Sd Card Problems

[case]

If you've got a Windows box, and a linux live CD, you could try. .  copying the data off the drive on the windows box
using the Linux liveCD on the windows box to fdisk the drive: Delete all partitions, and then make a new partition, whcih you can then format in windows, and copy your data back.

All I can think of to try. It hasn't happened to me yet.
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Hey, thats a good idea.  I have tried all types of formating option in windows xp gui and command line.  I'll give that a try in the morning and post my results.

Thanks again for the reply.

[Ferret-Simpson]

Anytime, Anywhere, OESF will save the day!

Honestly, I actually find this fun.

[case]

Anytime, Anywhere, OESF will save the day!

Honestly, I actually find this fun.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=129396\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Hi again.  I partitioned the card with qtparted and then formatted it as fat16.  The zaurus still will not reconize it.  I did notice that before I did this the zaurus would freeze for 2 to 3 seconds when I inserted the card.  Taps would not register and the active battery charging icon on the task bar would freeze.  Now that I have repartitioned there is no delay.  The zaurus keeps functioning without delay.

any other ideas?

The card still works fine in linux, xp, and a pocket pc.

thanks

[case]

Hi again.  I partitioned the card with qtparted and then formatted it as fat16.  The zaurus still will not reconize it.  I did notice that before I did this the zaurus would freeze for 2 to 3 seconds when I inserted the card.  Taps would not register and the active battery charging icon on the task bar would freeze.  Now that I have repartitioned there is no delay.  The zaurus keeps functioning without delay.

any other ideas?

The card still works fine in linux, xp, and a pocket pc.

thanks
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=129475\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
[/quote]


Ok, I'm answering my own post.  I have solved the problem and thought this might be helpful to others out there.

Here is exactly what I did.  After I tried repartitioning & formating the card as a single fat16 partition, it still would not register in the Z.

Then I tried to repartioning the entire card as ext2.  Still the Z would not reconize it.  

Then I placed it in a Pocket PC.  It gave me the option to format the card.  I allowed it to format it and then ejected it.  Placed it in the Z and Bingo!  Works like a champ.

I place the card back in the card reader and looked at the formated card with qtparted in linux.  (At this point I was risking my life because my wife needed to print some documents and the machine I was on is a Windows XP box. I was using it temporarily with Knoppix.  So I hope you appreciate all this!) Below is the exact format of the SD Card after the Pocket PC formated it and it was working in the Z:

Partition        Type                          Size           Start           End
1                   Free        Hidden        0.01 MB      0.0MB          0.02 MB
2                   Unknown Active         488.48MB    0.02MB        488.49 MB
3                   Free        Hidden        0.01 MB      488.49MB     488.50 MB

So I guess there needs to be small hidden partition in front and terminally in the SD Card.  Not sure why but it definately fixed my problem.

Thanks for all the help.

I could not have done it without you guys!

[Jon_J]

Then I placed it in a Pocket PC.  It gave me the option to format the card.  I allowed it to format it and then ejected it.  Placed it in the Z and Bingo!  Works like a champ.

I place the card back in the card reader and looked at the formated card with qtparted in linux.  (At this point I was risking my life because my wife needed to print some documents and the machine I was on is a Windows XP box. I was using it temporarily with Knoppix.  So I hope you appreciate all this!) Below is the exact format of the SD Card after the Pocket PC formated it and it was working in the Z:

Partition        Type                          Size           Start           End
1                   Free        Hidden        0.01 MB      0.0MB          0.02 MB
2                   Unknown Active         488.48MB    0.02MB        488.49 MB
3                   Free        Hidden        0.01 MB      488.49MB     488.50 MB

So I guess there needs to be small hidden partition in front and terminally in the SD Card.  Not sure why but it definately fixed my problem.

Thanks for all the help.

I could not have done it without you guys!
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=129519\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Thanks, If I ever have a similar problem with an SD card, I'll try using my Palm to format it.

[Meanie]

Then I placed it in a Pocket PC.  It gave me the option to format the card.  I allowed it to format it and then ejected it.  Placed it in the Z and Bingo!  Works like a champ.

I place the card back in the card reader and looked at the formated card with qtparted in linux.  (At this point I was risking my life because my wife needed to print some documents and the machine I was on is a Windows XP box. I was using it temporarily with Knoppix.  So I hope you appreciate all this!) Below is the exact format of the SD Card after the Pocket PC formated it and it was working in the Z:

Partition        Type                          Size           Start           End
1                   Free        Hidden        0.01 MB      0.0MB          0.02 MB
2                   Unknown Active         488.48MB    0.02MB        488.49 MB
3                   Free        Hidden        0.01 MB      488.49MB     488.50 MB

So I guess there needs to be small hidden partition in front and terminally in the SD Card.  Not sure why but it definately fixed my problem.

Thanks for all the help.

I could not have done it without you guys!
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=129519\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Thanks, If I ever have a similar problem with an SD card, I'll try using my Palm to format it.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=129526\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

its probably the geometry of the SD card. basically, when you fdisk and create a partition, leave a bit at the front and the end of the disk free. its a waste but some devices have problems accessing the full disk geometry.

[case]

Then I placed it in a Pocket PC.  It gave me the option to format the card.  I allowed it to format it and then ejected it.  Placed it in the Z and Bingo!  Works like a champ.

I place the card back in the card reader and looked at the formated card with qtparted in linux.  (At this point I was risking my life because my wife needed to print some documents and the machine I was on is a Windows XP box. I was using it temporarily with Knoppix.  So I hope you appreciate all this!) Below is the exact format of the SD Card after the Pocket PC formated it and it was working in the Z:

Partition        Type                          Size           Start           End
1                   Free        Hidden        0.01 MB      0.0MB          0.02 MB
2                   Unknown Active         488.48MB    0.02MB        488.49 MB
3                   Free        Hidden        0.01 MB      488.49MB     488.50 MB

So I guess there needs to be small hidden partition in front and terminally in the SD Card.  Not sure why but it definately fixed my problem.

Thanks for all the help.

I could not have done it without you guys!
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=129519\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Thanks, If I ever have a similar problem with an SD card, I'll try using my Palm to format it.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=129526\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

its probably the geometry of the SD card. basically, when you fdisk and create a partition, leave a bit at the front and the end of the disk free. its a waste but some devices have problems accessing the full disk geometry.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=129571\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Hi,

I just wanted to say your web site is what convinced me to buy my Zaurus.  It is very helpful.

I wonder if the geometry problem is what others on this site have experienced when their SD cards quit working.  In fact, when I inserted the fully formatted FAT16  card in the pocket pc it did not offer to format it.  It was only when I formatted to ext2 type of partition that the pocket pc would give me the option of formatting it.  Prior to this I had not seen any description of geometry as an issue.  Only formatting with fat16.

thanks again for your web site and your help.

[speculatrix]

maybe the answer is to blast the partition information on the card to then allow it to be reformatted/repartitioned

something like this, at the command line with root login

  dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdcard bs=512 count=8

to erase the boot record and partition

then partition with
  fdisk /dev/sdcard

can someone with spare SD card try this?

[case]

maybe the answer is to blast the partition information on the card to then allow it to be reformatted/repartitioned

something like this, at the command line with root login

  dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdcard bs=512 count=8

to erase the boot record and partition

then partition with
  fdisk /dev/sdcard

can someone with spare SD card try this?
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I actually did this with qtparted, not from the command line.  I could see a valid partition with qtparted before delete but the Z would not reconize it.  I deleted, repartitioned, and reformatted.  Again, this was all from qtparted, not the command line.  After all that, the Z still would not reconize it.  I tried this both as fat16 and ext2 types of partitions.  I don't know if the command line would make a difference.  I would think not.  I tend to believe it does have to do with the geometry.  I looked at the card after the pocket pc formatted it with qtparted.  The only difference on qtparted was the small hidden partitions at the beginning and end of the card.  

I'm going to look at geometry of a new 1gb sd card when it arrives to see if it has a similiar arrangement.  If anyone else on the board has a functioning SD card it would be interesting to see if they all have the same findings with the partitions.

thanks for the reply.

[case]

Hi All,

I have checked my new PNY 1 GB SD card in qtparted.  It also has a very small 0.13 MB hidden partition at the beginning of the card.  The rest of the card is fat16.  The Zaurus reconized it fine.  

I believe that for an SD card to be reconized in the Zaurus it must have a small hidden partition at the beginning of the card.  The second partition must be fat16.  Again this information is based only on 2 SD cards.  But if you are having problems with the Zaurus reconizing your SD card it is probably worth a try.  I don't see how it could make things worse.  

Good luck and thanks for everyones help.

 

[Frankbonatelli]

Hi All,

I have checked my new PNY 1 GB SD card in qtparted.  It also has a very small 0.13 MB hidden partition at the beginning of the card.  The rest of the card is fat16.  The Zaurus reconized it fine. 

I believe that for an SD card to be reconized in the Zaurus it must have a small hidden partition at the beginning of the card.  The second partition must be fat16.  Again this information is based only on 2 SD cards.  But if you are having problems with the Zaurus reconizing your SD card it is probably worth a try.  I don't see how it could make things worse. 

Good luck and thanks for everyones help.

 
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Any reason that the Z would go from able to use an SD card (sandisk 2g) to not after flashing th ROM from a sharp english convet to the latest CACKO? I have been useing the Z c3200 for two month now with the 2 g sd card no problems. Now the Z refueses to recognize any SD. Locks up no screen taps bat charge stops time stops . The works!

I switch to the CACKO rom as it seemed that most users were haveing the greatest success with network conections. That also failed!!

Any thoughts on the SD lockup?

[case]

Any reason that the Z would go from able to use an SD card (sandisk 2g) to not after flashing th ROM from a sharp english convet to the latest CACKO? I have been useing the Z c3200 for two month now with the 2 g sd card no problems. Now the Z refueses to recognize any SD. Locks up no screen taps bat charge stops time stops . The works!

I switch to the CACKO rom as it seemed that most users were haveing the greatest success with network conections. That also failed!!

Any thoughts on the SD lockup?
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[/quote]


Sorry, I'm not sure.  If the Z works with the Sharp rom reading SD cards then
I would say it must be the Cacko Rom.  I would try posting the question in the software forum for that model.  I do recall there are some new SD drivers out for larger SD cards.  I'm sure you have probably already tried those.

good luck