How do I low level format a microSD card for my Android phone ? - General Questions and Answers

Hi guys ... So recently I purchased this 16 GB micro SDHC card for my new Android phone:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220524
The problem is that I'm not getting the 4 MB/sec write rate that this card promises ... I tried low level formatting it with this tool:
http://hddguru.com/software/2006.04.12-HDD-Low-Level-Format-Tool/
.... but the write-rate is still the same .. Both before and after trying to low level format the card, I'm getting a write-rate of about 0.9 MB/sec ~ 1.0 MB/sec ...
Other people who have purchased this card from Newegg have said in their feedback that they can at least achieve 3 MB/sec or something, and I'm not even close to that .. Am I doing something wrong ?

It depends on what the card is being used on. With a cheap multi card reader, you're going tto get low speeds. I get around 5 when it is plugged into my phone.
Captivate 2.2.1 OCed
Atrix Root
Nexus 1 2.3.3

WELL,you mean you get only 0.9MB/S to 1.0MB/S with your micro SDHC card plugged into a card reader?if so ,just read the guy above,it is almost the reason .if not maybe it's inferior,you should ask NEWEGG for service...

What are you using to benchmark it? And what hardware are you putting it into (what he said)?
I have a class 6 8GB. On my Android I used an app called SD Tools and another called Antutu System Benchmark on my card as-is (not freshly formatted.) I get around 5MB/s write and 11MB/s read. (Appbrain has the apps.)
Tonight I used HD Tune Pro on my PC (trialware) through a USB adapter. I got better results on the PC. I have noticed that the software makes a big difference. HD Tune seems to be the most respected on the net. I got 12.3MB/s read min -- 14.3MB/s max. Write was around 6 min/8 max in the File Benchmark tab (didn't want to reformat my card to test write speeds.)
Use a high quality reader. I don't know the specs on these but mine boots Linux and Windows OK and always tests at max speeds with my cards. It is a full-sized USB stick reader with a mini-sd adapter.
Update: I got very different results when the cards were formatted by different systems though. My class 2 card formatted with Nokia phone got 18MB/s read, but my class 4 formatted by my PC for booting got 6MB/s min and 14 max. All with HD tune in same card reader. All fat32. WTF??
I wonder if these programs are testing the first partition, which would be the boot partition on my class 2 card. Something strange going on.

I'm using the microSD -> SD adapter which came with the microSD card itself, and then putting this SD adapter into my laptops builtin card reader ... Is there any problem with this setup ?

Any hints on this people ?

Related

16GB Micro SD Class 6 speed issues

I originally had an 8gb class 4 card and when transferring files between my Nexus and PC I noted speeds of up to around 3mb per second.
I recently invested in a 16gb class 6, but now when I transfer files I am very lucky to even reach 1mb per second. This card is incredibly slow, is this right? I thought class 6 were supposed to be at around 6mb's per second?
strange that the speed is less that the class 4 sd, but u cud confirm the card transfer speed using a card reader
but in any case, you shud note that the phone limits the transfer speeds so u mite never get the full transfer speed of a class 6 card...
Oh, I did not know that the phone would limit the speeds, still, it does seem strange that the speed is less than my class 4.
I shall do what you suggested and try and get hold of an adapter to use my card reader
dannstarr said:
I originally had an 8gb class 4 card and when transferring files between my Nexus and PC I noted speeds of up to around 3mb per second.
I recently invested in a 16gb class 6, but now when I transfer files I am very lucky to even reach 1mb per second. This card is incredibly slow, is this right? I thought class 6 were supposed to be at around 6mb's per second?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you buy this card from. If it was off ebay, then it could be a fake & that would explain the 1mb transfer speed.
I recently bought a Kingmax 16GB Class6 microSD card. While I was initially transferring my files from my Sandisk 8GB Class2 microSD card, I noticed that the transfer rate was kind of slow, so I decided to do some benchmarking.
Software: CrystalDiskMark 3.0
3 different microSD cards using same USB card reader
Card #1 - Sandisk 8GB C2
Card #2 - Kingston 8GB C4
Card #3 - Kingmax 16GB C6 (new one that I just bought)
Here are the results (Seq Read; Seq Write; Random Read; Random Write):
Card #1: 17.08MB/s; 5.13MB/s; 17.09MB/s; 1.05MB/s
Card #2: 17.23MB/s; 9.53MB/s; 17.23MB/s; 1.92MB/s
Card #3: 16.05MB/s; 5.22MB/s; 16.73MB/s; 1.02MB/s
Summary: My new Class6 card was about the same speed as my Class2 card.
I approached the vendor and they tested a few other Kingmax card that they had in stock... all cards were reportedly about the same speed as the one they sent me. They swear that it's not fake. Maybe its a bad batch of cards but somthing is weird/wrong. Anyways... I'm sending my card back for a refund. I am going to stick to my Kingston Class4 card now.
1MB/sec can be indicative of USB 1 speeds, is OP sure that its connecting @ USB 2?
The class is supposed to be the minimum write speed, and I assume that to be sequential.
>Kingston
isn't that ring the bell? I mean they are pretty expensive....
I think if you go beyond certain level of quility, the pay off of such c/p ratio will get narrowed and you can't tell difference......
either go dirt cheap or go super HD expensive, middle is kind of "uh they are more expensive than dirt cheap but not even close to those expensive things....."
like my AMD vs INTEL war, cheapest AMD almost always beat middle/low Intel by cost + performance, or just go get best INTEL and enjoy the hell out of it.
happy new year

16gb micro sdhc class 10, write speed 6mb/s?

Hello!
I bought Kingston 16gb class 10 micro sdhc card and I tested it on my nexus one getting result 6mb/s and in unbutu getting same results. Both was directly pluged (Not Usb). I closed every running application in nexus one and I got same result. I also tested in different partitions and in ext2 I was getting little slower result than in fat32. But both were same or under 6mb.
Is there something wrong with the card or is it issue with nexus one that android 2.2 doesnt support class 10?
elkyur said:
Hello!
I bought Kingston 16gb class 10 micro sdhc card and I tested it on my nexus one getting result 6mb/s and in unbutu getting same results. Both was directly pluged (Not Usb). I closed every running application in nexus one and I got same result. I also tested in different partitions and in ext2 I was getting little slower result than in fat32. But both were same or under 6mb.
Is there something wrong with the card or is it issue with nexus one that android 2.2 doesnt support class 10?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please include where it was purchased, how much, and if there are any serial numbers/stamps on the card. there are known fakes in circulation (even brick and mortor retailers) fyi.
http://www.verkkokauppa.com/popups/prodinfo.php?id=1244 , bought for 101 euros. Serial in the card: SDC10/16GB N0206-001.AD00lF Taiwan.
ANd on adapter reads CHINA
wow thats really slow i have a 16Gb class 4 and i get 7 ~ 8 mb write speeds when the card is in N1 and connected with usb.
I would assume it's the card because as I and someone else stated above, get higher speeds with a lower class card.
As stated here:
It's my understanding that the "Class" simply refers to speed rating and thus should not effect compatibility. As long as the card supports the microSDHC standard and isn't any larger than 32gb it should work. You should also note however that in the past, vendors have claimed a higher class rating when the card did not actual perform that fast. I suggest buying from a trusted vendor with a good name.
32GB SD Card
Anyone tested the 32GB card, I know it's only class 2....
Android Class 10, SDHC3.0 compliant ?
elkyur said:
Hello!
I bought Kingston 16gb class 10 micro sdhc card and I tested it on my nexus one getting result 6mb/s and in unbutu getting same results. Both was directly pluged (Not Usb). I closed every running application in nexus one and I got same result. I also tested in different partitions and in ext2 I was getting little slower result than in fat32. But both were same or under 6mb.
Is there something wrong with the card or is it issue with nexus one that android 2.2 doesnt support class 10?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Class 10 should be supported, but they are usually SDHC3.0 card which is new I think...
I have a kingston class 10 as well, same issue, read speed is good but write speed is rated as 2gb, I tried to change the sector size to 4k and still the same.
For those thinking it's a fake card it is not! when I place the card in an adaptor I do 10MB write and close to 16MB read so this is a class 10.
I am not sure if it's the SDC tester app that is wrong or the phone
but since the phone behave fairly well compared to my class 4 card it could be the application. I will do some internal transfer tomorrow to see how fast they go
me too
P00r said:
Class 10 should be supported, but they are usually SDHC3.0 card which is new I think...
I have a kingston class 10 as well, same issue, read speed is good but write speed is rated as 2gb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same card on my HTC Desire... same results... only 2mb/s write beside 15Mb/s read
gary.lavin said:
Anyone tested the 32GB card, I know it's only class 2....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my comparison of Sandisk 16Gb vs Kingstonm 32Gb Class 4 card :-(
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=830087
I just saw your thread in this forum after I posted mine in the other
Sorry
G.

Micro SD - slow speeds, help!!

Hi guys
i recently received my Sandisk Class 4 16gb micro sd card, but im getting pretty slow speeds with it.
Its currently in FAT32 format.
When transferring files from my computer to the card via the usb cable, im getting 3mbps, which is much slower than what ive seen others get with a class 2 sandisk microsd card.
Also when i test the card using 'SD tools' in the app market it says it should have write 5.7, read 10.4, which is not what im getting and still slower than results ive seen others get with class 2 sandisk microsd cards.
I also have an old 2gb Verbatim card (with no class markings), which is currently in FAT format (not FAT32), that came free with an old phone, that seems very quick when transferring files, much quicker, and in SD Tools it gets - write speed 2mbs, read speed 17 mbps.
Questions -
What format should i set the card to maximize performance (not using app2sd)?
Is a smaller capacity card of the same class faster?
(is a class 4 8gb faster than class 4 16 gb?)
Is FAT faster than FAT32?
Is my card defective?
Should i return it for a class 2 as they seem to be faster?
Hope you can help
For starters, which of those 2 file system is really faster don't matter because you cannot use FAT16 on your 16GB card. FAT16 only supports up to 2GB.
Also, class 4 is suppose to be faster than class 2.
sounds like you got a fake Sandisk Class 4 16gb, a knockoff market imitation with low quality component
what is the actual speed test result of the write?
AllGamer said:
sounds like you got a fake Sandisk Class 4 16gb, a knockoff market imitation with low quality component
what is the actual speed test result of the write?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply allgamer, I've seen many of your posts on these boards and your very helpful
My actual write speeds are 3mbps, when transferring from my pc to the phone via usb cable.
I got the card from play.com so I didn't expect it to be fake. Are there any other tests I could do to confirm its authenticity?
Should I try different file systems like ext2 or fat etc?
3MB/s for a class 2 card is pretty good. I don't what you can expect more from that.
I have an Kingston 16Gb Class 4 and the writing speed from pc -> phone is like 2MB/s, much slower then it should. But in SD Tools its shows 4 or 4.8 MB/s writing speed.
dukuletz said:
3MB/s for a class 2 card is pretty good. I don't what you can expect more from that.
I have an Kingston 16Gb Class 4 and the writing speed from pc -> phone is like 2MB/s, much slower then it should. But in SD Tools its shows 4 or 4.8 MB/s writing speed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The card I got is a class 4, and being a san disk I expected better write speeds.
What is really confusing is why the 2gb card (with no class markings) I got free with an old phone is much faster at transferring files via usb despite it getting a much lower score in SD tools.
Can anyone explain that?

Problem with my micro SDs

Hi guys. Today I have received my new Sandisk Ultra microSDHC 16GB class 6 and I have tested it with SD Tools and the results surprised me much, it have clearly better reading speed, but the writing Speed like a class 4
Afterthat I tested the cards again with a card reader on my laptop, and the class 6 has ~20MB write/read speed. So the prolems comes from my phone, doesnt it? Im really confused now. Should I order a new card, and which one, class 4 or class 6?
thank you guys in advance
Try testing it in another phone and use SD-Tools again to see if the results are poor too.
As stated in the other thread regarding micro SD's I got myself a cheap 29 euro micro SD from Aldi and I'm getting decent results whilst benching it.
Now, the thing is, it seems every phone has its own way of handling those sd-cards sometimes. I bought the same micro SD as I have for my father, he has a HTC Sensation and it was giving nothing but troubles (the card sometimes wasn't recognized anymore, etc.), we also thought it was his phone.. Then he ordered a ScanDisk 32gb card for his HTC Sensation and all works again.
Connect your phone to the computer and format the micro sdcard to Fat32 with cluster size 32k. Backup your files before that. Also if your phone is rooted, search for SD booster in Market, install it, and change your sdcard cache size to 2048 KB or 4096 KB (whichever gives you better speed). Run SD tools again and check for improvement.
Sent from my Desire HD using xda premium

Moto G 4g LTE - Sandisk ultra 32gb microsd card won't mount

I picked up the Moto G 4g LTE version recently hopping on the fact that they added an sd card slot. Anyway, I purchased this http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-MicroSDHC-Memory-Adapter/dp/B007XZM6VG/
microsd card hoping for some nice expansion. But for some reason whenever I insert it it says damaged sd card, tries to format it, then says blank sd card, and basically loops this process. Now here's the weird thing, this sd card works fine (can read and write) in other people's phones, but just doesnt seem to work in mine!
I even tried my friends 32 gb microsd card and it worked (it was a slower class 6 varient),I tried *my* sd card in that persons phone, and it mounted and worked fine, the sd card works in my PC also.
I'm wondering if I need a slower speed card? Maybe class 6 or 4. Because I read up on another guys problem on here, his is freezing but he got a slower 32 gig card and now it works without a problem. I know he was having a different problem but I'm wondering if the phone is having an issue with class 10 cards.
Anyone having the same problem or have any idea what might be going on?
Arthemedus said:
I even tried my friends 32 gb microsd card and it worked (it was a slower class 6 varient),I tried *my* sd card in that persons phone, and it mounted and worked fine, the sd card works in my PC also.
I'm wondering if I need a slower speed card? Maybe class 6 or 4. Because I read up on another guys problem on here, his is freezing but he got a slower 32 gig card and now it works without a problem. I know he was having a different problem but I'm wondering if the phone is having an issue with class 10 cards.
Anyone having the same problem or have any idea what might be going on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
As I mentioned on the "other guy"'s topic, I experienced this kind of issues with my previous phone, which were entirely solved by replacing my 32 GB Sandisk class 10 card with a 16 GB Samsung class 6 card. AFAIK, fast cards may cause malfunctions with some Android phones, because of the access response times.
SbM_ said:
Hi,
As I mentioned on the "other guy"'s topic, I experienced this kind of issues with my previous phone, which were entirely solved by replacing my 32 GB Sandisk class 10 card with a 16 GB Samsung class 6 card. AFAIK, fast cards may cause malfunctions with some Android phones, because of the access response times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had the same issue. resolved by getting a different brand and lower class. all issues resolved.
I'm using this card bought thru Amazon for 17.99 ------Samsung Electronics 32GB EVO Micro SDHC with Adapter Upto 48MB/s Class 10 Memory Card (MB-MP32DA/AM)------
I have had 0 problems with it and high benchmarks, I use to use Sandisk but after multiple problems with multiple cards over they years I have completely abandoned them for Samsung and have yet to have a problem.
The problem comes from that, some cards won't fall back to lower performance level and thus causing issues for the device that it is inserted in.
Some devices does not have problem with that tough.
Another reason could be the file system used, but that's less likely, although not very rare.
And one more thing is that brands like SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston etc are the actual developers of the SD technologies and sometimes you may get a product that is using newer technologies, which often causes troubles.
I purchased same Sandisk micro card from Amazon as OP did. I got same results. It is sitting here on my bed with RMA on it to back to Sandisk. Just got a new speck sheet which was posted from the motorola forms that says the following:
Micro SD UHS-1 "The card will work, BUT the Moto G 4F/Lte WILL NOT SUPPORT UHS 1 - SPEEDS.
So it appears, a slower speed card is in order. I just had to purchase a Samsung 16 gb class 6 card. Would rather have had a 32 gb but could not find in class 6.
Random and Sequential of my 32gb Samsung Evo UHS-1 in my Moto G LTE using A1 SD Bench
Thanks so much for the input and advice guys! I was too impatient to order another sd card and wait for it to ship so I went and bought a random 32 gig class 10 card from a brand i've never heard of called "Monster digital" and it works perfectly. So I'm not sure what really fixes it, if it's a brand thing or size or speed or what. But my change from my non working sd card was Speed: UHS-1 -> Class 10, and Brand: Sandisk -> Monster Digital
Regarding the SD card issue. I tried with three separate phones with a 32gb class 10 and and a 16gb class 4 -- failed on two of them, but works fine on one of the phones. So there is definitely a build quality issue ( and/or difference ) between the phones, aside from the mentioned 'supported sd card class.' Both of these cards work fine on all other devices ( pc/laptop/tablets including old SD card readers with adapters )
interessant said:
Regarding the SD card issue. I tried with three separate phones with a 32gb class 10 and and a 16gb class 4 -- failed on two of them, but works fine on one of the phones. So there is definitely a build quality issue ( and/or difference ) between the phones, aside from the mentioned 'supported sd card class.' Both of these cards work fine on all other devices ( pc/laptop/tablets including old SD card readers with adapters )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wanted to give an update. Tested with four devices now ( 2 black, 2 white ) and First one ( white ) worked, next two did not work, but the fourth device ( black ) it worked to detect 32gb sandisk without fail. So there is _definitely_ a difference between them from device to device -- maybe even assembly line quality control issues depending on week of manufacture, who knows.
Very interesting (and puzzling). Do they all run exactly the same version of Android? Are they all exactly the same model (eg. XT1032) and the same internal storage capacity (8/16 GB)?
---------- Post added at 10:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 PM ----------
Oops, Moto G LTE is 8 GB only, sorry.
Yes.. exact same model/capacity and OS, all ordered within the same 1 week period ( two being RMA )
Can verify that the XT1045 4G LTE performs very well with a 64GB SDCard inserted internally, ALSO..with a 32GB MicroSD card inserted into the USB / Charge port..and runs both very well, and with both cards mounted..
Sent from my 4.3_14.14.14
(Unlocked) XT1028 Moto G
http://waynekent.com/page6.html
I have a Moto G LTE on order, and am wondering if the various problems people are seeing are due to the file system used on the card: exFAT or FAT32. I would assume the newer SanDisk cards are formatted with exFAT. Does the flavor of Android on the phone support exFAT ?
Another issue I've found in the past with some other devices and ROM's is that if the card is formatted as exFAT, it might need be set up as a primary partition and not a logical drive (using MiniTool or some such).
But we'll see what happens when the phone & card actually arrive
As far as I'm concerned, my cards were all FAT32-formatted, both the malfunctioning SanDisk and the Samsung that worked well. Nothing to do with exFAT vs. FAT32 then.
rhyang said:
I have a Moto G LTE on order, and am wondering if the various problems people are seeing are due to the file system used on the card: exFAT or FAT32. I would assume the newer SanDisk cards are formatted with exFAT. Does the flavor of Android on the phone support exFAT ?
Another issue I've found in the past with some other devices and ROM's is that if the card is formatted as exFAT, it might need be set up as a primary partition and not a logical drive (using MiniTool or some such).
But we'll see what happens when the phone & card actually arrive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exact same 2 cards ( check my previous post ) , tested on 4 (four) MOTO G LTE , 2 Samsung and a Camera and a Tablet worked only on 2 of the MOTO G LTE's + all the other non motorola devices. It cannot be the formatting or even the make of the card if it's a compatiblity issue.
DId not work with same Samsung microSD
castuis said:
I'm using this card bought thru Amazon for 17.99 ------Samsung Electronics 32GB EVO Micro SDHC with Adapter Upto 48MB/s Class 10 Memory Card (MB-MP32DA/AM)------
I have had 0 problems with it and high benchmarks, I use to use Sandisk but after multiple problems with multiple cards over they years I have completely abandoned them for Samsung and have yet to have a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am getting 'Removed SD card' / 'SD card removed, Insert a new one' error by using exact same Samsung 32GB EVO Micro SDHC. I could not format it by using Moto, so I did a full format in my PC, Same result. The microSD symbol is UHS-1 (one capital U with '1' inside') - matched Amazon's picture.
Try a slower card (class 6 fort instance).
My XT1045 and sandisk ultra 32gb card both arrived, and they seem to work together just fine. Android version is 4.4.3. Card came formatted as fat32. Promptly unlocked the bootloader in hopes of flashing slimkat at some point
Sent from my BN NookHD+ using XDA Premium HD app
Just got my moto G 4g delivered today and My 32gb Sandisk Ultra (which I had for 2 years in 6 different phones) won't work. looked it up, saw this thread and I'm kinda sad that I have to buy a new sd card for this when I paid a premium to have the ability to use a sd card in the first place. Nonetheless, I'll take the safer route you guys talked about and try for a lower class speed. Just ordered a samsung 32gb (not the evo model) class 6 from amazon for about 19.25 after tax. it should be here on the 25th I'll let you guys know if it's a good one to use. I knew kit kat didn't play nice with sd cards but this is ridiculous.

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