Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 88189 2008-03-18 09:43:00 Weird USB Memory Problem davehartley (3487) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
650463 2008-03-18 09:43:00 I've been given a 128Mb no-brand-name USB mem stick by a friend to have a look at -- he says he doesn't know what he did, but he can now only see like 1Mb.

Threw it into my machine, and when the stick mounts, it's actually two drives, one of 1Mb and another with the rest. So, says I, it's just a partitioning issue -- let's recreate the partitions.

Trouble is, as far as anything I've used is concerned, they are two totally separate drives -- and as such I can't combine the partitions! I have a feeling that a "low level format" may fix the memory stick, but I have no idea as to which program to use <sigh>

Any help or pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated ... (and yes, I know it's only a 128Mb stick that can be replaced for under $10 ... but I hate to let something like this beat me!)
davehartley (3487)
650464 2008-03-18 10:03:00 Sounds similar to a U3 USB flash drive.

After you install the software to format it, it partitions it in 2.

One for the software it installs, and one, so you can boot into DOS.

Since its bootable, like a floppy.
Speedy Gonzales (78)
650465 2008-03-18 10:10:00 I think you will be able to format it back to a single drive with windows disc management tool in Control Panel

Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Administrative Tools. Double click Computer Management and then click Disk Management in the left hand column

MUCH easier way :)

Start > Run and type (or better - copy paste) diskmgmt.msc

Click OK and there it is

Have the flash drive plugged in and you will be able to right click and format from there.

Hope that helps :thumbs:


*edit*

BTW - XP only sees one partition in a flash drive apparently
bevy121 (117)
650466 2008-03-18 10:34:00 Yeah -- the problem is that in the Windows Disk Management Tool, it appears as two totally separate drives:

FlashDriveTwoPart.jpg (www.imagef1.net.nz)

I'm fairly happy with (re)partitioning, having done it for some time now, but having the two partitions show up as separate devices has me flummoxed.

Speedy -- do you anywhere to point me to as to UN-formatting it in two? :)
davehartley (3487)
650467 2008-03-18 10:41:00 Right mouse on F and select delete partition, but whatever is on it will go byebyes Speedy Gonzales (78)
650468 2008-03-18 10:41:00 you could delete them and then re format as one


*edit*

LOL snap Speedy!
bevy121 (117)
650469 2008-03-18 10:51:00 Nope -- when I try to delete a partition, it's greyed out:

www.imagef1.net.nz

Like I say, it's treating the single USB stick as two totally separate drives. Weird.
davehartley (3487)
650470 2008-03-18 10:56:00 Delete G's partition then. If it isnt greyed out Speedy Gonzales (78)
650471 2008-03-18 10:58:00 Sorry, should have said that it's greyed out for both F and G drives. davehartley (3487)
650472 2008-03-18 11:15:00 Open a command prompt and format F, or G. See what happens Speedy Gonzales (78)
1 2