Formatting an SD card refers to the process of preparing the card for use by erasing all the existing data on it and creating a new file system structure on it. This makes the SD card ready for storing new data, and can also help resolve any issues with the card, such as corruption of the file system, which can prevent the card from being read by devices.
There are different file systems that can be used to format an SD card, such as FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS, depending on the intended use and the device you will use the card with. For example, some devices may only support a specific file system, so choosing the right one is essential.
It’s important to note that formatting an SD card will permanently erase all the data on it, so it’s important to back up any important files before formatting the card. Let’s see what will be the reasons for an accidental formatting in the next section.
What are the Reasons for Accidental Formatting?
User Error: One of the most common causes of accidental formatting is when a user accidentally selects the wrong drive or partition to format. This can happen when a user is installing a new operating system or reformatting a drive.
Malicious Software: Malicious software can cause accidental formatting by infecting a computer and corrupting the file system, which can cause the system to format the drive automatically.
Hardware Failure: Hardware failure, such as a corrupted hard drive controller, can cause a computer to format a drive incorrectly.
Human Error: Accidental formatting can also occur when a user accidentally deletes important files or removes a drive without properly ejecting it.
Automatic Formatting: Some devices and operating systems automatically format drives when they are connected, which can cause accidental formatting if the user is not aware of the process.
In most cases, accidental formatting leads to the loss of important data, making it important to take preventative measures and back up important files regularly. If you accidentally formatted the SD card by the above scenarios. Follow the next section for formatted SD card data recovery
Easy Ways to Recover Data From Formatted SD Cards
Method 1: Recover Files from Formatted SD Card using the Command Prompt
Try the command line to recover data from the formatted SD card:
- First of all, connect your SD card to the computer via Card Reader or the SD card port.
- Type CMD in the search box and right-click on cmd and select Run as Administrator.
- Type the command: chkdsk F: /f and press Enter ( Replace F – with your drive letter ) and input Y and press Enter again
- Type – F and press Enter and Type – F:\>attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.* and hit Enter ( Replace F – with your drive letter )
- Once, you have done the above process you can get back your lost files and get saved them in a newly created folder on the SD card
If you were unable to recover data from formatted SD card using the CMD, you have to go with data recovery software for the quick and safe recovery of data.
Yodot Hard Drive Recovery is a one-stop solution for formatted SD card data recovery, this tools works on a advanced recovery technology to recover data from formatted devices. This tool supports FAT16, FAT32, NTFS5, ReFS file systems etc.. on the SD card. Download and try the tool now for free.
Method 2: Recover Data from Formatted SD Card using Yodot Hard Drive Recovery tool
Steps for Formatted SD Card Data Recovery:
- Download and Install Yodot Hard drive recovery software on the system and connect the SD Card.
- Click on Formatted/Reformatted Recovery to recover data from the formatted SD card.
- The tool shows the available Volume/Drives, Select the SD card and click on Next
- Once you click on next, the software starts the scanning process and displays the recovered data in Two View Types.
- Preview the recovered files using the Preview option.
- Save the recovered files to the desired location of your choice, rather than from the recovered drive.
Tips to Avoid Data Loss During SD Card Formatting:
Here are the tips to protect your Data before formatting the SD card:
- Copy all the data saved in the SD card to your Personal computer.
- Backup SD card to Cloud services like Google Drive, One Drive, etc..
- Copy and paste the files to another Backup SD Card, so that you can retrieve data from SD Card irrelevant of data loss scenarios.
Conclusion:
This article has clearly talked about recovering data from formatted SD card, by the tried and tested methods. Make use of the methods effectively for formatted SD Card data recovery. If you feel that recovery scenario is difficult use the Yodot Hard Drive Recovery tool.
