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SD Card Problem

AngelG44

AngelG44

Lurker
Hey, everyone! So, I've been using my Nvidia Shield tablet for about 6 months now. I got a new SD card when I started using the tablet. I formatted it to my tablet and have been using it to store my apps, photos, videos, downloaded files etc. ever since. Well, for the past month or so I've been having troubles with my tablet where apps weren't working or constantly freezing up. I tried everything other than a factory reset.

So, I finally did a factory reset. I removed my SD Card beforehand. Well, now that I have my tablet up and running, I tried to insert my SD card back into the tablet and I get a message that says "Unsupported SD card....This device doesn't support this SD card. Touch to set up in a supported format."

How can I fix this? I've only ever used this SD card on this device. Are my files gone forever? If I can't get it to work on my tablet without formatting it (deleting all my files), then is there some way I can send all of the files to a different device so I don't lose everything? Please help.
 
If you have another SD card, try to insert it in the tablet to see if you get the same message.
 
lvt said:
Copy all the SD card content to a PC just in case.
Click to expand...
So, I can get a Mini SD card to USB adapter and connect it to my Macbook Pro and I should be able to put all of my files from SD card onto laptop? Sorry, never really worked with SD cards before.
 
AngelG44 said:
So, I can get a Mini SD card to USB adapter and connect it to my Macbook Pro and I should be able to put all of my files from SD card onto laptop? Sorry, never really worked with SD cards before.
Click to expand...
Yes you can use a card reader to copy files from the SD card to PC and vice versa.
 
Okay so I tried putting it on my Macbook Pro. It said the card wasn't readable. I tried a Dell Desktop computer and it said the card needed to be formatted before it could read it. How and why? I have so many files on it. I don't know what to do.
 
So I guess that you have formatted your SD card as internal storage instead of portable storage.

Am I wrong?
 
AngelG44 said:
Noooooooo! FML. Why? And how do I prevent this from happening again? Why did it happen?
Click to expand...
It happened according to Android's security policy, when you use your SD card as internal storage, the SD card will be formatted with a special file system that only your device can read, it's in fact a part of your device's memory. The card is unusable with other devices unless you format it again.
 
So, how can I use it as internal storage again, and let's say I need to factory reset my tablet again, how can I ensure my files will be backed up somewhere? What kind of useless s$%444%+383 is this? Lol sorry I am currently crying from losing really meaningful stuff
 
If you use an SD as adoptive storage, it's very securely encrypted and can't be read by anything else. You could ask the NSA or FBI how they might do it.

In fact several manufacturers have removed the option from their implementations of 6.x Marshmallow, like Samsung and LG. Their devices are external storage only for the SD.

To use it again as adoptive storage, there should be an option for it in the SD settings. But next time ensure things are backed up, like using Google Drive.
 
AngelG44 said:
So, how can I use it as internal storage again, and let's say I need to factory reset my tablet again, how can I ensure my files will be backed up somewhere? What kind of useless s$%444%+383 is this? Lol sorry I am currently crying from losing really meaningful stuff
Click to expand...
Just follow the instruction when you put the SD card in. Or you can format it using your Mac before using it with the tablet. Remember to use Fat32 as format option. Once the SD card is working properly again with your tablet, you can format it again as internal storage if you want, in can be done at anytime from the Storage menu of your device.
 
AngelG44 said:
I should just format it as portable storage then? Will I be able to keep games and apps on it?
Click to expand...
Usually no, because external storage as default with FAT32 doesn't support apps and games on it, usually it's only media, like photos, videos, docs, musics, etc. That's why adoptive uses encrypted EXT, so it can. The internal storage is EXT formatted.
 
If you use internal storage option, cloud backup is a convenient method to have your files stored somewhere in case your device has a problem.

Unless it's absolutely necessary, I don't recommend using internal storage.
 
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