You might also try running the dmesg command after plugging an SD card in to see if it is recognized by the system at all.
This is the result of dmesg:
Initializing USB Mass Storage driver... usbcore: registered new driver usb-storage USB Mass Storage support registered. usb 1-1.1: new full speed USB device using address 7 scsi0 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices Vendor: BUFFALO Model: CF CARD Reader Rev: 3.06 Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02 USB Mass Storage device found at 7 Attached scsi removable disk sda at scsi0, channel 0, id 0, lun 0 Device not ready. Make sure there is a disc in the drive.
Dave