U3 available for Cruzer Slice and Cruzer Blade? (SDCZ50 / SDCZ37 )

Hello,

First of all, sorry for my english, I´m still learning it  :wink:

We are an official Sandisk dealer in Spain, we´ve got a couple of questions regarding the new cruzer units, Slice and Blade.

As far as we understood Sandisk removed the U3 partition from all usb drives from Oct-2009 and remained as an optional choice, the question is:

Can we install the U3 tech through the Sandisk U3 Installer in any Sandisk Cruzer unit? Or is there some cruzer models that cannot accept U3? We got some customers who bought the Cruzer Blade and reported they couldn´t install the U3 soft.

Thanks in advance for your response!

MemoryVal

U3 is no longer supported on any SanDisk device and it cannot be installed. 

Hello drlucky,

Thanks for your fast response, but I´m a bit confused about your response.

You mean that I cannot install U3 in a Cruzer model which has not been partitioned from factory?

There´re many Sandisk cruzer models as Cruzer Retail, Titanium , Micro, Contour that had U3 installed from factory and later on Sandisk removed the u3 partition leaving the installation as a user choice.

When you say “U3 is no longer supported on any Sandisk device” means that consumers won´t be able to install U3 in previous models as Titanium or Cruzer micro that came first with U3 unit pre-installed and then without U3?

A Sandisk sales rep. told me U3 will be able to install on new models as Cruzer Slice or Blade…so that´s my confusion…Could you please confirm this issue?

Can you confirm which cruzer models still accept U3 and which wont?

Thanks again.

Older devices that were manufactured prior to 10/09  will still support U3 and the user can install it using the U3 installer. devices manufactured after 10/09 do not support U3 and it can not be installed. 

Thanks! I will update all our cruzer listings on our stores. It´s a pity SanDisk will no longer support U3 on usb devices.

I suppose people still can get their apps installed using portableapps or similar software.

So how and when will Sandisk refund customers like myself who purchased SanDisk USB drives specifically because they supported U3. They are garbage to me without U3 as I didn’t purchase them for their storage capacity but because they offered U3 apps like Mozilla Thunderbird & Firefox for U3. I will have to transfer all my email from Thunderbird and this is a hassle. Why **bleep** your clients like this.

Nicholas in Canada

Hmm, I though that even though U3 wasn’t pre-installed anymore there would at least be an option to still install U3 as an option on the newer drives (like via SanDisk’s website). I guess U3 was never really that popular that is to say it never really caught on except for a few consumer. How come? drlucky do you know what SanDisk official reason is as to why they dropped all U3 support? And furthermore, does that mean there is not further developing of this technology anymore? If so, are there any replacements on the horizon? Thanks for any information.

U3 was popular so much so that Mirosoft bought the technology from SanDisk several years ago.  As such SanDisk is out of the U3 business and no longer developing it.  Unfortunately Microsoft hasn’t done anything with it. 

But there are options and they include Thunderbird for email along with a hundred or so other apps.  Check out http://www.PortableApps.com 

First they stop making the nice rugged titanium cruzer which actually stood up to daily abuse and now they have canned U3.  I am feeling so many negative emotions right now.  I also would never have paid the premium price for sandisk if I knew they where going to leave me hanging like this… come to think of it I never will again.  It is time I gave my business to somebody new.

I divorce you sandisk and all your products for life!

I hope the Microsoft #!@&Job was good for you, but you forgot one thing.  They have a monopoly to force us back in, you don’t.

i hv purchasd cruizer blade 6 months b4 n i hv succesfuly instald u3 appli on it i lost my pendrive bt yestrday on 21st dec i hv purchasd again anthr cruizer blade cz of u3 applictn suport bt i gt disapointd whn i cm 2 knw u3 app do nt suport on new pendrivs of sandisk… Wht da hell? Plz do smthn on it so v cn gt ths app othrwise sandisk pendrive is juz a garbage 4 me

hey i purchased a new cruzer blade 4 gb usb flash drive today and i want a software by which i can password protect my  pen drive, i have installed u3 it it but its not working plz help me without password protection its non of my use

plz reply soon i am looking forward

“i have installed u3 it it but its not working”

In what way?

Hello,

First of all, sorry for my english, I´m still learning it  :wink:

We are an official Sandisk dealer in Spain, we´ve got a couple of questions regarding the new cruzer units, Slice and Blade.

As far as we understood Sandisk removed the U3 partition from all usb drives from Oct-2009 and remained as an optional choice, the question is:

Can we install the U3 tech through the Sandisk U3 Installer in any Sandisk Cruzer unit? Or is there some cruzer models that cannot accept U3? We got some customers who bought the Cruzer Blade and reported they couldn´t install the U3 soft.

Thanks in advance for your response!

U3 is not supported on any drive manufactured after 11/09. U3 cannot be installed on any new sandisk product. 

If your customers are looking just for the security aspect that U3 provided have them check this thread:

http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/Cruzer-flash-drives-Solid-State/SanDisk-SecureAccess-Password-and-encryption-software/td-p/217852

Secure Access does not password protect the Cruzer.

All it does is encrypt files on the Cruzer.

Anyone can stick the Cruzer in a computer and open it.

If the files are encrypted, anyone other than the owner of the Cruz won’t be able to do anything with them other than delete them unless they can break the encryption.

However, the owner of the Cruzer ALSO can’t do anything with the files while they are encrypted.  Any file you want to use, edit, etc., has to be unencrypted and moved out of the “vault.”  Then when you get finished working with it, if you want it to be secure, you have to move it back into the vault and encrypt it again.

Encryption/unencryption is beyond slow if the file is of any size.  Also, it’s one more step to remember before closing a file.

Obvious risk:  Frustrated user doesn’t bother to re-encrypt every time, and now has a drive filled with data that can be accessed by anyone who gets possession of the Cruzer.

I’m still trying to figure out what possible purpose this flash drive is supposed to have with this non-security.

It doesn’t need a driver installed on the host or Admin Rights to run it.  Try TruCrypt or Toucan and see if they suit your needs better.  Or buy Ironkey devices.