SD card readers are portable and have a generic form factor. Because of this, they often break. However, most defects are relatively easy to fix.

First, check if the memory card reader is compatible with your computer system. For example, older readers may not work with newer operating systems. Second, check if the USB cable you are using for the connection is not broken. Then, try a different USB port on your PC, as the reader may not draw enough power from the port you were originally using. You may also need to download the latest software and drivers from the website of the memory card reader manufacturer.

Some older memory card readers do not recognize the SDHC memory card format, which allows SD-type memory cards to store 4GB or more of data. Memory card readers that can read SD-type cards that are 2GB or less, but not 4GB or more, are probably not SDHC-compatible. Some memory card readers may be able to recognize the SDHC format with a firmware upgrade; otherwise, you will need to purchase a new reader.

You may have a reader that is designed to use USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 and it is plugged into a USB 1.1 slot. USB 1.1 slots are backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 devices, but they cannot read data as quickly as a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 slot. USB 1.1 slots are also not upgradeable with firmware, so you will need to find a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 slot to achieve faster data transfer speeds.