SD card is not recognized
ajhart
Enthusiast - Level 2

Yesterday, my phone started not recognizing my 32GB SD card.  This was verified using Storage Sense where it indicates "SD card - not found".  I have removed/reinserted the card with no change.  I have purchased the same-sized, brand-name replacement card but it also has the same results of "SD card - not found".  What else can I do?

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Re: SD card is not recognized
ajhart
Enthusiast - Level 2

Here is a final update with my resolution.

I first tried a factory reset with a restore from backup.  This worked with my SD card upon a restart, so it looked like the solution.  Unfortunately, this worked for only about 30 hours then the SD card again went unrecognized on the phone.  I then did another factory reset with a restore from backup, this time with a new, validated SD card.  Again, it worked for about a day but then went back to not recognizing the SD card.

Next I did a full Windows 10 download and install using the referenced Windows Phone Repair Tool, again with a restore from backup.  Once again, it worked for a short while then went back to not recognizing the SD card.

I then went to my local VZW store to validate if there was anything I haven't tried, which they verified I had done everything they would do.  I asked about refurbished replacement phone (Nokia Lumia 822) but found the only Windows phone available was the Microsoft Lumia 735, which is actually a step down from the 822 functionality.

I then found a used Nokia Lumia 822 VZW.  Upon receipt, I ran the Windows Phone Repair Tool (since it was still running Windows 8.0) to upgrade to Windows 8.1, then did the restore from backup with the original SD card.  So far, it has run solid for five days without any incident.  This feels like the final solution to me.

My conclusion is there is a mechanical problem with my old Nokia Lumia 822 phone use of the SD card.  It does work find without the SD, but I have much more than the default 16GB to store.  Good news is I found a replacement and I have gotten very experienced using both the factory reset and the Windows Phone Repair Tool (both take about an hour, depending on the download speed for the Repair Tool as it downloads a pristine copy of the last OS loaded on the phone).  Bad news is it took three weeks to find a final resolution.  Hopefully this will help others with this issue (hint:  always have a current backup in the cloud, as it really speeds-up the recovery process making it somewhat painless and getting your phone back to where it was fairly quickly).  Finally, don't be worried about running the factory reset (with a current backup).  The biggest time impact was downloading all your apps (for my ~100 apps it took about two hours on Wi-Fi).

At this time, I still wonder:  WHEN WILL A WINDOWS 10 PHONE BE AVAILABLE FOR VZW?

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Re: SD card is not recognized
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

ajhart,


Thanks for checking into your options with us. We know it's important that you're able to store content on a memory card. We appreciate you taking the steps you already have to see if there was an issue with the card or the phone. As a next step, I would probably check to see if the memory card can be recognized by a computer or other device type, but at this point it sounds like there's probably an issue with the phone itself. If the cards can indeed be recognized by other devices, I would consider a Factory Reset of your phone to see if you can remedy the problem: http://vz.to/2dhAP6w  I would recommend doing a backup of the phone first. As a final resort, you can also use the Windows Phone Repair Tool: http://bit.ly/2eB93au


EricW_VZW
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If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

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Re: SD card is not recognized
ajhart
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thank you for the direction.  Yes, I have also validated the SD card is fully functional in my Win10 PC.  Agreed the Factory Reset is next...just need to get to the weekend so I have the time necessary to perform the process.  Will reply back with results (fingers-crossed).

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Re: SD card is not recognized
ajhart
Enthusiast - Level 2

Here is a final update with my resolution.

I first tried a factory reset with a restore from backup.  This worked with my SD card upon a restart, so it looked like the solution.  Unfortunately, this worked for only about 30 hours then the SD card again went unrecognized on the phone.  I then did another factory reset with a restore from backup, this time with a new, validated SD card.  Again, it worked for about a day but then went back to not recognizing the SD card.

Next I did a full Windows 10 download and install using the referenced Windows Phone Repair Tool, again with a restore from backup.  Once again, it worked for a short while then went back to not recognizing the SD card.

I then went to my local VZW store to validate if there was anything I haven't tried, which they verified I had done everything they would do.  I asked about refurbished replacement phone (Nokia Lumia 822) but found the only Windows phone available was the Microsoft Lumia 735, which is actually a step down from the 822 functionality.

I then found a used Nokia Lumia 822 VZW.  Upon receipt, I ran the Windows Phone Repair Tool (since it was still running Windows 8.0) to upgrade to Windows 8.1, then did the restore from backup with the original SD card.  So far, it has run solid for five days without any incident.  This feels like the final solution to me.

My conclusion is there is a mechanical problem with my old Nokia Lumia 822 phone use of the SD card.  It does work find without the SD, but I have much more than the default 16GB to store.  Good news is I found a replacement and I have gotten very experienced using both the factory reset and the Windows Phone Repair Tool (both take about an hour, depending on the download speed for the Repair Tool as it downloads a pristine copy of the last OS loaded on the phone).  Bad news is it took three weeks to find a final resolution.  Hopefully this will help others with this issue (hint:  always have a current backup in the cloud, as it really speeds-up the recovery process making it somewhat painless and getting your phone back to where it was fairly quickly).  Finally, don't be worried about running the factory reset (with a current backup).  The biggest time impact was downloading all your apps (for my ~100 apps it took about two hours on Wi-Fi).

At this time, I still wonder:  WHEN WILL A WINDOWS 10 PHONE BE AVAILABLE FOR VZW?

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