Need to format a pen drive with protected content

jasong · 2007-11-13, 02:38

I have a 1 GB pen drive which has mysteriously turned into a locked pen drive. I have no idea what the contents are and really don't care all that much. Unfortunately, I can't even get it to show up when I plug it in.

HELLLP!!!

alpertron · 2007-11-13, 14:32

If you are running on Windows, I'd suggest you to connect the pen driver to your PC, go to the Device Manager (press the left-window button and Pause, then select the Hardware tab and finally press the Device Manager button), find your pen drive on the list, click the right button and select Uninstall.

After doing these steps, unplug the device and reattach it again. The operating system will reinstall the drivers and hopefully you will be able to use the pen drive again.

xilman · 2007-11-13, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpertron

If you are running on Windows, I'd suggest you to connect the pen driver to your PC, go to the Device Manager (press the left-window button and Pause, then select the Hardware tab and finally press the Device Manager button), find your pen drive on the list, click the right button and select Uninstall.

After doing these steps, unplug the device and reattach it again. The operating system will reinstall the drivers and hopefully you will be able to use the pen drive again.

If you are running Windows, I suggest you boot a Linux CD and then format the pen drive from there.

Paul

jasong · 2007-11-13, 21:08

When I stuck the pen drive into my grandmother's computer I saw something called 'The safe', which I assumed, incorrectly, was the pen drive, since it wasn't showing up anywhere else.

I now believe I have a zombie pen drive. When I stick it in USB ports, it blinks, but there are no other signs of life.

bsquared · 2007-11-13, 21:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasong

I now believe I have a zombie pen drive. When I stick it in USB ports, it blinks, but there are no other signs of life.

What other signs of life do you expect to see? That's all mine does. I also suggest you try Alpertron's suggestion.

jasong · 2007-11-13, 21:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsquared

What other signs of life do you expect to see?

Well, I usually expect an icon to show up in the usual places. Does Alperton's method work if no icon is available?

bsquared · 2007-11-13, 22:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasong

Well, I usually expect an icon to show up in the usual places. Does Alperton's method work if no icon is available?

You shouldn't need the pen drive at all. But it assumes that it has been used successfully before in the past. If that is the case, the driver should show up in the device manager under disk drives, and you can uninstall at any time. If you've used multiple USB drives, they will all show up in the list. Make sure you select the right one to uninstall.

alpertron · 2007-11-13, 23:51

That depends on the Device Manager configuration. On the computers I have access, the Device Manager only shows the current devices, so the pen drive must be inserted in order to see it.

mdettweiler · 2007-11-14, 00:06

Maybe the partition information somehow got messed up, and the partition on the thumb drive got removed--thus, it wouldn't show up in My Computer. You might want to try checking for it in Disk Manager by clicking Start>Run, entering "diskmgmt.msc", and pressing Enter. It should show up in Disk Manager as a disk drive--you can then make a new partition on it, spanning the entire drive. You'll need to format the partition then; I think Disk Manager asks you whether you want to do so immediately after you create the partition.

jasong · 2007-11-14, 05:39

Thanks, Anonymous, I got it working a few hours ago with your idea.

Sorry for being so late with the thanks. :)

jasong · 2007-11-14, 22:42

Okay, either the pen drive is so buggy it needs to be thrown away, or the 'Linux to Linux pen drive installation' instructions have something screwy going on, although maybe only with my particular drive.

The website is pendrivelinux.com and it's a grey 1GB Memorex traveldrive.

I should've posted this other thing earlier so I wouldn't've forgotten it, but Ubuntu complained about old "something" tables, and said it would be corrected after a reboot.

2007-11-13, 02:38	#1
jasong "Jason Goatcher" Mar 2005 3·7·167 Posts	Need to format a pen drive with protected content I have a 1 GB pen drive which has mysteriously turned into a locked pen drive. I have no idea what the contents are and really don't care all that much. Unfortunately, I can't even get it to show up when I plug it in. HELLLP!!!

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2007-11-13, 14:32	#2
alpertron Aug 2002 Buenos Aires, Argentina 1366₁₀ Posts	If you are running on Windows, I'd suggest you to connect the pen driver to your PC, go to the Device Manager (press the left-window button and Pause, then select the Hardware tab and finally press the Device Manager button), find your pen drive on the list, click the right button and select Uninstall. After doing these steps, unplug the device and reattach it again. The operating system will reinstall the drivers and hopefully you will be able to use the pen drive again.

2007-11-13, 21:08	#4
jasong "Jason Goatcher" Mar 2005 3×7×167 Posts	When I stuck the pen drive into my grandmother's computer I saw something called 'The safe', which I assumed, incorrectly, was the pen drive, since it wasn't showing up anywhere else. I now believe I have a zombie pen drive. When I stick it in USB ports, it blinks, but there are no other signs of life.

2007-11-13, 23:51	#8
alpertron Aug 2002 Buenos Aires, Argentina 2×683 Posts	That depends on the Device Manager configuration. On the computers I have access, the Device Manager only shows the current devices, so the pen drive must be inserted in order to see it.

2007-11-14, 00:06	#9
mdettweiler A Sunny Moo Aug 2007 USA (GMT-5) 1869₁₆ Posts	Maybe the partition information somehow got messed up, and the partition on the thumb drive got removed--thus, it wouldn't show up in My Computer. You might want to try checking for it in Disk Manager by clicking Start>Run, entering "diskmgmt.msc", and pressing Enter. It should show up in Disk Manager as a disk drive--you can then make a new partition on it, spanning the entire drive. You'll need to format the partition then; I think Disk Manager asks you whether you want to do so immediately after you create the partition.

2007-11-14, 05:39	#10
jasong "Jason Goatcher" Mar 2005 3·7·167 Posts	Thanks, Anonymous, I got it working a few hours ago with your idea. Sorry for being so late with the thanks. :)

2007-11-14, 22:42	#11
jasong "Jason Goatcher" Mar 2005 3·7·167 Posts	Okay, either the pen drive is so buggy it needs to be thrown away, or the 'Linux to Linux pen drive installation' instructions have something screwy going on, although maybe only with my particular drive. The website is pendrivelinux.com and it's a grey 1GB Memorex traveldrive. I should've posted this other thing earlier so I wouldn't've forgotten it, but Ubuntu complained about old "something" tables, and said it would be corrected after a reboot.