SD & microSD memory card issues – and solutions

While this post has little or nothing to do with retirement, most people these days have a mobile phone, digital camera, pda and/or mp3 player. The removable memory cards which they contain can be problematic. Having had issues myself, I put up a MicroSD page on the R-A website a couple of years ago and it has been consistently one of the most popular, receiving some 150 hits every day – over 85,000 by May 2010 and 100,000 on Sept 8. So, if you do have an issue with an SD or microSD card, you are most certainly not alone and may find a solution there! Read on, if you’re interested.

There are quite a few different types of card and format on the market, but most cell phones now use the ‘micro SD‘ format with a capacity from 128 Mb to several gigabytes. 2 Gb is common and probably enough for most users. In addition to the phone’s built-in memory, this will be enough for hundreds of photos, music files and video clips. Cameras and players will use the standard format with greater memory capacity, up to 32Gb or more.

This flash memory card is held in a slot either inside the device or accessible under a small flap on the casing. When you want to download files to a PC or laptop, there are several ways to do it. One is via a USB cable supplied with the phone and used in conjunction with a software program also supplied by the manufacturer. e.g. Nokia Data Suite. Another method of file transfer is via Bluetooth – a wireless link between two compatible devices. Wireless LAN is yet another option for certain phones and network computers.

sandisk2gIf you have the necessary connectivity hardware, removing the microSD card from the phone and connecting directly to a computer is easiest. Because the ‘micro’ SD is too small on its own, it needs to be placed in a standard SD card adapter (usually supplied with an SD card device). This can then be inserted into the card reader found on many computers and notebooks today. Both internal and external multi-format card readers are also available from computer stores.

SD USB plug with microSD in adaptor

If there is no built-in slot or external card reader available, then a small, inexpensive USB adapter can be purchased and plugged into any empty port on the computer. It normally includes the adapter for the microSD as well. These inexpensive USB adapters come in different shapes and sizes, but on the right is a typical example, with the tiny SD card protruding from the standard SD card size adapter. Amazon in the UK sells a similar one for £1.50.

sd-expWhen this combination is put in a USB port, the computer should recognise it as an extra external hard drive and it will be allocated a drive letter such as G: – as seen on the left. It depends on how many drives are already in the computer, including the CD or DVD drive. The files will be visible in a file manager such as Windows Explorer, and can be copied or moved (to release space on the card) by dragging and dropping them to a folder on another hard drive or perhaps burning a CD for archiving purposes.

Unfortunately, many people encounter problems of one sort or another when trying to move files between their card and a computer (perhaps to transfer them to a larger capacity one), as well as formatting errors.

As it’s a bit long and rambling – even more than this post! – especially for someone looking for a ‘quick fix’, I am sorting the information on the MicroSD page into sub topics and will incorporate it here on the blog, where issues will be easier to identify. Readers can also comment below and be given answers which hopefully help others with similar problems.

Footnote: After using SD and microSD cards myself for several years now without many problems, I recently ran into some with two Kingston 4 Gigabyte standard SD cards (not micro), trying to use them as an easy way to transfer files between my desktop and the netbook I use when away from home or coping with mains outages – and I have yet to solve them. I will be discussing this as well.

For anyone who has lost media files on a flash memory card, especially photos, you may like to try the CardRecovery program I recommend on the R-A web page. You can download an evaluation version. This scans the card for files and there is a preview feature that lets you view and check what can be recovered before you purchase the software. If you can’t find what you want, it costs you nothing. Otherwise it’s $39.95.

Read the comments below. Contributors have also found some solutions and fixes to flash card problems.

NOTE: If you are posting a comment about a card problem, give as many details as possible e.g. make and model of the phone (or other device) as well as the memory type and capacity.

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Do you need to supplement your retirement income?

If somebody asked you if you wanted to create supplementary retirement income, the most likely answer would be yes. In fact, to continue living comfortably you may well NEED to do this. Realistically, there are very few people who couldn’t find a use for extra money these days. Even the so-called rich probably have less than they had a year or more ago, and it probably worries them as well.

Everybody wants to be financially secure, especially when they can’t work anymore. When you’re old and grey, or your health and mobility begin to deteriorate, it’s difficult getting a job. In fact today you could still be in your forties and be unable to get a decent, secure position in the business sector. You’re ‘over the hill’ already. It’s likely, with the rising cost of living and expensive health care of senior citizens, you might find it difficult to make ends meet with the money you have right now.

However, you can earn extra retirement income no matter how old you are. Are you nearing your retirement age and haven’t saved anything yet? Are you already a senior citizen receiving a paycheck that you won’t be able to live on indefinitely? Are you a young professional who wants to save for your retirement – starting now?

If you are any of the persons described above, then it isn’t too late. There are dozens of way you could earn a little (or quite  a lot!) of extra income, and they don’t all involve the internet, although working from home online is perhaps the easiest way. Men and women of all ages are doing this. Why not you?

Download a free report which shows you many different ways you could be making money from home and how to go about it. The good news is there are a lot of online business opportunities today that don’t require a lot of start-up capital, but they do require some time and effort on your part. But the rewards are worth it. You won’t want to attempt them all, but just find one or two that interest you and you can soon be on your way to another source of income once you’ve learned how.

There are several differences between conventional ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses and selling online. Marketing over the internet is not the same as selling ‘face-to-face’. It’s actually a lot easier and far cheaper to set up. Most people don’t like to be involved with business opportunities that require them to hound people who are not interested in their products. However, over the internet, that doesn’t need to be the case. People can choose to ignore your advice and delete your emails without embarrassment on either side!

One way of promoting yourself or your service or products (or those of others) is by having a blog or website full of interesting information on a topic that is popular. It’s not difficult to identify these ‘niches’. Provide readers not only with information, but solutions to their problems in the form of a service or a product they can buy indirectly through you, and for which you will earn a cash commission from the vendor – who takes care of the order and payment etc. You have no worries about that, and your commissions arrive regularly by check or in your bank account.

This way of doing business means customers coming to you instead of you trying to find them. Do this right and you really can make a lot of money. Affiliate marketing is possibly the easiest way to make money online. However, there is a learning curve and success doesn’t come overnight, in spite of what some slick internet marketers try to sell you!

Apart from blogs and websites, you can send emails to prospects and market your products to them that way, but you have to be careful about email marketing. You don’t want to be tagged as a spammer. How many spam emails in your Inbox each day does it take to make YOU angry? What you must do is build a list of potential customers and there are easy and legitimate ways of doing this without resorting to underhanded tactics such as spamming.

Whenever you promote your service, you have to be very wary about infringing on people’s personal privacy. It’s a fine line sometimes, but if you have their permission in the form of a confirmation that they will accept messages from you, then they cannot accuse you of being a spammer. You can also try to sell to family and friends, but it’s not a good idea as it puts obligations on people who may want to support you, but cannot really afford to.

There are many ways to attract business and custom from people whom you will never know or need to have direct contact with – if that’s what you prefer – but the more personal approach definitely has its advantages if you can establish a good online ‘persona’ and credibility. Learn more at Affiliate-Projects.com.

However, if you’re looking for something different, then download the free report I mentioned above. Even if the internet is not really ‘your thing’ except as a source of information, there are many different ways you can begin earning money from home, starting today.

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