I have a weird problem or feature, I’m not sure yet.
I have two Sandisk Extreme 64GB USB sticks. One I use for personal files, one I use for installing various bootable ISO files (SSD tools, Windows installs, etc.).
One of my USB drives is showing up in Windows 7 Disk Manager as a fixed, non-removable disk. The other drive does show as removable storage.
I bought these two drives within a week of each other, so I’m not sure if there was a firmware update at some point or not.
So then is there a way to choose which one I want, and if so, how can I get that tool to switch back and forth? Or is one of the drives defective/have old firmware?
Both drives are bootable, and yes, the ISO files I’m using are bootable.
I’m not sure that’s relevant, since the drive itself, regardless of what’s on it, is listed in disk manager as being a local disk and not a removable disk.
The relevance is to make a drive bootable requires an app that adds an MBR to the drive and some of these apps may change the status of the drive from removable to fixed when they format the drive. Thus the difference in the drives status is not how they were made or when they were purchased, rather what you did to them.
Did you make each of the drives bootable the same way? Are they the same format?
my Sandisk Extreme 64GB show as Fixed Drive (i buyed it today, i have still to format it, there is a FAT32 partition and some Sandisk executables), how can i format in order to show as Removable Drive? (I want to use Windows USB Downloader Tool to create a bootable USB, but it can’t recognize the Sandisk since it’s not a removable device)
“my Sandisk Extreme 64GB show as Fixed Drive (i buyed it today,”
Really!! Is it knew or used?
“i have still to format it, there is a FAT32 partition and some Sandisk executables”
You don’t have to format it to remove the executables. Simply delete them. As for switching it’s Fixed status you can try a standard Windows format. No quarantee though.
I don’t know about a BIOS option. Or a Registry option though I wouldn’t be surprised. The standard approach I remember was/is using a driver named dummydisk.sys and/or rdummy.sys I believe.
Are you aware of SanDisk making USB drives as Fixed Disk? I thought everything was formated as FAT32 superfloppy with no MBR and no partition table. Basically like old floppies only bigger.
My Sandisk Extreme is brand new, i tryed to reformat in NTFS, reformat in FAT32, i tryed to use an other computer (and to reformat with other computer and other OS), tryed to use USB2.0 ports instead of USB3.0, i tryed almost everything, it always show “fixed fisk” (and not removable). It’s really annoying…since i’m not the only one to have this problem, can Sandisk just release a “removable bit flipping” tool? It would solve all problems for all users…
I really don’t like modded driver approach since i need to disable driver signature check (and i don’t want/ can’t do that for warrantly reason).
Is there a way to flip the removable bit? I don’t think that it’s an MBR/Partition problem, since i tryed GPT/MBR and every kind of partition (physical/logical and many file systems) but i think the problem is in the “removable bit” stored somewhere in the pendrive (firmware?)
Well you have certainly worked at this anos. Do other USB drives show as Fixed in your machine? If they do then somehow you may have a corrupt driver. If they don’t I think you need to contact SanDisk for an RMA. Or at the least contact them to verify that the drive is suppose to be seen as a Fixed drive.
Device Name Description Device Type Connected Safe To Unplug Disabled USB Hub Drive Letter Serial Number Created Date Last Plug/Unplug Date VendorID ProductID Firmware Revision USB Class USB SubClass USB Protocol Hub / Port Computer Name Vendor Name Product Name ParentId Prefix Service Name Service Description Driver Filename Device Class Device Mfg Power USB Version Driver Description Driver Version Instance ID
Port_#0002.Hub_#0003
SanDisk Cruzer USB Device
Mass Storage
No
Yes
No
No
1000190905111953240E
15/04/2013 22.39.58
15/04/2013 22.38.50
0781
5530
11.00
08
06
50
USBSTOR
@usbstor.inf,%USBSTOR.SvcDesc%;USB Mass Storage Driver
USBSTOR.SYS
\
Compatible USB storage device
USB Mass Storage Device
6.2.9200.16384
USB\VID_0781&PID_5530\1000190905111953240E
Port_#0002.Hub_#0003
SanDisk Extreme USB Device
Mass Storage
No
Yes
No
No
AA010202131630380621
18/04/2013 14.08.31
16/04/2013 01.30.08
0781
5580
0.10
08
06
50
USBSTOR
@usbstor.inf,%USBSTOR.SvcDesc%;USB Mass Storage Driver
USBSTOR.SYS
\
Compatible USB storage device
USB Mass Storage Device
6.2.9200.16384
USB\VID_0781&PID_5580\AA010202131630380621
I don’t think it’s a driver problem since my old Sandisk Cruzer 8GB is using the same driver and it’s recognized as removable device. My new Sandisk Extreme 16GB is ALWAYS recognized as fixed. Sandisk Extreme firmware seems extremely new, maybe a FW upgrade can fix this without RMA? Or a removable bit flipping tool? Or, how we can RMA?
I don’t use common apps to make my drives. I use diskpart.
Also, I don’t believe this matters since I received one as fixed, and one as removable. They came that way from the factory. And since both drives are formatted and partitioned the same when I was using them for bootable ISOs, I belive this is an internal or SanDisk issue. Note I don’t say problem, since having a disk marked as fixed is sometimes useful, such as when using it during a backup where VSS can then be used.
I’m just trying to get to the point where I can have the choice to set the drive the way I want it, instead of having to guess whether or not a drive will come from the factory as one or the other.
“I’m just trying to get to the point where I can have the choice to set the drive the way I want it, instead of having to guess whether or not a drive will come from the factory as one or the other.”
A valid position. I wish I understood the situation better, ie how does this happen.
If you reformat the two drive drives does it change the drive from fixed to removable or visa versa? If you use Windows format? If you use diskpart? If you use Yumi? etc.
I have same problem with my 32GB SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0. Shows up as ‘fixed drive’ instead of ‘removable’. Has anyone come up with a solution for this problem?
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.
Did anyone ever solve this problem? I have the same problem with a 32 GB Sandisk Cruzer Glide that is showing as a fixed drive when I need it to be removable.
If anyone needs one that is fixed and has one showing as removable, please let me know.
Also, if someone knows an answer to this thread, I know it would help a lot of us.
