Fix: Realtek Card Reader issues on Windows 10

Realtek’s USB card readers can be stubborn sometimes. The issue that happened for quite a few users was that when they inserted their card, everything works. However, once you browse the media or start copying files, the media is lost. The SD card is mounted again after a short while, and then unmounted, resulting in an endless loop. This happened with quite a few of Realtek’s USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 card readers, and the cause for the problem are the drivers. This situation usually occurred on devices by Medion, which is a Lenovo subsidiary, and the KB3156421 update was the cause behind the problem. However, the problem appeared again with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. The cause of the problem, this time, was Realtek’s drivers.

Download newer drivers

Realtek obviously admitted that their drivers had things messed up, and with releasing the 10.0.10586.31225 driver, they fixed the issue. You can get the driver from your computer manufacturer’s website, or you can get it from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

1. Download the latest drivers from wherever you please, whether that is your manufacturer’s website, or Microsoft’s Update Catalog.
2. Head to your Downloads folder, and install the drivers using the .exe file.
3. Reboot your device. The card reader should work perfectly now.