SD Card locked

[icemeister]

Would like to reuse the SD Card to try one of the other operating systems i am now using pinebook 14.02 Mate. The card is locked and the install fails when trying to overwrite the card and formating fails.
How do i unlock the card?
Thanks

[pfeerick]

Would like to reuse the SD Card to try one of the other operating systems i am now using pinebook 14.02 Mate. The card is locked and the install fails when trying to overwrite the card and formating fails.
How do i unlock the card?
Thanks

Locked?

How are you trying to write the card? What software / system / how connected to computer?

For example, it could be locked if you are using a microSD to SD adapter, and you have slid the physical lock switch on the SD adapter.

[icemeister]

I was using Etcher to load other distros to Sd card. Side of adapter not locked. Formating in windows says write protected still trying to load files and it fails in Etcher. Did compleat one card but it failed to load in pinebook. It looks like Etcher locks the card once written.
Let me know if i can give any more info, i am a noob to this
Thanks

[pfeerick]

I was using Etcher to load other distros to Sd card. Side of adapter not locked. Formating in windows says write protected still trying to load files and it fails in Etcher. Did compleat one card but it failed to load in pinebook. It looks like Etcher locks the card once written.
Let me know if i can give any more info, i am a noob to this
Thanks

That it happened using Etcher is coincidental, because I can assure you Etcher does not 'lock' the card once written. It is possible you have a faulty microSD card, as write protection and write failure errors are common when they have failed and can no longer been written to.

Since you're on windows...

Try using rufus (https://rufus.akeo.ie/) to format the drive, and see if you can reset it back to it's full size.

Then try running h2testw (http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Syst...estw.shtml) in order to see if the microSD is working properly.

You can also try the other tools listed here (https://www.raymond.cc/blog/test-and-det...h-h2testw/), but if rufus and h2test2w don't work, it doesn't sound good.

[icemeister]

I was using Etcher to load other distros to Sd card. Side of adapter not locked. Formating in windows says write protected still trying to load files and it fails in Etcher. Did compleat one card but it failed to load in pinebook. It looks like Etcher locks the card once written.
Let me know if i can give any more info, i am a noob to this
Thanks

That it happened using Etcher is coincidental, because I can assure you Etcher does not 'lock' the card once written. It is possible you have a faulty microSD card, as write protection and write failure errors are common when they have failed and can no longer been written to.

Since you're on windows...

Try using rufus (https://rufus.akeo.ie/) to format the drive, and see if you can reset it back to it's full size.

Then try running h2testw (http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Syst...estw.shtml) in order to see if the microSD is working properly.

You can also try the other tools listed here (https://www.raymond.cc/blog/test-and-det...h-h2testw/), but if rufus and h2test2w don't work, it doesn't sound good.

Thanks, It looks like the card failed and windows reads it as locked. I  could not get linux pinebook to read the 2 cards that this happened to. Could not format them in linux. I will try as  you suggest and see if i can recover the cards.
Thanks for your help.

[alexenwaston]

If you are getting “Memory card locked” error message then I believes the problem might be with your SD card. This may happen if you’ve by mistake switched the slide switch which is present on the side. Check if your SD card is in the downward position then correct its position by sliding up towards the direction of connectors. All the best to you…