3 ms·
How is this better than dd(1)? Does it "format" the card with any specific filesystem or just overwrite/erase its contents?
by voytec 4y ago
How is this better than dd(1)? Does it "format" the card with any specific filesystem or just overwrite/erase its contents?
- mikae1 4y agoThe answer is in the third paragraph. > SD/SDHC/SDXC Cards have a “Protected Area” for SD Card security purposes. The SD Memory Card Formatter does not format the protected area in the SD/SDHC/SDXC Cards. The protected area shall be formatted by an appropriate PC application or SD host devices that provide SD security function.
- voytec 4y agoIf this "protected area" even exists [1], both dd(1) and this thing seem not to touch it. So no difference here. [1] Never heard of it and I've erased and recreated partition tables on SD cards multiple times with no "bricking"; maybe it's a feature of cards supplied with "encryption software"?
- red_trumpet 4y agoFrom [1]: > Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM), the content protection technology used for SD standards, is key to enabling a distribution system for music, video, etc. CPRM provides a high level of protection against illegal copying. Sounds like someone intended to sell movies on SD cards, replacing DVDs/bluerays. [1] https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/316421 https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/316421
- voytec 4y agoOk. So this area has to be accessed by some special commands and is not exposed as part of a block device. The "SD Memory Card Formatter for Linux" mentions this non sequitur seemingly to confuse users and cause FUD.
- GauntletWizard 4y agoI've linked elsewhere: https://www.engadget.com/2010-12-08-mod-systems-download2go-kiosks-now-hawking-drm-free-music.html https://www.engadget.com/2010-12-08-mod-systems-download2go-... Mod Systems was a Toshiba-funded "Video Rental on SD Cards" startup, whose primary product was a set of bizarre fraud cases.