The microSD card failed validation tests

[Galebourn]

I know there are several threads about SD card errors, but I couldn't find any good solution so far.
I bought a SanDisk Extreme microSDHC 3 (A2) directly from the SanDisk store on Amazon and I'm very sure it's not a fake. The first time I tried formating my SD card for the Steam Deck, it seemed to go well and I even got a timer to tell me how long it'll take. After the timer finished, it told me there was an error.
I formated the SD card on my PC and put it back into my Steam Deck, but now whenever I try to format it for Steam, it says "The microSd card failed validation tests and cannon be formated. Contact your microSD card manufacturer for support."
I read that formatting an SD on your Deck for the second time might brick your SD, but this hasn't happened to me yet and I tried several times.
I also tried formatting the SD to ext4 and putting all the steam library files on it, but that didn't work, either.
Did someone who had this validation test error actually get their SD card to work afterwards? The card is perfectly fine and I won't buy a new one, just because Steam doesn't like it.

[Esselket]

Not sure if this will help...but it did for me, so i guess it's worth to try it.
I had 2 microsd, i tried all what i could find here, nothing worked...finally i delete the partition from the steam desktop mode (KDE Partition Manager). I tried to create new partition ext4 but it failed every single time (both cards). Finally, i tried to delete the partition and then to format it again from the Steam mode option....It worked with 1 of the microsd.

[Stappern]

problem is still present, just got a genuine 512g tested as such and i get that error message.

formatted via fdisk in ext4 works fine after you create the "steamapps" folder and inside that "common" "temp" and "downloading". after that it get recognized in gamemode

[Bing.]

Bought a lexar 128gb, lasted for 2 days then just died sort of?. Won't format, says it failed validation tests yet formated fine on monday. Tried multiple fixes people wrote on the forums and on reddit. Ill return the card and try a sandisk a2, if that fails I give up on the deck for now.


Edit - After I wrote this I tried formatting in kde and after doing it twice(once ms dos, once gpd or whatever its called) then going to game mode, I took the sd out put it back it formated and now it is working, maybe something with emudeck or one of the roms ♥♥♥♥♥♥ it up? Either way its a ♥♥♥♥ around.

[Daddy Bear]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย lostgoat:

whenever I try to format it for Steam, it says "The microSd card failed validation tests and cannon be formated. Contact your microSD card manufacturer for support."

That error message indicates that the card does not match its advertised specs. E.g. the card advertises it supports 512gb of storage, when in reality it only has 1gb of space available.

If you would like to validate the card yourself to confirm whether steam's results are correct or not you can use f3 on linux or h2testw on windows.

Also having this issue i bought 2 1 tb sd cards both of them have been tested and have the space and both will not work.

[dpapaimc]

Same situation here . My card was working just fine with the steam deck until i decided to reformat it through stream ,which gave me the same error.. FORMAT error....and it's nOT FAKE!... so what do we do at this point?

[Ryancole77]

Hi, I have same issue.
Do u fix?
I buy I micro sd from AliExpress (Lenovo 1TB) but I can’t format…
U can help me pls?

[Galebourn]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย Ryancole77:

Hi, I have same issue.
Do u fix?
I buy I micro sd from AliExpress (Lenovo 1TB) but I can’t format…
U can help me pls?

You most likely got a fake one though. Never buy a micro sd from Aliexpress, especially not a big one like that. How much did you pay?

[Minneyar]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย dpapaimc:

FORMAT error....and it's nOT FAKE!...

No, it is. If you get that error message, that means the card is fake. Well, it's also possible the hardware is just bad, but it would have to fail in a very specific way to have the same type of error that a fake card produces. Yes, even if you bought it from the official Sandisk store; their suppliers have been known to give them counterfeit cards in the past. Even if you find a tool you can use to force it to format the usable part of the card, you will lose data as soon as it tries to write outside of that usable area.

Pretty much all you can do is RMA it and hope you get a real card, or buy another card if you got it from somewhere like AliExpress and you can't RMA it.

[Sonder]

Sorry for necroing the thread. But this is still happening.

Verified 1TB Sandisk SD. Can see it fine and format it in KDE Partition. Can see it fine and format it in Windows using partition wizard. Game Mode can detect it as present when it’s formatted in certain ways (and completely unformatted). But it can’t be used. I try to format it in Game Mode and it throws the error. I format it as EXT4 in the Wiz on Windows, or through KDEP on Desktop mode and then it doesn’t appear at all in Game Mode.

I’m at my wits end and considering just trying to return the deck. It’s a great little machine. But if I can’t expand the storage what’s the point.

[Zero-point pathogen]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย Sonder:

Sorry for necroing the thread. But this is still happening.

Verified 1TB Sandisk SD. Can see it fine and format it in KDE Partition. Can see it fine and format it in Windows using partition wizard. Game Mode can detect it as present when it’s formatted in certain ways (and completely unformatted). But it can’t be used. I try to format it in Game Mode and it throws the error. I format it as EXT4 in the Wiz on Windows, or through KDEP on Desktop mode and then it doesn’t appear at all in Game Mode.

I’m at my wits end and considering just trying to return the deck. It’s a great little machine. But if I can’t expand the storage what’s the point.

Please read more of the thread and the official response and realize you likely got a fake card - the operating system's basic formatting tools WILL see it as legit unless you do deeper tests.

Before writing off the entire deck try another card from a reputable source - I have bought cards from amazon that looked like the real deal too but the counterfeiting is getting very clever.

The valve response details both a windows and Linux tool that can independently of the steamdeck and prove it either way.

[hipthewonderchuck]

Facing this issue too. I am on my 4th micro SD card all are in the recommended specs as per Stream’s forms. This can’t be an issue where I have the bad luck of getting four fake cards in a row from different vendors?

Stan please take a look at your formatting tool!