SD Card slot does not work

[Dwight K. Schrute]

The SD card slot on my Gateway 7310 PC does not work - it may have never worked for all I know. I don't remember a time when I inserted a card and it would actually read it.

It should show up as another drive on My Computer, right? Just like a CD/DVD drive?

I don't know if there is a driver I need to install or if there is a setting I need to adjust.

I am not even sure what to look for in the Device Manager.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[David H. Lipman]

Some Memory Card reader slots will not show up as a Drive Letter until a card is actually inserted into the slot. However there should be a driver related line item for the memory card reader slot in Device Manager.

You can capture a screen of Device Manager, post it or a link to a URL to view it, and we can interpret its view and hardware for you

If you are unsure if it has ever worked then the first thing to do is make sure that it is not disabled in the BIOS settings.

Although it may not influence an outcome, It may be a good idea to make sure the BIOS is up-to-date.

Also, verify it is a working card. I assume you have a SD card from a camera.

Is this your PC ?

http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/7310Series/1008379nv.shtml

[Firefox]

Just to add to the excellent advice above...

If the drivers are installed correctly (which we can determine after you post a screen shot of your device manager) its possible that you have a setting set to Hide empty drives in the Computer folder.

Open up My Computer click on Tools (you may have to hit the Alt Key to show menus) then click on Folder Options. Click on View and in the list uncheck the Hide empty drives in the Computer folder. That will make all drive letters show up. If no drives show up then we know that either the driver is not installed or the card reader may not be working.

Also check to make sure there is a power attached to that drive (inside the computer).

[Dwight K. Schrute]

@ Lipman - Yes that is the PC I have and I will get the screen shot of the Device Manager later tonight.

I have heard of BIOS - and may have even opened when trying to diagnose a crashed hard drive on this computer last year. However, I would need instruction on how to access and update it.

@ Firefox - I will follow your instructions to see if there are any hidden drives. Also, good call on the internal power connection, I will check that as well. I can't remember if the LED comes on when I insert the card or not, if not, that may be clue there is no power or a bad device.

Thanks for your help.

I will be back on tonight.