SD card reader not working

[alan9730e]

HP 15-ab254sa   s/n Edited Windows 11 Prod ID N7K3OEA

Not recognised in File Explorer, Device Manager or Disk management.

Have Updated all drivers.

Have Uninstalled drivers & restarted

Have cleaned card slot

Hardware issue unlikely because this pcb & cable are the same for an RJ45, USB3.0, USB 2.0 as well as the reader. They all work except the reader

Not the SD card because I've tried 2 & they work in my camera

[Hawks_Eye · Accepted solution]

Hi @alan9730e 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Here are few steps you can follow to troubleshoot the SD card reader issue on your HP 15‑ab254sa running Windows 11:

Confirm BIOS Detection

• Restart the notebook and tap F10 to enter BIOS setup.
• Check under System Information or Device Configuration if the SD card reader is listed.
• If not detected here, Windows will not see it either.

Run Hardware Diagnostics

• Restart the notebook and tap F2 to launch the built‑in diagnostics.
• Select Component Tests → Storage → SD Card.
• Insert the card and run the test to confirm hardware functionality.

Check Hidden Devices in Device Manager

• Open Device Manager.
• Click View → Show hidden devices.
• Expand Memory technology devices or Universal Serial Bus controllers to see if the reader appears grayed out.
• If present, right‑click and uninstall, then restart.

Update Chipset Drivers

• Even if drivers were updated, ensure the Intel chipset driver is reinstalled. This controls communication with onboard devices like the card reader.
• After reinstalling, restart the notebook.

Test with Different Boot State

• Perform a Clean Boot:
  • Press Windows + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.
  • Under Services, check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
  • Under Startup, open Task Manager and disable all startup items.
  • Restart and test the SD card reader.
• This rules out conflicts with third‑party software.

Check Disk Management Again

• Insert the card and open Disk Management.
• If the card shows without a drive letter, right‑click and assign one.

Test in Safe Mode

• Restart and boot into Safe Mode with Networking.
• Insert the card and check if it appears. If it does, a driver or service conflict is likely in normal mode.

BIOS Update

• Verify the notebook BIOS version in System Information.
• If outdated, update to the latest BIOS available for this model. This can restore proper detection of integrated devices.

If after these steps the card reader still does not appear in BIOS or diagnostics, it indicates the reader module itself is not functioning despite the shared PCB and cable. In that case, replacement of the reader hardware would be the next step.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye