Formatting SD Card
Learning about formatting SD cards will help you to create space on it, and also solve problems of inaccessibility and unresponsiveness, in some cases. SD cards (Secure Digital cards) are used in digital cameras, digital camcorders, smartphones and MP3 players, to store data in the form of videos and images, and every such device requires the card inside it if you wish to use the device effectively.
Their maximum capacity is 2GB, and a new format known as SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) was created in order to get more space. The maximum capacity for SDHC cards is 32GB, and this enhances the space available for storing videos and images on the device. They slide into a camera with ease, and they can be accessed and removed with ease too.
When the SD card of your camera gets full, you have the option of transferring its contents to your computer via a USB cable, or with the help of a reader. Either way, you can transfer the contents to your computer and then delete them, in order to create more space. Sometimes though, a corrupted file inside the card makes it unresponsive, and causes other malfunctions to occur.
Formatting an SD Card on Windows
You can choose to format your SD card either by connecting it to the computer, or through the digital camera itself. Most new cameras have this option present on them, and it can be found in the Settings section of the Menu. But for some people, formatting it by connecting it to the computer makes more sense. This can be achieved either by connecting the camera to the computer with the help of the USB cable, or by placing the SD card in a smart card reader and then connecting the card reader to the computer.
Once you connect the SD card to a Windows based machine, a prompt window will pop up which will require you to decide what course of action you wish to follow. You need to ignore this window and close it. Now go to My Computer and you will see the connected device (either the camera itself or a card reader). Now you must right-click on either of these options, and then select Reformat, or Format Memory Card. This will carry out the process you were aiming for. If you see a window that asks you about the file format to which you wish to carry out the formatting, you must select the option that says FAT16.
Formatting an SD Card on Mac
It is a similar process on a Mac, and it simply involves plugging in the external device. What you need to do is open a Finder window and then click on Applications in the side-bar. Now you need to look inside the Utilities folder and find the Disk Utility option to click on. Once this application has been launched you can find and select the card in the drives that are listed, and then you must select Erase which will be located in the top row of radio buttons. You will need to confirm the action, and you may even be required to mention the file format of the formatted SD card.
Formatting SD cards is something that can be picked up with ease, but it erases all data on the card. So you must keep a backup of the contents if there is something vitally important in your data storage collection. Formatting it will also solve many problems from time to time, and it is also a good way of clearing up a clutter of contents on the card itself.
