Scandisk 'repaired' Flash Drive, but that section should be leftdead?

On Mar 1, 11:29*pm, Franc Zabkar wrote:

I have no idea, but it sure looks dead. I'd say the drive's controller
chip is OK, but its memory chip is probably faulty.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Sounds like the right diagnosis and explains why intermittently I kept
getting a huge amount of corrupted files.

Must be contagious, because the HD of one of the PC's does not spin up
at power on now. g

Robert

On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:29:06 +1100, Franc Zabkar
put finger to keyboard and composed:

On Sun, 1 Mar 2009 16:28:32 -0800 (PST), Robert Macy
put finger to keyboard and composed:

The stick may be totally dead now. Win98 shows it inserted and adds
a drive letter F:\removable etc

but click on it gets you nowhere, keeps asking to insert it. ??

On the WinXP, it keeps showing up as 0 bytes 0 free. can't format it
because it says 'write protected'??

That sounded like the botched scandisk/formatting may have removed the
partition? But now I don't know how to put a partition onto a USB
stick.

WinXP won't let me run FDISK and FDISK running on the Win98 doesn't
let me run with the USB driver loaded so can't find the stick.

Any ideas on how to make absolutely certain the stick is a lost cause?

Robert

I have no idea, but it sure looks dead. I'd say the drive's controller
chip is OK, but its memory chip is probably faulty.

I've just tried FDISK and Debug with my 2GB USB flash drive (L in a
Win98 DOS window.

This is the boot sector of drive L:

C:\WIN98SEdebug
-L 100 B 0 1 (for drive F: you would type L 100 5 0 1)
-D 100 2FF

100 EB 5A 90 2C 6E 5A 58 54-49 48 43 00 02 08 20 00 .Z.,nZXTIHC... .
110 02 00 00 00 00 F8 00 00-3F 00 FF 00 3F 00 00 00 ........?...?...
120 76 0E 3C 00 FD 0E 00 00-00 00 00 00 02 00 00 00 v..............
130 01 00 06 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
140 80 00 29 27 11 FF 16 32-47 42 5F 46 4C 41 53 48 ..)'...2GB_FLASH
150 20 20 46 41 54 33 32 20-20 20 F1 7D FA 33 C9 8E FAT32 .}.3..
160 D1 BC F8 7B 8E C1 BD 78-00 C5 76 00 1E 56 16 55 ...{...x..v..V.U
170 BF 22 05 89 7E 00 89 4E-02 B1 0B FC F3 A4 8E D9 ."..~..N........
180 BD 00 7C C6 45 FE 0F 8B-46 18 88 45 F9 FB 38 66 ..|.E...F..E..8f
190 40 7C 04 CD 13 72 4E BF-02 00 83 7E 16 00 75 71 @|...rN....~..uq
1A0 66 83 7E 24 00 74 6A 8B-46 1C 8B 56 1E B9 03 00 f.~$.tj.F..V....
1B0 49 40 75 01 42 BB 00 7E-E8 90 00 73 2A B0 F8 4F
1C0 74 21 8B 46 32 33 D2 B9-03 00 3B C8 77 43 8B 76 t!.F23....;.wC.v
1D0 0E 3B CE 73 3C 2B F1 3B-C6 77 36 03 46 1C 13 56 .;.s+.;.w6.F..V
1E0 1E EB CD 73 2C EB 49 66-81 BE 00 02 52 52 61 41 ...s,.If....RRaA
1F0 75 CC 66 81 BE FC 03 00-00 55 AA 75 C1 66 81 BE u.f......U.u.f..
200 FC 05 00 00 55 AA 75 B6-83 7E 2A 00 77 03 E9 EF ....U.u..~*.w...
210 02 BE 80 7D FB AC 98 03-F0 AC 84 C0 74 17 3C FF ...}........t..
220 74 09 B4 0E BB 07 00 CD-10 EB EE BE 83 7D EB E4 t............}..
230 BE 81 7D EB DF 33 C0 CD-16 5E 1F 8F 04 8F 44 02 ..}..3...^....D.
240 CD 19 00 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 00 50 52 51 91 92 ...........PRQ..
250 33 D2 F7 76 18 91 F7 76-18 42 87 CA F7 76 1A 8A 3..v...v.B...v..
260 F2 8A 56 40 8A E8 D0 CC-D0 CC 0A CC B8 01 02 CD ..V@............
270 13 59 5A 58 72 09 40 75-01 42 03 5E 0B E2 CC C3 .^....
280 03 18 01 27 0D 0A 49 6E-76 61 6C 69 64 20 73 79 ...'..Invalid sy
290 73 74 65 6D 20 64 69 73-6B FF 0D 0A 44 69 73 6B stem disk...Disk
2A0 20 49 2F 4F 20 65 72 72-6F 72 FF 0D 0A 52 65 70 I/O error...Rep
2B0 6C 61 63 65 20 74 68 65-20 64 69 73 6B 2C 20 61 lace the disk, a
2C0 6E 64 20 74 68 65 6E 20-70 72 65 73 73 20 61 6E nd then press an
2D0 79 20 6B 65 79 0D 0A 00-49 4F 20 20 20 20 20 20 y key...IO
2E0 53 59 53 4D 53 44 4F 53-20 20 20 53 59 53 80 01 SYSMSDOS SYS..
2F0 00 57 49 4E 42 4F 4F 54-20 53 59 53 00 00 55 AA .WINBOOT SYS..U.

-Q

This is how FDISK sees my drives.

C:\WIN98SEFDISK /STATUS

Fixed Disk Drive Status
Disk Drv Mbytes Free Usage
1 19540 4879 75%
C: 4887
D: 9774
2 1922 100%
L: 1922

(1 MByte = 1048576 bytes)

Some flash drives look like a "super floppy" rather than a HD, in
which case there will be no partition, only a boot sector. IIRC, mine
began life as the former, but I subsequently FDISKed it.

You can verify that the controller is communicating with the OS using
Microsoft's UVCView:
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/USB...VCView.x86.exe

---===Device Information===---
English product name: "USB DISK"

ConnectionStatus:
Current Config Value: 0x01 - Device Bus Speed: Full
Device Address: 0x02
Open Pipes: 2

===Endpoint Descriptor===
bLength: 0x07
bDescriptorType: 0x05
bEndpointAddress: 0x81 - Direction: IN -
EndpointID: 1
bmAttributes: 0x02 - Bulk Transfer Type
wMaxPacketSize: 0x0040 = 0x40 bytes
bInterval: 0xFF

===Endpoint Descriptor===
bLength: 0x07
bDescriptorType: 0x05
bEndpointAddress: 0x02 - Direction: OUT -
EndpointID: 2
bmAttributes: 0x02 - Bulk Transfer Type
wMaxPacketSize: 0x0040 = 0x40 bytes
bInterval: 0xFF

===Device Descriptor===
bLength: 0x12
bDescriptorType: 0x01
bcdUSB: 0x0200
bDeviceClass: 0x00 - This is an Interface Class
Defined Device
bDeviceSubClass: 0x00
bDeviceProtocol: 0x00
bMaxPacketSize0: 0x40 = (64) Bytes
idVendor: 0x090C = Silicon Motion, Inc. -
Taiwan
idProduct: 0x1000
bcdDevice: 0x1100
iManufacturer: 0x01
English (United States) "SMI Corporation"
iProduct: 0x02
English (United States) "USB DISK"
iSerialNumber: 0x00
bNumConfigurations: 0x01

===Configuration Descriptor===
bLength: 0x09
bDescriptorType: 0x02
wTotalLength: 0x0020 - Validated
bNumInterfaces: 0x01
bConfigurationValue: 0x01
iConfiguration: 0x00
bmAttributes: 0x80 - Bus Powered
MaxPower: 0x32 = 100 mA

===Interface Descriptor===
bLength: 0x09
bDescriptorType: 0x04
bInterfaceNumber: 0x00
bAlternateSetting: 0x00
bNumEndpoints: 0x02
bInterfaceClass: 0x08 - This is a Mass Storage USB
Device Interface Class
bInterfaceSubClass: 0x06
bInterfaceProtocol: 0x50
iInterface: 0x00

===Endpoint Descriptor===
bLength: 0x07
bDescriptorType: 0x05
bEndpointAddress: 0x81 - Direction: IN -
EndpointID: 1
bmAttributes: 0x02 - Bulk Transfer Type
wMaxPacketSize: 0x0040 = 0x40 bytes
bInterval: 0xFF

===Endpoint Descriptor===
bLength: 0x07
bDescriptorType: 0x05
bEndpointAddress: 0x02 - Direction: OUT -
EndpointID: 2
bmAttributes: 0x02 - Bulk Transfer Type
wMaxPacketSize: 0x0040 = 0x40 bytes
bInterval: 0xFF

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:29:06 +1100, Franc Zabkar
put finger to keyboard and composed:

On Sun, 1 Mar 2009 16:28:32 -0800 (PST), Robert Macy
put finger to keyboard and composed:

The stick may be totally dead now. Win98 shows it inserted and adds
a drive letter F:\removable etc

but click on it gets you nowhere, keeps asking to insert it. ??

On the WinXP, it keeps showing up as 0 bytes 0 free. can't format it
because it says 'write protected'??

That sounded like the botched scandisk/formatting may have removed the
partition? But now I don't know how to put a partition onto a USB
stick.

WinXP won't let me run FDISK and FDISK running on the Win98 doesn't
let me run with the USB driver loaded so can't find the stick.

Any ideas on how to make absolutely certain the stick is a lost cause?

Robert

I have no idea, but it sure looks dead. I'd say the drive's controller
chip is OK, but its memory chip is probably faulty.

I've just tried FDISK and Debug with my 2GB USB flash drive (L in a
Win98 DOS window.

This is the boot sector of drive L:

C:\WIN98SEdebug
-L 100 B 0 1 (for drive F: you would type L 100 5 0 1)
-D 100 2FF

100 EB 5A 90 2C 6E 5A 58 54-49 48 43 00 02 08 20 00 .Z.,nZXTIHC... .
110 02 00 00 00 00 F8 00 00-3F 00 FF 00 3F 00 00 00 ........?...?...
120 76 0E 3C 00 FD 0E 00 00-00 00 00 00 02 00 00 00 v..............
130 01 00 06 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
140 80 00 29 27 11 FF 16 32-47 42 5F 46 4C 41 53 48 ..)'...2GB_FLASH
150 20 20 46 41 54 33 32 20-20 20 F1 7D FA 33 C9 8E FAT32 .}.3..
160 D1 BC F8 7B 8E C1 BD 78-00 C5 76 00 1E 56 16 55 ...{...x..v..V.U
170 BF 22 05 89 7E 00 89 4E-02 B1 0B FC F3 A4 8E D9 ."..~..N........
180 BD 00 7C C6 45 FE 0F 8B-46 18 88 45 F9 FB 38 66 ..|.E...F..E..8f
190 40 7C 04 CD 13 72 4E BF-02 00 83 7E 16 00 75 71 @|...rN....~..uq
1A0 66 83 7E 24 00 74 6A 8B-46 1C 8B 56 1E B9 03 00 f.~$.tj.F..V....
1B0 49 40 75 01 42 BB 00 7E-E8 90 00 73 2A B0 F8 4F
1C0 74 21 8B 46 32 33 D2 B9-03 00 3B C8 77 43 8B 76 t!.F23....;.wC.v
1D0 0E 3B CE 73 3C 2B F1 3B-C6 77 36 03 46 1C 13 56 .;.s+.;.w6.F..V
1E0 1E EB CD 73 2C EB 49 66-81 BE 00 02 52 52 61 41 ...s,.If....RRaA
1F0 75 CC 66 81 BE FC 03 00-00 55 AA 75 C1 66 81 BE u.f......U.u.f..
200 FC 05 00 00 55 AA 75 B6-83 7E 2A 00 77 03 E9 EF ....U.u..~*.w...
210 02 BE 80 7D FB AC 98 03-F0 AC 84 C0 74 17 3C FF ...}........t..
220 74 09 B4 0E BB 07 00 CD-10 EB EE BE 83 7D EB E4 t............}..
230 BE 81 7D EB DF 33 C0 CD-16 5E 1F 8F 04 8F 44 02 ..}..3...^....D.
240 CD 19 00 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 00 50 52 51 91 92 ...........PRQ..
250 33 D2 F7 76 18 91 F7 76-18 42 87 CA F7 76 1A 8A 3..v...v.B...v..
260 F2 8A 56 40 8A E8 D0 CC-D0 CC 0A CC B8 01 02 CD ..V@............
270 13 59 5A 58 72 09 40 75-01 42 03 5E 0B E2 CC C3 .^....
280 03 18 01 27 0D 0A 49 6E-76 61 6C 69 64 20 73 79 ...'..Invalid sy
290 73 74 65 6D 20 64 69 73-6B FF 0D 0A 44 69 73 6B stem disk...Disk
2A0 20 49 2F 4F 20 65 72 72-6F 72 FF 0D 0A 52 65 70 I/O error...Rep
2B0 6C 61 63 65 20 74 68 65-20 64 69 73 6B 2C 20 61 lace the disk, a
2C0 6E 64 20 74 68 65 6E 20-70 72 65 73 73 20 61 6E nd then press an
2D0 79 20 6B 65 79 0D 0A 00-49 4F 20 20 20 20 20 20 y key...IO
2E0 53 59 53 4D 53 44 4F 53-20 20 20 53 59 53 80 01 SYSMSDOS SYS..
2F0 00 57 49 4E 42 4F 4F 54-20 53 59 53 00 00 55 AA .WINBOOT SYS..U.

-Q

This is how FDISK sees my drives.

C:\WIN98SEFDISK /STATUS

Fixed Disk Drive Status
Disk Drv Mbytes Free Usage
1 19540 4879 75%
C: 4887
D: 9774
2 1922 100%
L: 1922

(1 MByte = 1048576 bytes)

Some flash drives look like a "super floppy" rather than a HD, in
which case there will be no partition, only a boot sector. IIRC, mine
began life as the former, but I subsequently FDISKed it.

You can verify that the controller is communicating with the OS using
Microsoft's UVCView:
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/USB...VCView.x86.exe

---===Device Information===---
English product name: "USB DISK"

ConnectionStatus:
Current Config Value: 0x01 - Device Bus Speed: Full
Device Address: 0x02
Open Pipes: 2

===Endpoint Descriptor===
bLength: 0x07
bDescriptorType: 0x05
bEndpointAddress: 0x81 - Direction: IN -
EndpointID: 1
bmAttributes: 0x02 - Bulk Transfer Type
wMaxPacketSize: 0x0040 = 0x40 bytes
bInterval: 0xFF

===Endpoint Descriptor===
bLength: 0x07
bDescriptorType: 0x05
bEndpointAddress: 0x02 - Direction: OUT -
EndpointID: 2
bmAttributes: 0x02 - Bulk Transfer Type
wMaxPacketSize: 0x0040 = 0x40 bytes
bInterval: 0xFF

===Device Descriptor===
bLength: 0x12
bDescriptorType: 0x01
bcdUSB: 0x0200
bDeviceClass: 0x00 - This is an Interface Class
Defined Device
bDeviceSubClass: 0x00
bDeviceProtocol: 0x00
bMaxPacketSize0: 0x40 = (64) Bytes
idVendor: 0x090C = Silicon Motion, Inc. -
Taiwan
idProduct: 0x1000
bcdDevice: 0x1100
iManufacturer: 0x01
English (United States) "SMI Corporation"
iProduct: 0x02
English (United States) "USB DISK"
iSerialNumber: 0x00
bNumConfigurations: 0x01

===Configuration Descriptor===
bLength: 0x09
bDescriptorType: 0x02
wTotalLength: 0x0020 - Validated
bNumInterfaces: 0x01
bConfigurationValue: 0x01
iConfiguration: 0x00
bmAttributes: 0x80 - Bus Powered
MaxPower: 0x32 = 100 mA

===Interface Descriptor===
bLength: 0x09
bDescriptorType: 0x04
bInterfaceNumber: 0x00
bAlternateSetting: 0x00
bNumEndpoints: 0x02
bInterfaceClass: 0x08 - This is a Mass Storage USB
Device Interface Class
bInterfaceSubClass: 0x06
bInterfaceProtocol: 0x50
iInterface: 0x00

===Endpoint Descriptor===
bLength: 0x07
bDescriptorType: 0x05
bEndpointAddress: 0x81 - Direction: IN -
EndpointID: 1
bmAttributes: 0x02 - Bulk Transfer Type
wMaxPacketSize: 0x0040 = 0x40 bytes
bInterval: 0xFF

===Endpoint Descriptor===
bLength: 0x07
bDescriptorType: 0x05
bEndpointAddress: 0x02 - Direction: OUT -
EndpointID: 2
bmAttributes: 0x02 - Bulk Transfer Type
wMaxPacketSize: 0x0040 = 0x40 bytes
bInterval: 0xFF

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

Sorry to hear that...

A couple more "for what its worth"

You might want to check the connectors. Carefully clean with a cotton swab
*moistened* with {denatured preferred} acohol with the system un-plugged.
Make sure the areas are completely dry before powering on. Also check to be
sure you haven't bent-over one of the fingers

Try flicking the *write protection* tab back and forth a few times.

Always try the SPECIFIC [to the device, e.g., who manufactured it]
manufacturer's tools FIRST if errors appear on any flash device. BE CAUTIOUS
using tools designed for one device on other manufacturer's devices.

The files you located are the same type found when attempting to recover NT
disks for use in other systems or when trashed during a NT file exchange
failure [or other failures]; we hear this: yep my XP/VISTA system never
crashes, but I seem to need to replace disks/devices more often; the SERVICE
crashes and the system TRIES to recover whatever data might have been lost
during the failure.. critical loss during file data transfer.
DOS tools can not remove them, and will cause the errors [bad sectors] to
grow each time used. Relates to file protection schemes employed [like
zones], streams, encryption, and various NT specific issues.

HERE IS A POTENTIAL FIX *after* using XP disk management [a no no] and then
corruption occurs when used in a non-NT system:
1. Using XP's disk manager DELETE the partion, recreate [if a small drive] a
*FAT* partition, or FAT32 if necessary. Format. Do nothing else.

2. Remove the device, insert into some other OS [like 9X] remove the
partiton
[in Windows, *nix, etc.] you just created in NT [XP, VISTA]. Create a new
FAT [or FAT32
if necessary] partition, preferably using the manufacturer's tool.

SEARCH TERMS: alternative data streams; NT file zones; NTFS encryption;
system recovery points, Unicode; short file names; NT file accessing; NT
Fat; NT MFT; NT format; big/little endian [Zenon, Risc, PCC, XBOX, etc]; HAL
[hardware application layer]

--
~
--
MEB
http://peoplescounsel.org/ref/windows-main.htm
Windows Diagnostics, Security, Networking
http://peoplescounsel.org
The *REAL WORLD* of Law, Justice, and Government
_______



"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...
On Mar 1, 9:44 am, "MEB" MEB@not@here wrote:
"Robert Macy" wrote in message

...
On Feb 28, 11:33 pm, "MEB" MEB@not@here wrote: Ah, why haven't you
tried the stick's tools?
Though there is a potential degradation, the first thing to check would
be
the normal XP/NT file corruption when transferring between 9X and NT
[XP/VISTA] computers. Normal formatting/disk tools may not properly
handle
the re-formatting.

For


instance:http://www.sandisk.com/Oem/DesignSup...www.sandisk.co
m/Assets/File/OEM/DesignSupportTools/USBFlashDri...







Or there are several generic Flash reset tools [which include NT aware
formatters].http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...ve+format+tool

--
~
--
MEBhttp://peoplescounsel.org/ref/windows-main.htm
Windows Diagnostics, Security, Networkinghttp://peoplescounsel.org
The *REAL WORLD* of Law, Justice, and Government
_______

"Robert Macy" wrote in message

...
On Feb 28, 4:04 pm, philo wrote:

Robert A. Macy wrote:
After running Scandisk on my memory stick because of major file
corruption, a little comment came up that said 'recovered' area of
the
disk. Then when I used the memory stick later, sure enough,
corrupted
again. And the loss looked very similar fo before.

So how do I turn off the dying sections of the flash drive
'permanently'?
and properly remap the stick so the losses are invisible as I use
the
stick?

I don't mind if while using the stick, it starts dropping from 1 GB
down to 500MB, that's better than expecting the full memory size to
operate all the time.

It's possibly a bit off topic for Win98, but I use this stick a lot
on
the Win98 systems.

Robert

I am glad that my suggestion worked..but if the drive is dying...
for the money they cost...I suggest a new one.

But, if you want to keep using it you could delete the partition
that's
there and recreate a smaller one.

fdisk from a command prompt within Windows should handle it...

or if you use your XP machine...you can use disk management.

Since you are not going to know which part of the drive is bad...
you could create two, 500 meg paritions

then test each one for corruption...then if one is completely good...
delete the other partition...

but really...I'd replace the drive- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Actually, the stick was a free promo gift from Avnet Distributor.

When you suggested to buy another one, there for a second I thought I
was on the WinXP group. g

Good technique, half of a half of a half until the section is
isolated.

It was my understanding that flash drive cells have a cycle lifetime
and they die. This is a 'normal' process and does not predict, nor
suggest, that the whole flash is going kaput. Therefore, a proper
flash drive interface simply notes a dead area and NEVER uses it
again. However, Scandisk likes to 'test' the memory and if it works,
puts it back into use. But what was just put back into use will
probably fail again. And, that is what I'm experiencing.

For a disk drive one bad cell in the FAT32 tables could ruin the whole
flash memory. Sad that one cell's 'normal' dying throes can ruin the
rest of very usable memory.

Just curious if there is some low level firmware/software that I can
use that allows me to squeeze at least half the rest of the cells.

Sigh. I do have 16 other flash sticks, all free promos, but ...will
they suffer the same prognosis?

Robert- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thank you all for excellent advice.

I just went to the URLs and downloaded tools, will try them.

Win98 Scandisk of the USB flash stick took a long, long time ending
with the system hanging so bad had to power down to get it back.

Robert
---------

Let us know how it turns out....

A GENERAL BTW: Don't use any disk tools [maintenance or otherwise] from XP
or VISTA on *any* mobile device if you intend to use it elsewhere [Win9X,
*nix/nux, Apple, etc.]. Though many claim no issues, the NET is filled
with
threads/discussions related to various issues associated with that
activity.

--
~
--
MEBhttp://peoplescounsel.org/ref/windows-main.htm
Windows Diagnostics, Security, Networkinghttp://peoplescounsel.org
The *REAL WORLD* of Law, Justice, and Government
_______- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I did at one time format this stick on a WinXP selecting FAT32 and it
'seemed' to work.

Now, it may have died totally. HP utility won't run it - doesn't see
anything plugged in.

The SanDisk utility NEVER worked on either WinXP or the Win98 machine
with any stick plugged in ??

Didn't expect that.

Thanks for the help. Looks like this stick is trash.

But at least I came away with the useful knowledge of NEVER cleaning
up a stick with the WinXP tools.

That was worth it.

Robert

Sorry to hear that...

A couple more "for what its worth"

You might want to check the connectors. Carefully clean with a cotton swab
*moistened* with {denatured preferred} acohol with the system un-plugged.
Make sure the areas are completely dry before powering on. Also check to be
sure you haven't bent-over one of the fingers

Try flicking the *write protection* tab back and forth a few times.

Always try the SPECIFIC [to the device, e.g., who manufactured it]
manufacturer's tools FIRST if errors appear on any flash device. BE CAUTIOUS
using tools designed for one device on other manufacturer's devices.

The files you located are the same type found when attempting to recover NT
disks for use in other systems or when trashed during a NT file exchange
failure [or other failures]; we hear this: yep my XP/VISTA system never
crashes, but I seem to need to replace disks/devices more often; the SERVICE
crashes and the system TRIES to recover whatever data might have been lost
during the failure.. critical loss during file data transfer.
DOS tools can not remove them, and will cause the errors [bad sectors] to
grow each time used. Relates to file protection schemes employed [like
zones], streams, encryption, and various NT specific issues.

HERE IS A POTENTIAL FIX *after* using XP disk management [a no no] and then
corruption occurs when used in a non-NT system:
1. Using XP's disk manager DELETE the partion, recreate [if a small drive] a
*FAT* partition, or FAT32 if necessary. Format. Do nothing else.

2. Remove the device, insert into some other OS [like 9X] remove the
partiton
[in Windows, *nix, etc.] you just created in NT [XP, VISTA]. Create a new
FAT [or FAT32
if necessary] partition, preferably using the manufacturer's tool.

SEARCH TERMS: alternative data streams; NT file zones; NTFS encryption;
system recovery points, Unicode; short file names; NT file accessing; NT
Fat; NT MFT; NT format; big/little endian [Zenon, Risc, PCC, XBOX, etc]; HAL
[hardware application layer]

--
~
--
MEB
http://peoplescounsel.org/ref/windows-main.htm
Windows Diagnostics, Security, Networking
http://peoplescounsel.org
The *REAL WORLD* of Law, Justice, and Government
_______



"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...
On Mar 1, 9:44 am, "MEB" MEB@not@here wrote:
"Robert Macy" wrote in message

...
On Feb 28, 11:33 pm, "MEB" MEB@not@here wrote: Ah, why haven't you
tried the stick's tools?
Though there is a potential degradation, the first thing to check would
be
the normal XP/NT file corruption when transferring between 9X and NT
[XP/VISTA] computers. Normal formatting/disk tools may not properly
handle
the re-formatting.

For


instance:http://www.sandisk.com/Oem/DesignSup...www.sandisk.co
m/Assets/File/OEM/DesignSupportTools/USBFlashDri...







Or there are several generic Flash reset tools [which include NT aware
formatters].http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...ve+format+tool

--
~
--
MEBhttp://peoplescounsel.org/ref/windows-main.htm
Windows Diagnostics, Security, Networkinghttp://peoplescounsel.org
The *REAL WORLD* of Law, Justice, and Government
_______

"Robert Macy" wrote in message

...
On Feb 28, 4:04 pm, philo wrote:

Robert A. Macy wrote:
After running Scandisk on my memory stick because of major file
corruption, a little comment came up that said 'recovered' area of
the
disk. Then when I used the memory stick later, sure enough,
corrupted
again. And the loss looked very similar fo before.

So how do I turn off the dying sections of the flash drive
'permanently'?
and properly remap the stick so the losses are invisible as I use
the
stick?

I don't mind if while using the stick, it starts dropping from 1 GB
down to 500MB, that's better than expecting the full memory size to
operate all the time.

It's possibly a bit off topic for Win98, but I use this stick a lot
on
the Win98 systems.

Robert

I am glad that my suggestion worked..but if the drive is dying...
for the money they cost...I suggest a new one.

But, if you want to keep using it you could delete the partition
that's
there and recreate a smaller one.

fdisk from a command prompt within Windows should handle it...

or if you use your XP machine...you can use disk management.

Since you are not going to know which part of the drive is bad...
you could create two, 500 meg paritions

then test each one for corruption...then if one is completely good...
delete the other partition...

but really...I'd replace the drive- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Actually, the stick was a free promo gift from Avnet Distributor.

When you suggested to buy another one, there for a second I thought I
was on the WinXP group. g

Good technique, half of a half of a half until the section is
isolated.

It was my understanding that flash drive cells have a cycle lifetime
and they die. This is a 'normal' process and does not predict, nor
suggest, that the whole flash is going kaput. Therefore, a proper
flash drive interface simply notes a dead area and NEVER uses it
again. However, Scandisk likes to 'test' the memory and if it works,
puts it back into use. But what was just put back into use will
probably fail again. And, that is what I'm experiencing.

For a disk drive one bad cell in the FAT32 tables could ruin the whole
flash memory. Sad that one cell's 'normal' dying throes can ruin the
rest of very usable memory.

Just curious if there is some low level firmware/software that I can
use that allows me to squeeze at least half the rest of the cells.

Sigh. I do have 16 other flash sticks, all free promos, but ...will
they suffer the same prognosis?

Robert- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thank you all for excellent advice.

I just went to the URLs and downloaded tools, will try them.

Win98 Scandisk of the USB flash stick took a long, long time ending
with the system hanging so bad had to power down to get it back.

Robert
---------

Let us know how it turns out....

A GENERAL BTW: Don't use any disk tools [maintenance or otherwise] from XP
or VISTA on *any* mobile device if you intend to use it elsewhere [Win9X,
*nix/nux, Apple, etc.]. Though many claim no issues, the NET is filled
with
threads/discussions related to various issues associated with that
activity.

--
~
--
MEBhttp://peoplescounsel.org/ref/windows-main.htm
Windows Diagnostics, Security, Networkinghttp://peoplescounsel.org
The *REAL WORLD* of Law, Justice, and Government
_______- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I did at one time format this stick on a WinXP selecting FAT32 and it
'seemed' to work.

Now, it may have died totally. HP utility won't run it - doesn't see
anything plugged in.

The SanDisk utility NEVER worked on either WinXP or the Win98 machine
with any stick plugged in ??

Didn't expect that.

Thanks for the help. Looks like this stick is trash.

But at least I came away with the useful knowledge of NEVER cleaning
up a stick with the WinXP tools.

That was worth it.

Robert

Try FDISK and see if you can partition it. If you still can't get the disk
utilities to run then it is possible that your drivers are not fully
compliant (likely with W98 drivers for these devices) or, of course, it
really is dead. See if the manufacturer provides some sort of device
initialisation utility.

The write protected message sometimes indicates that the program doesn't
understand the device adequately - it defaults to a 'protected' mode in
order to avoid doing anything that could further damage the file system.
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)
"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...
On Mar 1, 4:56 pm, "Jeff Richards" wrote:
I wouldn't assume that a corrupted file system was the result of a failure
in the stick, or that errors that re-appeared after Scandisk 'fixed'
things
are really new errors at all.

Run a disk diagnostic and formatter to detect if there really are bad
blocks
(even just a Scandisk FULL). Then make sure you are releasing the stick
properly before it is removed, or before Windows shuts it down. Make sure
there is no buffering of data to the stick, and check that access is being
properly handled during machine low power mode and at shutdown.
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)


Uh,..."Run a disk diagnostic and formatter..." Win98 won't tell me
anything except 0 byte uses 0 byte free 0 byte available, or 'insert a
" message when I try to run SanDisk utility.

I'm not certain, but it says the thing is 'write protected' and it is
like a RAW disk and I can't seem to get into it.

Any last ditch efforts to try?

Robert

Try FDISK and see if you can partition it. If you still can't get the disk
utilities to run then it is possible that your drivers are not fully
compliant (likely with W98 drivers for these devices) or, of course, it
really is dead. See if the manufacturer provides some sort of device
initialisation utility.

The write protected message sometimes indicates that the program doesn't
understand the device adequately - it defaults to a 'protected' mode in
order to avoid doing anything that could further damage the file system.
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)
"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...
On Mar 1, 4:56 pm, "Jeff Richards" wrote:
I wouldn't assume that a corrupted file system was the result of a failure
in the stick, or that errors that re-appeared after Scandisk 'fixed'
things
are really new errors at all.

Run a disk diagnostic and formatter to detect if there really are bad
blocks
(even just a Scandisk FULL). Then make sure you are releasing the stick
properly before it is removed, or before Windows shuts it down. Make sure
there is no buffering of data to the stick, and check that access is being
properly handled during machine low power mode and at shutdown.
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)


Uh,..."Run a disk diagnostic and formatter..." Win98 won't tell me
anything except 0 byte uses 0 byte free 0 byte available, or 'insert a
" message when I try to run SanDisk utility.

I'm not certain, but it says the thing is 'write protected' and it is
like a RAW disk and I can't seem to get into it.

Any last ditch efforts to try?

Robert

"Robert A. Macy" wrote in message
...
After running Scandisk on my memory stick because of major file
corruption, a little comment came up that said 'recovered' area of the
disk. Then when I used the memory stick later, sure enough, corrupted
again. And the loss looked very similar fo before.

So how do I turn off the dying sections of the flash drive
'permanently'?
and properly remap the stick so the losses are invisible as I use the
stick?

I don't mind if while using the stick, it starts dropping from 1 GB
down to 500MB, that's better than expecting the full memory size to
operate all the time.

It's possibly a bit off topic for Win98, but I use this stick a lot on
the Win98 systems.

Robert

You're using XP, I assume. Avoid use of fdisk if possible in that OS. The
logical disk manager in Admin Tools can assess the flash drive's partition
and file system type. It should be able to remove and assign another
partition as well. And, the file system is obviously FAT32 if used with
Win98.

Flash drives degrade and die much quicker than most HDDs. They were meant
for low usage for intermittent data movement to other platforms. If
frequent usage is anticipated, suggest a removable hard drive with its own
power supply instead.
--
Dave

CDOs are how we got here.
A modified version, new taxes in the future, is how Congress will get us
out?

"Robert A. Macy" wrote in message
...
After running Scandisk on my memory stick because of major file
corruption, a little comment came up that said 'recovered' area of the
disk. Then when I used the memory stick later, sure enough, corrupted
again. And the loss looked very similar fo before.

So how do I turn off the dying sections of the flash drive
'permanently'?
and properly remap the stick so the losses are invisible as I use the
stick?

I don't mind if while using the stick, it starts dropping from 1 GB
down to 500MB, that's better than expecting the full memory size to
operate all the time.

It's possibly a bit off topic for Win98, but I use this stick a lot on
the Win98 systems.

Robert

You're using XP, I assume. Avoid use of fdisk if possible in that OS. The
logical disk manager in Admin Tools can assess the flash drive's partition
and file system type. It should be able to remove and assign another
partition as well. And, the file system is obviously FAT32 if used with
Win98.

Flash drives degrade and die much quicker than most HDDs. They were meant
for low usage for intermittent data movement to other platforms. If
frequent usage is anticipated, suggest a removable hard drive with its own
power supply instead.
--
Dave

CDOs are how we got here.
A modified version, new taxes in the future, is how Congress will get us
out?

On Mar 4, 6:47*am, "Lil' Dave" wrote:
You're using XP, I assume. *Avoid use of fdisk if possible in that OS. *The
logical disk manager in Admin Tools can assess the flash drive's partition
and file system type. *It should be able to remove and assign another
partition as well. *And, the file system is obviously FAT32 if used with
Win98.

Flash drives degrade and die much quicker than most HDDs. *They were meant
for low usage for intermittent data movement to other platforms. *If
frequent usage is anticipated, suggest a removable hard drive with its own
power supply instead.
--
Dave

CDOs are how we got here.
A modified version, new taxes in the future, is how Congress will get us
out?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Naw, I prefer using Win98. It's faster and has better Notepad and
Paint tools [WinXP ruined both tools, I had to copy Win98 versions of
both to the WinXP and put shortcuts for them on the DeskTop]

But I do bounce between 5 to 6 systems and need to carry some 2000
text files for reference and storage as I'm on each system.

So, there is a lot of anticipated usage, but each machine has USB
ports, but not something else. I also have around 10 sticks to
intermittently use. That would be a lot of little HD's.

Maybe someone in the Flash industry will pick up on this type of
application and supply 1GB flash memory containing over 2GB of initial
storage so that it can be whittled away over several years, including
a 'gas' gauge to let you know how much is left.

Robert