Removable memory cards, as well as their closest relatives in the form of ordinary flash drives, are gaining increasing popularity among users as miniature storage devices. Most often they are used in mobile devices, in which a full-fledged USB connector for connecting a flash drive is not provided. However, computers and laptops can also be used. For this, stationary computer terminals and laptops are equipped with special slots called card readers (devices for reading memory cards). But how to use a flash drive of this type, if we are talking, for example, about microSD cards, because the slot of a card reader is much wider? Read more about this and much more.
What is an adapter for a memory card and why is it needed?
In the above situation, special adapters called adapters come to the rescue. But why use an adapter for a memory card when connecting a removable device to a computer or laptop? It is obvious! The biggest problem is that for the most part card readers, which are used on computer devices as slots, have connectors that are comparable in size to SDHC cards.
Thus, the same microSD card cannot be inserted into the corresponding slot. But the adapter for the memory card just has a size that exactly matches the SDHC. However, the use of such adapters is not limited to computers only. For example, the same can be said about some cameras and camcorders, which are also equipped with SDHC slots. In this case, smaller flash drives can be used to store footage. Just by inserting the card directly into the adapter.
How to insert a memory card into an adapter?
As for the practical application of such adapters, everything is simple. Each such device has a special mini-slot into which a smaller card is inserted, after which it needs to be pushed a little so that it fits snugly into the slot.
After that, a pair of devices in a bunch will be ready for use in the same card readers. But there are some nuances.
Using cards with adapters in card readers
Please note immediately that many models of memory card adapters can be equipped with a special write protection system, similar to what is provided for flash drives of some manufacturers. On flash drives, this protection is called Write protection and is activated by moving a special switch to the desired position. The situation is the same with adapters.
Many manufacturers install similar switches directly on the adapters, but they are referred to as Lock / Unlock. As it is already clear, if such a switch is in the lock position, it will not work to write files to the card or save the editing result directly on such a drive. The same goes for formatting.
What should I do if the memory card is not detected or the system reports that it is not formatted?
However, one can meet the exact opposite situation when the lock is not turned on on the memory card adapter, but the operating system constantly displays messages about the impossibility of using the device due to the fact that it is supposedly not formatted. At the same time, quite often even an attempt to format with Windows means nothing. In this situation, you can recommend formatting on a mobile device, where the same microSD card can be inserted into the slot without an adapter. However, this may not give a result, and if you reinsert it into the card reader, the operating system will become stagnant again. There is something to think about. First, check the adapter itself by inserting another card. If the result is the same, there are only two options: either the adapter itself is faulty, or the problem is in the card reader. In the first case, you can try replacing the adapter with another similar one. But in the second situation, you will have to check the performance of the card reader. Typically, this problem is associated not so much with device breakdowns as with incorrectly installed or inappropriate drivers. Open the “Device Manager” and make sure that the card reader among the respective controllers is not marked as unknown or there is no yellow triangle with an exclamation mark on it. If necessary, update the drivers using the system tools or use universal automated utilities like Driver Booster for this.
If this does not work, use the official website of the card reader manufacturer and find the driver there, having previously determined the device identifiers on the information tab in the "Device Manager". In the case of laptops, you can advise visiting the manufacturer’s online resource. Many of these sites can automatically scan your laptop for the standard configuration or lack of control software for some devices, after which a solution will be offered to troubleshoot (including installing the missing card reader driver).
Brief summary
Here is a brief summary of everything related to adapters that allow reading removable memory cards of those types for which the use of card readers or other similar devices is not foreseen initially. The most important conclusion from all of the above can be called paying attention to the card lock mode using the switch, as well as to the state of the adapters themselves and eliminating possible problems for those cases when the card is not read (or even not recognized) under any pretext.