Detecting the file system on an SD card/flash drive

I'm having trouble accessing an SDHC card using a standard 'all-in-one' media reader which is compatible with SDHC.

Windows isn't able to read the card which would suggest it's not a standard format. I've tried it on OSX as well, so I assume that rules out HFS and UFS systems.

Does anyone know of a way to detect the file system, and access the card without affecting the data on there?

 

Linux should do it. I think any partitioning software can too. Like Gparted.

 

Tried ubuntu, it didn't work, still won't recognise the card, just the device.

I tried O&O Partition, it recognised the card as 4GB uninitialised

 

The card could have gone 'kaput' (ie dead).

 

No, it definitely still works on the device it's used in (Blue Elf 2)

 

You mean this? http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/545775/6935068/0/1221794078/Blue_Elf.jpg

 

That's a Blue Elf 1, the guts of it do look exactly the same though

 

FAT12, FAT32, NTFS are about the norms for flash cards. Load the sucker in a hex editor and poke around, you can look at it on the same level as these apps do.

 

If it was FAT16/32/NTFS windows would see it, no?

If I can't get the OS to recognise it, how would I be able to access it from a hex editor?

 

Try "WinHex".
That app can open devices on sector level, check out the first sector, something in there should tell you about the format or degree of corruption.

 

Hex Editor Neo allows me to look at this much...

But won't show and Hex or strings etc

 

WinHex can't access the card it says because of an I/O error

 

Maybe the card is just broken and doesn't work correctely anymore?

 

Try some software recovery applications and see if it can read the filesystem.

 

Did you try it in different reader ? Sometimes the reader is old/broken and even if it says it support SDHC it does not.
It could also be encrypted or something as even its pirate still they could try to stop you from taking or changing the data.

 

WinHex wouldn't say I/O Error if it was only encrypted....
Yeah, trying a different reader sounds like a good idea....

 

either the sdcard is toast or the paritition table is missing, try running a partition recovery tool like photorec.

its also possible that its using a proprietary filesystem or just using RAW binary information. Its possible that the only people who can read the card are those Blue Elf people.

 

The card is 100% working on the Blue Elf 2, it definitely is not corrupt or broken.

I've tried 2 different, both brand new, card readers and one old one that I already had, and checked that they work with other SDHC cards and they do.

I've now tried 4 different operating systems on 2 computers, so at this point it is looking very much like either a bespoke file system or encryption of some kind.

I've more or less given up and put the card back in the cartridge, all I wanted to do was adjust the game configs :banghead: I'm pretty sure it's running MAME either in part or whole, most likely a recompiled version.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, but it seems to be futile :shrug: It's a bit of a shame because I think a couple of tweaks and the cart would be excellent, rather than just acceptable

 

You can try to contact Guru. He might help you.

 

Guru?? Who he?