Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
Reply |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write.
It has a read-only switch, SPDT, but flipping it makes no difference, nor does unsoldering it and replacing it with a jumper wire. Is there something else that may work, such as running a special utility (The manual refers to a "recovery disk," but the driver CD contains no such thing) or shorting a certain reset pin?. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Hi,
Has it only just recently stopped writing? Quote:
|
#4
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
On 1 Jun 2006 20:25:19 -0700, put finger to
keyboard and composed: Franc Zabkar wrote: On 31 May 2006 16:27:03 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. The OTI chip has a Flash Write Protect signal on pin 18 (http://www.costar.com.tw/pdf/OTi/Oti-6828.pdf). Have you verified that it changes state according to the position of the read-only switch? Have you tried to format the drive? Is it possible that the directory you are trying to write to has a read-only attribute??? Thank you, Frank. That's great in formation. I'll take a look at pin 18. I had no luck formatting the drive, and nothing had the read-only attribute enabled. IIRC, someone with a similar problem found that there was a limit to the number of files you could have in the drive's root directory. But this doesn't explain your inability to format the drive ... - Franc Zabkar -- Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email. |
#5
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Franc Zabkar wrote:
On 1 Jun 2006 20:25:19 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: Franc Zabkar wrote: On 31 May 2006 16:27:03 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. The OTI chip has a Flash Write Protect signal on pin 18 (http://www.costar.com.tw/pdf/OTi/Oti-6828.pdf). Have you verified that it changes state according to the position of the read-only switch? Have you tried to format the drive? Is it possible that the directory you are trying to write to has a read-only attribute??? Thank you, Frank. That's great in formation. I'll take a look at pin 18. I had no luck formatting the drive, and nothing had the read-only attribute enabled. IIRC, someone with a similar problem found that there was a limit to the number of files you could have in the drive's root directory. That is a FAT limitation: All directories expand as needed, except the root directory. You should still be able to rename files and directories there and you should be able to write in subdirectories. (The limitation is a design error IMO.) But this doesn't explain your inability to format the drive ... What about this: The drive has exhausted its supply of spare sectors and goes into a safe read-only mode now. Would be a sensible failure mode, because the user can at least get his/her data of the drive and there is no risk of failed writes. Arno |
#6
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
On 3 Jun 2006 00:49:43 GMT, Arno Wagner put finger to
keyboard and composed: In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Franc Zabkar wrote: On 1 Jun 2006 20:25:19 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: Franc Zabkar wrote: On 31 May 2006 16:27:03 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. The OTI chip has a Flash Write Protect signal on pin 18 (http://www.costar.com.tw/pdf/OTi/Oti-6828.pdf). Have you verified that it changes state according to the position of the read-only switch? Have you tried to format the drive? Is it possible that the directory you are trying to write to has a read-only attribute??? Thank you, Frank. That's great in formation. I'll take a look at pin 18. I had no luck formatting the drive, and nothing had the read-only attribute enabled. IIRC, someone with a similar problem found that there was a limit to the number of files you could have in the drive's root directory. That is a FAT limitation: All directories expand as needed, except the root directory. You should still be able to rename files and directories there and you should be able to write in subdirectories. (The limitation is a design error IMO.) But this doesn't explain your inability to format the drive ... What about this: The drive has exhausted its supply of spare sectors and goes into a safe read-only mode now. Would be a sensible failure mode, because the user can at least get his/her data of the drive and there is no risk of failed writes. Arno But if the user requested a format, wouldn't that tell the drive's smarts that the data wasn't of any consequence? - Franc Zabkar -- Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email. |
#7
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
On Sat, 03 Jun 2006 09:10:38 +1000, Franc Zabkar
wrote: On 1 Jun 2006 20:25:19 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: Franc Zabkar wrote: On 31 May 2006 16:27:03 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. The OTI chip has a Flash Write Protect signal on pin 18 (http://www.costar.com.tw/pdf/OTi/Oti-6828.pdf). Have you verified that it changes state according to the position of the read-only switch? Have you tried to format the drive? Is it possible that the directory you are trying to write to has a read-only attribute??? Thank you, Frank. That's great in formation. I'll take a look at pin 18. I had no luck formatting the drive, and nothing had the read-only attribute enabled. IIRC, someone with a similar problem found that there was a limit to the number of files you could have in the drive's root directory. But this doesn't explain your inability to format the drive ... Hmmm...that's the way it is with floppies, 512 files maximum for FAT12 file system, something like that. Tom - Franc Zabkar |
#8
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
Tom MacIntyre wrote:
On Sat, 03 Jun 2006 09:10:38 +1000, Franc Zabkar wrote: On 1 Jun 2006 20:25:19 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: Franc Zabkar wrote: On 31 May 2006 16:27:03 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. The OTI chip has a Flash Write Protect signal on pin 18 (http://www.costar.com.tw/pdf/OTi/Oti-6828.pdf). Have you verified that it changes state according to the position of the read-only switch? Have you tried to format the drive? Is it possible that the directory you are trying to write to has a read-only attribute??? Thank you, Frank. That's great in formation. I'll take a look at pin 18. I had no luck formatting the drive, and nothing had the read-only attribute enabled. IIRC, someone with a similar problem found that there was a limit to the number of files you could have in the drive's root directory. But this doesn't explain your inability to format the drive ... Hmmm...that's the way it is with floppies, 512 files maximum for FAT12 file system, something like that. You can actually specify more at format time. |
#9
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
Franc Zabkar wrote:
On 1 Jun 2006 20:25:19 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: Franc Zabkar wrote: On 31 May 2006 16:27:03 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. The OTI chip has a Flash Write Protect signal on pin 18 (http://www.costar.com.tw/pdf/OTi/Oti-6828.pdf). Have you verified that it changes state according to the position of the read-only switch? Have you tried to format the drive? Is it possible that the directory you are trying to write to has a read-only attribute??? Thank you, Frank. That's great in formation. I'll take a look at pin 18. I had no luck formatting the drive, and nothing had the read-only attribute enabled. IIRC, someone with a similar problem found that there was a limit to the number of files you could have in the drive's root directory. But this doesn't explain your inability to format the drive ... - Franc Zabkar on the side of the unit (at least mine) there is a lock switch that will not allow a write or format. this is a PNY drive stick. -- Real Programmers Do things like this. http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5 |
#10
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
Did you even read his post?
It has a read-only switch, SPDT, but flipping it makes no difference, nor does unsoldering it and replacing it with a jumper wire. Jamie t on the side of the unit (at least mine) there is a lock switch that will not allow a write or format. this is a PNY drive stick. -- Real Programmers Do things like this. http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5 |
#11
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
Well I will give you some credit.. The write protect switch was the first
thing I thought of also. - Mike "Michael Kennedy" wrote in message news Did you even read his post? It has a read-only switch, SPDT, but flipping it makes no difference, nor does unsoldering it and replacing it with a jumper wire. Jamie t on the side of the unit (at least mine) there is a lock switch that will not allow a write or format. this is a PNY drive stick. -- Real Programmers Do things like this. http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5 |
#12
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Franc Zabkar wrote:
On 3 Jun 2006 00:49:43 GMT, Arno Wagner put finger to keyboard and composed: In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Franc Zabkar wrote: On 1 Jun 2006 20:25:19 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: Franc Zabkar wrote: On 31 May 2006 16:27:03 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. The OTI chip has a Flash Write Protect signal on pin 18 (http://www.costar.com.tw/pdf/OTi/Oti-6828.pdf). Have you verified that it changes state according to the position of the read-only switch? Have you tried to format the drive? Is it possible that the directory you are trying to write to has a read-only attribute??? Thank you, Frank. That's great in formation. I'll take a look at pin 18. I had no luck formatting the drive, and nothing had the read-only attribute enabled. IIRC, someone with a similar problem found that there was a limit to the number of files you could have in the drive's root directory. That is a FAT limitation: All directories expand as needed, except the root directory. You should still be able to rename files and directories there and you should be able to write in subdirectories. (The limitation is a design error IMO.) But this doesn't explain your inability to format the drive ... What about this: The drive has exhausted its supply of spare sectors and goes into a safe read-only mode now. Would be a sensible failure mode, because the user can at least get his/her data of the drive and there is no risk of failed writes. Arno But if the user requested a format, wouldn't that tell the drive's smarts that the data wasn't of any consequence? A "format" ooperation on Windows is not a format. MS confused the terms. For hard-sectored devices like HDDs or memory sticks a "format" on Windows is actually filesystem creation and on most other OSes it is called that. Filesystem creation looks to the drive just like ordinary writes, nothing special about them. So if the device refuses writes, it consequentially also refuses "formats". Arno |
#13
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
With these drives, when they fail, I replace them. I am on my third one in
about 6 months. I think static electricity in my pockets or something else is damaging them. -- JANA _____ wrote in message ups.com... Franc Zabkar wrote: On 31 May 2006 16:27:03 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. The OTI chip has a Flash Write Protect signal on pin 18 (http://www.costar.com.tw/pdf/OTi/Oti-6828.pdf). Have you verified that it changes state according to the position of the read-only switch? Have you tried to format the drive? Is it possible that the directory you are trying to write to has a read-only attribute??? Thank you, Frank. That's great in formation. I'll take a look at pin 18. I had no luck formatting the drive, and nothing had the read-only attribute enabled. |
#14
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
Can you re-partition it?
Fdisk or for xp disk management.. Just a thought.. probably won't work either, but I'd give it a try. - Mike "Arno Wagner" wrote in message ... In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Franc Zabkar wrote: On 3 Jun 2006 00:49:43 GMT, Arno Wagner put finger to keyboard and composed: In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Franc Zabkar wrote: On 1 Jun 2006 20:25:19 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: Franc Zabkar wrote: On 31 May 2006 16:27:03 -0700, put finger to keyboard and composed: I have a USB thumb drive that my computers can read but can't write. This device uses an OTI 6828 USB bridge chip and was distributed by Pretec as the iDisk and also given out by Microsoft years ago (they have nothing on it), but I can't find any information about it. The OTI chip has a Flash Write Protect signal on pin 18 (http://www.costar.com.tw/pdf/OTi/Oti-6828.pdf). Have you verified that it changes state according to the position of the read-only switch? Have you tried to format the drive? Is it possible that the directory you are trying to write to has a read-only attribute??? Thank you, Frank. That's great in formation. I'll take a look at pin 18. I had no luck formatting the drive, and nothing had the read-only attribute enabled. IIRC, someone with a similar problem found that there was a limit to the number of files you could have in the drive's root directory. That is a FAT limitation: All directories expand as needed, except the root directory. You should still be able to rename files and directories there and you should be able to write in subdirectories. (The limitation is a design error IMO.) But this doesn't explain your inability to format the drive ... What about this: The drive has exhausted its supply of spare sectors and goes into a safe read-only mode now. Would be a sensible failure mode, because the user can at least get his/her data of the drive and there is no risk of failed writes. Arno But if the user requested a format, wouldn't that tell the drive's smarts that the data wasn't of any consequence? A "format" ooperation on Windows is not a format. MS confused the terms. For hard-sectored devices like HDDs or memory sticks a "format" on Windows is actually filesystem creation and on most other OSes it is called that. Filesystem creation looks to the drive just like ordinary writes, nothing special about them. So if the device refuses writes, it consequentially also refuses "formats". Arno |
#15
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
yeah it happens to the best of us
"Jamie" t wrote in message ... Michael Kennedy wrote: Did you even read his post? It has a read-only switch, SPDT, but flipping it makes no difference, nor does unsoldering it and replacing it with a jumper wire. Jamie t on the side of the unit (at least mine) there is a lock switch that will not allow a write or format. this is a PNY drive stick. -- sorry, i must of missed that. btw, i think you have to have it pulled from the USB , set the switch and then plug it back in. -- Real Programmers Do things like this. http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5 |
#16
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
Michael Kennedy wrote:
Did you even read his post? It has a read-only switch, SPDT, but flipping it makes no difference, nor does unsoldering it and replacing it with a jumper wire. Jamie t on the side of the unit (at least mine) there is a lock switch that will not allow a write or format. this is a PNY drive stick. -- sorry, i must of missed that. btw, i think you have to have it pulled from the USB , set the switch and then plug it back in. -- Real Programmers Do things like this. http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5 |
#17
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Michael Kennedy wrote:
Can you re-partition it? Fdisk or for xp disk management.. Just a thought.. probably won't work either, but I'd give it a try. That is also not a special operation from the point of view of the drive. Arno |
#18
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage JANA wrote:
With these drives, when they fail, I replace them. I am on my third one in about 6 months. I think static electricity in my pockets or something else is damaging them. Maybe you just write a lot or a lot of small files? USB is very well protected against static electicity.... Arno |
#19
Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,sci.electronics.repair
|
|||
|
|||
USB flash drive - can read but can't write
On Sat, 3 Jun 2006 20:39:48 -0400, "JANA" put
finger to keyboard and composed: With these drives, when they fail, I replace them. I am on my third one in about 6 months. I think static electricity in my pockets or something else is damaging them. AFAIK, a common problem with these is that they develop dry solder joints at the connector pins, probably due to mechanical stress. - Franc Zabkar -- Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email. |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Lawnmower..front vs. rear drive | Home Repair | |||
Lawnmower..front vs. rear drive | Home Repair | |||
CD Rom Drive Problem, More Info | Electronics Repair | |||
Cd drive not detected | Electronics Repair | |||
Repairng Proprietary FDS Floppy Drive. Quick Disk drive | Electronics Repair |