Member Avatar for twoyorkie

I have a Toshiba Satellite P25 laptop running Window XP media center edition......
The machine has an SD Card reader built in and I have just Purchased an SD-HD 16MB card.....It won't read the card as i fear the reader is not compatible with SD-HD technology as its 4 years old !! Can I upgrade the card reader with software ,if so from where ?? Toshiba's site was not helpful......couldn't even find my discontinued model !!!! Please e-mail me with clever solutions ...Thanks in anticipation :idea:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by badhairday

Dani AI

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Short answer: an internal SD reader is usually a hardware device and cannot be made SDHC/SDXC‑capable by a simple Windows software update. The distinction matters: older readers (common in machines the age of the Satellite P25) often only support SDSC cards up to 2GB. A driver update, as mentioned by , can help only when the reader hardware already supports the newer card format but the OS lacks the right driver. was correct that an external USB reader is the quickest, most reliable workaround.

Troubleshooting checklist (use in order):

  1. Test the card in another device or an external USB reader to confirm the card itself is good.
  2. Verify the card type and capacity (SDSC vs SDHC/SDXC). Cards 4GB and larger are typically SDHC or SDXC and are the ones most older readers cannot handle.
  3. Open Device Manager on the P25 and note the card reader entry and vendor/model (hardware IDs). If the vendor supplies updated drivers for that model, install them — only worth doing if the hardware actually supports SDHC.
  4. If drivers do not enable the card, either (a) replace the internal card‑reader module with a compatible SDHC module (requires disassembly and the correct part number/service manual), or (b) use an inexpensive USB multi‑card reader — this is the simplest fix and avoids risk of laptop damage.

Final notes: replacing the internal module is feasible but involves ordering the correct spare part and careful disassembly; it is not a software “upgrade.” For most users wanting to read modern cards, a USB reader is the lowest‑cost, least‑risky solution.

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Member Avatar for CompUfuss

i think you best option will be to buy a usb multi card reader .like this one

Member Avatar for twoyorkie

Thanks.....I have card reader but wish to just upgrade SD reader in laptop......

Member Avatar for badhairday

I don't know if you have resolved your problem but I had the same trouble.
You can get the correct driver here

However I can only vouch for the Flash Media driver(sd card slot driver).
If you try the others please let me know how you got on.

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