How to Format a Kingston Micro SD Card
By Daniel Barrows
Although commonly used in cameras and camcorders, Kingston Micro SD cards can hold a wide range of data provided you have access to an SD card reader/writer. Available in a range of sizes (as low as 32MB and as high as 8GB), SD cards are a convenient way of physically transporting electronic files from one location to another. Should you wish to share your card with another person or simply free up space for new data, consider formatting your Kingston Micro SD card; the procedure for doing so is straightforward and easily completed within a matter of minutes.
Formatting
Download the SD Formatter installer from the SD Association website (see Resources below). Exit your web browser. Close any open applications. Locate the SD Formatter installer icon on your desktop; double-click on the icon and follow the onscreen instructions.
Insert the SD card into the SD slot on your computer or connected SD reader/writer peripheral.
Open the SD Formatter program. Select your SD card from the pulldown menu labeled "Drives."
Click on the Option button. To format the SD card without completely erasing all existing data, select "Quick" from the pulldown menu labeled "Format Type"; to format the SD card and delete all existing data by overwriting, select "Full (ERASE OFF)"; to format the SD card, delete existing data and attempt to perform an erase operation, select "Full (ERASE ON)." Click OK.
Click on the Format button. Click OK to confirm that you wish to proceed with formatting your SD card. Wait for the formatting procedure to complete. A notification window will appear and display progress messages.
Review the information displayed in the Completion dialogue window and click OK. If the information appears incorrect, repeat the formatting procedure. Otherwise, formatting is complete; you may exit the SD Formatter program and remove your SD card.
Tips
- If you are unable to see your card among the entries in the "Drives" list, click the Refresh button. If you are still unable to see it, confirm that your card is fully inserted into the reader slot. If you are uncertain which drive to select from the pulldown menu, note the text field labeled "Size." This will display the disk size of your currently selected drive. Choose the appropriately-sized drive.
Warnings
- Do not attempt to use the SD Formatter software to format anything other than SD cards. Formatting your SD card will erase all your data; back up your files prior to performing this operation. Do not remove your SD card from the reader slot while the formatting procedure is under way.
Writer Bio
Daniel Barrows has been working as a freelance writer for businesses in the Southern California area for over two years. He has also published articles online for websites like eHow.com and Answerbag.com. He has received a Bachelors of Arts in English from the University of California, Berkeley.