PCIe Realtek card reader not detecting SD cards

I recently upgraded Windows 11 21h2 to 23h2 and the PCIe Realtek card reader (10EC525A RTS525A) doesn't detect SD card after it is ejected . The SD cards are tested using another computer with Windows 8 and they all work. SD card can only be detected when Realtek card reader is disabled , the re-enabled or re-installing driver , after ejecting SD card, need to repeat the this process to detect SD card again. The SD cards are unlocked.

I have also performed the followings :

1) Updated Realtek card reader driver, both automatically by the system and manually , driver version , regardless automatic or manual installation, is 10.0.22000.21350 . Anyone knows if there is a more recent one for Windows 11. Tried to obtain it from Windows update but none is available.

2) Changed drive letter for the card reader in Disk Manager

3) Removed the device Realtek PCIe card reader in Device Manager under Memory Technology Devices. The system detected it again and reinstalled the card driver . Inserted a SD card , it detected it but after ejecting the card and re-inserting the card , the card reader wouldn't detect it again, had to disble and re-enable the card reader to detect the card.

4) Performed a system files scan sfc /scannow , no issues

5) Repeated 1-4 in safe mode and in Administrator account.


Also, in Service.msc , the followings have been set to AUTOMATIC startup type but still didn't solve the problem.

Human Interface Device Access
Plug and Play
Shell Hardware Detection
Storage Service
UPnP Device Host

none of the above solves the problem.

In Device Manager , under Memory Technology Devices

Realtek PCIE Cardreader
Events Tab displays these messages
Message Device not started RTSPER which is one of the driver files
Device PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_525A&SUBSYS_525A10EC&REV_01\....... had a problem starting.

When the card reader is removed from Device Manager , re-detected and after driver installed

Event viewver shows these messages

Information message

Device PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_525A&SUBSYS_525A10EC&REV_01\.... was configured.

then

an Error message

Device PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_525A&SUBSYS_525A10EC&REV_01\..... had a problem starting.


Driver Name: oem111.inf

Class Guid: {4d36e970-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}

Service: RTSPER
Lower Filters:
Upper Filters:
Problem: 0x0
Problem Status: 0xC00000E5

RTSPER.sys is one of the driver files

In Administrative Events

Metadata staging failed, result=0x80070490 for container .......



Also a warning

A connection to the Windows Metadata and Internet Services (WMIS) could not be established.


Can anyone enlighten me about metadata and why is it necessary to connect to Microsoft server whenever a local memory card gets accessed?


I have tried changing the URL in Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Device Metadata

set DeviceMetadataServiceURL ( http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=252669&clcid=0x409 )

to

http://dmd.metaservices.microsoft.com/dms/metadata.svc
this address actually caused more error messages , but I am just employing someone's online suggestion to this problem.

have tried https://...

Any suggestions?

Just want to make a correction RTSPER.sys is a service , not the driver file as I mistyped.

SevenEleven said:

Event viewver shows these messages

Information message

Device PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_525A&SUBSYS_525A10EC&REV_01\.... was configured.

then

an Error message

Device PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_525A&SUBSYS_525A10EC&REV_01\..... had a problem starting.

Click to expand...

Hi,

You really need to quote the Event Viewer Event ID of the error message, before any progress can be made on this. (Not the Information message, just the Error message).

The messages mean more to me than ID numbers .

Information message

Event ID 400
Device PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_525A&SUBSYS_525A10EC&REV_01\.... was configured.

then

an Error message

Event ID 411
Event 411 Kernel-PnP indicates that the device driver fails to load during the Plug and Play process.


Device PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_525A&SUBSYS_525A10EC&REV_01\..... had a problem starting.

Had you tried DISM from an admin command prompt?

dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth

dism /online /cleanup-image /checkhealth

dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

Could you please provide the make and model of the computer in question to allow us to research the issue better?

Thanks!

iko22 said:

Had you tried DISM from an admin command prompt?

dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth

dism /online /cleanup-image /checkhealth

dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

Click to expand...

Hi:
Yes I have , all 3 of them , have even tried them in switching to Administrator account , didn't help.

hsehestedt said:

Could you please provide the make and model of the computer in question to allow us to research the issue better?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Is a Dell XPS Core i9 12th gen system . I have tried installing the driver manually by downloading the lastest one from Dell , didn't help. This issue happens all of the sudden. I didn't install any new software except all the Windows updates that I am forced to accept (some of them I can't even uninstall), tried rolling-back to 21H2 , didn't help either . I don't think it is a hardware problem because the SD cards can be detected but just not after they are ejected and re-inserted into the card reader. The system did detect the card reader even after I removed it (in Device Manager). Event 411 from Event Viewer indicates that the driver fails to load but when I disabled and re-enabled the card reader or re-installing the driver , the card was detected and I was able to read the files on the card, the problem is after the card is ejected and re-inserted , no detection. Several cards were used and they were checked in another system, they work fine.

Anyone knows if any of the Windows 11 updates would affect SD card reader ?
I have looked at some Windows 11 services such as Smart card , Smart card device Enumeration Service , Smart card Removal policy , changing their Startup Types to Automatic (default manual) does not help .

Windows could potentially install an updated SD card reader driver via Windows update, but you would see that in the driver update history. Also, a Smart Card has nothing to do with an SD card. They are two very different things.

Have a look in device manager (Select Show hidden devices under the View Tab) and remove all instances of the SD card under Universal Serial Bus Controllers (With NO SD cards in the reader the device) Then do the same under Portable Devices.

Rollback_Jockey said:

Have a look in device manager (Select Show hidden devices under the View Tab) and remove all instances of the SD card under Universal Serial Bus Controllers (With NO SD cards in the reader the device) Then do the same under Portable Devices.

Click to expand...

It is a PCIe on-board card reader. I haven't uninstalled the driver for the PCI as everything else connected to this bus is working. I have turned off PCI Link State power Management but that didn't help. SD card (have used other cards and cards are verified to be working in another system) only gets detected when the card driver is disabled and re-enabled , from reboot , from system wakened from sleep, just not after ejecting and re-inserting.

hsehestedt said:

Windows could potentially install an updated SD card reader driver via Windows update, but you would see that in the driver update history. Also, a Smart Card has nothing to do with an SD card. They are two very different things.

Smart card - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Click to expand...

Thank you for the clarification.

Have installed Realtek PCIe card reader driver 10.0.22621.21369 , dated 11/9/2023 from Microsoft catalog , still doesn't resolve the problem .

Any suggestions?

SevenEleven said:

Have installed Realtek PCIe card reader driver 10.0.22621.21369 , dated 11/9/2023 from Microsoft catalog , still doesn't resolve the problem .

Click to expand...

there are many entries of 10.0.22621.21369 on MS Update Catalog.
most of them have the generic RtsPer.inf file. a few others may have same version but different INF files
(RtsPerHP.inf, RtsPerAMDRN.inf, etc. - avoid using such driver packages that do not include the RtsPer.inf file; these may limit or disable support for certain memory cards)

try either one of these v10.0.22621.21369 cab packages {download 1} {download 2}
(these 2 packages have the RtsPer.inf file - viewed the contents of these packages in a file archiving tool like 7zip)

uninstall remove the existing 10.0.22621.21369 driver, delete/remove the following registry key in Registry editor (regedit.exe):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\RTSPER
then reboot and install the 10.0.22621.21369 driver containing the RtsPer.inf file


===

edit - alternatively, there's a 10.0.22631.21370 version available on MS Update Catalog; just need to find the one that has the generic RtsPer.inf file


also, what is the size or capacity of that SD card you're trying to access on the Realtek PCIe card reader? (4gb, 8gb, 16gb?)

erpster4 said:

there are many entries of 10.0.22621.21369 on MS Update Catalog.
most of them have the generic RtsPer.inf file. a few others may have same version but different INF files
(RtsPerHP.inf, RtsPerAMDRN.inf, etc. - avoid using such driver packages that do not include the RtsPer.inf file; these may limit or disable support for certain memory cards)

try either one of these v10.0.22621.21369 cab packages {download 1} {download 2}
(these 2 packages have the RtsPer.inf file - viewed the contents of these packages in a file archiving tool like 7zip)

uninstall remove the existing 10.0.22621.21369 driver, delete/remove the following registry key in Registry editor (regedit.exe):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\RTSPER
then reboot and install the 10.0.22621.21369 driver containing the RtsPer.inf file


===

edit - alternatively, there's a 10.0.22631.21370 version available on MS Update Catalog; just need to find the one that has the generic RtsPer.inf file


also, what is the size or capacity of that SD card you're trying to access on the Realtek PCIe card reader? (4gb, 8gb, 16gb?)

Click to expand...

Hi erpster4:

Thank you for your suggestions. I tried all of them. None of them resolved the problem which is the only way to detect the cards (with different capacities 8GB,16GB, 64 GB which worked in another machine, Wins 8) is to disable and re-eneble the device; once I ejected the card , I have to repeat the same process to get them detected. The cards also get automaticaly detected if the computer wakes up from sleep. This suggests that at least the hardware is working ? All of the prior driver cabs have only 4 files

RsCRIcon.dll
RtsPer.inf
RtsPer.sys
rtsper64.cat

Without clicking on the eject card icon on taskbar , just ejecting the card physically , then reinserting the card, file explorer takes a while to refresh the file listing

This is what is listed in events in Device Manager for the Realtek PCIe cardreader right after driver is installed or updated (but card still gets detected when the driver is just installed, just not right after being ejected and re-inserted into the reader)

Device not started (RTSPER)
Driver Name: oem169.inf
Class Guid: {4d36e970-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
Service: RTSPER
Lower Filters:
Upper Filters:
Problem: 0x0
Problem Status: 0xC00000E5

SevenEleven said:

Thank you for your suggestions. I tried all of them. None of them resolved the problem which is the only way to detect the cards (with different capacities 8GB,16GB, 64 GB which worked in another machine, Wins 8) is to disable and re-eneble the device; once I ejected the card , I have to repeat the same process to get them detected. The cards also get automaticaly detected if the computer wakes up from sleep. This suggests that at least the hardware is working ? All of the prior driver cabs have only 4 files

Click to expand...

Can you try the card reader in a different machine? Can't see if anyone has already asked, but how old is the card reader? Is it possible if the card reader has developed a fault and becomes unstable when memory card removed? Although, the Windows 11 upgrade is a coincidence if that were true.

iko22 said:

Can you try the card reader in a different machine? Can't see if anyone has already asked, but how old is the card reader? Is it possible if the card reader has developed a fault and becomes unstable when memory card removed? Although, the Windows 11 upgrade is a coincidence if that were true.

Click to expand...

The Realtek 525A PCIe card reader is integrated into the motherboard. I can uninstall the card reader (under Memory Technology Devices in Device Manager) and remove the device, and it will get detected again and the driver will be automatically installed . If I view the device using View by Device Connection in Device Manager, it is clearly listed under PCI Express Root Complex -> Intel PCI Express Root Port. Right-click on Properties for the card reader , the status says "This Device is working properly", so there is no problem being detected by the system. Once being detected, I have no problem viewing cards' contents in file manager, accessing files with no problem. It is just the disabling/ Re-enabling the card reader to get cards detected that is the problem.

Posting this in the hopes it can help someone with this problem. I finally fixed mine.

I had a similar problem for years with the Realtek PCIe cardreader on a Dell XPS 15 9560. It used to work then at some point it stopped working properly, likely with some update on Windows 10. I am now on Windows 11 24H2 and up until yesterday the problem still persisted. The cardreader did not show up in the active devices in the device manager. Show hidden devices would show it as not connected. The first time plugging in a card it would work fine and show up active in the device manager as working normally, but after removing the card it would disconnect and no longer work without a reboot. I tried removing and deleting all the drivers and installing different versions. Up until yesterday I could not restore it to full functionality.

Yesterday I tried once more as I do perically whenever I find occasion to use the cardreader and I got it working with a new driver I found on the RealTek website from 2025. First I removed and deleted the existing cardreader drivers saved in Windows one by one in the device manager. The let Windows find the device and presumably download what it thought was the best driver from Microsoft which was an old driver from 2019 and did not work properly (same broken behavior as all the other drivers I tried up until then). Then I download from the RealTek site:

PCIE card reader driver for Win10 and Win11

V10.0.26100.21378

2025/01/15

17 MB

Click to expand...

Found on page: Card Reader Solutions > Card Reader Controllers Software

After deleting the old drivers and installing this new driver from Realtek my PCIe cardreader now works normally again for the first time in years. I hope this helps someone. I struggled with it for years.