SD card eraser or cleaner?

Electronics Computer Programming Q&A
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cheapNdisgusting
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SD card eraser or cleaner?

Post by cheapNdisgusting »

I have 4 different items that use SD cards. Is there a cleaner or eraser prog. (prefer free) that will clean them so I don't have to remember what is on them and what to use them in? Right now I can only clean photos with Picasa and only one of my devices takes pictures. I am tired of buying new SD cards over and over. My OS is windows 7.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.
cNd
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jwax
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Re: SD card eraser or cleaner?

Post by jwax »

Use the "Format" command.
WA2RBA
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cheapNdisgusting
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Re: SD card eraser or cleaner?

Post by cheapNdisgusting »

J-wax - Thanks. That worked good.
cNd
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dacflyer
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Re: SD card eraser or cleaner?

Post by dacflyer »

can't you just select all and delete ?? or am i missing something ?
reloadron
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Re: SD card eraser or cleaner?

Post by reloadron »

dacflyer wrote:can't you just select all and delete ?? or am i missing something ?
Deleting a file just removes the file name, the actual file and data remain on the media. With the file name removed (stripped) from the file the file space can be written over, overwriting the old data. This can cause problems if done over and aver again as the media can get all fragmented. Sort of poor housekeeping. Constantly deleting images for example on a digital camera can begin to slow down the time it takes for the camera to write new data. Thus it is wise to format the media every now and then. Formatting for all purposes "wipes" the drive and all data. Following a format is like good housekeeping with a place for everything and everything in its place.

That is not to say that any data that was on the media cannot be recovered but for the average person it isn't going to happen. For all intensive purposes the drive is wiped clean.

There was a time when following a format if someone really wanted to wipe media they did what was called a "government wipe" which involved writing ones and zeros to the media over and over again like seven times as I recall. It was a long and slow process. With a 30 GB drive (media) you would start it at bedtime and with luck it was done in the morning. :) Imagine today with huge flash drives not to mention TB sized hard drives.

Anyway, deleting a file simply removes the header info where a format for all purposes wipes the media clean.

Ron
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