Looking for a 4 GB mini-SD card?

Julie · 08-31-07, 12:38 PM

I've been using this no-name 4GB mini-SD card in my hw6925 for the last month and it's working great!

Memory Suppliers.com: Industry Standard 4GB miniSD Security Digital Card

I ordered the card on a Friday and the card arrived the very next Monday (what service!!!). The card was unformatted, so I formatted it in my computer and loaded it up with 3.9 GB of stuff - applications, videos, music, files (I wanted to make sure I could use the whole card) And the card is working great! I'll be cleaning it out this weekend to make way for my iGuidance 4.0 application and maps (requires the use of 2GB of the SD card). I'm running most of my applications from this card.

It is not the TOPRAM card that I've read about on other forums, that gives inconsistent performance.

After a month of problem free performance, I highly recommend the card.

Thanks to IvanAwfulitch for pointing it out to me.

**Jack Cook** · 09-06-07, 11:35 PM

What was the cost Julie?

Julie · 09-07-07, 01:08 AM

The storage card costs $59.00 and there are no shipping costs.

MemphisCharlie · 10-12-07, 10:39 AM

Dear Julie,

Thanks for the tip on the 4 GB cards. I was wondering how you formatted your card. When I put mine in my PC, it wants to format the card to a 959 MB capacity and doesn't give me any other choice. Also, do you format it to FAT32 and leave the "Default allocation size"?

Thanks for any help you can give!

Julie · 10-12-07, 02:36 PM

I simply formatted it to FAT32 and didn't mess with anything else.

I have read in another forum that there were some issues with this card only formatting to 1 GB and not seeing the other memory on the card. I have not had any problems whatsoever with the card I got, but because I have recommended this card, I was a bit concerned about the issue so I emailed the company about it and they emailed this response back to me:

Quote:

Thank you for your concern regarding this matter. We do try to keep people aware that the 4GB MiniSD cards that we do sell are not a standard format. The SD specifications only allow SD cards to be at most 2GB in capacity. Since the advent of SDHC, memory cards can now be much larger, but do require new hardware for compatibility. However, just like Transcend has made the 4GB SD card (full size), we have made the 4GB miniSD card that varies from the SD standard to allow a 4GB capacity. Due to this variation, problems do arise where these cards will report the incorrect size, most of which will say 1GB.

There are a few solutions to this issue. You can use a partition utility in Linux to repartition the miniSD card into a 4GB sized card again. You can also format the card in to two 2GB partitions for best compatibility this way. You can also use a Windows tool called Swissknife (CompuApps, Inc. - Download Swissknife) to format the memory card back to 4GB in total capacity. Windows itself does not properly handle the formatting of flash memory and will not be able to recover a card that is partitioned improperly. This is widely unknown by our customers, and that is why we recommend the use of Swissknife.

Finally, there is a LIFETIME replacement warranty on all of these memory cards. If for some reason, that the memory card is showing 1GB, and you have or have not tried the above solutions, we will most definitely replace the memory card without hassle. Also, if you are within the first 30 days of purchase, you may also send the card in for a refund. Most of the people that you have referenced from the website listed in your email are attempting to break the terms of our warranties for their benefit, and are unhappy. As it has been said, it is impossible to please everyone.

If the procedure they describe in this response does not work to get the card fully recognized, then contact Memory Suppliers directly for an replacement.

Please let me know how it goes.

MemphisCharlie · 10-12-07, 03:34 PM

Hi Julie,

Thanks for going above and beyond the call! I had called them up and tried using the SwissTool application like they suggested, but when I tried to format it kept saying the card was "locked". I did not have the lock switch in the lock position. Alas, I have not been able to get it formatted right. No sweat, they said I could return the cards I bought. They seemed helpful and reasonable. My experience may differ from others. Anyhow, I appreciate your help!

Thanks!

MemphisCharlie · 10-12-07, 03:54 PM

Dear Julie,

Thanks again for the help and sorry for the trouble!

I borrowed another card reader and was able to use CompuApps SwissKnife to format the card properly. My other card reader was using an adapter and that didn't work for the format (it did work for transferring files with an older card and the reader had its light on so it was connected).

Anyhow, using a card reader that I directly insert the card into worked for me. The card is now formatted in FAT32 using the SwissKnife program. I'm transferring files now. Looks like all's good for now. I'll post a follow-up about my experiences once I have time to test it. But, for now it looks promising--that's great because I have gps maps too and now will have more space for other stuff.

Long story short: if you're having troubles formatting this card then use a card reader that doesn't need an adapter and use CompuApps SwissKnife. You can find a free download for the program using Google.

Cheers!

Julie · 10-12-07, 04:00 PM

This problem may have to do with a batch of cards. There is a small sequence of numbers on the face of the card that seems to be some kind of batch number. You will probably need a magnifying glass to see the numbers, but the numbers on my card are MSDS1-4096M66-0729-12.

MemphisCharlie · 10-12-07, 06:44 PM

My cards seem to be working OK now that I am using a direct card reader instead of one of those SD to miniSD adapters. I formatted them OK with the SwissKnife.

For anyone whose interested, my batch is

MSDS1-4096M66 0742-12 Made in Taiwan

Anyhow, I'll test these cards out and I hope they work as well as yours has.

Thanks

MemphisCharlie · 10-31-07, 02:12 PM

These cards seem to be working for me. I'm very happy! Thank you so much for the advice. You'd be surprised how much more useful my handheld is now. I can keep all the iNav maps and can play music too. Fantastic. Just got bluetooth stereo headphones yesterday. Very cool. Cheers!

jdeleon0526 · 11-10-07, 03:03 AM

I bought mine from ebay yesterday... Toshiba 4GB... Free shipping to Canada $45. Hope everything is good.

Dont have anymore space after putting IG4's map on my 2GB...

Julie · 11-10-07, 09:55 AM

I've not heard of any Toshiba 4 gb mini-SD card that works with the 6900s. Will be interested to see how the card worksfor you.

jdeleon0526 · 11-10-07, 11:30 AM

I've asked the seller... but no response yet... well no harm trying

I will post the outcome here.

Julie · 11-10-07, 12:55 PM

Well, you can't beat the price!

jdeleon0526 · 11-19-07, 04:42 PM

The seller told me it will work on my 6955... Hopefully it will work or bye-bye

$45.

Well... I can still use it in my x51v... coz I have an adapter for miniSD :approve:.