Sometimes SD card recognized, sometimes not

[Moonraker]

(I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong forum, but it seemed the most relevant.)

New Linux Mint user here, just installed Mint 19.1 Tessa on an "IBuyPower" box that's about 1.5 years old. I installed it, did all the updates, and everything seems to work fine for the most part. As for the problem, I searched for similar sounding things here as well as several other places but didn't find anything like what I'm seeing.

Basically, I'm having an issue with a Samsung 64GB micro SD card not always being recognized/mounted when inserted. Sometimes Mint will see it, sometimes it won't. The card is recognized properly 100% of the time on several different Windows machines, so I'm pretty sure the card itself is okay. I haven't tried a different card (yet) because it works on other PCs.

I don't see any common circumstance or condition for when it's recognized or not, so I don't know what to think. Sometimes it'll see it and open the card, sometimes it won't.

Has anyone else seen this, or does anyone here have any ideas on what might be causing this?

[SuperBoby]

Hi,

Do you get any error message when it's not recognized ?

When the SD card is inserted, can you give us the output of :

Code: Select all

$ sudo fdisk -l

[n0body_special]

When it doesn't see the SD card, open gparted. If you don't have it installed, install it with

Code: Select all

sudo apt install gparted

See if it has an exclamation mark for your sd card. If yes, right click on it and select information.
If gparted is moaning something about FAT32, then congratulations, you are another satisfied user.

I don't want to scare you off, but it seems that linux and SD cards are a no-no thing.
If you don't believe me, see:
viewtopic.php?t=251636 (user grunting in August 2017)
viewtopic.php?t=264576 (user crying in February 2018)
viewtopic.php?f=90&t=284541 (me, spiting teeth today)

Stay tuned for more

[Moonraker]

1) When I insert it and it isn't recognized, I don't get any error message or indication of any activity whatsoever.

2) I'll get that within the next day or so and post it here. I'm still moving between the old box (Win7) and the new one (Mint), and I'm on the old one doing some cleanup before it goes away.

Do you get any error message when it's not recognized ?
When the SD card is inserted, can you give us the output of :

Code: Select all

$ sudo fdisk -l

[Moonraker]

I'll try this at my next opportunity (I'm not currently able to get to the new Mint box).

I could see if it just flat out refused to recognize it, but the fact that sometimes it sees it is what's puzzling me. I'm almost wondering if the SD Card slot in the PC has something intermittent going on with it, but it always worked before as far as I know.

Bearing the links you left below in mind, is there any general solution? Does using an SD Card reader plugged in through a USB cable work?

When it doesn't see the SD card, open gparted. If you don't have it installed, install it with

Code: Select all

sudo apt install gparted

See if it has an exclamation mark for your sd card. If yes, right click on it and select information.
If gparted is moaning something about FAT32, then congratulations, you are another satisfied user.

I don't want to scare you off, but it seems that linux and SD cards are a no-no thing.

[SuperBoby]

I'm almost wondering if the SD Card slot in the PC has something intermittent going on with it, but it always worked before as far as I know.

That was my guess too. Are 100% positive that it has always worked ?

[Moonraker]

I'm almost wondering if the SD Card slot in the PC has something intermittent going on with it, but it always worked before as far as I know.

That was my guess too. Are 100% positive that it has always worked ?

It started off working fine, and then it became intermittent. It's entirely possible that it's a coincidental, intermittent hardware problem.

I suppose one test or work-around would be to use a USB-connected card reader and see how that goes. That appears to work, according to this page:

viewtopic.php?t=264576#p1435476

If that does work then I'm good to go. It's clunky, but if it works, it works. I'll try it and post the results.

[AZgl1800]

I am using 18.3 Cinnamon.

I have more SD cards that won't work with Linux than those that will.
They work with my Win7 PC, but not with my Linux laptop.

[Moonraker]

So some of them work and some don't, are they consistent in reading/not reading?

Does plugging them into a USB-connected reader work?

I am using 18.3 Cinnamon.

I have more SD cards that won't work with Linux than those that will.
They work with my Win7 PC, but not with my Linux laptop.

[n0body_special]

Mine yesterday worked. Just for one time, just for half an hour, until I dismounted it. Now it isn't. And it doesn't want to work anymore, no matter what I do to it.
If you read the links I gave above, you will see that's exactly what many people are complaining about, that sometimes the SD card works, sometimes not. In my windows installation it works flawlessly, in the smartphone too.

Don't tire yourself any more: Use windows. If it occasionally stops working, then your SD card is faulty. If it works ALL the time, it's a linux problem. I bet my entire fortune on the latter.

Check: Do you put the SD card in an android phone? If yes, then I figured out what the problem is. In the third link I gave above, I found out android smartphones format the sd card in FAT32 (a filesystem that mint normally can read), but in a way that linux doesn't "like" somehow. I know it's not a very professional explanation, but judging by the hundreds of posts on the web, the rule is don't use SD cards with linux

[AZgl1800]

So some of them work and some don't, are they consistent in reading/not reading?

Does plugging them into a USB-connected reader work?

I am using 18.3 Cinnamon.

I have more SD cards that won't work with Linux than those that will.
They work with my Win7 PC, but not with my Linux laptop.

For myself, they all had to be plugged into the XD adapter in order for my PCs to accept them.
both my laptop, and my Win7 desktop have a slot for the XD size...

but, when the SD is bad for the Linux laptop, it usually works for the Win7 PC...

[Moonraker]

When the SD card is inserted, can you give us the output of :

Code: Select all

$ sudo fdisk -l

Here you go (this is with the micro SD card recognized, if it stops working I'll run it again and post the output).
Oddly, unless I'm missing it I don't see the 64Gb card listed. I see the 250Gb boot SSD and the 2Tb storage drive, but no 64Gb card. (??)

Code: Select all

Disk /dev/sda: 232.9 GiB, 250059350016 bytes, 488397168 sectors 
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: CE037EE2-0D4B-4F3A-BD49-9047AC601A68

Device       Start       End   Sectors   Size Type
/dev/sda1     2048   1050623   1048576   512M EFI System
/dev/sda2  1050624 488396799 487346176 232.4G Linux filesystem

Disk /dev/sdb: 1.8 TiB, 2000398934016 bytes, 3907029168 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: DE653333-BE50-4E19-A992-164F4043EC0D

Device     Start        End    Sectors  Size Type
/dev/sdb1   2048 3907028991 3907026944  1.8T Linux filesystem

[n0body_special]

Hey guys, breaking news:
- I noticed that sometimes, if I plug the SD and leave it plugged, it MAY suddenly start working after 2-3 minutes have passed. Some other times however, nothing will happen, no matter how much time passes.
- Second thing I found: if after connecting the SD card it doesn't work, then it may start working if I remove it and reconnect it.
This phenomenon takes place very consistently and the "solution" will always work in the end.

I have ended up connecting, removing and reconnecting as many times as needed in order to make it work. 2-3 times are usually enough. In windows installation on the same laptop the card still works flawlessly. Go figure.
I am giving up. Too much wasted time, and obviously something I will never fix

[SuperBoby]

Could you tell us what filesystem is in the card ?

[Moonraker]

Could you tell us what filesystem is in the card ?

The filesystem type is fuse according to the properties menu.

If I insert it and it's recognized, after sitting a while the card icon seems to disappear from the Desktop and also from from the Devices list.