USB flash drive shows incorrect capacity

[Zolty]

I have an 8gb USB flash drive, it has worked fine as an 8GB storing 7.5ish gb + file system stuff.

flash forward to a week ago, I used my usb flash drive to reload the default software on my eee pc. This is done by using another computer putting in the asus CD and going through there steps to make it bootable with their software.

I installed the software fine on the eee pc; however, when I now try and use the USB flash drive it Identifies as a 1.89gb drive. No matter how I format it, it identifies as 1.89 gb.

If I go into disk management under admin tools in Vista the drive shows 1.89 GB FAT healthy primary partition and 5.76 GB unallocated.
Right clicking on the 1.89 gb partition will not allow me to delete it, the only non grey'd out options are open, explore, change drive letter and path, format, properties and help.
Right clicking on the unallocated portion yields properties and help as my only non grey'd options.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[corkyg]

Interesting! Sounds sort of like the drive was partitioned and reformatted. Have you tried using Vista's partitioning capability? Until you can repartition the drive you may only be able to format the 1.89GB partition.

Another possibility is that the unallocated portion of the drive just went bad. Flash memory devices can do that, but it usually takes the entire drive.

 

[Zolty]

by partitioning capability do you mean control panel >admin tools >computer management > data (not 100% on the path) then yes I have and the results are described above.

if you mean something else please clarify

 

[corkyg]

Not quite - I mean Computer Management, Disk Management, select the drive, and if unallocated space shows, right click on the drive and try EXTEND VOLUME. That extends the small partition to fill up the rest of the drive.

 

[TheKub]

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[TheKub]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Not quite - I mean Computer Management, Disk Management, select the drive, and if unallocated space shows, right click on the drive and try EXTEND VOLUME. That extends the small partition to fill up the rest of the drive.

I could be wrong but extend volume is only available on dynamic disks (which you wouldnt want removable drive to be). But you are correct that you need to go into disk management to modify the partitions, if it does have a 2GB partition you would have to delete that partition and crate a new 8gb one and format as FAT32.

 

[corkyg]

No, this does not involve dynamic disks. In order to create partitions, the unallocated space has to be in an extended volume - that allows creation of logical drives in that space.

Your point about FAT32 is well taken and spot on for thumb drives. In fact, in order to be bootable, some thumb drives have to be FAT16.

Vista

If you have a good 3rd party disk manager such as Partition Magic or Disk Director, etc., that can also be a solution.

 

[TheKub]

Hmm.... I guess I never did anything with partitioning removable drives (because you apparently cant).

So looks like by default the disk managment tool isnt going to do anything with removable disks (nor will diskpart), so you can try a 3rd party tool or use the tool listed here to toggle the removable bit, use diskmanagment to create the 8GB partition then use the tool to turn the bit back on.

Silly me for thinking it would work like local disks...

 

[Zedtom]

You might want to reformat it. I have had luck with this method.

Flash drive reformat guide

 

[Zolty]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Not quite - I mean Computer Management, Disk Management, select the drive, and if unallocated space shows, right click on the drive and try EXTEND VOLUME. That extends the small partition to fill up the rest of the drive.

tried this in windows, I can reformat the 1.89gb partition to a max of 1.89 it also will not let me delete the partition. It shows the 5.6gb as unpartitioned and I can do nothing to it

 

[corkyg]

I would suggest, then, using a 3rd party partition manager on a bootable CD 0 such as Symantec Partition Magic or Acronis Disk Director.

Sounds like it was repartitioned and the small partition made primary without extended unallocated space.

 

[corkyg]

OK - I just ran a complete experiment with a Lexar JumpDrive. First of all, the Vista partition ware does not work with USB thumbdrives. Nor does Partition Magic. Acronis Disk Director does it.

I used DD to reduce the Lexar's full partition by half. Then I deleted the remainder and it showed as "unallocated space." I then was able to undo all of that by expanding the primary partition. Acronis DD can do it.

The bigger question is - is the 8 GB thumbdrive worth all the hassle?

 

[corkyg]

OK - I just ran a complete experiment with a Lexar JumpDrive. First of all, the Vista partition ware does not work with USB thunmbdrives. Nor does Partition Magic. Acronis Disk Director does it.

I used DD to reduce the Lexar's full partition by half. Then I deleted the remainder and it showed as "unallocated space." I then was able to undo all of that by expanding the primary partition. Acronis DD can do it.

The bigger question is - is the 8 GB thumbdrive worth all the hassle?