If you experience a problem accessing your RAM card, there are some steps that can be used to recover your card and in some cases recover the data.

1. Clean the contacts of the card. – Sometimes card problems are caused by foreign material in the port or on the RAM card’s copper contacts. Use a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol to clean the contacts. Slide the still-wet card in and out of the port on the 48GX 10-15 times. This will loosen any dust or foreign buildup on the contacts. Take the card out and wait 3 minutes for the card and port to dry completely. Reinsert the card and try to access the card again. In some cases a reset/reinstall will be necessary.
2. Reset/Reinstall the TDS software. – The following procedure can be used to recover a 48GX that has become unstable and can sometimes fix RAM card access problems.
   1. Remove both cards from the 48GX.
   2. Turn the 48 on.
   3. Press the [ON] [A] and [F] keys all down and release together.
   4. At the prompt “Try to recover memory?” answer [A] for no. This is referring to the TDS program libraries, not your job data. If successful you will receive the “memory clear” message.
   5. Turn the 48 off.
   6. Put the Survey card in port 2. Looking at the back of the unit that is the closest one to you.
   7. Turn the 48 on.
   8. Type: TDS48 [Enter] You will get a message reading "Installation complete. Turn off insert RAM card to port 2"
   9. Turn the 48 off.
   10. Remove the Survey Card and place it in the other port. Port 1.
   11. Add the RAM card to port 2.
   12. Type: TDS48 [Enter] This should bring you into the Survey program. Attempt to access your data.

If all the attempts above fail to recover your card, then the data is deemed lost. It will then be necessary to reformat the card for use. The following procedure can be used to reformat the card.

1. Remove both cards from the 48GX.
2. Turn the 48 on.
3. Press the [ON] [A] and [F] keys all down and release together.
4. At the prompt "Try to recover memory?" answer [A] for no. This is referring to the TDS program libraries, not your job data. If successful you will receive the "memory clear" message.
5. Turn the 48 off.
6. Put the Survey card in port 2. Looking at the back of the unit that is the closest one to you.
7. Turn the 48 on.
8. Type: TDS48 [Enter] You will get a message reading "Installation complete. Turn off insert RAM card to port 2"
9. Turn the 48 off.
10. Remove the Survey Card and place it in the other port. Port 1.
11. Add the RAM card to port 2.
12. Turn the 48 on.
13. Type: [purple shift] initram [enter]. You will receive a prompt "Wish to erase all data in port 2?" Answer ‘y’ for Yes. [Enter]
14. Type: TDS48 [Enter]. The data collector will now be set to its default settings with a blank RAM card ready for use.