Hello everybody,
I’m trying to read a (probably damaged) microSD card from my computer (tried with two different computers, both Arch Linux, which can read other card without any problems).
There isn’t any singal of life (no /dev/sdX, nothing with GParted, testdisk, …); the only thing that I found was in dmesg.
Here’s the output of sudo dmesg | rg "mmc0":
Any idea on how to resolve?
just in case, you tried on two computers, but is it the same card reader ? I’ve seen more dead microSD to usb/sd readers than sd cards in my life
both laptops
with an integrated micro-sd reader or do you used a miscro-sd to normal-sd converter to put them in ?
Your output from dmesg didn’t paste.
Does the card appear in
lsblk? Also try cleaning any dirt off the microSDSorry, this is the output:
[ 8306.605559] mmc0: cannot verify signal voltage switch [ 8306.901332] mmc0: error -110 whilst initialising SD card [ 8307.544364] mmc0: cannot verify signal voltage switch [ 8307.837385] mmc0: error -110 whilst initialising SD card [ 8308.488564] mmc0: cannot verify signal voltage switch [ 8308.789314] mmc0: error -110 whilst initialising SD card [ 8582.217859] mmc0: error -123 whilst initialising SD card [ 8584.685053] mmc0: cannot verify signal voltage switch [ 8584.982799] mmc0: error -110 whilst initialising SD card [ 8585.628028] mmc0: cannot verify signal voltage switch [ 8585.926901] mmc0: error -110 whilst initialising SD card [ 8586.573009] mmc0: cannot verify signal voltage switch [ 8586.870849] mmc0: error -110 whilst initialising SD cardThe reader can’t initalizie the SD card, so no “/dev/sdb” (nothing on lsblk also, obvioulsy).
I’ll try cleaning it better, but I already used a napkin.
mmc0: cannot verify signal voltage switchsuggests something is wrong with the hardware (either SD card or card reader).-110is a timeout error, and-123generally indicates a problem with media hardware.You’re not gonna fix this with software. Try a different card reader, or if you think it’s the SD card, put a bit of alcohol on a cotton swab and gently clean the contacts. Let the card fully dry, then try again.
Obviously this is a hail-merry shot, but your card is likely physically done for
I’ll try cleaning it with alcol. Is it a good idea to use pressurized air?
Use isopropyl alcohol
Try putting it in the freezer for a few minutes before trying to read the data. Or heat it up slightly.
This is an old trick I’ve used to recover data from a hard drive or two. I suppose it could help if the problem with the SD is some kind of microscopic fractures.
It should be emphasized that this is just a temporary workaround at best.
If you need the data, a solid state recovery specialist may be able to assist you. Surely won’t be cheap as it generally requires reading directly from the flash through soldered wires or jigs.
Are there any recovery specialists who will give a ball park quote for data recovery from an SD card without requiring ones life story, bank account numbers and all your passwords before they will talk to you?
Listen to this advice if the data is important to you. Also probably don’t do anything else to the card just in case you would make it worse.
