BKGarry Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 Ok so i have a spout of Teachers with 4gb USB pens, They format them with FAT(16?) and yes you guessed it, they all apear as 1.8gb. You try to format with FAT32 still 1.8gb, Disk Manager (XP) nope can't add or delete partitions. So here is the question, How on earth do I get them to recognised and format as 4GB??? any ideas?
Joanne Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 use a partition program like partition magic or something. Had to do it to my 5GB one when I'd messed it up!
Michael Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 Alternatively you could format in NTFS if they're to be used on Windows 2000/XP/Vista workstations only, which in most situations today is the case.
Geoff Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 Also watch out, there's some 'dodgy' no name Chinese made USB pen drives kicking about that use compression in the drivers to claim they are 4Gb, when they are not.
Joanne Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 oh yeah I got an mp3 player like that off ebay... put loads of music on it and it crashed... paypal got me my money back though!
Michael Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 @Geoff - Thanks for the heads up, never knew about that!
BKGarry Posted March 28, 2008 Author Posted March 28, 2008 Right thanks for the tips. I hate removable media lol
flashsnaps Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 Also watch out, there's some 'dodgy' no name Chinese made USB pen drives kicking about that use compression in the drivers to claim they are 4Gb, when they are not. Just a follow up on this, I purchased 3X 8GB mem sticks from Hong kong via eBay.............Idiot! Not only did they take nearly a month to arrive, they were about half of the so claimed 8gb, you have to actually put 5-6gb of data on it to find this out, as they appear to have 7-8gb worth of space when actually it was half that. And I am also certain they are the old 1.1usb standard as they take so looooooooooooong to transfer to and from!
Michael Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 Well I've used Ebay for years and here's a few tips I can offer: Always buy products which are located within the UK. Not delivered to the UK. Ebay has lots of filtering options. A good one is within 200 miles of your post code which I use a lot. Take a good look at the seller. Look at their overall feedback, especially the feedback received in the last few months. Read the product description not just once but twice. I remember seeing a classic seller trick on Ebay. There was a computer chair for sale, but with no visible dimensions. It was selling for £150 or so, but once delivered it arrived in a shoe box. Yes you guessed it, it was a doll house computer chair!! Look at postage charges. Some sellers sell the product cheap, but put £20+ postage costs. Also check there's no VAT to be paid. Don't be afraid to ask the seller questions. This is also a good test of their communication skills and their knowledge (if it's something specific). Always pay using PayPal. You're insured for the transaction (I think it's upto £500 now), but also if there are any problems, you have evidence that the transaction actually took place.
flashsnaps Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 Well I've used Ebay for years and here's a few tips I can offer: Always buy products which are located within the UK. Not delivered to the UK. Ebay has lots of filtering options. A good one is within 200 miles of your post code which I use a lot. Take a good look at the seller. Look at their overall feedback, especially the feedback received in the last few months. Read the product description not just once but twice. I remember seeing a classic seller trick on Ebay. There was a computer chair for sale, but with no visible dimensions. It was selling for £150 or so, but once delivered it arrived in a shoe box. Yes you guessed it, it was a doll house computer chair!! Look at postage charges. Some sellers sell the product cheap, but put £20+ postage costs. Also check there's no VAT to be paid. Don't be afraid to ask the seller questions. This is also a good test of their communication skills and their knowledge (if it's something specific). Always pay using PayPal. You're insured for the transaction (I think it's upto £500 now), but also if there are any problems, you have evidence that the transaction actually took place. yeah all good advice. I've heard the computer chair story before as well.....lol!
PeterW Posted March 28, 2008 Posted March 28, 2008 I purchased 3X 8GB mem sticks from Hong kong via eBay.............Idiot! Were they the VAIO ones? I wouldnt trust any of the Ebay sticks these days they all have modified firmware which normally work great upto about 1GB
plexer Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 That chair scam was also shown on the real hustle. Ben
SpuffMonkey Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 See Aria were selling 1GB sticks for under a quid this week and 4GB for under a tenner - sheesh!
gshaw Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 Still got my first USB stick... 25 quid for 64MB those were the days
srochford Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 We've got some 8Gb sticks from either Dabs or Hills Components. they work fine but it does seem possible to mess up the partition table so that you get a single 2Gb partition. In the end, I've used Linux to wipe the partitions and start again - could also probably have used a Gparted Live CD to do the job.
azrael78 Posted July 16, 2008 Posted July 16, 2008 DAMN - Wish I'd read this thread BEFORE ordering my 3x 8GB SD cards... from Hong Kong. They said around 5 business days but it's been longer so far - thankfully I don't NEED them urgently, but would be nice to have. Az
JohnMason Posted July 16, 2008 Posted July 16, 2008 DAMN - Wish I'd read this thread BEFORE ordering my 3x 8GB SD cards... from Hong Kong. They said around 5 business days but it's been longer so far - thankfully I don't NEED them urgently, but would be nice to have. Az Best to test them straight away. If it was through Ebay / Paypal, you'll probably still be covered if fast enough.
JohnMason Posted July 16, 2008 Posted July 16, 2008 Just a follow up on this, I purchased 3X 8GB mem sticks from Hong kong via eBay.............Idiot! Not only did they take nearly a month to arrive, they were about half of the so claimed 8gb, you have to actually put 5-6gb of data on it to find this out, as they appear to have 7-8gb worth of space when actually it was half that. And I am also certain they are the old 1.1usb standard as they take so looooooooooooong to transfer to and from! If it's a 4GB stick tricked into looking like an 8GB, it's unlikely it'll be USB1.1. Far more likely is just shoddy memory. When the big memory providers create flash memory, it varies in speed anyway. They test the memory, and put the slower / less reliable into the "B Grade" bucket, while the good stuff is sold as "A Grade". Most reputable firms will use A Grade, but there are always cowboys out there. The cheaper the stick is, the more likely it'll be B Grade.
dgsmith Posted July 16, 2008 Posted July 16, 2008 Still got my first USB stick... 25 quid for 64MB those were the days £29.99 for a 32MB drive from Maplin (and that was special introductory offer)! Although, can't quite recall how long ago it was, but I am thinking late 2003/early 2004. I wouldn't necessarily condemn flash drives bought from Asia, providing the reseller is a trusted source. By that I mean, we have just bought a large batch to sell to students, and the manufacturing country is China, although the failure rate has been low (in comparison to how many we have). PC World have a good offer on as well - 2x 4GB PNY drives for £20 (for both)! PNY all the way for me - never let me down.
TronXP Posted July 17, 2008 Posted July 17, 2008 I have an 8GB OCZ Rally2 memory stick, never had any problems with it! I still have my 1GB memory stick which I bought for £100 when they first came out! Its been through the wash/dryer more times then I can remember but it still keeps on going.
AngryITGuy Posted July 17, 2008 Posted July 17, 2008 Still got my first USB stick... 25 quid for 64MB those were the days Same here although I think I may have paid more for mine. I still use it now as it has a switch on the side which lets me use it as a floppy disk when the odd occasion requires one.
Michael Posted July 17, 2008 Posted July 17, 2008 I still had my 1GB Samsung until recently where I managed to snap it. Oh well, I treated myself to a 16GB OCZ for £48
azrael78 Posted July 17, 2008 Posted July 17, 2008 Best to test them straight away. If it was through Ebay / Paypal, you'll probably still be covered if fast enough. The wonderful world of irony... I get my flash memory cards last night - all 3 work, they say 8GB and are 8GB (well 7.98) but that's all good. My card reader however (bought from EBay) for a couple of quid, is totally useless - it failed to work in 4 XP PCs and 1 Vista. It failed in as much as 'Windows doesn't recognise this device...'. The reseller says no drivers are needed, so I'm working on the basis that the reader itself is duff - so I've e-mailed the reseller and am waiting to hear back. For now I got a reader that works with my cards and can keep it until I get myself a new one or get a replacement... I won't lose sleep over it tho, it's a couple of quid but that doesn't mean I won't keep poking until I get an answer. Az
JohnMason Posted July 17, 2008 Posted July 17, 2008 The wonderful world of irony... I get my flash memory cards last night - all 3 work, they say 8GB and are 8GB (well 7.98) but that's all good. My card reader however (bought from EBay) for a couple of quid, is totally useless - it failed to work in 4 XP PCs and 1 Vista. It failed in as much as 'Windows doesn't recognise this device...'. The reseller says no drivers are needed, so I'm working on the basis that the reader itself is duff - so I've e-mailed the reseller and am waiting to hear back. For now I got a reader that works with my cards and can keep it until I get myself a new one or get a replacement... I won't lose sleep over it tho, it's a couple of quid but that doesn't mean I won't keep poking until I get an answer. Az Glad to hear they worked well. You did either format them or fill them with data then delete it to make sure 8GB is 8GB right? And of course, all these products are made in the far east. It's not that "chinese goods = bad" or "only usb pens fromt he region are bad" or anything. It's just when you go for a good supplier, they will vet the factories, as some factories are bad. The more quality assurance your supplier does, the less chance of you ever ending up with bad stuff rather than some of the very high quality goods that also get produced in the region, often a few doors down. My boss spent some time in China studying, and has told us horror stories of "USB Stick Factories" that were actually sheds in people's garden being used to put together poor quality, often deceptive sticks. I think these may be the sticks some of you guys got hold of.
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