USB Flash Drive showing up as LOCAL DISK

On 2-10-2014 I posted the following question, “How can my 16 GB Cruzer be flagged as a Removable Drive instead of a System Disk? [Incident: 140209-000171]”

The reply I received back follows…

Dear Mike,

Thanks for emailing SanDisk Technical Support. It is our goal to make sure you have all the resources you need to get the most from your product.

I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please be informed that the flash drives are the plug and play storage devices. In mid-2013 SanDisk changed production of Cruzer USB Drives to show up as fixed disk to meet a requirement for Windows 8 certification. At the end of 2013, SanDisk reverted back to producing Cruzer USB Drives as removable disk. There is no tool available to change SanDisk Cruzer USB Drives between fixed and removable disk configuration. SanDisk Cruzer USB Drives in removable disk configuration will be available again shortly in retail outlets.

Also, Please be informed that Flash drives configured as fixed disks still function the same as those configured as removable disk but unfortunately it may not be recognized by the multiple software’s on the computer that can only recognize the external drive as a removable disk.

Please reply to this email for any further queries and i will be glad to assist you further.

Please refer to your My SanDisk at http://kb.sandisk.com anytime to see all of your incident history and product registration information. You can log in using your email address as your login and the password that you created.

Also, you can visit http://kb.sandisk.com, our online keyword searchable Knowledgebase, to easily find answers to your Technical Support and Customer Service questions for all of SanDisk’s products. Simply enter your search terms and our Knowledgebase will search an extensive database of commonly asked questions as well as our online forums at http://forums.sandisk.com to provide you with the most complete answers possible.

Best regards,

John S.

SanDisk Technical Support

…I’m hopeful I can find my receipt and take it back to the retailer and turn around and buy a newer version that is treated as a REMOVABLE DRIVE.

I wonder how do we know if the USB Cruzer is a SYSTEM DISK or a REMOVABLE DRIVE???

  

                        …Mike

Some stores in the US don’t require receipts when returning merchandize if it was purchased with a credit card.  They can confirm the sale on their register systems.

Rufus v1.4.2 383 worked for me. I used it to successfully create working, bootable ISO images on my Cruzer Fit even though it was reading as a fixed drive instead of removeable media. Other utilities I tried wouldn’t even recognize the drive.

Your Rufus sounds like an interesting app but, according to your link, with an unusual requirement.

“you need to work on a system that doesn’t have an OS installed”

I think most visitors here have installed OSs. 

Have your tried RMPrepUSB’s Easy2Boot?

@ed_p wrote:

Your Rufus sounds like an interesting app but, according to your link, with an unusual requirement.

 

“you need to work on a system that doesn’t have an OS installed”

 

 

I believe this refers to the popular use of installing an OS on your flash drive.  My computer is Windows, but I have an Apple OS X bootable image that I run inside of Windows.  It’s easier to keep OS X on a flash drive instead of within the Windows system folders, and if it’s on the flash drive you can even use it on computers without an OS.

I’m having the same fixed drive issue, but I don’t need it to be removable.  I’m only using it as portable storage.  I’ll just have to learn to sleep well knowing I won’t “Safely Remove Hardware”

I’ll just have to learn to sleep well knowing I won’t “Safely Remove Hardware”

A couple of glasses of wine before bed helps.  :smileyvery-happy:

Check the Windows setting for USB drives and see if it’s set for Performance or Safety.

This appears to be a stale thread, will Sandisk take these defective flash drives back? There was no indication on the package that they are not normal removable USB flash drives. I got them cheap, I suppose I can just give them away to people who only have VERY basic needs, but as someone in the IT field, I need my flash drives to work properly as an official removable device. These are useless to me.

SanDisk really screwed up here, as did Microsoft with their logo certification requirements. Ultimately though, it’s Sandisks fault for not providing a utility that can flip the bit and allow this device to work as a normal removable drive and the goofy non-standard Microsoft mode. Even more so that they sold these without clear disclosure that they ONLY operate in this non-standard fixed disk mode.

it’s Sandisks fault for not providing a utility that can flip the bit and allow this device to work as a normal removable drive

They use a totally different chip set in these drives.  It’s not as simple as flipping a bit. 

If the device doesn’t work for you, return it.  Either to where you bought it or to SanDisk.

OK, I’ll re-phrase. It’s SanDisk’s fault for releasing a product that could only be used in one way rather than a product that could be configured to operate in either the standard removable mode or the brain damaged Windows 8 certification mode.

Hopefully they have learned from this.

They released/built a product to meet Microsoft’s specifications.  Being able to switch modes is not a part of Microsoft’s specs.  Do you know of any vendors of USB drives able to switch modes and meet Microsoft’s Windows 8 to Go certification?

Hopefully they have learned from this.

Apparently they did, they are not manufacturing these anymore. 

I’m glad that Sandisk is no longer manufacturing these flash drives.

However, I was one of the unlucky few that purchased one of these sandisk flash drives which came with the removable bit set to 0.

This causes my flash drive to appear as a local disk drive (essentially an external hard drive to the OS) and as a result this flash drive doesn’t work with some software specifically written to work with flash drives (like Microsoft’s own Windows 7 USB Download tool).

My question is

Is Sandisk now manufacturing the Sandisk Extreme flash drive (which I purchased in the link above) as a normal removable flash drive which has the removable bit set to 1?

Can those who bought one of these flash drives exchange their flash drive for an identical one which has the removable bit set to 1?

OR

Will SanDisk release a firmware update which sets the removable bit to 1 so my flash drive can function as a normal flash drive?

I would much rather prefer to update the firmware on my flash drive to make it a normal flash drive if possible.

However if none of this is possible then I guess I will have to return my flash drive to amazon. I would still like to purchase this flash drive assuming Sandisk fixes this problem.

Thanks.

Is Sandisk now manufacturing the Sandisk Extreme flash drive (which I purchased in the link above) as a normal removable flash drive which has the removable bit set to 1?

I think so.

Can those who bought one of these flash drives exchange their flash drive for an identical one which has the removable bit set to 1?

Possibly

Will SanDisk release a firmware update which sets the removable bit to 1 so my flash drive can function as a normal flash drive?

No.

:wink:

Right - to meet MICROSOFT’s non-standard behavior - behavior that is at odds with how the USB removable drive system has worked since the begining of the USB standard. Creating a drive that does NOT adhear to the original standard SHOULD have contained a disclaimer that the drive is NON STANDARD. Failure to include in BIG BOLD LETTERS that the drive is NON-STANDARD is downright corporate stupidity. Failing to design it to operate in either STANDARD mode and MS Broken Windows 8 Mode is grossly negligent.

Unfortunately, SanDisk is STILL SELLING this defective inventory they have, without any disclaimers. This is unethical.

I’m sure this won’t get through to a corporate schill however.

Is there a way to differentiate between the two version?
I want to make sure that I buy the “correct” one.

*sigh* I have just ended up buying one of these defective sticks that it seems SanDisk are now covertly offloading from their stock. This has been very dissappointing and even a bit embarrassing as I’ve always been a vocal supporter of SanDisk USB sticks and only bought this brand. So now I’m needing to buy another stick as this one I’ve been saddled with just can’t do the job. Does anybody know if there is any way whatsoever to tell if the SanDisk USB drive is one of the defective ones or not, before purchase? Is there a list of known defective types? I’ve actually had to swallow some pride and look at some of SanDisk’s competitor’s drives so atleast I can be sure of what I’m getting. I’d rather avoid that. Does anybody know if any of the SanDisk 128GB drives were also defectively manufactured? If that is known with absolutey certainty, I may just have to splurge on one of those.

Just to be clear, the Fixed format was not a defect.  It was made to conform with Microsoft’s new Windows to Go requirement.  When it was found to not be that popular SanDisk stopped making them.  Stores and other vendors may have them still in stock but SanDisk doesn’t control that.

If you look for devices that don’t mention Windows 8 I would think you would be ok. 

Ed, I’ve never seen a Windows 8 logo on any of the SanDisk listings in Amazon, and there certainly isn’t one for the 64gb stick I bought. Do you know if this defect, for lack of a more apt description, made its way into any of the 128gb sized SanDisk USB sticks? If I could have that assurance that it did not, I think I will pull the trigger on the 128gb version. But that is a pretty nice little chunk of cash to thrown down. I really don’t want to be surprised or disappointed. I can’t find anything on the SanDisk websites. It would be nice to have that assurance. If I can’t get it, I think I will have to go to a competitor. I’ve got some projects that can maybe wait a bit longer, but eventually have to move forward. And I need a Removable USB Disk for that work to get done.

I don’t know ouflak.  I do know that if I buy something that doesn’t work I return it to where I bought it an get my money back.  I’m reasonable sure that Amazon would support that and worst case a SanDisk RMA would.  So I don’t think money is the issue so much as time.  And we do what we do to get the job done, on time.

Good luck with your decision.

@ed_p wrote:

Just to be clear, the Fixed format was not a defect.  It was made to conform with Microsoft’s new Windows to Go requirement.  When it was found to not be that popular SanDisk stopped making them.  Stores and other vendors may have them still in stock but SanDisk doesn’t control that.

Or SanDisk could do what other major manufacturers have done: offer a utility that allows the users to flip the “removable” bit.

Yes, years ago when flash drive technology was simpler they could be changed by flipping a bit.  Welcome to the 21st century, technology has changed, these drives were totally different than the run of the mill flash drives.  More than a bit was different.