SD card reader problem

Question

Level 1

1 points

SD card reader problem

Hoping for some help with this one... I have a mid-2009 13" MBP (2.26, 4 gigs, 1TB HDD, SL 10.6.4) and the SD card reader is not recognizing any of my SD cards (won't mount and also not seen in Disk Utility). The cards are recognized when using a USB adaptor, and also work fine in my wife's MBP SD card reader, so I know it's not the cards. System Profiler recognizes the internal card reader on my system:

Copied from Apple System Profiler:

USB High-Speed Bus:

Host Controller Location: Built-in USB
Host Controller Driver: AppleUSBEHCI
PCI Device ID: 0x0aa9
PCI Revision ID: 0x00b1
PCI Vendor ID: 0x10de
Bus Number: 0x26

Internal Memory Card Reader:

Product ID: 0x8403
Vendor ID: 0x05ac (Apple Inc.)
Version: 98.33
Serial Number: 000000009833
Speed: Up to 480 Mb/sec
Manufacturer: Apple
Location ID: 0x26500000
Current Available (mA): 500
Current Required (mA): 500

Also, the card reader is recognized in Windows, but still doesn't detect the card when inserted.

This one has me stumped, so any help is very much appreciated.

MBP, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Aug 24, 2010 1:40 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jun 16, 2017 5:45 AM in response to Nalfeindo

Hey Nalfeindo,

I have VM fusion as well and had the same problem on and off and was able to kick start the sd card reader using another suggestion to use the image capture app which worked for a while. I know that VM is preventing me from seeing the drive. I tried your suggestion, but got hung up. I went to the VM settings and looked under USB, tried adding "new device" and a few other attempts but cant get it. Any help would be great! I attached a screen shot. Thanks!

Reply

Answer 2

Feb 20, 2017 12:43 AM in response to PantelisA

Wow! Can confirm this is actually works! Just fixed my wife's MacBook Air.

Meanwhile, it looks like it is not an issue on my MacBook Pro'16 - card reader seems to be working fine without any tricks 🙂

Reply

Answer 3

Aug 30, 2010 2:28 PM in response to nwbusa

Since July the card slot does not accept sd cards anymore (i have several cards). It did before, all cards, no problems. Restart did not help. 10 times insert (fast and slow) did not help. Reinstalling the system software no help. restart with cmd alt p r did not help. Could it be connected to a latest software update maybe? Connection via a usb cable with the device is ok, but i prefer the fast route via the card slot.
Seems like some other macbook pro's have the same problem, and many iMacs with an internal slot.
Hope this is resolved soon.
Wibo

Reply

Answer 4

!MP

Level 1

4 points

Sep 8, 2010 5:13 PM in response to nwbusa

That's just stupid, I have same problem

Reply

Answer 5

axet

Level 1

0 points

Sep 11, 2010 4:13 AM in response to !MP

same problem here, i can put my sd card for 10 times and only once it can be recoginzed by my mac os.

i found here a problem with cd reader. you may push inserted sd card on side and drive immediately disappear.

so, can i have money refund for this sd card slot? i do not like to give up my machine to service centers.

Reply

Answer 6

eww

Level 9

53,028 points

Sep 11, 2010 8:27 AM in response to axet

If you won't let anyone fix your machine, it won't be fixed. Is some part of that unclear to you?

No, you can't get a refund without letting a repair technician or Genius evaluate your MBP. If you've had it longer than 14 days, you can't get a refund at all.

Reply

Answer 7

Sep 19, 2010 5:04 PM in response to nwbusa

Hi all,
I have same problem too. How can we solve this problem? Help us please.
Best regards.

Reply

Answer 8

Oct 5, 2010 12:38 PM in response to yguzelsoy

This is just stupid: last week I had one (1!) day that the sd cards were recognized again! I don't believe this, is there a little witch in my macbook pro??
I have searched other forums, some report the same problem, but no help yet.
Wibo

Reply

Answer 9

Oct 10, 2010 1:43 PM in response to nwbusa

ok today i found out that when i insert a card and it does not show up on the desktop, i only have to start iPhoto and then suddenly it is there! On the desktop and in iPhoto! Even more interesting: when i eject the card and quit iPhoto, all the cards i insert later are recognized immediately! (Probably not after a restart ...)
Hope this helps others too ...
All the best,
Wibo

Reply

Answer 10

Oct 11, 2010 5:56 AM in response to Wibo Van Rossum

I seem to be having the same problem with my refurbished MacBook Pro. Sometimes it reads my SD cards, and other times it doesn't at all! I've booked an appointment at the Genius Bar in my local Apple store on Wednesday so will let you know if they say anything useful.

Reply

Answer 11

klo25

Level 1

4 points

Oct 11, 2010 7:42 PM in response to speedbird1987

I am having the same problem. SD cards being recognized just fine last week, now suddenly not mounting. Tried restarting. Tried several different cards that all work fine on my husband's MBP (same model). Has anyone found a way to address this problem? thanks.

Reply

Answer 12

Nov 15, 2010 1:08 PM in response to klo25

same problem with me. From one day to the other it just ignores SD Cards. They don’t even appear in DiscUtility. I hope soeone here has an answer …

Reply

Answer 13

Nov 21, 2010 4:02 PM in response to super geck te

BTW:
I used a duster (compressed air) on mine and now it works again!

Reply

Answer 14

Nov 29, 2010 6:51 AM in response to nwbusa

Hello guys,

I had the exact same symptoms. I've installed Mac OS X v10.6.5 Update (Combo)
( http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1324) and it got fixed (my system was already up-to-date from automatic software update).

It is a pity, the automatic update doesn't do exactly what the combo does...

Cheers,

Reply

Answer 15

Dec 7, 2010 1:09 PM in response to nwbusa

We had this same issue at my job where the older generic memory card reader would not recognize in 10.6.5. we seemed to have resolved the issue by purchasing a new card reader...> Lexar Dual-Slot USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader RW035-001

Reply