flash voyager 16GB not being well recognized

Hi everyone,

 

I recently bought a flash voyager 16GB, and it was working perfectly until Vista messed things up.

 

I've partitioned my pendrive into 2GB and 14GB (primary fat32 partitions) I've installed USB live linux on it and it was working fine. Vista recognized only one of this partitions so I've tried to copy a 2GB file on it to test it and before getting into 50% of the copy it drop with a error. I've tried to copy again but this time it not even started. After this, no OS is able to recognize my pendrive, no linux, no xp64bit, no xp32bit, no vista 64bit. Tried to format it with the HP USB fotmat utility but it sais the device is write protected. In the Disk Management of Vista it apears like there is no partitions and it can't format it.

When the pendrive was ok, the BIOS displayed the correct name of it: "Corsair Flash Voyager" but now it displays: " USB Memory Bar"

 

I think Vista just overwrite some important information about the pendrive

 

please help

In the JackFlash FAQ section (immediately above this section) there is a question:

 

"When I insert my Flash Voyager in my system it reports that it is not formatted and ask's me to format it and when I do it then tells me its write protected. How can I format my Flash Voyager?"

 

If you read the answer there, you will see a link which may give helpful advice.

 

Good luck - I had my question about partitioning answered - but you've already solved that.

 

My regards

Thank you Mike,

 

I have tried already with Fdisk, but it displays a blinking message: "drive not accesible"

 

I hope there is some utility from corsair to rewrite this essential info that the pendrive should have or do a low level format.

 

I hope I don't have to go throu the RMA replacement processes beacause as I have read in some posts here, it could take months until you get your replacement

Hi again,

 

Others made helpful suggestions to me and hybride11 provided the exact

solution to solve my problem.

 

So, I like this Form, I like my birthday present of a Flash Voyager 16 GB

and in return for the kindness of others I have a PM suggesting a possible,

last-resort solution, should you not receive better advice.

 

My regards

So, I like this Form, I like my birthday present of a Flash Voyager 16 GB

and in return for the kindness of others I have a PM suggesting a possible,

last-resort solution, should you not receive better advice.

If you have a solution to a problem, please post it for all to see, instead of PMing it to select people.

 

If you can't format it, and I'm assuming you've tried it in multiple computers, your best bet is to RMA it. And RMAs don't take months.

Hi Wired,

 

My reason for not posting is twofold:

 

(1) I do not pretend to have computer expertise - just lots of effort.

(2) I'm happy to post my PM here - I did not because it favours

another product - although not a Corsair competitor.

 

I'm happy to learn the ways of this forum and will copy my PM upon

your confirmation I should.

 

Thank you for your help.

Hi Wired,

 

Corsair is excellent but without HD Clone, merely personally,

I wouldn't want or need it.

 

I'm just going to bed so, as requested, I copy my PM:

 

Hi,

 

I'm 99.9% certain it is possible to completely reformat your Flash Voyager and then re-partition it (assuming it is not permanently damaged).

 

If you do not know it - look up HD Clone - that is what I would use. The basic version costs some 20 euro and if you liked it you could upgrade to a faster version for another 20 euro or so.

 

My regards

 

Mike

 

Addendum (after next following post + editing comment):

It is not for me to disagree with our Moderator, with regard to either umpiring or technical expertise.

So I will [have] email[ed] HD Clone to see what they say their product can do.

---------------------------------

I am retired without monetary reward (ever) from any software or hardware developer.

You can recommend whatever software you'd like, but if he can't format it using free utilities in multiple OSes, then I doubt that other SW will be able to accomplish anything new. I have removed part of your post as that part is not allowed here.

Mike your recomendation about HDclone give me new little hope.

 

I downloaded the free version and when you launch the install it ask you if you want to make a bootable diskette, cd or usb pendrive, so I plug-in my pendrive, It took several minutes for vista to know it is there. I launched the installation in the pendrive and first it said: "erasing sysload.sys" so I supose it could read and find that there was the linux boot files there. Then it said "writing sysload.sys"

then it drop and error: "boot sector not found"

 

So I think If I could somehow rewrite the MBR in the pendrive it might work.

 

I think also that if I had a clone of the pendrive partition to copy with HDclone it might work also.

 

Mike I will ask you something, hope it doesn't bothers you. Would you be able to empty your first partition, make a clone, and send it via yousendit?

I supose HDclone compreses the clone file so even if the partition is 4GB, it would not take alot because is complete empty.

 

thank you in advance

Ok thank you RAM Guy, I have filled out the RMA request.

 

So finally for those who want to know I've tried The HDClone but it wasn't able to acces the pendrive, I've tried also MBRtool and MBRwork (DOS based free utilities to backup/restore/rewrite MBR), they were able to "see" the pendrive but not able to acces nor write. :bigeyes:

Yes, I have tried Fdisk, but it displays a blinking message: "drive not accesible"

The developers of HD Clone have, to date, chosen not to respond.

 

Nevertheless, since, apparently, we both have identical 16 GB

Corsair flash drives; I would be amazed if I could not rectify

the problem using HD Clone. I use it, in a similar way, almost

daily.

 

I am prepared to put my money where my mouth is and I

would be most happy (to at least try) to rectify this or a

similar problem by paying the "to me and back" postage.

 

Genuine regards

Vista recognized only one of this partitions so I've tried to copy a 2GB file on it to test it and before getting into 50% of the copy it drop with a error. I've tried to copy again but this time it not even started.

 

 

Anduvo, remember that there is a limit on the max file size on a FAT32 partition.

2GB!