Memory Card Reader

Hello,
I am not sure if this is the correct to post this question - so I am so sorry if this is posted in the incorrect location.

Anyway, I have a Gateway M1629 Laptop PC and it has a Memory Card Reader slot on the side which is what I have been using to insert the SD memory card from the camera when I wish to edit the photos (or whatever else) with no problems until today.

I inserted the card into the slot and the little box popped up letting me know that the card was inserted and I could find it when I would go to My Computer. That did happen today when I installed the card into the slot. I found the pictures that I wanted to move to a flash drive and I then installed a flash drive into the usb port and as usual the box to let me know that the flash drive was installed and the information on what I wanted to do popped up - as I usually do I closed that box since I always access the flash drive by going to My Computer (just like with the video card). However, when I closed that box it also closed the memory card as well and when I tried to open it again it told me that I needed to install the memory card - but it was never taken out of the slot. I also tried to use the safely remove hardware to remove the card but it just kept telling me that I could not remove it at this time. I waited for over 30 minutes with no luck in being able to remove the card by using the safely remove hardware (although I was able to remove the flash drive with no problems).

I then went to the device manager to see if it was there and there was a yellow exclamation next to it so I tried selecting to scan for hardware changes but nothing changed so I selected the option to uninstall and then selecting to scan for hardware changes. Only this time it did not reappear in the device manager.

I eventually just took the card out and put it into the camera and everything is still there so I did not loose anything. I then took the card and put it into one of the SD/MMC card readers and inserted it into the usb port and it worked that way with no problems. I then tried inserting a different sd memory card into the memory card reader but it just isn't recognizing any memory cards that are inserted into that memory card slot.

Anyone have any idea as to why this has happened and how I can fix it. I know that I can keep using that card reader and the usb port but then it is difficult to insert a flash drive into the other port since they are so close together without using a usb hub ~ besides I really would like to continue using the slot as I have been (if I can get it working again).

Any suggestions would be so very much appreciated.

Thanks so Very Much

 

check it out in disk management. Open control panel -> administrative tools -> computer management the double click storage then disk management.

Its possible that they both have the same drive letter and that is causing the conflict. Im not convinced that is the problem though but it may be a good place to start.

 

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I also checked in Disk management after it was no longer showing up in Device Manager and it did not appear there either. (knew I forgot to mention something when I posted)

TIA

 

You may want to remove your old usb storage drivers. Please read carefully.

http://www.techspot.com/vb/post875300-1.html

 

Thanks for the suggestion as well as the link with the steps to do this. It is greatly appreciated.

Oddly enough, I had shut down the computer and restarted it (just thought I would give that a try - not sure why but figured it couldn't hurt). Anyway, about an hour or so later I tried putting the card back into the memory card slot that is on the laptop and it is working fine again.

Either way I am going to copy and print out those instructions - just in case the same or something similar happens again so I can try that before starting to panic.

Thanks for Everything it is GREATLY Appreciated.

Lisa :wave

 

Glad you got it sorted. I have had situations where I could not eject a flash drive because Windows said it was still in use. I even lost the icon in the system try to eject the flash drive. Rebooting with the drive in place can work. I usually just log out and log back in. Then I am able to eject the drive with no problem.

 

I too have had the same issue sometimes where it will tell me I cannot eject a flash drive because it is still in use and sometimes I have just left it be for up to an hour before it will let me eject the darn flash drive - even though I closed it and am not using the drive. And like you I have found that if I go and select to restart the pc then it will allow me to safely remove the flash drive.

So far I have not lost the icon in the sys tray for safely removing (at least not on this computer runinng Vista). But on the pc running XP I have lost that darn icon too many times to remember so I ended up downloading some free application that I use now instead and now I don't have to worry about that safely remove icon when using the xp machine.

This was the first time I ever had an issue with the slot for the memory card and what was even stranger was that when I clicked on the safely remove icon it wasn't even showing the memory card (which is why I started to have some concerns). But like with other things sometimes just restarting the pc will resolve the issue (sometimes). Should have tried that first ~ but at least now I have that other information should I ever need it!

Thanks Again and Have a Wonderful Holiday Season! :wave

 

I have been using the safely remove icon in the sys tray since I got this laptop (probably about 3 years ago) and this was the first time I have had any issue. I am pretty sure that I have installed the SD card back into the slot later that same day without issues as well (but couldn't swear that I have actually used it again on the same day without restarting the pc first). Anyway, I will remember that for future use.
Thanks So Very Much!

 

Hello Again,

I did go to the link to remove old usb storage drives and I followed the directions and then used the memory card again with no problems. This time I did not use the safely remove icon to remove the memory card when I was done since it is in an internal slot on the laptop (Gateway M1629). Now today when I put the card into the slot I got the usual auto play screen, I then went to my computer and opened up the folder but then when I went to review some pictures I suddenly got a screen OIS.EXE - No Disk There is no disk in the drive. Please insert a disk into drive G:. Cancel Try Again Continue
When I selected try again the same screen popped up so I selected cancel. If I go to my computer it does show the card being there but if I click on it I get a screen telling me to insert a disk into sd card G. If I remove it and try putting it back in the same thing happens - it just tells me to insert a disk into sd card G. If I go to safely remove and select G it will go through its process and tell me it is safe to now remove the card. I waited a few minutes and tried inserting the card again but now it does not even show up in my computer. I then removed it and used a memory card reader and plugged that into a usb port and I can read and do whatever I want with the pictures on the card. I'm not sure what else to do to fix this issue - is it possible that the memory card slot is going bad? (or is there some other way to resolve this issue?)
TIA

 

It's possible the SD card driver got corrupted. You can try to clean out the USB storage drivers again and see if the SD card will then be detected. I would always use the safely remove icon where possible.

 

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you but been busy with the holidays coming up. Anyway, I thought about that and ran the program that you gave me to remove the old usb storage drivers.
http://www.techspot.com/vb/post875300-1.html

It will work once or maybe twice and then the problem will start again. I had been using the safely remove icon and it had been suggested that it was not necessary for the memory card slot so I tried not using it and simply waiting awhile to make sure that the pc had enough time to do whatever it had to do (as suggested by plodr) but the problem is still reappearing. So I then cleaned out the old usb storage drivers again and by the 2nd time I would insert the memory card into the internal slot the problem appears. I will be able to open up the folder on the card and start to review the items on it and then it just suddenly disappears but the card is still listed in my computer. However if I click on it the pc tells me to insert the card. My only options have been to either turn off the pc and then remove the card and restart the pc or wait a little bit, take the card out, put it into a card reader and insert that into one of the usb ports or a usb hub and then it works just fine. I have even tried using a different card with the same results.

I did see a program called Zentimo 1.4 - Zentimo offers a new way to manage your USB & eSATA devices. While it solves many removable drive related problems in Windows, it also gives more control over your external devices and just makes working with external drives fun & pleasure. The program gives a highly customizable menu to manage external devices, displays what programs prevent stopping a device, speed ups your work with hotkeys, hides drives of empty card reader slots, allows to return a stopped devices back. Besides it lets you automaticaly run any programs on device connection\disconnection, speed test your drives, manage portable apps, has an enhanced drive letter management tool, integrates fully with TrueCrypt and much more. But I'm not sure that will resolve the issue either or if I am just asking for more trouble.

Any suggestions?

 

When you remove the storage drivers, it works for a couple of times so the memory card reader driver somehow gets corrupted but I do not know why. Other than trying that program or using the USB adapter, I am out of ideas.

 

Thanks for the input. It is greatly appreciated. I did download the Zentimo (just sort of hoping that it would resolve the issue) but it didn't the same exact thing happens. So I am going to uninstall the software. No real reason to keep it ~ at least I don't see any advantage to using it.

Guess I'll just have to use the usb card reader to take the pictures off of the memory card since the darn internal slot keeps giving me trouble.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

 

Hello Again,

I was just going through the items in the Services.msc section of the pc and noticed that the Smart Card and Smart Card Removal Policy are set at Manual. Could that possibly be the reason that I am having the issues when I put a memory card into the memory card reader?

Thanks!

 

Thanks! I didn't think so but since I was not sure I just thought I would ask.

Thanks Again! :wave

 

Hi All,

The first thing to try in a case like this is to uninstall the device and reboot the computer. It was uninstalled but no reboot was done. Later the reboot was done and the device then worked. No surprise there. Windows has the drivers for all installed devices and will always try to reinstall. Usually works.

Jim