How to Reformat a Mini SD Card

It's important to know how to reformat a MiniSD card to ensure enough memory to store data.

The MiniSD memory card is a small portable memory card. The MiniSD is used in cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players and other small electronic items. ScanDisk Corporation introduced the MiniSD to the market in 2003. The MiniSD comes in many different sizes ranging from 2GB to 32GB. As the memory device is used, the memory will become full. Formatting the card will erase all the contents stored on the card, freeing up its memory. It's important to reformat the card every time the memory becomes full to ensure the card can be reused.

Things You'll Need

• MiniSD Memory Card
• Memory card reader or computer equipped with memory card slots

Instructions

1. Insert the MiniSD card into the appropriate memory card slot. Most computers have memory card readers installed. On desktop consoles the memory card reader is in the front panel. On laptops the memory card reader is on the side next to the USB port. If the computer does not have a memory card reader installed, plug an external memory card reader into the computer USB port. The computer will automatically detect the newly connected drive.

2. Close any open programs or applications to avoid loss of work. Click "Start" then "My Computer." Locate the newly created drive. The drive will be labeled "SDCard" or the manufacture of the card, such as "ScanDisk." The label depends on how your computer recognizes and labels the card.

3. Right-click on the MiniSD card drive icon. You will now see a list of options. Click "Format." The format process will now begin and bring up the memory card statistics. Click "Format" on the bottom of the window. The system will now reformat the MiniSD.

4. Remove the card from the memory card reader when prompted to do so. The reformat process is now complete and the card is ready for use.

References

• SDCard.com: MiniSD Memory Card Specs and Information
• World Start: Formatting a Memory Drive