How to Delete a Flash Card Partition

Flash cards are memory units used in various handheld devices such as cameras and phones to store and transfer large amounts of data in a small space. Much like the hard disk drive on your computer, a flash card can be segmented into multiple partitions that store data in different areas on the card. If you no longer need extra partitions on a flash card, you can delete the existing partitions by using the disk management tool that comes with your computer's operating system.

Instructions

1. 

   Check the ports on the front and back of your computer to determine if it already has a built-in card reading unit. Remove the flash card from your handheld device and insert it into the appropriate card slot on the computer. If your computer does not have an internal card reader, purchase an external card reading unit, connect the card reader to an open USB port on your computer, and then insert the flash card into the card reader (see Additional Resources).

2. 

   Close the window that will pop up asking what action you want to take with the new device and do not choose any of the displayed options. Click on the "Start" button at the bottom left of the computer's desktop. Scroll up through the Start menu and click on "Control Panel."

3. 

   Locate the wheel icon with the blue check marks labeled as "Administrative Tools" and click on it. Scroll down through the list of icons that will appear in the window and double-click the icon named "Computer Management." Wait for a new window to appear asking if you want to proceed and click on the "Continue" button.

4. 

   Find the "Storage" heading located at the left side of the new window that will pop up. Click on the heading to bring up a new menu. Click on "Disk Management" to call up a list of all the devices attached to your computer in the center panel of the window.

5. Locate the entry for your flash card in the list of attached devices and right-click on it. Scroll down through the menu that will pop up and choose the "Delete Partition" option. Click on "Start" to delete the partition.

Tips & Warnings

• You must be logged into your computer as an administrator or you will not be able to access the Computer Management menu.

• Deleting a partition will completely and permanently erase all of the data that were stored on that partition so make sure to backup all of the files to a different location before you remove the partition from the flash card.

References

• How to Remove Partitions

Resources

• Buy External Card Readers