Post by drcard on Mar 26, 2021 21:07:58 GMT -5
Flash Drives 101
Overview:
The versatility of flash drives often goes unnoticed by most users, but all device users own and use flash drives. It doesn’t matter if it is Windows, Mac, iPad, Xbox, Play Station, digital picture frame, or a vehicle’s entertainment system; a flash drive will work with it. Most users have very little knowledge about flash drives, how they are compatible with so many different device systems out there, or how they have changed in the last two years. This lack of knowledge about these drives results in poor usage, poor care, and not understanding why some flash drives won’t work on some devices. When a flash drive has to be inserted into the port several times before the device recognizes it, or if files on the flash drive appear corrupt or missing, or if we can’t get it to work with a device; we toss the drive as “bad”. Shame, 9 out 10 times all the flash drive needed was some care, maintenance, or a different format. This article is to help remedy that.
Flash Drive Basics:
Flash drives, like hard drives, are data storage devices. The data on a flash drive is stored in integrated circuits; whereas, the data on a platter hard drive is stored in magnetized/unmagnetized dots on the platters. An SSD (Solid State Drive) is really a large flash drive with different firmware and formatting. What makes flash drives different from platter hard drives and SSDs is the file system that they are usually formatted in…FAT32. FAT32 format is a very old format that was considered the standard; thus, nearly all devices manufactured in the last 30+ years either uses FAT32 or is backward compatible to access drives that use FAT32. A Windows PC cannot fully access a Mac HFS drive and visa versa; but, both Windows and Mac can access a FAT32 flash drive, which allows transfer of documents between different file systems. Load your favorite mp3 songs onto your flash drive and plug it into your vehicle’s entertainment system USB port to play those songs; but, if the flash drive is formatted in anything other than FAT or FAT32, the entertainment system most likely won’t even “see” the drive when you plug it in.
Technology advances has created flash drives with very large storage capacity that was unthought of when FAT32 was created. FAT32 limits a file’s maximum size to 4 GBs, limits a drive/partition maximum size to 8 TBs, and limits the maximum cluster size to 32 KB (modern file systems have cluster sizes in the MBs). These FAT32 limits seem more pronounced with flash drives over 32 GBs. To rectify these limitations, Microsoft released exFAT (Extensible File Allocation Table – also called FAT64) in 2019. The exFAT file system is like FAT32 without the limits. Microsoft promotes exFAT format usage and Windows (File Explorer) will not format a drive or partition in FAT32 if the drive is larger than 32 GB, deferring the format to exFAT. The increase in storage size has flash drives as large as internal hard drives used to be, which is why some flash drives are formatted in NTFS for Windows to be installed on the flash drive to create a “PC on a stick”. When purchasing a flash drive, be sure to check the formatting it comes in because not all come FAT32 formatted.
The introduction of exFAT has some problems in that not all devices can use that format and especially those devices created before exFAT was released. Even many devices sold new today still require the flash drive to have FAT32 format. Check your device and your flash drive to make sure your device can use the flash drive’s formatting. This difference in formatting can explain why the drive doesn’t seem to work with a particular device.
Technology advances also occurred with the firmware that flash drives use to store data in the integrated circuits. Flash drives had a problem with long term storage and data deterioration such that the average storage life of data on a flash drive was 10 years. Changes in how the data is stored in the circuits has reduced data deterioration to one-tenth of what it used to be, which means a new flash drive is an excellent choice for long term storage. There is a big difference between old and new flash drives as far as long term data storage is concerned.
Flash drives have a male connector to insert into the device’s port. There are various kinds of connectors for the various kinds of ports on different devices. The vast majority of flash drives will have a Type A USB connector, which comes in two versions – 2.0 (backward for 1.1) and 3.0. Usually the plastic strip inside the connector’s opening is black or red for 2.0 and blue for 3.0. Be careful as the Type A USB 3.1 connector (also blue like 3.0) will only work in a 3.1 port and there are 3 generations of USB 3.1 connections. There are flash drives with Type C USB connector and even flash drives with the Apple’s Lightning connector. There are also adapter kits that allow your flash drive of a different connector to connect. Flash drive shopping is no longer just about brand name and size.
Flash Drive Usage and Care
The first step in the proper use of a flash drive is to look at it and understand where top, bottom, connector, and back are. One end of the flash drive housing will have a hole in it which is used to attach a lanyard to the drive, this is the back of the drive. The other end of the flash drive is the connector end that connects the flash drive to the device. Lay the flash drive on a flat surface with the side that has the logo/name/volume size/slide switch facing up, this is the top side and the side facing the flat surface is the bottom side. For flash drives with a Type A USB connector, the plastic strip in the opening of the connector will be next to the bottom side of the drive. Always hold the flash drive in your hand with your thumb resting on the top side and the connector end pointing away from you. Why? Your thumb is ready to slide the switch to expose the connector for those kind of flash drives and you will have the drive in proper orientation to insert into the device. To insert the flash drive into a port opening that is in horizontal position, insert with the thumb up. To insert the flash drive into a port opening that is in a vertical position, insert with the thumb pointing toward the center of the device.
Care must be taken when removing a flash drive. Some devices (mostly PCs) require a disconnect request to close files in use before disconnecting. Removing the flash drive before all the files are closed can cause damage to the files and loss of data. In Windows 10, this is the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media icon.
The flash drive’s most common connector (Type A USB) has a big opening for dirt, lint, and numerous other foreign objects to become lodged into. Some manufacturer’s design their flash drives to hide/protect the connector opening and you should utilize these protection features. To store the flash drive to prevent lint and other foreign material damaging the connector: Cut the finger from a disposable glove and place the flash drive in the glove finger, connector end first. Before using a flash drive visually check the connector opening to make sure there are no foreign objects. Treat a flash drive like your phone…no high heat, direct sunlight, liquids, or dropping.
Repair/Maintain a Flash Drive
Flash drives that seem to take longer to be recognized by the device and flash drives that have files that have become corrupt or missing most often indicate data deterioration due to a bad sector. Preforming a standard format of the drive will correct the problem and have the drive functioning like new. A standard format (not a Quick format) will examine the drive for bad sectors and remove them from being used. These bad sectors happen more often with flash drives over 2 years old. Formatting an older flash drive can breathe new life into it and making it more useful.
Formatting a Flash Drive
A flash drive (or any drive) is formatted using an application that performs the formatting. Windows comes with two different formatting tools…File Explorer and Command/Powershell. File Explorer is easy to use and will provide the majority of the formatting you will want to do. For flash drives larger than 32 GB where you want FAT32 formatting you will need Command/Powershell to do the formatting as File Explorer will not format any drive larger than 32 GB in FAT32. Why would you want a large flash drive formatted in FAT32? The device that the flash drive will be used on only recognizes FAT32 drives, such as Play Station 3 or vehicle entertainment systems. Gamers like to put all their Play Station games on one 512 GB flash drive.
I recommend using the Command/Powershell to format large storage drives to exFAT32 (FAT64). A large external storage drive formatted in exFAT32 can be used to store data from Windows and Mac at the same time.
Which ever application you use, be sure to do the standard formatting and not “quick” formatting. Standard formatting will scan the drive for bad sectors and remove them from the directory. This will prevent these bad sectors from being used which would cause data to become corrupt. This removing bad sectors is what gives the flash drive new life with all remaining sectors working.
Following are instructions to format a drive with Windows 10 File Explorer and Command window. Make sure to copy any data on the drive before you format it
Format a Drive with Windows 10 File Explorer
• Plug the drive into the PC and see it display in This PC view of File Explorer.
• Right click the drive and select Format, which opens the Format box.
• The Format box is where you select the settings for the format such as:
o Capacity: - Unless the drive had been partitioned, it should be the size of the entire drive.
o File system: - Select which file system you want the drive formatted in…NTFS, FAT, FAT32, or exFAT.
o Allocation unit size: - Leave at 4096 bytes for FAT32.
o Quick Format – Make sure to UNCHECK the box next to this option.
o Press Start to begin the formatting. The system will post a warning that any data on the drive will be erased. Press OK to allow the formatting to begin.
• The bottom of the Format box will display a progress bar of the formatting.
• Be patient as standard formatting takes a while. On my system, it took 11 minutes to format a 2 GB flash drive in FAT32.
• A notice will inform you when the formatting has been completed.
Format a Drive in a Command Window
• On the PC, open a Command window with Administrator’s privileges with the flash drive NOT plugged in. To open an Admin Command window = Win Key + R to open a Run box. Type cmd. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter followed by a YES for the UAC box.
• At the prompt enter DISKPART and press the Enter key. DISKPART will open and the prompt will change to DISKPART>
• At the DISKPART prompt enter LIST_DISK (replace the _ with a space) and press the Enter key. This will display a list of disks (drives) attached and recognized by the system.
• Plug the flash drive to be formatted into the PC and allow time for the system to recognize it.
• Once the flash drive is recognized, enter LIST_DISK at the DISKPART prompt to create a new current list. The flash drive will be the last one listed. Note the Disk number assigned to it.
• At the DISKPART prompt enter SELECT_DISK # (where # is the disk number for the flash drive and replace _ with a space) and press the Enter key. DISKPART will acknowledge that drive is selected.
• At the DISKPART prompt enter FORMAT_FS=XXXX (replace the _ with a space). Replace the XXXX with the file system (NTFS, FAT, FAT32, or exFAT) you want to format in. Press the Enter key to begin formatting. DISKPART will show a percent completed and inform you when it is done. Formatting with the Command window is faster than File Explorer, but it still takes a while to scan and format.
Notes on Formatting
• For older flash drives that are formatted in FAT, it is best to reformat in FAT as reformatting as FAT32 can cause problems with some of these older drives.
• The format commands above depend upon the drive having only one partition.
A little time and effort can make that flash drive you were going to throw away a useful tool.
Overview:
The versatility of flash drives often goes unnoticed by most users, but all device users own and use flash drives. It doesn’t matter if it is Windows, Mac, iPad, Xbox, Play Station, digital picture frame, or a vehicle’s entertainment system; a flash drive will work with it. Most users have very little knowledge about flash drives, how they are compatible with so many different device systems out there, or how they have changed in the last two years. This lack of knowledge about these drives results in poor usage, poor care, and not understanding why some flash drives won’t work on some devices. When a flash drive has to be inserted into the port several times before the device recognizes it, or if files on the flash drive appear corrupt or missing, or if we can’t get it to work with a device; we toss the drive as “bad”. Shame, 9 out 10 times all the flash drive needed was some care, maintenance, or a different format. This article is to help remedy that.
Flash Drive Basics:
Flash drives, like hard drives, are data storage devices. The data on a flash drive is stored in integrated circuits; whereas, the data on a platter hard drive is stored in magnetized/unmagnetized dots on the platters. An SSD (Solid State Drive) is really a large flash drive with different firmware and formatting. What makes flash drives different from platter hard drives and SSDs is the file system that they are usually formatted in…FAT32. FAT32 format is a very old format that was considered the standard; thus, nearly all devices manufactured in the last 30+ years either uses FAT32 or is backward compatible to access drives that use FAT32. A Windows PC cannot fully access a Mac HFS drive and visa versa; but, both Windows and Mac can access a FAT32 flash drive, which allows transfer of documents between different file systems. Load your favorite mp3 songs onto your flash drive and plug it into your vehicle’s entertainment system USB port to play those songs; but, if the flash drive is formatted in anything other than FAT or FAT32, the entertainment system most likely won’t even “see” the drive when you plug it in.
Technology advances has created flash drives with very large storage capacity that was unthought of when FAT32 was created. FAT32 limits a file’s maximum size to 4 GBs, limits a drive/partition maximum size to 8 TBs, and limits the maximum cluster size to 32 KB (modern file systems have cluster sizes in the MBs). These FAT32 limits seem more pronounced with flash drives over 32 GBs. To rectify these limitations, Microsoft released exFAT (Extensible File Allocation Table – also called FAT64) in 2019. The exFAT file system is like FAT32 without the limits. Microsoft promotes exFAT format usage and Windows (File Explorer) will not format a drive or partition in FAT32 if the drive is larger than 32 GB, deferring the format to exFAT. The increase in storage size has flash drives as large as internal hard drives used to be, which is why some flash drives are formatted in NTFS for Windows to be installed on the flash drive to create a “PC on a stick”. When purchasing a flash drive, be sure to check the formatting it comes in because not all come FAT32 formatted.
The introduction of exFAT has some problems in that not all devices can use that format and especially those devices created before exFAT was released. Even many devices sold new today still require the flash drive to have FAT32 format. Check your device and your flash drive to make sure your device can use the flash drive’s formatting. This difference in formatting can explain why the drive doesn’t seem to work with a particular device.
Technology advances also occurred with the firmware that flash drives use to store data in the integrated circuits. Flash drives had a problem with long term storage and data deterioration such that the average storage life of data on a flash drive was 10 years. Changes in how the data is stored in the circuits has reduced data deterioration to one-tenth of what it used to be, which means a new flash drive is an excellent choice for long term storage. There is a big difference between old and new flash drives as far as long term data storage is concerned.
Flash drives have a male connector to insert into the device’s port. There are various kinds of connectors for the various kinds of ports on different devices. The vast majority of flash drives will have a Type A USB connector, which comes in two versions – 2.0 (backward for 1.1) and 3.0. Usually the plastic strip inside the connector’s opening is black or red for 2.0 and blue for 3.0. Be careful as the Type A USB 3.1 connector (also blue like 3.0) will only work in a 3.1 port and there are 3 generations of USB 3.1 connections. There are flash drives with Type C USB connector and even flash drives with the Apple’s Lightning connector. There are also adapter kits that allow your flash drive of a different connector to connect. Flash drive shopping is no longer just about brand name and size.
Flash Drive Usage and Care
The first step in the proper use of a flash drive is to look at it and understand where top, bottom, connector, and back are. One end of the flash drive housing will have a hole in it which is used to attach a lanyard to the drive, this is the back of the drive. The other end of the flash drive is the connector end that connects the flash drive to the device. Lay the flash drive on a flat surface with the side that has the logo/name/volume size/slide switch facing up, this is the top side and the side facing the flat surface is the bottom side. For flash drives with a Type A USB connector, the plastic strip in the opening of the connector will be next to the bottom side of the drive. Always hold the flash drive in your hand with your thumb resting on the top side and the connector end pointing away from you. Why? Your thumb is ready to slide the switch to expose the connector for those kind of flash drives and you will have the drive in proper orientation to insert into the device. To insert the flash drive into a port opening that is in horizontal position, insert with the thumb up. To insert the flash drive into a port opening that is in a vertical position, insert with the thumb pointing toward the center of the device.
Care must be taken when removing a flash drive. Some devices (mostly PCs) require a disconnect request to close files in use before disconnecting. Removing the flash drive before all the files are closed can cause damage to the files and loss of data. In Windows 10, this is the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media icon.
The flash drive’s most common connector (Type A USB) has a big opening for dirt, lint, and numerous other foreign objects to become lodged into. Some manufacturer’s design their flash drives to hide/protect the connector opening and you should utilize these protection features. To store the flash drive to prevent lint and other foreign material damaging the connector: Cut the finger from a disposable glove and place the flash drive in the glove finger, connector end first. Before using a flash drive visually check the connector opening to make sure there are no foreign objects. Treat a flash drive like your phone…no high heat, direct sunlight, liquids, or dropping.
Repair/Maintain a Flash Drive
Flash drives that seem to take longer to be recognized by the device and flash drives that have files that have become corrupt or missing most often indicate data deterioration due to a bad sector. Preforming a standard format of the drive will correct the problem and have the drive functioning like new. A standard format (not a Quick format) will examine the drive for bad sectors and remove them from being used. These bad sectors happen more often with flash drives over 2 years old. Formatting an older flash drive can breathe new life into it and making it more useful.
Formatting a Flash Drive
A flash drive (or any drive) is formatted using an application that performs the formatting. Windows comes with two different formatting tools…File Explorer and Command/Powershell. File Explorer is easy to use and will provide the majority of the formatting you will want to do. For flash drives larger than 32 GB where you want FAT32 formatting you will need Command/Powershell to do the formatting as File Explorer will not format any drive larger than 32 GB in FAT32. Why would you want a large flash drive formatted in FAT32? The device that the flash drive will be used on only recognizes FAT32 drives, such as Play Station 3 or vehicle entertainment systems. Gamers like to put all their Play Station games on one 512 GB flash drive.
I recommend using the Command/Powershell to format large storage drives to exFAT32 (FAT64). A large external storage drive formatted in exFAT32 can be used to store data from Windows and Mac at the same time.
Which ever application you use, be sure to do the standard formatting and not “quick” formatting. Standard formatting will scan the drive for bad sectors and remove them from the directory. This will prevent these bad sectors from being used which would cause data to become corrupt. This removing bad sectors is what gives the flash drive new life with all remaining sectors working.
Following are instructions to format a drive with Windows 10 File Explorer and Command window. Make sure to copy any data on the drive before you format it
Format a Drive with Windows 10 File Explorer
• Plug the drive into the PC and see it display in This PC view of File Explorer.
• Right click the drive and select Format, which opens the Format box.
• The Format box is where you select the settings for the format such as:
o Capacity: - Unless the drive had been partitioned, it should be the size of the entire drive.
o File system: - Select which file system you want the drive formatted in…NTFS, FAT, FAT32, or exFAT.
o Allocation unit size: - Leave at 4096 bytes for FAT32.
o Quick Format – Make sure to UNCHECK the box next to this option.
o Press Start to begin the formatting. The system will post a warning that any data on the drive will be erased. Press OK to allow the formatting to begin.
• The bottom of the Format box will display a progress bar of the formatting.
• Be patient as standard formatting takes a while. On my system, it took 11 minutes to format a 2 GB flash drive in FAT32.
• A notice will inform you when the formatting has been completed.
Format a Drive in a Command Window
• On the PC, open a Command window with Administrator’s privileges with the flash drive NOT plugged in. To open an Admin Command window = Win Key + R to open a Run box. Type cmd. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter followed by a YES for the UAC box.
• At the prompt enter DISKPART and press the Enter key. DISKPART will open and the prompt will change to DISKPART>
• At the DISKPART prompt enter LIST_DISK (replace the _ with a space) and press the Enter key. This will display a list of disks (drives) attached and recognized by the system.
• Plug the flash drive to be formatted into the PC and allow time for the system to recognize it.
• Once the flash drive is recognized, enter LIST_DISK at the DISKPART prompt to create a new current list. The flash drive will be the last one listed. Note the Disk number assigned to it.
• At the DISKPART prompt enter SELECT_DISK # (where # is the disk number for the flash drive and replace _ with a space) and press the Enter key. DISKPART will acknowledge that drive is selected.
• At the DISKPART prompt enter FORMAT_FS=XXXX (replace the _ with a space). Replace the XXXX with the file system (NTFS, FAT, FAT32, or exFAT) you want to format in. Press the Enter key to begin formatting. DISKPART will show a percent completed and inform you when it is done. Formatting with the Command window is faster than File Explorer, but it still takes a while to scan and format.
Notes on Formatting
• For older flash drives that are formatted in FAT, it is best to reformat in FAT as reformatting as FAT32 can cause problems with some of these older drives.
• The format commands above depend upon the drive having only one partition.
A little time and effort can make that flash drive you were going to throw away a useful tool.