Partitioning Corsair Flash Voyager

[sbalfour]

I have a handful (lots) of Flash Voyager fobs I use for Windows backup.

On one machine, the OS resides on NTFS and data on FAT32 partitions.

The Flash Voyagers come from the factory formatted FAT32. I can

reformat them NTFS in Windows. However, copying files from one type

of partition to another for backup may result in a restore which is different

in suble ways from the original.

 

I'd like to split the 64GB fob into two partitions, NTFS and FAT32. I can do

that in Linux. However, Windows won't partition a removable drive. Nor will

windows recognize or mount the Linux-created partitions. Lexar has a

firmware utility to toggle the "Removable" bit on their fobs, but it won't

work on all fobs. It depends on the firmware chip used and the codes

needed to change things in there. Partitioning works as expected on

USB hard drives, of course, because their firmware says "fixed" rather than

"removable". Let's skip the issues of advisability and compatibility. Where

can I get a program like Lexars, or specifications for the Flash Voyager

firmware so I can write my own?

-Stuart

[Wired]

Read the Jack Flash forum for more info (which this thread is being moved to), but flipping the bit is not supported I believe.

[RAM GUY]

I am sorry but that cannot be done externally from software with out the risk of damage to the drive. And Windows does not support partitioning a removable drive.

[sbalfour]

Hello, RAM Guy,

 

I understand that executing unsupported operations may damage the drive

and void the warranty. I'll be happy to buy another Corsair fob if I do so :-|

There exist programs like Lexar's BootIt that toggle the RMB. See:

http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtrouble_e.html#partitioning. It actually works

on my Flash Voyager GT 16GB. However, it failed on my Flash Voyager 16GB

(non-GT) despite what the above author claims. (Cop me a clue - what's

the difference?).

 

The firmware of a fob is constantly being rewritten in response to software,

because the remapping function journals the sectors so that all get reused evenly during erase/write cycles. The RMB bit as well as the remapping journal and other "hidden" data all reside in the same firmware chip(s). We

know how to read the bit, because windows unfailingly reads it. It seems likely that the bit can be written if the proper codes (addresses?) were sent

to the firmware. That might be proprietary information, but it would be

useful for those of us with expertise and time to tinker.

 

See the very lucid description by a Soviet researcher at:

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/system/soviet_direct_hooking.aspx.

The removable media device setting is a flag contained within the SCSI Inquiry Data response to the SCSI Inquiry command. Bit 7 of byte 1 (indexed from 0) is the Removable Media Bit (RMB). Drivers (i.e. Windows) obtain this information by using the StorageDeviceProperty request. What I want to know is how to *write* the bit on Corsair fobs - it's evidently a different

procedure on different Corsair fobs.

 

Alternatively, can I order Corsair fobs from the factory with the RMB reset,

i.e. so windows sees the fob as "fixed"? Maybe it could be an option? There

are a very few fobs out there that come from the factory just like that, and

they apparently cause no issues. Consider the utility of being able to

partition a 64GB, 128GB, etc large fob. FAT32 is not very efficient on a

64GB fob partition, and NTFS has issues for use on fobs (subject for

another post).

 

Regards,

-Stuart (not a RAM guy)

[RAM GUY]

I am sorry but the only thing we can offer is to replace the drive under warranty if it is not operating properly. These is no software I can give that will do this function. You are welcome to try what you like but I do not have any information on this third party software sorry!