Our virtual lives are growing bigger and bigger, and with that we need more storage devices. While bulky hard disks are good for storing data, it is not very portable. So, SD card is the chosen storage device for many who require transferring data frequently. But SD cards are susceptible to corruption, which usually means that most of the data cannot be recovered. However, if you are careful, you can repair the corrupt SD card at home without damaging the stored data.Here is a step by step guide to recover a corrupt SD card.

Decide the method

There are two ways to repair a corrupt SD card. If you want to fix the SD you can start reformatting straight away. This is ideal when the SD card was previously empty, or if the data has a soft copy somewhere else. But sometimes we don’t have all the files backed up, so jumping straight away to formatting will erase all the data and none of it will ever be recovered. For that, you need to recover the files in the SD card before formatting.

Recover files on SD card

If you have important files saved in your SD card, you have to recover them before formatting the card. For that, you can use the card recovery software. You can download the software and run it in both Mac and Windows platform. CardRecovery is one of the best recovery software for digital cards. Apart from SD cards, it can procure content from corrupt, CF or xD cards and memory sticks. There is a free version to test how well it works.

Reformat corrupt SD card with a camera

If you have already recovered data from SD card, or don’t want to, you can start reformatting the SD card. One of the easiest ways is to use a digital camera. First of all, insert the required SD card into the camera. Next, turn on the camera and click on the Menu or Preferences option, depending on which camera you are using. Almost all digital cameras have a Format option under the main menu; select it. Some cameras prompt for confirmation; click yes, if yours does. The formatting starts; the time taken will depend on how much data is present in your card.

Reformat corrupt SD card with a computer

Insert the SD card into the computer’s SD card slot or a card reader if you use that. In a Windows computer, go to My Computer and right click on the SD card drive and select ‘Format’. On a Mac, select the SD card from Disk Utility and click ‘Erase’ from the Erase Tab.

Programs to use

If you are unable to reformat using a computer or a camera, you can download a program to do it. Go to downloads and download the program. Install and run to format your SD card.

Read the guide thoroughly and follow the steps carefully to repair your corrupt SD card. There is no way of telling how much data will survive, but the procedure will definitely fix the SD card. But stick to the steps, do not improvise and it should work perfectly. Good luck!

Author’s Bio: Matthew has been a webmaster for many years and enjoys helping people start a website. He provides web hosting reviews and other helpful tips at HowToSignUpForWebHosting.com.