Is your memory card
telling the truth?
Counterfeit cards claim a big size but really hold far less, then quietly corrupt whatever you save past their real capacity. HearthCardCheck writes a verifiable pattern across the whole card and reads it back, so you know the honest truth before you trust it with your photos.
Get it on the Microsoft Store Pay once, own it forever
We will never tell you an 8 GB card is really 128 GB. A fake card is a small, genuine card whose controller chip is programmed to lie. HearthCardCheck fills the card with a pattern where every small block is stamped with its own exact position, then reads it all back. On a real card every block returns exactly what was written. On a fake, blocks come back wrong, and counting the ones that still match reveals the true, reliable capacity. You get a clear verdict: genuine, or fake, and here is how much it really holds.
Simple to run, honest about the result
SD cards, microSD cards, and USB flash drives. If Windows can see it, HearthCardCheck can test it. Perfect for anything you bought online and want to trust before a trip or a shoot.
A fake gets an unmissable result: it claims one size but really holds another. You see the real, reliable capacity spelled out, so you know exactly what you are dealing with.
A quick check tests the first few gigabytes and catches most fakes in moments. A full check verifies every byte of the whole card for a definitive answer.
For an honest result, HearthCardCheck erases the card and writes a verifiable pattern across every part of it, then reads it all back. That deletes whatever is on the card, so copy off anything you want to keep before you run it.
Caught a fake? HearthCardCheck can turn it into a reliable smaller card by using only the genuine part, so it stops corrupting your files. Fully explained, and only when you confirm.
No account, no analytics, no cloud. Nothing about your card or your files ever leaves your computer. Pay once and own it, no subscription.
How can you "repair" a fake card?
A fake 128 GB card is really a genuine 8 GB card whose controller reports the wrong size. Anything you write past the real 8 GB either wraps back over earlier data or vanishes, which is why files silently corrupt. Because HearthCardCheck measures the exact real capacity, it can lay down a single area that fits only the genuine memory. Windows then never writes to the fake region again, and the card becomes a reliable card at its true size, one you can actually trust with your photos.
This is destructive and always your choice. Repairing erases the whole card, so the app explains exactly what it will do, shows you the precise steps it will run, asks Windows for administrator permission, and only proceeds after you confirm. Back up anything you still want first. A card that is genuinely failing (rather than simply counterfeit) may still be unreliable even after repair.
Questions people ask
What is HearthCardCheck?
It is a small Windows app that tells you whether an SD card, microSD card, or USB flash drive is a counterfeit that lies about its size. It writes a verifiable pattern across the whole card and reads it back, so you learn the real, reliable capacity before you trust the card with your photos.
How can it tell that a card is fake?
A fake card is a small, genuine card whose controller chip is programmed to report a bigger size. HearthCardCheck stamps every small block with its own exact position, then reads it all back. On a real card every block returns exactly what was written; on a fake, blocks come back wrong, and counting the ones that still match reveals the true capacity.
Does it need the internet, an account, or the cloud?
No. HearthCardCheck runs 100% on your computer with no account and no analytics. Nothing about your card or your files ever leaves your machine.
Will testing erase the card?
Yes. To give an honest result, the app erases the card and writes a verifiable pattern across every part of it, then reads it all back. Copy off anything you want to keep before you run a test.
What does "repair a fake" actually do?
It does not add space that was never there. HearthCardCheck measures the exact real capacity, then lays down a single area that fits only the genuine memory, so Windows never writes to the fake region again. The card becomes reliable at its true, smaller size. Repairing is destructive and only happens after you confirm.
How much does it cost?
You pay once and own it forever. There is no subscription and no recurring fee. You can get it on the Microsoft Store.
Which version of Windows do I need?
HearthCardCheck works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. If Windows can see the card or drive, the app can test it.
HearthRescue recovers deleted and lost files from cards and drives, honestly. From the same family.