitioned this way. You can use a partition editor to check this - Minitool, Easeus, gparted, etc - but this is not the same as the logical drive formatting that you mentioned. I'm not sure from what you have said that you've actually tried repartitioning the card.
the SDXC card is being handled as an SDHC card. This can occur where there is no XC driver or the adapter has a problem. But this shouldn't work and it shouldn't be the case on newer devices like the "Samsung Galacxy Note II" you mention (I thought it came out in 2012). However, you can create this problem if you format your SDXC card in an SDHC device. Then you won't be able to read it in an SDXC device. See Before using your SDXC card.
the SDXC card is in fact a mislabeled SDHC card. Unlikely, but it would work like yours is.
the card is defective. Most likely if none of the above.

[Edit to add bold formatting and change first & last sentences - it's too late for me ZZZZZ]

richms

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Reply # 1075868 28-Jun-2014 01:15

Damn autocorrect, didnt even notice that when I was typing that out on the phone.

I have had lots of sucess in formatting cards as fat32 and then using them in devices that only support sdhc, but some it fails in and I did get one of my 128 gigs into a similar state where it wouldnt format in anything at all till I deleted the small partition that a phone had made, using linux because windows refuses to let you touch partitions on a sd card for some reason.

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rhy7s

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Reply # 1075908 28-Jun-2014 09:55

Have a look in RMPrepUSB (may or may not need to use Alldrives mode)

pinkbellbird

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Reply # 1076610 29-Jun-2014 17:11

I tried using Easus to remove any possible partition that may be on it. it didnt work. just wiped the existing 27.64gb & then made the card un-labelled & un-allocated.
thats what it does over & over.

Il get returning this card monday. Will report back the out-come from NZ Distributor.

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