Sd emergency

[Rgarner]

It was working fine last night. This morning when I (maybe) transferred files, it didn't show the separate folders the way it usually does. I was just about to send some more files but decided to check storage first. When I did it said that there was no sd card. I have since rebooted three times, all with the same result. The A02s was acting up.last night in terms of charging. Could this have something to do with it? This morning it was at 93% after being plugged up before 11:00 pm, but later made it to 100. Now it's at 90.

 

[Rgarner]

I shut it down and tried to open that diseased thing that holds the SD card, but it's stuck.. Should I try moistening it with a paper towel and water? Right now it's charging at 92%, with seemingly no.problem there.

 

[Hadron]

I don't know the card holder on this phone but "moistening" isn't usually my first resort with electronics!

Is this a SIM+SD tray (the commonest type of holder these days) or something else? I've never known one of those get stuck, but if that's what it is I'd try tapping, pushing in a bit, etc to see whether the card can be reseated (because although it would be bad design if the card can move, if it could then that would explain both failure to connect and the tray being stuck).

 

[nickdalzell]

Some more budget smartphones have SIM/SD trays that can be inserted backwards. This would cause a multitude of issues, from not reading the cards to having difficulty removing them. At one time, during the Note 5 era, you could even insert the S-pen backwards.

Usually when apps on a modern Samsung phone claim there's no SD card (be it the files app, music players, gallery, etc) you can go into settings-->Device Care-->Storage and see if it shows something under the SD card, whether it's mounted, read-only, or 'corrupt' (I've had many false positive 'corrupt' statuses on an S8 where a restart fixes it for a time)

Whenever a Samsung phone reports an SD card as 'corrupt' it pretends it doesn't exist and won't allow any app to act like it's present, even if the data on it is otherwise accessible.

 

[Rgarner]

Unfortunately, it's exactly that kind of crappy combo. I sure miss the good old phones that just opened. Yeah, it took a dime but it was worth it. Maybe I could get a spudger but I kinda don't want to mess with that if I don't have to, because I've never done that and have no one to walk me through it. If I did get it open that way, how would I seal it again?

 

[nickdalzell]

There might be an iFixit guide on how to disassemble an A02s. It's not a 'sealed' phone aka waterproof. The A02s has zero IP rating. Considering the knockoffs that Smoorez on YouTube has taken apart and put back together in working order are built much, much worse, I don't think it's that hard so long as you don't break the LCD or the ribbon cables connecting it to the board.

If just saving the card is your only goal, then having the phone work afterward isn't that big of a deal (it's a $49 smartphone after all).

I am thankful I don't have to live with a modern phone anymore. I successfully got Verizon to cooperate with me and get my Galaxy S4 Mini going again, which has not only a removable battery, but a headphone jack, screen size small enough to fit in one hand, and even an IR blaster, not to mention a skeuomorphic UI. The issue that killed my Thunderbolt was actually a SIM provisioning issue (putting the SIM into an A13 5G to test it out caused it to provison CDMA-less and broke compatibility). I could use my Thunderbolt if I wanted to, but the S4 mini has better features and app compatibilty.

Heck, I just spent a lot of time and some $$ to get my home's tech back into the year 2010, finally finishing it up with a 2010 LinkSys Wireless N router. Nothing in the home now goes past the years 2009-2014, the peak era of tech.

 

[Rgarner]

It's stuck for real, almost glued shut. I tried the settings trick and it does not show sd. What am I gonna do?

 

[nickdalzell]

Can you get the card out? Try it in a PC? Or you mean the SD/SIM tray is that stuck? IF all you care about is the SD card itself and not the phone, you can just take a hammer to it until the SD card goes flying and then pick it up, and reuse it. Or jam a flat blade screwdriver or pocket knife and pry the tray out.

 

[Rgarner]

I wish I could take a picture of it. It will not budge. That said, I don't want to destroy an otherwise working phone. Therefore I have decided to order the spudgers and try to figure out how to use them.

 

[nickdalzell]

I appreciate trying to avoid needless e-waste but unless you're sentimentally attached to it, it's a $49 budget phone, and IMO the data on the SD card would be the first priority.

I know some would probably find me crazy but if my girlfriend died and I got her phone I'd protect it with my life. I get attached to devices/software that remind me of good times. Part of the reason I hold onto 2010 devices and software are because that year was a good part of my life; where it peaked and where tech IMO peaked. It's been all downhill since.

 

[Rgarner]

You betcha. It's not all sentiment, though. It might take a while for me to come up with enough money to replace it. The spudgers are on the way...

 

[Windroid]

You betcha. It's not all sentiment, though. It might take a while for me to come up with enough money to replace it. The spudgers are on the way...

After retrieving your SD card: Remember to make a backup of your files, so you don't have to worry about losing them if something goes wrong with the SD card again.