What does a CD card look like? Formatting a memory card for use as internal storage in ADB

Before we talk about which memory card is better, we should distinguish between the concepts of flash card, USB drive and memory card itself. For most, there is no obvious difference, and we will not go into detail, just mention that a USB flash drive or flash drive is designed for storing, exchanging data and is often used as an installer for various. The flash drive connects to a computer or to any other device that provides a connector or adapter for USB. Memory cards are produced both based on flash memory and using other technologies and file systems.

As for memory cards, they are mostly designed for mobile devices such as smartphones, cameras, portable music systems, DVRs, players and much more.

What is a memory card?

Memory card is a storage device that is used to record and store digital information, for example: photos, music, documents, programs and other files.

A memory card allows you to expand the factory capabilities of the device - store and use large amounts of information.

Memory card formats

There are 3 formats of memory cards: SD, SDHC and SDXC, which in turn differ into classes (according to information transfer/reception speed), memory capacity and size. Briefly about each:

1. SD and microSD (Secure Digital Memory Card) are the most common format, as they work in all devices that support SDHC or SDXC formats. The only thing you may need is a Card Reader. Memory capacity up to 4GB.
2. SDHC and microSDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) – not compatible with devices that support the SD card format. Memory capacity up to 32GB.
3. SDXC and microSDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity) are the latest type of memory card, which has the largest memory capacity up to 2 TB (2 Terabytes) and at the same time is the most expensive memory card.

Types of memory cardsSDor their form factors:

microSD– are the smallest memory cards measuring 11 x 15 mm. Used as a memory card for a phone, smartphone, tablet and any other devices.

miniSD– today this type of card is less popular than microSD and has a larger size: 20 X 21.5 mm.

SD– the largest type, size: 24 x 32 mm. Such cards are used in more serious and larger devices.

Memory card speed classesSD:

An equally important criterion when choosing a memory card is its speed of recording files and exchanging information with the device. The speed of the memory card is responsible for the speed of recording media files on the card, the quality of music playback, voluminous video recordings without audio or video delay, and so on.

How to determine the speed of SD cards?

Information about the speed of SD cards can be found on the memory card itself; it is indicated either in classes (SD Speed ​​Class), for example: SD Class 2, SD Class 4, SD Class 6, SD Class 10.

Or, the speed of a memory card can be expressed in special multipliers: 13x, 16x, 40x, 1000x and higher.

These multipliers are comparable to the speed class and are equivalent, for example:

SD Class 2: write speed from 2 MB/s - 13x multiplier;

SD Class 4: write speed from 4 MB/s - 27x multiplier;

SD Class 6: write speed from 6 MB/s - 40x multiplier;

SD Class 10: write speed from 10 MB/s - 67x multiplier; The following symbols can supplement the SD card speed symbols:

V6 or Class 6: write speed from 6 MB/s

V10 or Class 10: write speed from 10 MB/s

V30 or Class 30: write speed from 30 MB/s

V60 or Class 60: write speed from 60 MB/s

V90 or Class 90: write speed from 90 MB/s

Where, V (V Class) is Video Speed ​​Class, which are capable of recording higher video resolutions. Class V guarantees minimum performance for video recording. Such cards are used to expand the memory of video cameras and digital cameras.

Among the fastest SD cards, there are cards with a 633x multiplier, which allows you to write to the card at speeds close to 90 MB/s and read up to 95 MB/s. Today, there are memory cards that exceed this speed by 6 times; we are talking about memory cards using the high-speed UHS-III bus. More on this below.

Also keep in mind that in reality the speed may be slightly lower than stated by the manufacturer and be sure to pay attention to the fact that. Why this happens, you can find out in.

Also, there are SDHC 1/SDHC 2 and SDXC 1/SDXC 2 memory cards with increased speed, which can be designated as UHS (Ultra High Speed). Such cards run on the faster UHS bus. They, in turn, are divided into other classes, which are designated by a number inscribed in the Latin letter U.

Today, there are two such classes on UHS:

Class U1- guaranteed speed from 10 MB/s;

Class U3- guaranteed speed from 30 MB/s.

As you can see, only the minimum threshold value of Class U1/U3 is indicated, i.e. This class includes many cards, which during use can operate at different speeds, both 10 MB/s and 100-300 MB/s. These two designations indicate that in this case, the actual speed will exceed the declared 10 and 30 MB/s, but not lower.

UHS may have the following data bus marks and indicators:

UHS I– write/read speed, up to 104 MB/s.

UHS II– write/read speed, up to 312 MB/s.

And a new type of tire today:

UHS-III– record writing/reading speed, up to 624 MB/s.

How to choose a memory card?

1. Before buying a memory card, first of all you need to decide on the size of the SD card that you need.
2. Select the desired card format, i.e. size that fits in a memory card slot or (microSD, miniSD, SD).
3. Familiarize yourself with the requirements of your device, the quality of shooting and performance. Depending on this, you can already select the required speed class, which will work optimally with your device without braking during photo, video shooting, playback and data transfer.
4. The next, narrower parameter is the additional capabilities of the SD card, such as waterproofness, shock resistance, protection against temperature changes, and so on. This item often applies to professional camera operators, photographers, or people who work in extreme conditions not covered by conventional SD cards. For example, the SanDisk SDHC UHS I Extreme Pro memory card can operate at temperatures from -25 to +85 °C. This card is protected from water, sunlight and shock. Such maps are used in professional equipment, in different climatic conditions from the North Pole to the South Tropic. This SD card is extremely expensive, but has a lifetime warranty.
5. The last criterion, which will be decisive for many, is the price of the card. You should weigh the cost of SD cards against your need. Of course, the best cards will be those that are of a higher class, have high data transfer speeds and a large amount of memory, but it is worth remembering that such cards may not be compatible with your device. Since large, professional equipment requires expensive, corresponding memory cards to work well, simpler devices such as phones, mp3/mp4 players and others can work perfectly on SD Class 2,4,6 cards.

Note! When choosing a particular memory card, focus on read and write performance. For example, you cannot compare the write speed of one card, say Transcend, which will be 100 MB/s, and the read speed of another card, for example, SanDisk, which will have a speed of 160 MB/s, since the read speed is always higher than the write speed. Some manufacturers indicate the write speed, while others read, thereby creating an artificial difference.

Another banal but important piece of advice that you should always remember is to try to buy cards only in trusted stores or branded representative offices, since the likelihood of running into a fake is extremely high, and the overpayment for a copy or even defective is extremely high, given that branded and high-quality cards cost about 100-500 US dollars. And professional operators and photographers even use several cards at once.

For clarity, here is an example photo with symbols and their brief designation:

Which memory card should I choose for my camera or video camera?

For large photo and video equipment, an outdated, but very fast and large-capacity card is used, which has been in production since 1994 - CompactFlash. The Compact Flash multiplier can be 800x, 1000x, 1066x, and the data transfer speed is up to 160 MB/s.

Such cards are perfect for SLR cameras, video cameras with high resolution cinematic quality Full HD, 3D-Full HD.

For photos and cameras with HD quality, UHS Speed ​​Class 1 (U1) cards with at least 10 MB/s are a good option.

For more demanding video and photo cameras with Ultra HD 4K or 2K video recording, UHS Speed ​​Class 3 (U3) cards with a recording speed of at least 30 MB/s are best suited.

As a last resort, for recording video in Full HD (1080p) format, you can buy a Class 10 memory card with a speed of at least 10 MB/s.

Which class of memory card is best for a smartphone?

On the most basic smartphones, it is difficult to notice the difference in the speed of a memory card, and for a regular smartphone, as a rule, the cheapest memory card is used. Which class is better for new, more powerful ones is another question, because the latest smartphones have the ability to take photos and videos with Full HD resolution (from 720p to 1080p/1080i), and for this you already need at least class 4 and 6 cards th, at a speed of 4-6 MB/s.

As you can see, it all depends on the needs and capabilities of your device, so it’s difficult to say for sure which memory card is better for a smartphone. 8+, for example, has the ability to shoot video in 4K UHD format (3840×2160), and for this, as you can understand from the above characteristics, an Ultra High Speed ​​Class 3 (U3) memory card is required, with a recording speed of at least 30 MB/s . So be sure to consider your device's specifications and SD card capabilities.

Technologies for creating SD memory cards are developing and, accordingly, their volumes, data transfer rates and other parameters are increasing, and along with them the price is growing. SD cards for shooting high-quality video with a data transfer speed of 160 MB/s cost about $500.

You should not chase the maximum performance of memory cards if your device performs the simplest functions that SD cards in a cheaper segment can handle. But if you are looking for an SD card for professional equipment, then in this case you should not save, because a camera with Ultra HD 4K resolution a priori will not be able to work properly with an SD Class 2 memory card that costs $3.

Any modern digital technology is designed to use flash drives. When working on a desktop computer or laptop, it is most convenient to use a flash drive that is connected to the device using a USB connector. But when it comes to smaller equipment, it is advisable to use special memory cards (Memory Cards).

Each of us is the owner of a mobile phone. For some it is a latest generation smartphone, for others it is an old and proven push-button device. Memory card for phone is not needed in extremely rare cases (for example, the internal memory capacity allows or the device is simply not designed).

Many of us have very limited ideas about flash drives for phones. They are identical only at first glance. In fact, there are a large number of options for memory cards on your phone.

The article below will help you understand their diversity, characteristics and how to properly approach the purchase of this attribute.

Types of memory cards

The distribution into types is based on a predetermining point - for which device the card is intended. For example, for cameras it is SD (Secure Digital). They come in different capacities and are further divided by generation.

For professional cameras The CF (CompactFlash) format is used. The choice of memory card will largely depend on the year of manufacture of the equipment.

In everyday life, most people are accustomed to using the microSD version for smartphones, tablets and other small gadgets. It is a mistaken belief that the amount of memory will depend on the physical size.

Miniature memory cards are in no way inferior in functionality to their larger relatives. The transfer speed and memory capacity of microSD and SD are no different.

The capacity of the memory card for the phone is the basis of choice

Before purchasing, first of all, you should decide on the volume. Each card can be measured not only in bytes, but also in the number of photos or video hours. There is a direct relationship between price and volume: the more, the more expensive, and vice versa.

If the card is purchased for a smartphone, then it is worth taking into account some characteristics: camera resolution, HD format support, etc. After all, photos from a 13-megapixel camera will take up more space than from a 6-megapixel camera.

Storing HD videos will also take up a lot of space. Therefore, for ordinary user needs, you can install a card of 8, maximum 16 GB. Otherwise you will run into a problem, when the smartphone does not see/read the memory card.

Dividing memory cards into classes. Which to choose?

Not everyone knows that memory cards have such an important parameter as speed. It is this that determines the scope of application. We look at the table for speed to class:

Speaking about speed, first of all, we are talking about writing information to the drive. The same applies to CF (Compact Flash) cards.

The maximum values ​​are most often used for professional digital equipment (camcorders, cameras). A secondary characteristic is the read speed, which is either equal to or greater than the write speed.

Choosing the best memory card for your smartphone

Having understood the parameters, you are now able to make the right choice and choose the most suitable option for your smartphone or tablet.

Of course, each of the given characteristics is important, and therefore it would be most correct to select a flash drive based on the capabilities and technical characteristics of your gadget. And it certainly won’t hurt (and maybe even help) rating of the best microSD memory cards 2014-15.

This list was compiled based on user reviews and preferences.

Transcend MicroSDHC 16GB Class 10 was recognized as the best card. Further in descending order:

The above models can be used for absolutely any gadget. All that’s left to do is choose the required amount of volume. It is worth remembering such a concept as formatting a memory card.

This allows you to quickly clear the flash drive of existing files “to zero” or troubleshoot problems in its file system. You can perform this action on any device (where it can be installed). But the most convenient way is to use a desktop computer.

Instead of a conclusion

Armed with all this information, you will surely purchase the most suitable memory card. Decide on the volume and amount you can spend, and enjoy the downloaded music and photos taken.

If your phone or tablet running Android 6.0 or 7 Nougat has a memory card slot, then you can use a MicroSD memory card as the internal memory of your device, this feature first appeared in Android 6.0 Marshm.

Using an SD memory card as internal memory

Before you start setting up, transfer all important data from your memory card somewhere: it will be completely formatted during the process.

Further actions will look like this (instead of the first two points, you can click on “ Tune" in the notification that a new SD card has been detected if you have just installed it and such a notification is displayed):

1. Go to Settings - Storage and USB drives and click on the item " SD card"(On some devices, the storage settings item may be located in the " Additionally", for example, on ZTE).

2. In the menu (button at the top right) select " Tune" If the menu contains the item “ Inner memory", immediately click on it and skip step 3.

3. Click " Inner memory».

4. Read the warning that all data on the card will be erased before it can be used as internal storage, tap " Clear and Format».

5. Wait until the formatting process is completed.

6. If at the end of the process you see the message “ SD card is slow", this indicates that you are using a Class 4, 6 or similar memory card - i.e. really slow. It can be used as internal memory, but this will affect the speed of your Android phone or tablet (such memory cards can work up to 10 times slower than regular internal memory). We recommend using UHS Speed ​​Class 3 (U3) memory cards.

7. After formatting, you will be prompted to transfer data to a new device, select " Transfer now"(until the transfer, the process is not considered completed).

8. Click " Ready».

9. It is recommended that immediately after formatting the card as internal memory, restart your phone or tablet - press and hold the power button, then select " Reboot", and if there is none - " Power off" or " Switch off", and after turning it off, turn the device on again.

This completes the process: if you go to the parameters “ Storage and USB drives", then you will see that the space occupied in the internal memory has decreased, on the memory card it has increased, and the total amount of memory has also increased.

However, the function of using an SD card as internal memory in Android 6 and 7 has some features that may make using this feature impractical.

Features of the memory card working as internal Android memory

It can be assumed that when a memory card size M is added to Android's internal memory of N, the total available internal memory should become N+M. Moreover, approximately this is also displayed in the information about the device’s storage, but in fact everything works somewhat differently:

• Everything that is possible (with the exception of some applications, system updates) will be placed on the internal memory located on the SD card, without providing a choice.
• When connecting an Android device to a computer, in this case you will “ see" and only have access to the internal memory on the card. It's the same in file managers on the device itself.

As a result, after the moment when the SD memory card began to be used as internal memory, the user does not have access to the “real” internal memory, and if we assume that the device’s own internal memory was larger than MicroSD memory, then the amount of available internal memory after of the described actions will not increase, but decrease.

Formatting a memory card for use as internal storage in ADB

For Android devices where the function is not available, for example, on the Samsung Galaxy S7, it is possible to format the SD card as internal memory using ADB Shell.

Since this method can potentially lead to problems with the phone (and may not work on every device), I will skip the details on installing, enabling USB debugging and running in the adb folder (If you don’t know how to do this, then perhaps It’s better not to take it. And if you take it, it’s at your own peril and risk).

The necessary commands themselves will look like this (the memory card must be connected):

• adb shell
• sm list-disks ( As a result of executing this command, pay attention to the issued disk identifier of the form disk:NNN,NN - it will be required in the next command)
• sm partition disk:NNN,NN private

Once formatting is complete, exit the adb shell, and on your phone, in the storage options, open the item “ SD card", click on the menu button at the top right and click " Transfer data"(this is required, otherwise the phone's internal memory will continue to be used). Once the transfer is complete, the process can be considered complete.

How to restore normal functioning of a memory card

If you decide to disconnect the memory card from the internal memory, this is easy to do - transfer all important data from it, then go to the SD card settings, just like in the first method.

Select " Portable media» and follow the instructions to format the memory card.

Starting with version Android 6.0, it became possible to use a flash card as internal storage device data. Now the device, after certain actions, can use the memory available on the SD as freely as the internal one. The article will tell you how to connect an SD card in this quality and what restrictions are imposed on it.

How to connect a flash drive as internal memory

Before connecting the drive, you must transfer from it all important information. During the setup process, it will be completely cleared and the data will not be returned.

First of all, you need to go to Settings, and then go to the section " Storage and drive", where you should click on the SD card.

Next you need to select “ Tune" and click " Inner memory" Immediately after this, the device will warn the user that all information will be deleted and it will become impossible to read it on other devices without full formatting.

Here you need to select “ Clear and Format" and wait for the memory clearing process to complete. You may then receive a message indicating that the media is running slowly. As a rule, this means that the flash drive used is not of very good quality and its use as device storage may also affect the performance of the smartphone itself. For good and fast work recommended to use UHS Speed ​​Class 3 (U3) drives.

After formatting is completed, the smartphone will ask you to transfer information, you should agree with this and wait until the work is completed. After the transfer, the work of turning the flash drive into internal memory will be almost complete; all that remains is to reboot the device.

Features and limitations of using an SD card

There are a few things you should be aware of before you start using a flash drive in this way.

1. After conversion, all data, except for some applications and system updates, will be placed on the SD drive.
2. When connected to a computer, only this part of the memory will be available for interaction.

In fact, all actions are performed only with a flash drive, the real internal storage of the phone not available for interaction and is practically not used at all. Firstly, this means that when you remove the drive, almost all your data, photos and applications will be lost. Secondly, if the volume of the flash drive is less than the actual storage capacity of the smartphone, then the amount of available memory will decrease, not increase.

Format the card using ADB for use as internal storage

The function is not available on some devices, but it is possible to connect a flash drive as storage in another way. However, it is worth noting that this method is very labor-intensive and can cause damage to the device Therefore, if you are not confident in your abilities, then it is better not to do this on your own.

To use this method, you will need to perform many steps. You need to download from the site and install Android SDK, then download and install from the official website device drivers, and also, you need to enable “ debug modeUSB» on the device.

• adb shell
• sm list-disks (after execution, an id will be issued in the form disk:ХХХ,ХХ should be written down and entered in the next line)
• sm partition disk:ХХХ,ХХ private

Then you will need turn off the phone, go to settings and click on sd, select menu and click “ Transfer data" That's it, the actions are finished.

How to set a memory card to standard mode

To return the flash drive to standard mode, you just need to go to its settings, as in the first option, and select “ Portable media" Before doing this, all important information should be transferred to another location, because the drive will be formatted during the process.