Arch Linux

altf4arnold

Member

Registered: 2018-11-30

Posts: 5

SD card reader detected as /dev/sda

Hello,

I have a thinkpad T480 with a sd-card reader. This one is detected as /dev/sda even when there is no SD card in it.
When I insert a sd card who already has a partition, I can mount those partitions like /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2 etc.
The problem is that, when I want to dd a sd-card with for example some raspbian stuff, because of the fact that SDA  is the reader and not the actual disk, I can't dd it or even fdisk it (yes, I watched for the SD read-only switch and was in root to dd)

Is there something I can do or will I have to buy an external sd-card reader?

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,701

Re: SD card reader detected as /dev/sda

Welcome to Arch Linux

You saying that the SD card reader, without media installed in it, appears as /dev/sda .   I have never heard of such a thing.
What are the output of lspci and of lsusb  ?

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altf4arnold

Member

Registered: 2018-11-30

Posts: 5

Re: SD card reader detected as /dev/sda

Hello :-) (I was already on arch since 2 years ago)

So here is the output of those two commands : https://adct.be/output

And yes, if there is no SD card in it and I ls /dev, I can see /dev/sda and if I lsblk, I don't see it. But If I put a SD card in it, it appears in lsblk under /dev/sda.

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 77,723

Re: SD card reader detected as /dev/sda

My external multicard reader does sth. similar. When attached it registers as /dev/sd{c-f} (cause a & b are taken)
The failing device access is weird, though - what's the output if you run "dmesg -w" and insert a disk?
Can you boot the system w/ an sd card inserted (but not *from* that disk) - can you fdisk/dd onto it in that case?

You could also try to rebind the device, https://zedt.eu/tech/linux/restarting-u … em-centos/ (the link doesn't include the lsusb output, but I don't see a card reader in the pci list on a brief glance)

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altf4arnold

Member

Registered: 2018-11-30

Posts: 5

Re: SD card reader detected as /dev/sda

here is the output from dmesg :
[48006.463699] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 15644672 512-byte logical blocks: (8.01 GB/7.46 GiB)
[48006.465631]  sda: sda1

I still need to try to boot with it (Current work in progress so I cannot turn it off right now)

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 77,723

Re: SD card reader detected as /dev/sda

[48006.465631]  sda: sda1

Sure it doesn't just create the drive as sda1, regardless of the missing partition? (Or is there a partition on this device?)

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altf4arnold

Member

Registered: 2018-11-30

Posts: 5

Re: SD card reader detected as /dev/sda

Yes, there already is a partition on the SD card. I f there isn't, it won't appear

altf4arnold

Member

Registered: 2018-11-30

Posts: 5

Re: SD card reader detected as /dev/sda

it works  when I boot with sd card loaded

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 77,723

Re: SD card reader detected as /dev/sda

Try rebinding the device and see whether (and how) the device file differs ("stat") when working and when not.
Also post lsusb so that we learn what kind of reader that actually is.

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