I can remember the exact price. Maybe $6.

It said 64GB and USB 3.2. USB 3.2 has a very wide range of speeds. USB 3.2 Gen 1 is 4.8Gb/s theoretical speed or 3.2Gb/s real-world speed.  vi

I checked the warranty on the kingston.com/wa

It said Five-Year Warranty for USB DataTraveler drivers. Still OK for this kind of product. DataTraveler USB driver is assembled in Taiwan. I am not sure about the term “Assembled”. Does it mean “Made in Taiwan”?

I did a few tests. Some are from the onboard USB ports which are on the back of the computer. Some are from the front USB port, which is connected to the Motherboard through wires.

Test result on the front USB port. about 13MB/sec write and 38.40MB/sec read speed.

The speed associated with the back USB port. About 19.79 MB/sec write and 104.65 MB/sec read speed.

Compare this with the USB disks I have. It is not the best one, but when I look at the price, it is a good deal for sure.

The post Kingston DTX 64GB Data Traveler Exodia appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

I  saw SanDisk 64GB is on sale.  The regular price is $29.99. Now it is $9 off. So it is $20.99 for 3-pack USB disks, each is 64GB.

Let me have a look at it.

• Reliable storage of 64GB for all your files
• Fast USB 3.0 performance
• Retractable design keeps the connector safe
• Password protection with included SanDisk SecureAccess™ software
• Backward-compatible with USB 2.0 ports

Three USB 3.0 drivers in one pack.

Look, it is a 5-year warranty. Any product is made in Malaysia.

The blue plug indicates USB 3.0.

The capacity is good. The SanDisk SecureAccess software is wonderful. I did use it to store personal files into the encrypted vault.

The default encryption is AES128. To upgrade to higher levels, such as AES256, 512, 1024, you can upgrade it by paying $14.99 for life-time fee.

Anyway, I believe the AES128 is good for now.

Speed Test

I use the USBDeview tool to test the speed of reading and writing.

The first time, I plug the drive into the PC’s front USB port. The speed is

It is much lower than my expectation.

So I tried to move the drive to the port on the Motherboard back panel directly.

See, the write speed is 38.93 MB/Sec, read speed is 155.71 MB/Sec.

Here is the link to the official page. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html

Or here. usbdeview-x64

This USB tool can also see the properties of the USB device.

The post SanDisk Cruzer Glide 3.0 3-Pack 64GB USB Flash Drive appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

32GB 2-pack.

The USB Flash Drive has the following features:

• USB 2.0
• 2-Year limited warranty
• Password Protection and file privacy with included SanDisk SecureAccess Software

The USB connector, which is black, is not metal, but plastic.

When I plug in the Disk to my computer. It has following files and folder.

The PDF file, Back Up Your Files to the Cloud is to promote a third party cloud service.

Back Up Your Files to the Cloud

I have not heard it before. And I don’t want to try it, because I use Dropbox to backup and sync important files.

The application RunSanDiskSecureAccess_Win will install the secure software.

When I run it the first time. It will check the update. There is an update notice. Showing a new version of SanDiskAccess  V3 is available.

Of course, I click the update button to update the software.

Following the instruction and agree on the TOS, I create a password for this SanDisk SecureAccess v3.0.2

SecureAccess v3.02 features
– Quicker start-up
– Improved password settings
– Faster Encryption with multi-thread processing
– Ability to edit your documents stored in the vault
– File Streaming Access
– Encrypted Backup and Restore data stored in the vault
– Optional File Shredder (deletion) from source after transfer to vault
– Automatic logout time-out setting

Critical:
– The SanDisk SecureAcces Encryption program is a 128-bit AES encryption.
– If the password is forgotten, the information stored on the flash drive cannot be retrieved.
– There is no “forgot password” option to reset the password.
– If the password cannot be remembered, with or without the password hint available, the files on the drive are not accessible.
– SanDisk Customer Care cannot provide a new password or alternative method to access encrypted data.
– The drive can still be used by reformatting and reinstalling SecureAccess.
– Formatting the drive will erase all data on the drive. Once the process begins, ALL THE DATA ON THE DRIVE WILL BE LOST

After the setup, the folder changes to following.

The Disk is the FAT32 format. The Maximum file size is 4GB.

Let’s test the speed.

The report is at http://usbflashspeed.com/361176

It is 2-pack of SanDisk Cruzer Dial 32GB USB Flash Drive.

One for my kid school stuff, one for myself.

The post Cruzer Dial USB Flash Drive 32GB Pack appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Checked the specification from the official website.

Kingston’s DataTraveler® 100 G3 (DT100G3) USB Flash drive is compliant with next-generation USB 3.0 specifications to take advantage of technology in newer notebooks, desktop PCs and digital devices. DT100G3 makes storing and transferring documents, presentations, music, video and more quicker and easier than ever

DT100G3 features a sleek, cost-effective design to make the transition to a satisfying USB 3.0 experience a minimal investment. Available in capacities from 16GB–128GB, DT100G3 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 and has five-year warranty. Future-proof your portable storage now!

The post Kingston DataTraveler 100 G3 32GB USB Drive appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Specification

I got it in CentralComputer on August USA. It is only $19.95. I feel it is a good deal. My previous USB disk is Sandisk 16GB one.

I test it through USB 2.0 port.

Write Speed 26.18 MB/Sec

Read Speed 32.73 MB/Sec

Test on USB 3.0 port.

Write Speed 64.70 MB/Sec

Read Speed 174.76 MB/Sec

It is clear, that USB 3.0 is much fast than USB 2.0.  Patriot Memory Spark 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive is almost 250% faster on writing, 530% faster on reading.

The post Patriot Memory Spark 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Rufus tool is one of the choice.

I download the tool. It is only 788KB.  Just click it and run on the Windows 7.

Look at the screenshot above. I plug in a 2GB USB drive. Then choose the bootable option, MS-DOS. Click start and done in seconds.

It can be also used for other purposes.

• Create USB installation media from bootable ISOs (Windows, Linux, UEFI, etc.)
• Work on a system that doesn’t have an OS installed
• Flash a BIOS or other firmware from DOS
• Run a low-level utility

Here is the link of official site. And a backup link here.

The post How to make a bootable USB drive appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Now it is new SanDisk USB Flash drive. Still 16GB

The speed to copy files into it is not fastest.

• 6.92MB/Sec write speed
• 20.75MB/Sec read speed

One of the advantage of SanDisk USB Flash drive is the SanDisk Secure Access Software.

It protects files with a password and Encryption. The password protection uses 128-bit AES encryption.  It creates a special zone to store the sensitive files.

Here are some screenshots of the software.

New version of SecureAccess V2.0.

When start to install the software.

Of course, agree the end users agreement.

Here is the look of the software.

You can drap files into the Vault. Or copy and paste them.

The last thing, the price of it is $9.99 plus tax. Very reasonable price.

The post Got a new SanDisk USB Flash drive appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Today, when I try to format a microSD card, it has a new option, exFAT.

What is exFAT?

File size limit is now 16 exabytes.
Format size limits and files per directory limits are practically eliminated.
Like HPFS, exFAT uses free space bitmaps to reduce fragmentation and free space allocation/detection issues.
Like HTFS, permission systems should be able to be attached through an access control list (ACL). It is unclear if or when Vista will include this feature, however.

Interestingly enough, exFAT is not used and was not designed for formatting hard drives. It is only recommended in flash memory storage and other external devices only. This is why it is currently not considered a huge competitor to NTFS on hard drives.

For me, I know that flash drive capacity is getting bigger and bigger. And also the file size, I mean the video file size is also getting bigger and bigger.

FAT32 has a limitation of 4GB file size limit.

NTFS and exFAt can store a single file with 5Gb or evern more.

NTFS vs exFAT (From Superusers)

From Wikipedia (my comments in bold):

• Scalability to large disk sizes: 64 ZiB theoretical max, 512 TiB recommended max, raised from the 16 TiB limit of FAT32 partitions. Note that the built-in Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 can mount and support FAT32 volumes larger than 32 GB, but cannot create a FAT32 volume larger than 32 GB.
• Cluster size up to 32 MiB (allowing for larger partitions at the cost of more file slack)
• File size limit of 16 EiB (Limited by volume size), raised from close to 4 GiB in FAT32 (Better support for video editing and large archives)
• Free space allocation and delete performance improved due to introduction of a free space bitmap (much better performance than FAT32)
• Support for access control lists (so you can control file access if you want but I suspect the main use would be for USB devices where you just want people to access it go figure…)
• Provision for OEM-definable parameters to customize the file system for specific device characteristics (for use in embedded devices with specific needs)

With more research on it, I have more understanding of exFAT.

1) NTFS and exFAT are both created by Microsoft.

2) NTFS has more features than exFAT, such as improved support for metadata and the use of advanced data structures to improve performance, reliability, and disk space utilization, plus additional extensions such as security access control lists (ACL) and file system journaling.”

3) Basicly, NTFS is faster  than exFAT, especially on hard drive.

4) When use USB disk or SSD, exFAT maybe better, faster, because it has less overhead.

5) Mac can read NTFS, but read and write exFAT.

So, when the USB disk is more than 8GB, exFAT is the best choice.

The post What is exFAT appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

So I have the USB disk on hand. It is 2GB, the smallest capacity one I have.

The method to make a bootable USB disk is a little bit different from the one I blogged 6 years ago.

Preparation:

1) Download flash tools – HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool (Please google it and find the download link by yourself)

2) Download DOS package , named Win98 boot. (Also try to google it)

3) Decompress these two file.

How to make a Bootable USB Disk

1. Install the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, which I downloaded above,  and run the program.
2. Select the Device, I am using device O, and the File system, Fat32,  from the drop down menus.
3. Check the checkbox of Create a DOS startup disk, choose the location of the folder I unzipped above of DOS package.
4. Select the circle on the top that says create New or Replace Existing Configuration. Click Next.
5. Click Start
6. Click Finish

Then the bootable disk is ready to use. I insert it into one PC and power up. I have configed the boot sequence to USB, CD-ROM, HDD.

Then I saw the dos prompt came.

To flash the MB BIOS, I download the latest BIOS file from DELL website. decompress the file and copy them into USB disk.

I boot the Dell PC with this USB disk, run the command to flash the BIOS. It is I537A03.exe

After that, unplug the USB disk, reboot the PC. Press F2 to go into CMOS setting, load the default and save exit. Then All done.

The post Make a bootable USB disk to flash MB BIOS appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

The retractable housing easily slides in and out–no cap to lose. For sensitive files, these drives offer password protection (*works with Windows operating systems only.) for your peace of mind.
The reason why I pick this brand, is that it makes me think about the floppy disk I used 15 years ago on Intel 386DX PC.

The post Verbatim USB Drive Store N Go 16GB appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Can not mount /dev/loop1 on /cow

The way to solve it is.
The problem was solved by choosing “Discarded on shutdown…” option when creating the USB Startup Disk.

The post Boot error from Ubuntu USB bootable disk appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

SELECT DISK 1
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS
(Format process may take few seconds)
ASSIGN
EXIT

5. Next insert your Windows7 DVD into the optical drive and check the drive letter of the DVD drive. In this guide I will assume that your DVD drive letter is “D” and USB drive letter is “H” (open my computer to know about it).
6. Maximize the minimized Command Prompt in the 4th step.Type the following command now:
D:CD BOOT and hit enter.Where “D” is your DVD drive letter.
CD BOOT and hit enter to see the below message.
7. Type another command given below to update the USB drive with BOOTMGR compatible code.
BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 H:
Where “H” is your USB drive letter. Once you enter the above command you will see the below message.
8. Copy your Windows 7 DVD contents to the USB flash drive.
9. Your USB drive is ready to boot and install Windows 7. Only thing you need to change the boot priority at the BIOS to USB from the HDD or CD ROM drive. I won’t explain it as it’s just the matter the changing the boot priority or enabling the USB boot option in the BIOS.
Above guide from here.
After installation, you may need to active it. Three important steps.
A) Find the BIOS with SLIC2.1 for your brand Netbook, and flash the netbook bios
B) Implement the CD Key
slmgr.vbs -ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
C) Find the oem certificate file, which should be made for your brand netbook. Import certificate
slmgr.vbs -ilc oem.xrm-ms
I don’t have the related files and cd-key. Don’t ask me. You can google it.

The post Install Windows 7 on Netbook appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

The result with 100MB data is shown below:
Read 28,861
Write 6,612
Random Read 20,221
Random Write 1,433
The read speed is good. The speed of write is just so so.

The post AData usb flash drive 8GB appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

3) Can I rollback to Windows?
It is also very important for me.
I will do some research later.

The post Install Ubuntu from USB disk appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

You may get many ways to make a bootable Ubuntu flash disk. But the way I introduced is the most easiest.

The post Ubuntu 7.10 on USB flash disk appeared first on David Yin's Blog.