Stop writing to the card

A card that becomes unreadable, switches to read-only mode or produces errors may be deteriorating. Shut down the console properly if possible, remove the card and decline any automatic formatting prompt on your computer.

Do not immediately run a repair, reflash the card or make a sector-by-sector copy. Your first priority is to preserve whatever is still readable.

Back up whatever is still readable

Copy legally owned games, authorised BIOS files, saves, save states and accessible BOOT files to another drive. Preserve the folder structure and note any errors. A file-level copy differs from a disk image and generally reads fewer unnecessary sectors.

Stop if disconnections or input/output errors become frequent. Specialist data recovery is outside the scope of this procedure.

Identify the symptom

Symptom	First possibility to check	Next action
Card does not mount on the computer	Reader, partition or failing card	Try another reader without writing to the card; continue with the microSD diagnostic guide
Console starts but some files are missing	Partial corruption or the wrong active card	Identify TF1/TF2 and copy accessible data
Black screen immediately after flashing	Wrong image, profile or DTB	Use the black-screen decision tree and the screen-panel/DTB guide
Random shutdowns or intermittent startup	Card, power supply or hardware	Test before assuming the operating system is solely responsible

Isolate the card, screen panel and hardware

Test the card reader, system card, optional TF2 card and power supply separately. Change only one item at a time and record the result. A black screen does not prove corruption; a card being readable on a computer does not prove that it boots with the correct DTB.

Identify the motherboard and screen panel before choosing a replacement image.

Test the microSD without promising a repair

Start with non-destructive checks. Once your files are backed up, and if the card remains stable, your operating system’s utility can check its structure. Apple nevertheless recommends backing up and replacing a storage device that First Aid cannot repair.

False capacity, recurring errors or disconnections are reasons to replace the card. Formatting may temporarily hide a symptom without making the storage reliable.

Decide whether to reinstall

Reinstall only after copying useful data, confirming the hardware profile and obtaining a new card. Use a new card rather than immediately overwriting your only affected storage device.

Then follow the complete installation guide. This page does not repeat its download, checksum or DTB-selection instructions.

Check the new installation

• First boot completed with neither charger nor TF2 connected.
• Display, controls and proper shutdown all work.
• Version and profile recorded.
• Data restored by category, rather than by overwriting everything.
• One sample game and save tested.
• Original card retained until all checks are complete.