Aura We couldn't recognize your Micro SD card

[ringo]

I know there have been a number of posts about external SD card issues with Kobo readers, but here's mine: I have a Kobo Aura (3.10 firmware) with a 32gb Sandisk Class 10 Micro SD card installed. Every time I power up the device I receive the following message: "We couldn't recognize your Micro SD card. Please format it to FAT32 and try again." However, the screen then flashes a few times and the books on the external card appear in the library. Has anyone else encountered this specific problem and, if so, have they found a fix? I have tried reformatting the card (SDFormatter) and I have tried a second SD card (same specs) with no luck.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by ringo

I know there have been a number of posts about external SD card issues with Kobo readers, but here's mine: I have a Kobo Aura (3.10 firmware) with a 32gb Sandisk Class 10 Micro SD card installed. Every time I power up the device I receive the following message: "We couldn't recognize your Micro SD card. Please format it to FAT32 and try again." However, the screen then flashes a few times and the books on the external card appear in the library. Has anyone else encountered this specific problem and, if so, have they found a fix? I have tried reformatting the card (SDFormatter) and I have tried a second SD card (same specs) with no luck.

I had this (I think 2.8. or 2.10.1) and IIRC upgrading the firmware fixed it.

Helen

[davidfor]

I get something similar when I insert the card. It usually means I "bounced" it a little while inserting. But, I haven't seen it after a restart.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by ringo

I know there have been a number of posts about external SD card issues with Kobo readers, but here's mine: I have a Kobo Aura (3.10 firmware) with a 32gb Sandisk Class 10 Micro SD card installed. Every time I power up the device I receive the following message: "We couldn't recognize your Micro SD card. Please format it to FAT32 and try again." However, the screen then flashes a few times and the books on the external card appear in the library. Has anyone else encountered this specific problem and, if so, have they found a fix? I have tried reformatting the card (SDFormatter) and I have tried a second SD card (same specs) with no luck.

I've seen this on my wife's Aura. It seems to be the same on 3.1.0 as it was on 2.10.0. Since she leaves powering off or resetting her Aura to me, it doesn't bother her. When I last played with the Aura, I found that about 50% of my uSD card collection don't seem to have any problems, the other 50% trigger the error. The exception is one Patriot 16GB Class 6 uSD card that will format in the Aura when connnected to my PC, allow me to copy files to it and then gives nothing but error messages when disconnected -- oddly, the same thing it did in my daughter's phone.

Regards,
David

[ringo]

Thanks for the feedback. Oddly, the error has not appeared on the last few power-ups so I think the SD card may not have been sitting absolutely correctly. Fingers crossed it stays that way but with the end of the card projecting slightly from the bottom of the reader I suspect it will eventually get knocked out of alignment again. Previously I had a B&N Nook Simple Touch which had a recessed SD card slot with a cover which is a much better solution, but other than that (and the fact that the Nook library scan occurred as a background process) I'm finding the Aura much superior.

Cheers,
R

[jackastor]

Originally Posted by ringo

I know there have been a number of posts about external SD card issues with Kobo readers, but here's mine: I have a Kobo Aura (3.10 firmware) with a 32gb Sandisk Class 10 Micro SD card installed. Every time I power up the device I receive the following message: "We couldn't recognize your Micro SD card. Please format it to FAT32 and try again." However, the screen then flashes a few times and the books on the external card appear in the library. Has anyone else encountered this specific problem and, if so, have they found a fix? I have tried reformatting the card (SDFormatter) and I have tried a second SD card (same specs) with no luck.

My Father has the same issue with his card.

regards

JAck

[Zapask]

FAT32 format only - 16 kb

[morlaine]

This error seems to be happening more frequently. I get the same message, that it can't read the sd card and it needs to be formated in FAT32, about half the time, not every time. I have a 32gb SD card that is formated in FAT32 and it has about 7200 books on it, so I never remove it. It's not inserted incorrectly, if it reads it part of the time.

So far I've been able to get around it by inserting a pin in the Reset hole and it resets and works fine until I turn it off and back on again.

I accidentally found out that if I leave it sit until it times out and turns itself off, the next time I turn it on, it will read the SD card. However, that's not something I would want to do every time. But something to try, if the Reset option doesn't work for you.

I probably should find out how to upgrade the firmware as I don't know how to do that or even what firmware I have currently. But it sounds like that doesn't solve the problem, so better to leave well enough alone.

[davidfor]

Firstly, the firmware upgrade might fix it. Kobo do fix problems in the firmware, so this might be one. The thread is over three years old, so there might have been a change. Plus, the OP decided it was probably something to do with how the card was inserted. That makes it sound like you don't have the same problem.

But, I don't understand your report. When does it happen? Every other report of this I have seen is when the card is inserted. You say you don't remove the card. Does it just happen after a while of usage?

The timing out, is that until it turns off or goes to sleep? Or sleep and then power off? What happens if you do the same via the switch?

[morlaine]

Quite by accident, I seem to have found a resolution for the Aura not finding my SD card. Hurrah!!!

I am not the most patient person, so when I push the On button, I expect whatever I'm turning on, to turn on. That may not be the case with the Kobo.

The other day, for some silly reason, I was watching the little light that comes on when you push the On button on the Aura. I held the button longer than I normally do and I noticed that the little light flickered. It reminded me of the traffic lights that flicker just before they change colors. Anyway, this time, the Aura didn't have a problem finding the SD card. Later that day, I turned it on again and this time, I intentionally waited to turn loose of the button until after the light flickered. Again, it found the SD card and worked fine.
In the last three days, I've had the occasion to turn it on eleven different times, and each time I've waited until after the light flickered to turn loose of the button. And each of those eleven times I have not had a problem with it finding the SD card.

It's only a guess that it only looks for the SD card right around the time the light flickers and anything before that, it won't find the card. Just a guess.
So far, my problem seems to have stopped being an issue.
I hope this helps someone else.

[SJC-Caron]

I'm currently having the same issue with my Kobo Aura H2O (v1). I'm trying to upgrade the microSD card from a 16GB to a 64GB, and keep getting the "please format to fat32" message, in-spite of having used multiple programs to do so already. Calibre doesn't recognize the 64GB microSD card when I connect my Kobo to my computer either. It doesn't look like my problem is slimier to morlaine's.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by SJC-Caron

I'm currently having the same issue with my Kobo Aura H2O (v1). I'm trying to upgrade the microSD card from a 16GB to a 64GB, and keep getting the "please format to fat32" message, in-spite of having used multiple programs to do so already. Calibre doesn't recognize the 64GB microSD card when I connect my Kobo to my computer either. It doesn't look like my problem is slimier to morlaine's.

Firstly, if you get the error message about the format, then the card isn't going to be mounted properly on the device. And that the device won't present it to the PC and hence the PC won't see it. That part of it is working as expected.

As to the 64GB card, Kobo's specs for the Aura H2O state support for 32GB cards. Why, I don't know. It could be a hardware limit, or it could be a software limit. Having said that, while they don't support them, it wouldn't have surprised me if they worked. There have been issues with this in the pas for the older devices. Some people found that some brands beyond the supported size worked, and others didn't. I suspect that you have hit a non-compatible brand.

[SJC-Caron]

@davidfor: Both cards are the same brand and specs aside from the card's capacity (SanDisk Ultra microSDxc, I C10).

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by SJC-Caron

I'm currently having the same issue with my Kobo Aura H2O (v1). I'm trying to upgrade the microSD card from a 16GB to a 64GB, and keep getting the "please format to fat32" message, in-spite of having used multiple programs to do so already. Calibre doesn't recognize the 64GB microSD card when I connect my Kobo to my computer either. It doesn't look like my problem is slimier to morlaine's.

If you check the SD Card standards, SDHC SD cards go up to 32GB capacity and use FAT32. Cards larger than 32GB (up to 2TV) are SDXC and use exFat for the file system. I have one friend who has formatted 64GB SD cards wih FAT32 using the EaseUS partition utility but have never tried one in my Kobo ereaders. Even it it worked, I would not trust the card using a non-standard format.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by DNSB

If you check the SD Card standards, SDHC SD cards go up to 32GB capacity and use FAT32. Cards larger than 32GB (up to 2TV) are SDXC and use exFat for the file system. I have one friend who has formatted 64GB SD cards wih FAT32 using the EaseUS partition utility but have never tried one in my Kobo ereaders. Even it it worked, I would not trust the card using a non-standard format.

FAT32 vs exFat might explain it. I was thinking they were supported by the same filesystem drivers, but if they aren't, not including the exFat driver in the firmware, would be understandable..