PC Doctor October 9, 2015

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Dear PC Doctor:

            I opened a funny little compartment on my phone and a little chip popped out.  It says “Transcend 8GB Micro HD.”   What is it?  Is it important?  Will my phone work without it?

            Thanks,  Don

 

Dear Don:

            This is a memory card.  Transcend is the brand name.  “8GB” refers to the storage capacity of the card.  Despite being really small, (just about the size of a pinky fingernail), the card can hold whatever documents, music, photos, etc., you have on your phone.  It doesn’t store your e-mails or text messages.  Your phone should work as a phone without the card but if you have any apps that are stored on the card, (and some phones do this), those won’t work.  However, I’ve been cautioned that it’s not a great idea to repeatedly remove the card from your phone; if you do have to remove it, it’s better to do so when the phone isn’t on, according to Geek Squad.  Apparently, some of the data can be lost or compromised if you take the card out while the phone is on.  The good news is that you can easily buy another one, if needed.  A quick online search turns up many vendors and cards with capacity as large as 32 GB.

 

Until next time… Happy Computing!

           PC Doctor