MicroSD and game install issue

[Retro]

So I have killed 3 micro SD cards a 1tb, a 64gb and a 32gb. I put the card in, did a format on the 1tb and it no longer recgonizes it in ANYTHING, the streamdeck, a phone or a computer.... the 32 was the same way... the 64 it worked then I downloaded fallout 3 and shelters to it and when I went to play them the TRIED to load, the went back to the screen where I installed the game and it shows "install" and when you do so it tells you the game is installed somewhere else. take the memory card out in keeps saying its installed somewhere else.... now I cant ever install those 2 games again. what do I do to be able to install the games again. Im starting to not like the steam deck with these issues. **EDIT** game install issue has been fixed and posted as a comment. Still no fix for steamdeck eating micro SD cards. So Im looking into a Wifi external HDD

[Mahjik]

The micro SD behavior is odd. But at least on the game part, have you tried doing a Factory Reset?

[Retro]

So I can't fix it killing my SD cards making them unwriteable and detectable in any device... but after following this link https://retroresolve.com/how-to-set-up-external-hard-drives-on-steam-deck/ instructions I was able to connect a 300gb internal HDD via sata to usb and I went to the application folder in dolphin via desktop mode to delete the 2 games i installed and now I can install those again.

[PopinFRESH]

Does it give you an error when you try to format them in the SteamDeck? If so which error message?

[Retro]

For the 1st 2 sd cards yes. they were working fine in other devices. Then I would put it into the Steam Deck and Get an Error, upon taking it out and putting it in other devices to see if it was the SD card or maybe false error, they no longer detect in other devices. put them back in the deck and they dont recognize there. the 3rd one I put it int, it formatted with NO error, and then installed a game to it. everything was fine... then you click "play" on the game and it started to load then it stops and goes back to the main menu and instead of "play" it showed install. if I installed to main drive it will tell you it's installed somewhere else. try the 3rd SD card in other devices and it doesn't detect in other devices and then put it back in the deck and it doesn't detect.
right now I have fallout 4 installing to an external hard drive... but that is gonna take a while, it's been 3 hours since i started the install and it's only at 43 of the 80 some gb. but I have an idea and hope it can "restore" the SD cards. if my idea works it could help a LOT of others who lost cards like me.

[Jâbbérwôkkï]

Try (if you have a windows pc w a card reader in it handy), put the cards in the reader. Does Windows make the drive insertion noise when you do? If so do the following:

1 R-click the start menu select Disk Management from the context menu
2 Find your SD card in the list of drives that appears, R-click it & select delete volume
3 Next, R-click again select create new volume, follow the screens until you get to the format options & choose the fat file system (Deck can't read NTFS).

When the process is complete, the deck should be able to read it again. It may try to format the card again if so let it. What happened to the cards is their partition tables (the info that tells the OS which device it was formatted for use with) got corrupted. This process will fix the table & make the card usable again. (It would only not work if the card were bad or there was a hardware problem w the card reader.

[Retro]

with out emotion let me re iterate the SD cards are not being detected in ANY device... IE I have done disk management for the disks and they dont show there or explorer or on phone or my macbook

[Astr0Tin]

I've had the same problem with a SD card bought from Argos,Its no longer detected on any device after putting it in my deck.
I really doubt Argos would be selling counterfeit SD cards too.
It seems to be hit or miss in this area however I'm not Linux literate either so I could have probably avoided it happening had I had known a little more sooner

[tfk]

I read in OPs post that the sdcard can't be read on other systems. I don't think that is a hardware issue. When inserted into the card slot, steamos formats it in the ext4 file system.

I would recommend booting another system with a live boot Linux distro and connecting the sdcard while running that. If it reads it then the card is OK.

[Retro]

Originally posted by tfk:

I read in OPs post that the sdcard can't be read on other systems. I don't think that is a hardware issue. When inserted into the card slot, steamos formats it in the ext4 file system.

I would recommend booting another system with a live boot Linux distro and connecting the sdcard while running that. If it reads it then the card is OK.

IT's not about READING the cards, it's that they aren't DETECTED at all. if you format them in 1 system, they should be detected in another system so that they can yet again be formatted to a new system. But the steam deck is literally "EATING" sd cards I have some ideas on something, when I am done with my experiments, I will make sure to enlighten people on any positive good news.

[Retro]

Originally posted by ZomTin:

I've had the same problem with a SD card bought from Argos,Its no longer detected on any device after putting it in my deck.
I really doubt Argos would be selling counterfeit SD cards too.
It seems to be hit or miss in this area however I'm not Linux literate either so I could have probably avoided it happening had I had known a little more sooner

Yeah mine were all sandisk ultras

[PopinFRESH]

Originally posted by Retro:

For the 1st 2 sd cards yes. they were working fine in other devices. Then I would put it into the Steam Deck and Get an Error...

What error did you get?

if it was:

The microSD card failed validation tests and cannot be formatted. Contact your microSD card manufacturer for support.

Your SD cards are fake

[PopinFRESH]

Originally posted by Retro:

Originally posted by PopinFRESH:

What error did you get?

if it was:



Your SD cards are fake

ohhh ok I forgot you know what my cards are and everything on my side... also get facts before making a statement, mine are sandisk, sandisk is all I use, and I do know for a FACT they aren't fake and are legit. so dont make an assumption about something till you know 100% facts! If we were to go to court on if mine were fake or real, could you with out a shadow of a doubt know they were fake no you cant I can cause they are MY cards and I bought them and know you werent there and cant see so have a good day!

Maybe you struggled reading the IF IT WAS and then the error that is displayed when your microSD card fails F3 validation due to it reporting a different capacity than what it actually has. Maybe you should get more butt hurt, that will surely make YOUR cards work.

.

[invision2212]

Have you tried going into desktop mode and using the partition manger? It may show the card there even tho gaming mode doesn’t see it.

[Retro]

Originally posted by invision2212:

Have you tried going into desktop mode and using the partition manger? It may show the card there even tho gaming mode doesn’t see it.

Yeah so I was able to save 1 of the 3 cards that way the other 2 are dead dead. I realized that the partition manager is the safer 100% better route now

[invision2212]

Originally posted by Retro:

Originally posted by invision2212:

Have you tried going into desktop mode and using the partition manger? It may show the card there even tho gaming mode doesn’t see it.

Yeah so I was able to save 1 of the 3 cards that way the other 2 are dead dead. I realized that the partition manager is the safer 100% better route now

If you still have access to your reciept, Sandisk will replace your cards under warranty