Help How to Know if a microSD card is DEAD

[The_Chief]

Okay folks, I have a dashcam and they're really good about storing lots of data, really quickly. Since my dashcam overwrites the older video files as it goes, it doesn't take long to wipe a card out. I had actually used a new 256 GB card in the dashcam: which is the largest capacity card it can deal with.

A week ago, the camera stopped recording (or recorded hit/miss). Knowing that all flash memory has a life span measured in read/write cycles, I figure this card was just written to death. I replaced it with a new 256GB card (I keep a ready spare for this very reason) and the camera works fine again.

Okay, so I'm resigned to trashing this card. Before I do though, is there any test available - on Android or Win10 PC - to check the status of the card and make sure it's ready to go that that big microSD slot in the sky? Or redeemable for other use? I've heard of software called f3 that does this sort of thing, but I have no experience with anything like this.

Thanks!

 

[Dannydet]

SD insight, in the play store

 

[The_Chief]

SD Insight is hit-or-miss with devices running Android 7+ and hasn't been updated in two years... as far as I know, it's pretty much abandonware. I use Fake Device Test instead - but again, I'll just have to pull my microSD card out during the test as I don't know of any app that can test flash memory attached to the USB-C port. Thanks, testing now

 

[Davdi]

As the individual memory cells are physically smaller in higher capacity cards, you might find that a smaller capacity card (64GB or even 32GB lasts longer. For what it's worth, I've been using a Sandisk 32 GB card in my dashcam for about a year and it's still recording OK.

 

[The_Chief]

Thanks: I actually did a full format of the card with my PC and I'll run a full scan with Fake Device Test again in the morning (when I don't need my phone for anything else). That may have revived it... then again, maybe not. Thanks @Davdi for the information: I don't know what your dashcam's resolution is, but this is a 4K dashcam and it stores LOTS of data. If this keeps up I'll try dropping to a 128GB card and see how long it lasts.

 

[Deleted User]

This never occurred to me, while I had been putting off buying a 1st dashcam. Useful advice here

As a general rule of thumb, I'll bury something if I think it's dead, but dig ir up if I later hear a scream. I have more than one ex - girlfriend who owe me on that score

 

[The_Chief]

I love the resolution of this camera: 4K? I can pick out incredible detail! I have a really nice SUV but that doesn't mean we don't go off-road in her. I sometimes pull the video, edit it in the PC and save it (or send it to my sister, who hardly ever takes her SUV out of the driveway - it freaks her out to see my beautiful Ford Explorer Platinum stomping though the wilderness).

I had actually backed a 360° 4K dashcam* on a crowdfunding site - it was developed, prototyped, ready to go into production when the COVID19 pandemic hit and shut everything down. This camera will tide me over just fine until production resumes and (hopefully) the new one will get here sometime this summer. If you can, hold out for a 4K dashcam... you will be floored by the difference in clarity.


* - You may see online ads for such a dashcam, at insanely low prices. They are all ripoff sites and should be reported via the contact form on this website. The legitimate manufacturer, ArVizon, will send takedown requests. You can also track progress and order your own dashcam at that website.

 

[Davdi]

My dashcam is 1080p front and 720p rear, That's enough for me - Car is 2001 Honda Civic so not hugely valuable.

 

[Deleted User]

So the dashcam, or some dashcams, will only overwrite when the card is full? and not a 1 hour loop as I think in early reviews (and they've only been on the market since 1861).
.... and 4k will obviously use up cards quicker than 1080p

1080 is enough for me, even 720, and there are good cheap midrange devices from Garmin etc, though if I could afford a new car tomorrow I'd put one in the back also or get a 2 way camera instead.

Right now I had been chauffeuring kids to school and sport in their cars, and delivering fleet vehicles part time. I scrapped my beloved car in September, so will look for ones I can dismount quickly or the kid's mother will buy one if I ask.

BTW the reason I haven't recommended a dashcam for their luxury SUV is I'm afraid of it recording my reflexive quiet mutterings of mild profanities or insults ("MORON!!") when driving alone after dropping the kids off.

 

[The_Chief]

As a recovering Sailor, I can relate... a lot LOL especially considering that my vehicle is some sort of "stupid people attractant" and they always drive right in fron of me. Every day! Fortunately, there's a setting in my dashcam to NOT record audio: which can be very helpful on some drives. However, since these 2-minute clips are constantly overwritten (newest over oldest unless I save a clip), most of my more colorful rants are pretty short-lived.

 

[Deleted User]

Yeh I was then thinking some must have an audio switch.

I think people like myself probably don't realise what we may have uttered during a recording, despite learning long ago to be courteous and calm etc.
Watching You Tube complications can be blood boiling though.

Good luck with the project.

 

[The_Chief]

It looks like this deep scan is going to take 6 hours! Well, that's an overnight task, as I never have 6 hours in a day that I can just set my phone down to do this... I may just pop it back in the dashcam and see if it can be used again.

 

[Chikay4]

To use the Android application known as SD insight.apk in Android 7 and above just make sure your phones selinux policy is set to permissive and not enforcing. Open terminal emulator, type su then type setenforce 0 to put device on permissive mode. To know if it worked type getenforce to know what mode the phone is in. You must have installed busybox in your phone to run terminal commands

 

[The_Chief]

SD Insight WAS great in the day and I used it a lot... but modern Android versions don't support it. I use Fake Device Test and it will tell you if (a) your card is legit; and (b) what the true capacity of it is. You can set it to literally write a bit into every single storage space and count them. I bought a 1 TB microSD card (the largest currently available) and it took quite awhile: but it's worth the peace of mind!