Memory cards for mobile phones: educational program. How to turn a MicroSD card into internal memory

In some Android devices There are slots for memory cards (usually microSD format). If your device supports SD cards, you can:

• increase memory capacity;
• use the card for some functions and applications.

To find out if your device has an SD card slot, visit the manufacturer's website.

Note. Some of these steps can only be performed on devices running Android 6.0 and later.

How to install an SD card

Step 1: Insert the SD card.

1. Check where the SD card slot is located.
2. Turn off your phone.
3. Remove the SD card tray or the back cover of the device (depending on the model). If necessary, lift the tab that holds the card.
4. Place the SD card in the slot. If you raised the retaining tab, lower it.
5. Reinstall the SD card tray or back cover of the device.

Step 2: Turn on the SD card.

1. Wait for the SD card notification to appear.
2. Click Tune.
3. Select desired type storage facilities.
   • Removable storage:
     You can transfer the card to another device along with all your files (such as photos and music). Applications cannot be moved to a removable drive.
   • Internal memory:
     The card can store apps and data only for that device. If you move it to another device, all data on it will be deleted.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up your SD card.
5. When finished, click Ready.

How to use an SD card

How to move apps to SD card

If you have connected the card as internal storage, you can transfer applications to it.

Note. Not all applications can be transferred to an SD card.

How to move files to SD card

If you have installed an SD card as a removable storage device, you can transfer various files to it, such as music and photos. After that, they can be deleted from the device’s internal memory.

Step 1: Copy files to SD card.

Step 2: Delete files from your internal storage.

You can view the contents of the SD card and see how much space is left.

When the SD card is used as internal storage

When the SD card is used as a removable storage device

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification panel.
2. Under the SD card notification, tap Open.

First, some information about the file system architecture in memory cards.

Memory cards have a file allocation table (File Allocation Table / FAT). If you imagine that a memory card is a book, then the FAT table is its table of contents. When formatting a memory card, we do not erase the card, but simply clear the FAT. That is, only the table of contents is deleted, but the chapters of the book still remain. That's why, using programs such as Lexar Image Rescue or SanDisk Rescue Pro, you can recover images on a memory card even after it has been formatted.

And now tips for using a memory card (in order of importance):

1. Do not delete photos from the memory card in the camera

Many people do this often—even professional photographers—but it's a bad idea. The camera takes excellent photographs, but it cannot be said that it copes successfully with managing data on a memory card. Deleting individual images from the card using a camera is a sure way to clutter up the FAT. Don't do this.

You should not delete images to save storage space. Better put it in new map and keep filming. After downloading the photos to your computer, format the memory card to use it again.

2. Format the memory card in the camera, not on the computer

On many sites I came across information that you can format memory cards on a computer. This is a bad recommendation. If the card needs to be formatted, do so in the camera you shot with. You should not move a memory card from a camera of one brand to a camera of another brand and format it there. If you neglect this rule, it will, of course, work, but failures are possible in the future.

I've seen other photographers shoot with a Canon camera, then put the memory card into a Nikon camera and run formatting. But each manufacturer has its own formatting algorithm and this must be taken into account.

3. Format the card after each shoot

After downloading images from the card, copying them for safety, format the memory card before next use.

4. Use a good card reader

How many times have I seen professional photographers remove a high-quality flash card from a $10,000 camera and insert it into a cheap card reader. This makes me cringe. When I worked at Lexar and customers came to me with a damaged memory card, the first thing I would ask was “what card reader are you using?”

Card readers have smart controllers, just like memory cards. I've seen many more cards damaged in the card reader than in the camera.

5. Don't fill your memory card completely

Most memory cards have a good structure, but you shouldn’t fill them completely. Once the device is 90% full, it is preferable to use another card.

6. Do not remove the memory card from the camera or card reader while data is being written or read.

If data is being transferred to or read from the card and the process is interrupted, there is a high chance that some or all of the files will be lost. And you can't always trust the red light on the camera to determine whether data transfer has completed. When the light goes off, I always wait a few more seconds before removing the card.

7. If your camera has two memory card slots, record images on two cards for greater reliability

If one card is damaged, you can retrieve footage from the second. I always do this.

8. Buy quality memory cards

As you may have guessed, I use Lexar memory cards, but that's not the only one good manufacturer. SanDisk also produces good products. There are other worthy brands.

Always remember that you are entrusting your images to the memory card. Better to pay a little extra and buy best product, which will last a long time.

Common misconceptions about memory cards:

If a memory card falls into water, the data is lost forever

This is not true. Modern memory cards can survive being scrolled through washing machine and after drying. I would not use a memory card that has passed such extreme tests in the future, but data can be recovered from it.

For most people, microSD is just a form factor, but in reality it is not. You can easily insert any microSD card into a standard slot, but not all of them will work, since the cards differ in many ways.

Format

There are three different SD formats, available in two form factors (SD and microSD):

• SD (microSD) - drives up to 2 GB, work with any equipment;
• SDHC (microSDHC) - drives from 2 to 32 GB, work on devices supporting SDHC and SDXC;
• SDXC (microSDXC) - drives from 32 GB to 2 TB (currently maximum 512 GB), work only on devices with SDXC support.

As you can see, they are not backward compatible. Memory cards of the new format will not work on old equipment.

Volume

Support for microSDXC declared by the manufacturer does not mean support for cards of this format with any capacity and depends on the specific device. For example, the HTC One M9 works with microSDXC, but officially only supports cards up to 128 GB inclusive.

Another one is related to storage capacity. important point. All microSDXC cards use the exFAT file system by default. Windows has supported it for more than 10 years; it appeared in OS X starting with version 10.6.5 (Snow Leopard); in Linux distributions, exFAT support is implemented, but it does not work “out of the box” everywhere.

High speed UHS interface

An I or II is added to the UHS card logo depending on the version

SDHC and SDXC cards can support the Ultra High Speed ​​interface, which, with hardware support on the device, provides higher speeds (UHS-I up to 104 MB/s and UHS-II up to 312 MB/s). UHS is backward compatible with earlier interfaces and can work with devices that do not support it, but at standard speeds (up to 25 MB/s).

2. Speed

Luca Lorenzelli/shutterstock.com

Classifying the write and read speeds of microSD cards is as complex as their formats and compatibility. The specifications allow you to describe the speed of cards in four ways, and since manufacturers use them all, there is a lot of confusion.

Speed ​​class

Makrikrovka speed class for regular cards represents a number inscribed in the Latin letter C

The Speed ​​Class is associated with the minimum write speed to a memory card in megabytes per second. There are four in total:

• Class 2- from 2 MB/s;
• Class 4- from 4 MB/s;
• Class 6- from 6 MB/s;
• Class 10- from 10 MB/s.

By analogy with the marking of regular cards, the speed class of UHS cards fits into the Latin letter U

Cards running on the high-speed UHS bus currently have only two speed classes:

• Class 1 (U1)- from 10 MB/s;
• Class 3 (U3)- from 30 MB/s.

Since the speed class designation uses the minimum entry value, theoretically a card of the second class may well be faster than a card of the fourth. Although, if this is the case, the manufacturer will most likely prefer to indicate this fact more explicitly.

Maximum speed

The speed class is quite enough for comparing cards when choosing, but some manufacturers, in addition to it, use it in the description maximum speed in MB/s, and more often not even the write speed (which is always lower), but the read speed.

Typically these are the results of synthetic tests in ideal conditions, which are unattainable in normal use. In practice, speed depends on many factors, so you should not rely on this characteristic.

Speed ​​multiplier

Another classification option is the speed multiplier, similar to the one used to indicate the read and write speed of optical discs. There are more than ten of them, from 6x to 633x.

The 1x multiplier is 150 KB/s, that is, the simplest 6x cards have a speed of 900 KB/s. The fastest cards can have a multiplier of 633x, which is 95 MB/s.

3. Objectives

StepanPopov/shutterstock.com

Choose the right card taking into account specific tasks. The biggest and fastest is not always the best. In certain use cases, the volume and speed may be excessive.

When buying a card for a smartphone, capacity plays a bigger role than speed. The advantages of a large drive are obvious, but the advantages of high transfer speeds on a smartphone are practically not felt, since large files are rarely written and read there (unless you have a smartphone with 4K video support).

Cameras that shoot HD and 4K video are a completely different matter: both speed and volume are equally important here. For 4K video, camera manufacturers recommend using UHS U3 cards, for HD - regular Class 10 or at least Class 6.

For photos, many professionals prefer to use several smaller cards to minimize the risk of losing all the images in force majeure circumstances. As for speed, it all depends on the photo format. If you shoot in RAW, it makes sense to invest in microSDHC or microSDXC class UHS U1 and U3 - in this case they will reveal themselves fully.

4. Fakes

jcjgphotography/shutterstock.com

No matter how trivial it may sound, it is now easier than ever to buy a fake under the guise of original cards. Several years ago, SanDisk claimed that a third of SanDisk memory cards on the market were counterfeit. It is unlikely that the situation has changed much since then.

To avoid disappointment when purchasing, just follow common sense. Refrain from buying from untrustworthy sellers, and beware of offers of "original" cards, the price of which is significantly lower than the official one.

Attackers have learned to fake packaging so well that sometimes it can be very difficult to distinguish it from the original. You can judge with complete confidence the authenticity of a particular card only after checking using special utilities:

• H2testw- for Windows;

If you have already experienced the loss of important data due to a memory card failure for one reason or another, then when it comes to choosing, you will most likely prefer a more expensive card from a well-known brand than an affordable “no-name” one.

In addition to greater reliability and safety of your data, with a branded card you will receive high speed and a guarantee (in some cases even lifetime).

Now you know everything you need to know about SD cards. As you can see, there are many questions that you will have to answer before purchasing a card. Perhaps, best idea will have different cards for various needs. This way you can take full advantage of the equipment without exposing your budget to unnecessary expenses.

Most owners of Android devices sooner or later face the problem of lack of internal space for storing files. Regular installation of applications gradually reduces the amount of free space in the gadget, which leads to slowdowns, incorrect operation, or even a complete failure of the system to work normally. In this case, replacing the internal Android memory with a memory card will help. How to do this and what other ways there are to deal with such a nuisance, we will consider further.

Before delving into the settings and transferring all applications to a flash drive at once, you need to understand what types of memory generally exist on your Android device:

• operational - necessary for the correct operation of applications, programs and other processes that run on a phone or tablet;
• ROM - stores information about operating system during flashing, this data cannot be transferred to third-party media;
• internal - applications are installed here automatically, as well as any user information; the system reports how much free space is left when installing new software;
• expansion card - an external drive that is designed to expand internal memory devices and store applications and user information.

Why can't I save apps to my SD card?

In many gadgets, it is not possible to automatically allow the installation of new applications on a flash drive. This applies to phones and tablets from version 4.4.2 to 6.0.1. In this case, replacing the internal memory with an SD card is simply necessary, and this can be done in several ways (including using third-party applications). But first you need to find out the version of Android that is installed on your gadget. To do this, click sequentially on:

1. Menu;
2. Settings;
3. About the phone.

The OS version will be indicated in the list that opens.

Programs for transferring applications to a memory card

The developers took care of the users and created programs to make the flash drive memory the main one on Android. This is especially useful for older versions of the system, such as 2.2 or even earlier.

Convenient software that contains all the necessary tools for transferring information from internal memory to an external drive. The interface is intuitive and simple. Applications available for moving are marked with icons, which, when clicked, opens all available information about them, as well as possible actions (move, copy, delete).

Move2SD Enablerv

This software is interesting to users for two reasons. The first is that it is compatible with different versions of Android (including later ones). And the second is the ability to transfer data and applications that are marked in the system as “unacceptable for transfer.”

Another interesting development that simplifies the life of Android gadget users. Main advantages - easy installation Software (without the need to additionally download scripts and libraries) and the ability to transfer information not as complete libraries, but only as parts of them.

What other methods are there?

There is another option to make an SD card into the internal memory on Android. If the version of your gadget is from 2.2 to 4.2.2, then the instructions are extremely simple, click on:

1. Settings;
2. Memory;
3. Default recording disk;
4. SD card.

A check mark or circle will appear opposite the flash drive, indicating that the settings have changed. Now installation of applications will automatically go to the flash drive.

For users of Android KitKat and higher, the process will be more complicated and tedious. Main problem is that you will need to root your device. You can do this at home, but there is a risk of turning your device into a “brick” that either cannot be repaired or will only be brought to life in service center for an additional fee.

Remember that by installing root rights yourself, you void your device’s warranty and act at your own peril and risk. Whether it's worth it or not is up to you to decide. Maybe it's less risky to manually migrate new applications each time?

What do you think? Tell us in the comments if you had to get root rights, whether it was successful, or maybe you know other ways to switch the memory of a tablet/phone to a memory card.

Of course, many people know about memory cards. Some may even be surprised why an article about them is needed at all. However, not everything is so simple. Among my friends there are many people who don’t really know anything about memory cards. And yet they do not live in a hut in the forest, eating fir cones. They quite actively use the Internet, mobile phones, and sometimes even communicators and tablets. Therefore, I consider it necessary to first talk about what memory cards are. And then I will move on to consider their varieties, classes, brands.

What is this - a memory card?

A memory card is a small and rather thick plate with a built-in flash memory module. This module is non-volatile, that is, information on the memory card is saved even when it is removed from any device. Information on the memory card can be deleted, overwritten, and so on. The service life of a memory card is very long - tens of years. The information on some cards can be protected in certain ways.

Types of memory cards

There is a whole bunch various types memory cards. I will only talk about the most common ones.

SD (Secure Digital). Perhaps the most popular type. Used in many cameras, video cameras, tablets, old players, communicators and pocket computers. Different low price. Sold in almost all communication stores, computer stores, many markets, kiosks... Maximum volume - 4GB.

SDHC. All SD memory cards larger than 4GB (and many 4GB ones) are called SDHC (their maximum capacity is 32GB). This format has a faster operating speed (data exchange, data recording) than SD. It is preferable, of course, to purchase SDHC cards, but keep in mind that some older devices may not work with them.

SDXC. A new standard that is not yet widely used. SDXC cards have a very large capacity - up to 2 terabytes (that's 2048GB!) and a very high data writing speed. They are still expensive and are not on sale very often. Moreover, very few devices still support this format.

MiniSD. Similar to SD, but noticeably smaller. These days it is practically no longer used; miniSD has been replaced by the microSD format. Buying miniSD is now problematic, and they are expensive due to their rarity.

MicroSD (TransFlash). It probably currently ranks second in popularity after SD/SDHC, but in the near future it has every chance of becoming the most popular memory card format. Differs from SD in very small sizes; microSD cards are even smaller than miniSD. This is both a plus and a minus: on the one hand, with the advent of microSD it became possible to reduce the size of devices; on the other hand, such a miniature card is easy to lose. Prices for microSD cards are almost identical to prices for SD cards.

MicroSDHC. Cards microSD memory those larger than 4GB (and many 4GB) are called microSDHC (their maximum capacity is 32GB). This format has a faster operating speed (data exchange) than microSD. It is preferable, of course, to purchase microSDHC cards, but keep in mind that some older devices may not work with them.

Memory Stick. Memory card format developed by Sony; is closed. The speed of operation (writing/reading data) is high; maximum volume - 16GB. There are both large Memory Stick cards and small ones - Memory Stick micro (M1, M2). Memory Stick is distinguished by its high price (in my opinion, clearly overpriced). Used in Sony devices, Sony Ericsson. It is often found on sale, almost everywhere.

CompactFlash. An obsolete format previously widely used in PDAs. CompactFlash cards are very different large sizes- compared to SD. Currently used by only a few users. The main advantages are very high data recording speed. The maximum volume is 256GB.

SmartMedia. This is a format that has fallen into disuse. It is almost impossible to buy SmartMedia cards, and their maximum capacity is only 128 MB.

MMC. Also an outdated format, which was previously a competitor to SD. It differs from SD by being slightly thinner and more economical. MMC cards can be inserted into SD slots of devices (but an SD card cannot be inserted into an MMC slot!). MMC cards are now rarely found on sale.

xD. Format developed by Olympus and Fujifilm; It is now slowly falling out of use. xD cards have very high prices; Only Olympus and Fujifilm devices work with them. Compared to SD cards, xD is perhaps only worse - for example, the maximum capacity of xD is only 2GB.

Memory card slots

If a device allows the use of memory cards, then it is said to have a memory card slot. A slot is a hole (slotted) where a memory card is inserted. (Of course, this is not a simple slot, but a special one: special contacts are connected to it, with the help of which information is read from the cards). One device may have memory card slots different types, but usually there is still only one slot. And in the majority modern devices- for microSD.

Memory card adapters

As you learned from the above material, memory cards can be divided into two types (according to size): large and small. The most popular large cards are SD and Memory Stick. The most popular small ones: microSD and Memory Stick Micro. It can be said that the technology of SD and microSD is, generally speaking, the same, the only difference is in size and some details. That is why it is possible to use so-called adapters (some call them “shirts”).

An adapter is a device that looks exactly like a large memory card, but in reality it is a kind of miniature box. You can insert a small memory card (for example, microSD) into it, and after that the adapter itself will turn into a full-size memory card (for example, SD). The small card in the adapter can be used with a device that only supports large cards. A classic example is to put a microSD card from your phone into a camera that supports SD cards.

All this provides versatility, the ability to quickly and conveniently transfer data from one device to another without the help of a computer. This is why it is better to buy a microSD card - you can always use it with a device that supports SD cards. But the opposite is impossible: the size of the SD card cannot be reduced in any way!

It is worth noting that adapters are usually sold complete with small cards. But even if the adapter is not included in the kit, you can buy it additionally - the issue price is usually no more than 100 rubles. It is not necessary to buy an adapter from the same company that produced the small memory card: there is no difference between adapters of the same format from different manufacturers.

SDHC/microSDHC memory card classes

On the packaging (and often on the cards themselves) with SDHC/microSDHC cards you can read information about the so-called card class. It is designated by a number (number). The higher the number, the faster the card's operating speed (data writing and reading speed). Usually, the higher the power consumption of the card and, of course, its price. Here is a list of these classes:

• class 2 - data recording speed of at least 2Mb/s
• class 4 - data recording speed of at least 4Mb/s
• class 6 - data recording speed of at least 6Mb/s
• class 10 - data writing speed of at least 10Mb/s
• class 16 - data recording speed of at least 16Mb/s

SDHC cards “without a class” are also available for sale - data recording speeds on them usually do not exceed 1Mb/s. Cards with even higher write speeds (of a higher class) have also appeared on sale, but I don’t see the point in buying them - the price is high and the benefits are questionable.

For cameras and video cameras, it is advisable to buy memory cards of at least class 4 (although, in principle, class 2 and even “classless” cards are sufficient for amateur photography). To record video in high resolution A class 6-10 and higher card is desirable. For readers and phones, even the most ordinary cards “without a class” are quite enough.

Memory card capacity

Many people have a question: what capacity memory card should they buy? The answer, in general, is simple - you need to proceed from your own needs. I hope that the following list will help identify them, which shows how much memory different types of files occupy:

• Documents DOC, XLS - usually within 1MB
• Electronic book (FB2, EPUB, TXT, MOBI) - usually within 1MB
• Photo 8-10 megapixels excellent quality- usually within 3MB
• 5MP photo of good quality - within 1MB
• Song 3 minutes in average quality - about 3MB
• Song 3 minutes in good quality- about 6MB
• Film in more or less decent quality - about 500MB or more
• Film in good quality - usually 1GB or more

I also give you another list that indicates what size cards it makes sense to buy based on what device you are purchasing them for:

• For a reader (reader) - 4GB is enough
• For a phone - 4GB is enough
• For a communicator (smartphone) - 8GB is better, or even 16GB
• For a tablet - 16GB is better, if you like to watch movies - 32GB
• For a camera - 4GB (if you take only photos and not very many), 8-16GB (if you take a lot of photos and occasionally video)
• For a video camera or camera that shoots video in good quality - 16GB, or better yet 32GB

Card readers

Memory cards are mainly designed for use in portable devices - digital cameras, players, phones, tablets. But if desired, they can be connected to both laptops and desktop computer. To do this, you need a small device called a cardreader. Some (usually quite expensive) laptops and desktops already have a card reader built-in; for others you need to buy separate device, its cost ranges from 150 to 700 rubles (in very rare cases higher).

Card readers are connected to the USB port of a computer/laptop. First you need to insert the card into the card reader, then connect it to the computer. A removable disk will be displayed in Explorer - this is the memory card; You can work with this removable disk as with a regular flash drive. At the end of the work, you need to remove the card reader from the USB port (after “safely disconnecting” the device), and then remove the memory card from the card reader. Such a simple mechanic.

Perhaps more popular are card readers designed to work with only one type of memory card - for example, SD. They are distinguished by their low price and compact size. Card readers for microSD cards, by the way, are very small, and they can be used like regular flash drives - to do this, just insert a microSD card into the card reader. Of course, you can use SD, xD, and so on card readers as a flash drive, but their size is noticeably larger.

Nowadays, so-called universal card readers are also common. You can use memory cards of almost all formats with them: SD, microSD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick micro and so on. They are, of course, larger than regular “mono” card readers, and are somewhat more expensive. But personally, I recommend purchasing a universal card reader - after all, you can use any cards with it.

Some features of memory cards

Perhaps, memory cards have only one drawback: they are quite power-hungry. This means that a device in which a memory card is not inserted will work longer without recharging than its counterpart with a memory card in use. However, the difference in operating time is usually small, and I would not call this minus significant.

Another feature of memory cards is open (in the vast majority of cases) contacts. Accordingly, you need to be quite careful, try not to damage these contacts (not scratch, for example), and not allow dust and dirt to accumulate on them.

Another feature of memory cards is that some models of the same type may not be compatible with specific electronic devices. In practice, this means that the SD card may simply refuse to work with your reader, phone or tablet: the problem here, as a rule, lies in some minor flaws software devices. This feature must be kept in mind, and when purchasing a memory card for a device, you must check its compatibility with this device. Otherwise you may be disappointed.

Manufacturers and brands of memory cards

Many electronics manufacturers produce memory cards. Perhaps the most famous are SanDisk and Transcend. They produce cards in a variety of formats and grades; the prices for SanDisk and Transcend products are quite high. At the same time, SanDisk (and Transcend) cards, for example, do not work with some devices - it is not known who should be blamed here, but the fact remains a fact, and you should not think that high price automatically guarantees absolute compatibility. But in general, the cards from SanDisk and Transcend are very high quality.

Kingston and Apacer memory cards have a lower price. Their compatibility is also not absolute, but I can say that Kingston cards (according to my subjective feelings) are compatible with a large number devices than SanDisk. In general, Kingston is a certain golden mean, excellent value for money. Apacer cards are usually a little worse in quality, and their level of compatibility is lower, but their price is even more modest.

Of course, memory cards are also produced by other manufacturers: Toshiba, Samsung, Silicon Power, A-Data and so on. The list is very long, I see no reason to list it in its entirety. In any case, all of the above manufacturers produce fairly high-quality products that you can buy without fear (but - preferably - with testing on a specific device).