How often have you noticed that a removable memory card used in a camera, camcorder or mobile device becomes unreadable? Indeed, such situations are quite common, and the main reason for this phenomenon does not always lie in the physical deterioration of the medium, since software controllers can often fail. Also, infection of drives with all kinds of viruses is not ruled out.
By what means can a media be “reanimated”? One of the most cardinal methods is formatting. But not all programs are suitable for such purposes. One of the most famous and powerful utilities of our time is a small program called SDFormatter. How to use this app?
What kind of program is this?
The application is a simple but quite effective tool for formatting removable media. Ideal in situations where the rest of the software in this area simply passes. Based on the name, it is easy to figure out that the program was originally intended for use in relation to removable memory cards of all known formats (SD, SDHC, SDXC). Despite this, using this applet, you can easily perform all the same operations with the most common flash drives of almost all well-known brands, which makes the program a kind of universal tool for all occasions.
How to use SDFormatter?
As for the use of the application, first it must be installed on the computer by running the installer on behalf of the administrator. The installation process in time takes less than a minute, and some settings do not need to be changed at all.
Upon completion of the installation, you can immediately agree to the start of the installed applet without removing the checkmark from the corresponding item. If the latest version is not installed, it is immediately proposed to update it. Here - at will. Version 5.0.1 is currently available.
If you agree to install the updated version, a redirect will be made to the official website of the developer, where you need to accept the license conditions. After that, the installer will load. The archive should be unpacked and a new version installed, after which you can begin to perform the required operations.
Now directly on how to use SDFormatter 4.0. The interface does not contain any particularly complex controls or settings. It consists of only one main window. If you connected the drive to a computer or laptop in advance, it will be detected automatically. But do not rush to immediately begin the basic formatting operation. Let's see how to use SDFormatter in terms of setting your preferred options. As a rule, ordinary users do not need to change any parameters. However, here you need to pay attention to some important points.
Firstly, it is immediately necessary to determine the type of formatting (fast or full). Secondly, in case of damage to the media, when even the operating system is not able to recognize the initial amount of memory of the device, it is worth activating the volume recognition settings item. By the way, in the fourth version of the program such an option is absent, but in the fifth it is. However, this parameter may be inactive if everything is ok with the card or flash drive.
How to use SDFormatter v 4.0: formatting technique
The preparatory stages are completed. Now let's see how to use SDFormatter when the type of formatting you want is selected. As you already guessed, you just need to press the start button of the process and wait for it to complete after agreeing with the warning that all data on the medium will be destroyed.
At the end of the process, which will take even a few minutes in the full version, a message will appear indicating successful completion with brief characteristics of the formatted drive, including the name, full capacity, file system, and available volume. Please note that you do not need to select the file structure in the application itself. Formatting will be done exactly in the one that was on the media initially.
Epilogue
As you can see, everything is very simple. I must say that the program is designed for use by ordinary users, since it is as simple as possible. However, in practical terms, the formatting results exceed all expectations. The application really works very smartly and correctly, even allowing you to bring some damaged flash drives and cards back to life. At the same time, the need for low-level formatting disappears altogether, since even with such unpretentious means you can ensure that a failed drive will work again.