If this question belongs in another ng, please redirect me.
I bought an eight GB flash drive from a Chinese seller on ebay that turned
out to be a fake. The seller has since been eliminated from ebay but in the
meantime there are many like me who would like to make a little lemonade
from this lemon. The flash drive does work but beyond some point it stores
only garbage. It is a drive that has been reprogrammed to show 8 GB but in
reality is smaller. I didn't pay a lot for it so I'm not upset, but what I
would like to do is reprogram it to whatever its proper size is and use it.
I have tried Windows Disk Management and also Linux QParted but neither
shows the true size. Both show it to be 7.89 GB, but I assure you that this
is NOT the correct size. So here's the question: does anyone know of
software to reprogram it to only show its true size and format it in Fat 16
or 32? I'll appreciate any and all suggestions. JG
> Hello, group,
>
> If this question belongs in another ng, please redirect me.
>
> I bought an eight GB flash drive from a Chinese seller on ebay that turned
> out to be a fake. The seller has since been eliminated from ebay but in the
> meantime there are many like me who would like to make a little lemonade
> from this lemon. The flash drive does work but beyond some point it stores
> only garbage. It is a drive that has been reprogrammed to show 8 GB but in
> reality is smaller. I didn't pay a lot for it so I'm not upset, but what I
> would like to do is reprogram it to whatever its proper size is and use it.
> I have tried Windows Disk Management and also Linux QParted but neither
> shows the true size. Both show it to be 7.89 GB, but I assure you that this
> is NOT the correct size. So here's the question: does anyone know of
> software to reprogram it to only show its true size and format it in Fat 16
> or 32? I'll appreciate any and all suggestions. JG
It sounds like you have way too much lemon in your hand yourself. 7.89GB
is 8GB right there, or if you pay enough attention to the measurement
between hard drive manufacture and real computer term then you may know
computer uses K=1024 vs HD uses K=1000
JFG wrote:
> Hello, group,
>
> If this question belongs in another ng, please redirect me.
>
> I bought an eight GB flash drive from a Chinese seller on ebay that turned
> out to be a fake. The seller has since been eliminated from ebay but in the
> meantime there are many like me who would like to make a little lemonade
> from this lemon. The flash drive does work but beyond some point it stores
> only garbage. It is a drive that has been reprogrammed to show 8 GB but in
> reality is smaller. I didn't pay a lot for it so I'm not upset, but what I
> would like to do is reprogram it to whatever its proper size is and use it.
> I have tried Windows Disk Management and also Linux QParted but neither
> shows the true size. Both show it to be 7.89 GB, but I assure you that this
> is NOT the correct size. So here's the question: does anyone know of
> software to reprogram it to only show its true size and format it in Fat 16
> or 32? I'll appreciate any and all suggestions. JG
>
>
You say that "beyond some point it stores only garbage". The key question
would be "at what point?". Once you know that you can probably establish a
single partition on the device leaving the "garbage" space untouched,
format the partitioned space, and then use it as removable storage. None of
that should be overly difficult. But given that you would still have a
device which you already know to be questionable I don't think that
actually storing anything on it and expecting to get it back would be sensible.
"John McGaw" <nobody@nowh.ere> wrote in message
newsdY%j.190$bF6.97@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
> JFG wrote:
>> Hello, group,
>>
>> If this question belongs in another ng, please redirect me.
>>
>> I bought an eight GB flash drive from a Chinese seller on ebay that
>> turned out to be a fake. The seller has since been eliminated from ebay
>> but in the meantime there are many like me who would like to make a
>> little lemonade from this lemon. The flash drive does work but beyond
>> some point it stores only garbage. It is a drive that has been
>> reprogrammed to show 8 GB but in reality is smaller. I didn't pay a lot
>> for it so I'm not upset, but what I would like to do is reprogram it to
>> whatever its proper size is and use it. I have tried Windows Disk
>> Management and also Linux QParted but neither shows the true size. Both
>> show it to be 7.89 GB, but I assure you that this is NOT the correct
>> size. So here's the question: does anyone know of software to reprogram
>> it to only show its true size and format it in Fat 16 or 32? I'll
>> appreciate any and all suggestions. JG
>
> You say that "beyond some point it stores only garbage". The key question
> would be "at what point?". Once you know that you can probably establish a
> single partition on the device leaving the "garbage" space untouched,
> format the partitioned space, and then use it as removable storage. None
> of that should be overly difficult. But given that you would still have a
> device which you already know to be questionable I don't think that
> actually storing anything on it and expecting to get it back would be
> sensible.
>
> --
> John McGaw
> [Knoxville, TN, USA]
> http://johnmcgaw.com
Thanks, John; I don't intend to store anything of importance on it. It's a
flash drive headed for the trash I'm afraid but I'm enjoying fooling with it
to see if it's possible to reprogram it. So far, no luck. I used Linux
QParted and created a small (1 GB) primary partition in Fat 32 to see if
that would work. I didn't. Still when I store a file on it and then try to
retrieve it it is garbage. As I said, it's a small flash drive that is
programmed to read as if it were 8 GB. My task is to find the right program
or procedure to program it to its actual size. Someone in China has a way
to program it incorrectly and if I knew how that was done I could maybe
program it correctly. The header says it all, it's a conundrum. I'm having
the fun of trying to crack the nut. Best, JG
> Thanks, John; I don't intend to store anything of importance on it. It's a
> flash drive headed for the trash I'm afraid but I'm enjoying fooling with it
> to see if it's possible to reprogram it.
>
If you can get a few gigs on it, why toss it? I would use it to
carry around programs and whatever that I had elsewhere but might
need actually on me. If I lost it or someone stole it, not as big
of a deal as it otherwise would be.
> So far, no luck. I used Linux
> QParted and created a small (1 GB) primary partition in Fat 32 to see if
> that would work. I didn't. Still when I store a file on it and then try to
> retrieve it it is garbage. As I said, it's a small flash drive that is
> programmed to read as if it were 8 GB. My task is to find the right program
> or procedure to program it to its actual size. Someone in China has a way
> to program it incorrectly and if I knew how that was done I could maybe
> program it correctly. The header says it all, it's a conundrum. I'm having
> the fun of trying to crack the nut. Best, JG
>
I don't know, but there's probably some place in the drive where
the size and other things are stored. This is true in hard drives.
You only see a higher level thing. So you'd need some program, it
might be drive specific I do not know, to access those parts of the
flash unit.
--
"It happens sometimes, people just explode, natural causes."
"JFG" wrote in <news:KQW%j.132546$TT4.41192@attbi_s22>:
> Hello, group,
>
> If this question belongs in another ng, please redirect me.
>
> I bought an eight GB flash drive from a Chinese seller on ebay that turned
> out to be a fake. The seller has since been eliminated from ebay but in the
> meantime there are many like me who would like to make a little lemonade
> from this lemon. The flash drive does work but beyond some point it stores
> only garbage. It is a drive that has been reprogrammed to show 8 GB but in
> reality is smaller. I didn't pay a lot for it so I'm not upset, but what I
> would like to do is reprogram it to whatever its proper size is and use it.
> I have tried Windows Disk Management and also Linux QParted but neither
> shows the true size. Both show it to be 7.89 GB, but I assure you that this
> is NOT the correct size. So here's the question: does anyone know of
> software to reprogram it to only show its true size and format it in Fat 16
> or 32? I'll appreciate any and all suggestions. JG
Did you attempt to contact eBay to see if you were covered under their
buyer protection policy, especially since the fraudulent seller got
removed by eBay?
JFG wrote:
snip...
>
> Thanks, John; I don't intend to store anything of importance on it. It's a
> flash drive headed for the trash I'm afraid but I'm enjoying fooling with it
> to see if it's possible to reprogram it. So far, no luck. I used Linux
> QParted and created a small (1 GB) primary partition in Fat 32 to see if
> that would work. I didn't. Still when I store a file on it and then try to
> retrieve it it is garbage. As I said, it's a small flash drive that is
> programmed to read as if it were 8 GB. My task is to find the right program
> or procedure to program it to its actual size. Someone in China has a way
> to program it incorrectly and if I knew how that was done I could maybe
> program it correctly. The header says it all, it's a conundrum. I'm having
> the fun of trying to crack the nut. Best, JG
>
>
I guess the next step is to try an even smaller partition. Try half the
size and see if that works. But it would seem that you've already passed
the point of diminishing returns with a 1gB partition. If you are just
looking upon it as an intellectual exercise you don't have anything to lose
even if you finally wind up with a storage device with the capacity of a
floppy.
"VanguardLH" <V@nguard.LH> wrote in message
news:XqGdnXPLn7eY9N3VnZ2dnUVZ_h_inZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> "JFG" wrote in <news:KQW%j.132546$TT4.41192@attbi_s22>:
>
>> Hello, group,
>>
>> If this question belongs in another ng, please redirect me.
>>
>> I bought an eight GB flash drive from a Chinese seller on ebay that
>> turned
>> out to be a fake. The seller has since been eliminated from ebay but in
>> the
>> meantime there are many like me who would like to make a little lemonade
>> from this lemon. The flash drive does work but beyond some point it
>> stores
>> only garbage. It is a drive that has been reprogrammed to show 8 GB but
>> in
>> reality is smaller. I didn't pay a lot for it so I'm not upset, but what
>> I
>> would like to do is reprogram it to whatever its proper size is and use
>> it.
>> I have tried Windows Disk Management and also Linux QParted but neither
>> shows the true size. Both show it to be 7.89 GB, but I assure you that
>> this
>> is NOT the correct size. So here's the question: does anyone know of
>> software to reprogram it to only show its true size and format it in Fat
>> 16
>> or 32? I'll appreciate any and all suggestions. JG
>
> Did you attempt to contact eBay to see if you were covered under their
> buyer protection policy, especially since the fraudulent seller got
> removed by eBay?
Thanks, Van, I haven't done that because the drive was so cheap to begin
with. I don't know what I was thinking at the time. An 8 GB flash drive
for less than $20 USD with free shipping just had to be too good to be true.
The challenge is to reprogram it if possible. I'd settle for a 1 GB or 2 GB
if that's the actual size. I'm hoping that a reader of the ng might have an
idea about the reprogrammiing. Best...JG
JFG wrote:
>
> Thanks, Van, I haven't done that because the drive was so cheap to begin
> with. I don't know what I was thinking at the time. An 8 GB flash drive
> for less than $20 USD with free shipping just had to be too good to be true.
> The challenge is to reprogram it if possible. I'd settle for a 1 GB or 2 GB
> if that's the actual size. I'm hoping that a reader of the ng might have an
> idea about the reprogrammiing. Best...JG
>
I haven't tried the advise or the programs, but: http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/article.asp?CIID=105823
#begin quote
A lot of these cheap keys find their way to Ebay, advertised with a
large capacity – usually between 1 and 8GB. When you plug it in,
your OS will report the full capacity, however half of that doesn’t
exist. Filling the key more than halfway writes to its imaginary
memory and throws that data into a black hole. During normal use,
the hack is a bugger to detect and will no doubt turn your day into
a bed-wetting nightmare when crucial files are lost in the void.
....
The hack works by tricking the controller into believing it has a
larger memory chip attached than it actually does. If you open up a
key, you will find two main chips soldered on: the flash memory
(the large rectangular IC) and the controller (the smaller square
IC). This exploit seems to be isolated to keys with an iCreate
controller. However, without disassembling the key, there is no way
to know what you will get. Pictured below is a dicey
iCreatei5127-lg based stick, but there may be others out there.
....
If you’re stuck with it, however, you can cut your losses and
reformat it to the correct size. iCreate provide a tool called
iFormat. We had a little trouble with this version, but there is an
older (more stable) version available, which will correctly detect
how much flash you have and repartition. As your drive shrinks, the
pangs of buyers’ remorse may kick in, however the danger of losing
files is now gone.
#end quote
--
"It happens sometimes, people just explode, natural causes."
> "John McGaw" <nobody@nowh.ere> wrote in message
> newsdY%j.190$bF6.97@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
> > JFG wrote:
> >> Hello, group,
> >>
> >> If this question belongs in another ng, please redirect me.
> >>
> >> I bought an eight GB flash drive from a Chinese seller on ebay that
> >> turned out to be a fake. The seller has since been eliminated from ebay
> >> but in the meantime there are many like me who would like to make a
> >> little lemonade from this lemon. The flash drive does work but beyond
> >> some point it stores only garbage. It is a drive that has been
> >> reprogrammed to show 8 GB but in reality is smaller. I didn't pay a lot
> >> for it so I'm not upset, but what I would like to do is reprogram it to
> >> whatever its proper size is and use it. I have tried Windows Disk
> >> Management and also Linux QParted but neither shows the true size. Both
> >> show it to be 7.89 GB, but I assure you that this is NOT the correct
> >> size. So here's the question: does anyone know of software to reprogram
> >> it to only show its true size and format it in Fat 16 or 32? I'll
> >> appreciate any and all suggestions. JG
> >
> > You say that "beyond some point it stores only garbage". The key question
> > would be "at what point?". Once you know that you can probably establish a
> > single partition on the device leaving the "garbage" space untouched,
> > format the partitioned space, and then use it as removable storage. None
> > of that should be overly difficult. But given that you would still have a
> > device which you already know to be questionable I don't think that
> > actually storing anything on it and expecting to get it back would be
> > sensible.
> >
> > --
> > John McGaw
> > [Knoxville, TN, USA]
> > http://johnmcgaw.com
>
> Thanks, John; I don't intend to store anything of importance on it. It's a
> flash drive headed for the trash I'm afraid but I'm enjoying fooling with it
> to see if it's possible to reprogram it. So far, no luck. I used Linux
> QParted and created a small (1 GB) primary partition in Fat 32 to see if
> that would work. I didn't. Still when I store a file on it and then try to
> retrieve it it is garbage. As I said, it's a small flash drive that is
> programmed to read as if it were 8 GB. My task is to find the right program
> or procedure to program it to its actual size. Someone in China has a way
> to program it incorrectly and if I knew how that was done I could maybe
> program it correctly. The header says it all, it's a conundrum. I'm having
> the fun of trying to crack the nut. Best, JG
You may have more fun to send him an email to sorry for the misinformation
or misunderstanding about the computer use.
Flash drive conundrum 
dY%j.190$bF6.97@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
Linear Mode
