Sandisk Extreme 64GB - make it a fixed drive?

It seems that the Sandisk Extreme is too new, or it has no support tools:

Is there any firmware update that can solve this problem? (return to removable setting)

Best regars

Hi All,

  Just searching for the removable bit about CZ80 and see this thread.

First I want to say the I’m a BIOS guy, and have knowledge about how MBR/GPT works.

And yes, if you want to build a Windows to Go enviroment on dongle,especially if you are using UEFI BIOS and you would like to use GPT, you need a “fixed” HDD, This is due to the booting rule for the GPT, it needs a EFI Systemp Partition, which is a FAT32 partition with speicified GUID, and the Windows itself needs a partition for itself, which is NTFS and have another GUID. So you definitely need TWO partitions.

But this is not my question.

Here is the story:

 My old CZ80 which I bought last year is not worksing anymore, so I contacted my local dealer in Taiwan, and have it exchanged. Meanwhile, I bought another CZ80. This happened today, and now I got 2 CZ80 64GB.

Then I just realized they both are reconized as fixed drive! As I can recall, my old CZ80 is reconized as a removable devie as the previous posts here. I’m wondering if Sandisk changed the firmware in the USB controller? Or this is caused by OS enviroment? Although I’m a bit happy that I got 2 very good usb thumbdrive for Windows To Go, and the performance is even better than some other thumbdrives which is listed on Windows To Go certified list. But on the contrary, these 2 CZ80 are reconized as fixed HDD, and I can’t disable the write back cache in devicemanager, this means I have to use the safe removal option everytime before I remove them from the USB port. This is a bit annoying, and the data may lost if you forgot to select the safe removal.

So my question is:

  1. Why this happened? have Sandisk changed any firmware settings on CZ80?

  2. can Sandisk provide a tool or some way to change the settings? since it seems there are 2 versions of CZ80 now.

This was changed due to the new requirement for Win 8 certification. Fixed disk is actually a requirement for Win 8 certification. This is a deliberate change in the FW of the Extreme USB 3.0 flash drive and no tool will be released to flip it to removable. This is not a bug it is purposely done for Win 8 certification. 

So all the newer ones with the Win8 cert logo on the box are set to non removable? Maybe Sandisk sould advertising this change on the box since the new CZ80 would be the best WTG thumb drive on the market ;). The price is lower then the certified ones and the performance is similar (may be even better).

Hi, I bought a Sandisk Extreme 64GB and it’s showing up as a removable storage but I need it as a fixed drive.

I wanna use it for Windows To Go.

It’s new, I’ve received it yesterday so if you have the same pendrive as fixed drive and needing as removable, I can send my memory if you send me your memory too.

My email is jafc76 at hotmail dot com

lets say some users need it as fixed and some as removable, so its up to sandisk to SUPPLY A TOOL to change the bit, thats the only real solution here.

I got the extreme 64gb 4 weeks ago and it was fixed, first i was upset but then i learnd how to handle it.

i use it not just for windows on the go but also for windows 7 (yes thats possible no problems).

today i got the new 128gb pro for a hefty 200$ just to see its not fixed, who cares i told my self and started some win7/win8 installations.

now the problem is not the installation by itself, its windows which firstly wont install with its installer on usb fixed or not fixed but you can skip the installer and have windows installed. second comes that windows just cant work with non fixed usb drives, windows update and many other system relevant tools just wont work with some kind of permission denied error and you cannot get around this as far as i see.

by the way how the heck can one know if he gets fixed or not fixed drive since there are both types out there for the same drive.

Mike

I agree with MrMikeCH. Sandisk needs to supply a tool to change the bit.

I purchased a Sandisk Extreme 64GB from amazon which came as fixed disk. All I wanted was a normal removable flash drive so  you can imagine my surprise when I plug this thing in and it shows up as a local disk.

I am very disappointed with Sandisk. This was not made obvious anywhere on the specs page and I will be returning this flash drive and buying a different one (it’s too bad, I really liked this flash drive) .

I agree with MrMikeCH. Sandisk needs to supply a tool to change the bit.

Years ago the difference between a removable USB drive and a fixed one was a bit, now days, especially with the Windows to Go drives it’s a whole new chip architecture.  ie it’s more than a bit difference.

This was not made obvious anywhere on the specs page

Was it made obvious on the packaging?  SanDisk no longer makes the local disk drives anymore but those that they did make are still being sold by parties that bought them.

I ordered Sandisk Extreme 16GB  USB  few days ago and it is shown as fixed. 

Are you sure that fixed devices are not longer produced?

I can write a serial number if it will help.

On the box I can see year 2014.

Hi,

For certainty, you can contact SanDisk Technical Support, for they to say, the product code of those versions, and ready.

Link: http://www.sandisk.com/about-sandisk/contact-us/

Regards, Alfred.

Found a solution:

http://agnipulse.com/2012/03/filter-drivers-removable-media-fixed-disk-windows/

Let’s you switch between fixed disk and removeble disk!!

1 Like

@drlucky wrote:

This was changed due to the new requirement for Win 8 certification. Fixed disk is actually a requirement for Win 8 certification. This is a deliberate change in the FW of the Extreme USB 3.0 flash drive and no tool will be released to flip it to removable. This is not a bug it is purposely done for Win 8 certification. 

This makes me very, very angry. I purchased an Extreme USB 64GB about a year ago, and have been using it as the boot volume for Linux Mint. I recently purchased another, seemingly identical unit, and in the process of rebuilding a new laptop with Linux Mint and Windows 8.1, I discovered that while my original unit shows up as “Fixed”, and works the way I expect a drive to function, the new one shows up as “Removable”, and Windows will NOT see any partition beyond the first. Furthermore, Windows doesn’t even see that partition correctly.

Using the drive under Mac OS X and Linux, it works perfectly. It’s only under Windows that there’s a distinction. On a Mac or Linux, I can format the drive as GPT and create however many partitions I like, format them to whatever filesystem, and they all work perfectly.

I downloaded Partition Guru Pro, and ran the “convert to USB-HDD” function. I appears to complete, but results in no change to the drive. It still shows as “Removable” in Disk Management.

I’ve been tearing my hair out for days trying to figure this out. At least I finally have an answer. Bottom line–do not purchase this product unless is it marked clearly on the package that it is certified for use in Windows 8.

I also want to mention that it is my custom to create all drives as GPT disks, now that GPT is supported properly by all three major operating systems, and all current PCs ship with UEFI boot support. But, to get around the fact that filesystem support across the three platforms is still spotty, the way I set up my 64GB USB drive is with a 200MB EFI boot partition (as per Mac OS X, I think Windows gives the EFI boot partition only 100MB), an 8GB FAT partition that will mount read/write on all operating systems, and whatever the native filesystem is for the OS I intend to install (ext4 in teh case of Linux, NTFS in the case of Windows, HFS+ in the case of Mac OS X).

So, now I have one drive that has to be relegated to file transfer, solely, because it’s not properly made to work in Windows 8, and I don’t want to risk screwing up a careful build, not to mention valuable data, if it happens to get inserted and used by accident.

In my opinion, SanDisk should provide free exchange of any drives that are not Windows 8 compliant.

“In my opinion, SanDisk should provide free exchange of any drives that are not Windows 8 compliant.”

Have you written to them to ask that? 

http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5232/~/return-material-authorization-(rma)-process

BTW I believe SanDisk has stopped making the Windows 8 to Go USB drives.  Too many people complained they didn’t work with their old USB apps that need removable drives. 

Any news on this?

I am looking for a  fixed drive  version for Windows 8.1 To Go too. 

Or, has anyone been able to create a Windows 8.1 To Go using a removable type drive? reynoldsjrmy?

Has anyone else besides nicoyeyo been able to change one from removable to fixed type using Partition Guru PRO?

Am I correct in thinking that the fixed version comes in a packaging with a Windows 8 certified logo? Anyone care to share a photo of the packaging?

Long shot, but anyone with a fixed type 64GB version willing to sell theirs? I am in the UK.

Sadly, I think there’s non yet. Maybe the developers are still finding ways in order to make this happen. <img src=“https://imagicon.info/cat/5-43/1.gif”/>

 I registered just to say thanks to cryppy for that link.

 

http://agnipulse.com/2012/03/filter-drivers-removable-media-fixed-disk-windows/

 

Finally I’ve turned my SanDisk Extreme 32 GB USB flash drive from removable in to a fixed drive. This is the way.

 

Karyonix’s – DiskMod 0.0.2.2 - diskmod.sys driver worked for me flawlessly. I could build a Windows To Go usb drive in minutes.

 

Thanks man!

You do realize that the drive will only appear to be Fixed on systems that have the diskmod.sys driver installed, right?  On systems without the driver it will still be seen as Removable. 

 

If you put Windows To Go on it does it boot?  

Posts: 1,836

Registered: ‎07-24-2010

Re: Sandisk Extreme 64GB - make it a fixed drive?[ New ]

‎03-08-2015 06:19 PM - edited ‎03-08-2015 06:23 PM

You do realize that the drive will only appear to be Fixed on systems that have the diskmod.sys driver installed, right?  On systems without the driver it will still be seen as Removable. 

 

If you put Windows To Go on it does it boot?  

I leave my previous post for reference.

 

I own a 32 Gb SanDisk Extreme USB stick. After several tries, trying to make the usb stick boot with Windows To Go (I have been successfully able to make it fixed with diskmod.sys and created my WindowsToGo stick using Rufus), it failed every single time to boot, only once it showed signs that it would work using MBR partition thype in Rufus and not GPT, but it hanged for 3-4 hours and I rebooted my laptop eventually.

 

Then, I stumbled upon WinToUSB which has a different approach. It creates a VHD drive on the USB drive and not applying the install.wim with expanded folder structure as every other tool out there do. For the last approach to work one needs a real proper fxed drive. And that is not available for SanDisk Extreme usb drives as SanDisk had a change of heart (poor heart) and reverted all newer drives’ bit and therefore making them removable again and not fixed drives as they were sold once.

 

So, for anyone’s interest, I have tested Windows To Go using Windows 8.1 Pro on my 32 Gb San Disk Extreme created with WinToUsb and it works amazing.

 

Of course one could build the flash drive using the VHD method only using Diskpart.exe and imagex.exe, but it’s a pain in the ass. Takes much much longer and several reboots are needed for it to work.

 

So go on and try WinToUSb !!! Results guaranteed.

 

kukubau