Formatting your dash cam’s SD card is critical for it’s optimal performance and to avoid data loss. If you’re doing that well that’s good. However, if your Dash Cam keeps saying format SD card, it might be due to a problem with your previous efforts to format it.
In such a scenario, this guide will teach you how to format SD card for Dash Cam on both Windows and Mac. Besides, we’ll also drop a tip on recovering deleted or lost footages if you don’t have a backup.
Part 1: Why Do You Need to Format SD Card for Dash Cam?
Prior to learning how to format memory card for Dash Cam, one thing to note is that formatting it every 2-3 weeks is important Not doing so can lead to various SD card errors like gaps in footage, recording failures, corrupted files, unresponsive buttons, and frozen screens. This happens because Dash Cams constantly record and overwrite footage, thus, putting extra strain on SD card.
Part 2: How to Format SD Card for Dash Cam on Windows?
Here’s how to format micro SD card for Dash Cam on Windows with help of 3 methods. You can choose between a Windows built-in or a third-party tool based on your skill level:
Solution 1: Format SD card for Dash Cam using Dedicated Tool:
If you want to know how to format memory card for Dash Cam in best way possible, look no further than 4DDiG Partition Manager. It overshadows Windows built-in memory card formatters with its advanced features and ease of use in formatting your Dash Cam SD card. Besides that, this tool can fix formatting errors when your Dash Cam keeps saying format SD card after Disk Management and Diskpart are unable to format it. Here’s a glimpse into more of this tool’s features:
● Can create, delete, resize, and split partitions to optimize disk space.
● Can clone your hard drive to upgrade or backup without losing data.
● Can change MBR to GPT with no data loss.
● Can create a WinPE bootable disk to clone or repair non-bootable systems.
● Can repair, recover, and restore partitions easily from any internal/external storage device.
● Can migrate Windows OS to SSD with one click without reinstallation.
● Can inspect if your PC can upgrade to Windows 11.
Here’s how to format micro SD card for Dash Cam with aid of partition manager:
Step 1: Download, and install partition manager on your computer, then, connect your Dash Cam SD card which you want to format to same PC.
Step 2: Execute partition manager and pick “Partition Management.” Right-click partition to format.
Step 3: Then, choose “Format.” Set volume label, file system, and cluster size. Hit “OK.” Click “Yes” to confirm formatting procedure.
Step 4: Preview result, then tap “Execute 1 Task(s).” Hit “OK.” Wait for your Dash Cam memory card formatting to complete.
Solution 2: Format SD card for Dash Cam using Disk Management:
Disk Management is a built-in Windows tool to manage storage devices and also includes a formatting feature as well so no extra software is needed to format SD card for Dash Cam. It empowers you to fully control formatting process, including file system (like FAT32 for dash cams), volume label, and cluster size. This tool can even detect and fix issues during formatting process. Here’s how to format memory card for Dash Cam with Disk Management:
Step 1: Right-click “Start.” Pick “Disk Management.”
Step 2: Right-click your Dash Cam SD card. Then, choose “Format.”
Step 3: Select file system (e.g., FAT32 or exFAT). Hit “OK” for a quick format. Once done, your Dash Cam SD card will be ready to use.
Solution 3: Format SD card for Dash Cam from Diskpart:
If your Dash Cam keeps saying format SD card, Diskpart is a powerful command-line tool for formatting SD cards, offering more control than Disk Management. It can be scripted for automating tasks, making it ideal for formatting multiple SD cards. However, it uses a command-line interface. If you’re comfortable with that, here’s how to format SD card for Dash Cam with Diskpart:
Step 1: Attach your Dash Cam SD card to your computer. Then, hit “Win + R” keys. Then, input “cmd” to run Command Prompt with admin rights.
Step 2: Next, follow commands below one by one. Hit “Enter” after each one:
● Type “Diskpart.”
● Type “list disk.” (This command will display list of all storage disks including your Dash Cam SD card).
● Find your SD card and type “select disk S.” (Here exchange S with your SD card’s drive number).
● Type “clean.” (This is to erase all previous data on memory card).
● Type “create partition primary.” (This command will at once create a new partition).
● Type “format fs=file system.” (This is to format Dash Cam SD card but make certain to replace “file system” with NTFS/fat32).
Part 3: How to Format SD Card for Dash Cam on Mac?
Mac also has a built-in tool called “Disk Utility” to perform formatting. It is a user-friendly tool and is easy to use, even for non-tech users, and offers features like formatting, partitioning, and disk checks. Here’s how to format micro SD card for Dash Cam with Disk Utility:
Step 1: Attach your Dash Cam SD card to your Mac. Then, open “Utilities.” Launch “Disk Utility.”
Step 2: Select Dash Cam SD card on left. Hit “Erase” up top.
Step 3: Name your Dash Cam memory card. Pick “FAT” format. Hit ‘Erase.”
Bonus: Recover Footage From Accidentally Formatted SD Card:
Sometimes, your Dash Cam with auto SD card format gets formatted and you realize you don’t have a backup or you format it by accident. In both events, there’s no way of reclaiming all your data back. However, 4DDiG Data Recovery offers a golden chance to retrieve all files from your Dash Cam memory card, with a high success rate to boot.
It can also recover files and folders from various data loss cases e.g. accidental deletion, formatting, system crash, corruption missing partitions, virus infection, and much more. Here’s how to use this data recover tool to reclaim your files from a formatted Dash Cam SD card:
Step 1: Download, install and run data recovery tool on your computer, then, connect your formatted Dash Cam SD card with same PC. Hit “Start.”
Step 2: The tool will scan around your Dash Cam memory card, searching for files to retrieve. You can pause or stop scan as soon as you find your desired files.
Step 3: Preview recovered files from your Dash Cam SD card beneath “Tree View” or “File View.” If the tool has retrieved all files you want, hit “Recover” to export them to a secure place.
FAQs About How to Format SD Card for Dash Cam:
Q1: Why does my dash cam keep saying format SD card?
If your Dash Cam keeps saying format SD card, it could be because of a few reasons. The card could be full, preventing new recordings, there might be corrupted files causing issues, or your SD card could be damaged or faulty.
Q2: How often should I format my Dash Cam SD card?
You must adjust your Dash Cam with auto SD card to format preferably at least every month to make certain there’s no file corruption and it performs optimally. If you don’t have a memory card with auto format feature, you can format it manually.
Q3: Is exFAT or FAT32 better for dashcam?
exFAT is ideal for Dash Cams as it supports larger files and is perfect for long recordings. On other hand, FAT32 has limitations with large files and may struggle with continuous recording.
Bottom Line:
Learning how to format SD card for Dash Cam is crucial to extend its lifespan and to prevent corruption and file loss. But while you can use built-in tools like Disk Management, Dispart or Disk Utility to format, 4DDiG Partition Manager offers comprehensive features.
It can format your Dash Cam SD card, fix formatting errors, create partitions, clone disks, and transfer OS without reinstalling. Additionally, you can purchase a Dash Cam with auto SD card format.
Disclaimer:
CBD:
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