Formatting a USB Stick...

Off topic discussion zone.

Moderators: winston, another_commander, Cody

User avatar
DaddyHoggy
Intergalactic Spam Assassin
Intergalactic Spam Assassin
Posts: 8515
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:43 pm
Location: Newbury, UK
Contact:

Formatting a USB Stick...

Post by DaddyHoggy »

...sounds simple...

BUT...

This is the stick that I mentioned some time ago that one of my wife's colleagues got hold of and possibly did something unmentionable to it in a Mac.

Having given up trying to get anything useful off it, I have discovered I can't reformat it either!

Linux (Ubuntu KK) just ignores it completely and Windows 7 tells me it needs to be reformatted but when I tell it to continue it tells me the stick is read-only - however, this stick doesn't have a lock on it to make it read-only - so I'm stumped.

Anybody know a way of making Windows (7) force a format on a stick that can't be (physically) read-only - Google throws up lots of hits, none of which seem to be particularly useful.

Cheers,

DH
Selezen wrote:
Apparently I was having a DaddyHoggy moment.
Oolite Life is now revealed here
User avatar
JensAyton
Grand Admiral Emeritus
Grand Admiral Emeritus
Posts: 6657
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2005 2:43 pm
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Post by JensAyton »

I suggest using a Mac to format it as FAT. :-)
User avatar
ADCK
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 771
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2009 12:30 am
Location: Sydney
Contact:

Post by ADCK »

Step 1: Grab a really big magnet.

Step 2: Stroke magnet against USB stick in 1 direction for about 5 or 6 times.

Tada, all the information on the USB stick is gone :P
User avatar
Thargoid
Thargoid
Thargoid
Posts: 5528
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2008 6:55 pm

Post by Thargoid »

Sadly not - USB sticks are flash memory, nothing magnetic there...
User avatar
ADCK
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 771
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2009 12:30 am
Location: Sydney
Contact:

Post by ADCK »

Thargoid wrote:
Sadly not - USB sticks are flash memory, nothing magnetic there...
Right forgot... hmm anyone know how to create a small Electro-Magnetic Pulse, that'll fry even a flash drive :P
User avatar
Smivs
Retired Assassin
Retired Assassin
Posts: 8408
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:31 am
Location: Lost in space
Contact:

Post by Smivs »

ADCK wrote:
hmm anyone know how to create a small Electro-Magnetic Pulse, that'll fry even a flash drive :P
Detonate a small Thermonuclear device. Works a treat :lol:
Commander Smivs, the friendliest Gourd this side of Riedquat.
User avatar
JazHaz
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 2991
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:07 am
Location: Enfield, Middlesex
Contact:

Post by JazHaz »

Smivs wrote:
ADCK wrote:
hmm anyone know how to create a small Electro-Magnetic Pulse, that'll fry even a flash drive :P
Detonate a small Thermonuclear device. Works a treat :lol:
You never know, DH may have one at work....! 8)
JazHaz

Gimi wrote:
drew wrote:
£4,500 though! :shock: <Faints>
Cheers,
Drew.
Maybe you could start a Kickstarter Campaign to found your £4500 pledge. 8)
Thanks to Gimi, I got an eBook in my inbox tonight (31st May 2014 - Release of Elite Reclamation)!
User avatar
DaddyHoggy
Intergalactic Spam Assassin
Intergalactic Spam Assassin
Posts: 8515
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:43 pm
Location: Newbury, UK
Contact:

Post by DaddyHoggy »

I've not had access to any Plutonium since I stopped working at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. (and that was a pretty small amount - only 236GBq source).

Anyway, this is all over the top for a £10 memory stick... :roll: :wink:
Selezen wrote:
Apparently I was having a DaddyHoggy moment.
Oolite Life is now revealed here
User avatar
Griff
Oolite 2 Art Director
Oolite 2 Art Director
Posts: 2482
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 12:29 pm
Location: Probably hugging his Air Fryer

Post by Griff »

drive over it once or twice with your canteen tank!
User avatar
JazHaz
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 2991
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:07 am
Location: Enfield, Middlesex
Contact:

Post by JazHaz »

Griff wrote:
drive over it once or twice with your canteen tank!
They usually survive that, well seem to remember seeing that on Click a couple of years ago!
JazHaz

Gimi wrote:
drew wrote:
£4,500 though! :shock: <Faints>
Cheers,
Drew.
Maybe you could start a Kickstarter Campaign to found your £4500 pledge. 8)
Thanks to Gimi, I got an eBook in my inbox tonight (31st May 2014 - Release of Elite Reclamation)!
User avatar
snork
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 551
Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 4:21 am
Location: northern Germany

Post by snork »

Anyway, this is all over the top for a £10 memory stick... :roll: :wink:
not this one :
Ahruman wrote:
I suggest using a Mac to format it as FAT. :-)
User avatar
DaddyHoggy
Intergalactic Spam Assassin
Intergalactic Spam Assassin
Posts: 8515
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:43 pm
Location: Newbury, UK
Contact:

Post by DaddyHoggy »

snork wrote:
Anyway, this is all over the top for a £10 memory stick... :roll: :wink:
not this one :
Ahruman wrote:
I suggest using a Mac to format it as FAT. :-)
I don't have access to a mac and I'm not giving it back to the person who screwed it up in the first place...
Selezen wrote:
Apparently I was having a DaddyHoggy moment.
Oolite Life is now revealed here
User avatar
JensAyton
Grand Admiral Emeritus
Grand Admiral Emeritus
Posts: 6657
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2005 2:43 pm
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Post by JensAyton »

I suspect it’s actually broken anyway. Breaking it is easier than accidentally reformatting it.
User avatar
DaddyHoggy
Intergalactic Spam Assassin
Intergalactic Spam Assassin
Posts: 8515
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:43 pm
Location: Newbury, UK
Contact:

Post by DaddyHoggy »

Ahruman wrote:
I suspect it’s actually broken anyway. Breaking it is easier than accidentally reformatting it.
:(

Alas, I suspect you're correct.
Selezen wrote:
Apparently I was having a DaddyHoggy moment.
Oolite Life is now revealed here
User avatar
Killer Wolf
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 2278
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:38 pm

Post by Killer Wolf »

if it's got nowt recoverable on, why all the effort to reformat it? you'd get a decent one off ebay etc for a few quid. personally, i'm not sure i'd trust it anyways, i've been bitten like that before where i've decided to give something one last try and lost summat.
Post Reply