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USB thumb drive bad sectors

Shrek

Shrek

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I assume that once a USB thumb drive has bad sectors that it is pretty much finished?

I liked the rugged Lexar Jump Drive, but I guess it wasn't as tough as I had hoped.

I'll try the Gorilla instead.
 

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SD cards, usb drives and the like tend to be disposable if you need a portable drive that you want to last your better off with a m.2 enclosure. My pi at home was eating through SD cards every few months so moving to a SSD was cheaper in the long run.
 
It all comes down to heat, and how many writes are done to them


Many fail fast if left connected 24/7, because they get hot even at idle
 
This was my backup drive and sent most of its time in my pocket; then again, I did update some files several times a day.

Funny that I am abandoning the Lexar drive and getting the Gorilla drive from a company that used to do novelty drives.
 
I'd run a chkdsk / f on it before throwing it away it may just be a glitch
 
Did that, but still an issue.
 
Anything mission critical data on that drive, rescue it.
Then wipe it, you could try some USB format tool eg.

USB Disk Storage Format Tool for Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP

USB Disk Storage Format Tool for Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2022
www.authorsoft.com
But would not recommend to trust that drive for important stuff, but can be used as "tool" for home lab.
 
Absolutely, I have already replaced it, but I might have some fun trying a reflow to see if that was the issue.
 
Mussels said:
It all comes down to heat, and how many writes are done to them


Many fail fast if left connected 24/7, because they get hot even at idle
Click to expand...
Actually didn't even think about that as I often put some series/movies on a stick and just leave it there for the time I'm watching something. I guess it's better just transfer the media to the machine itself.
 
Mussels said:
It all comes down to heat, and how many writes are done to them


Many fail fast if left connected 24/7, because they get hot even at idle
Click to expand...
This is why I specifically get metal flash drives when possible.
 
^I have one of these, an older version that does not have the better thumb grip. It still works, but yes no dust cover, has not been carried around, exposed to elements.
It does have a very tight fit though, plugging&unplugging needs a bit of accuracy & finger strength.
www.memoryc.com

32GB Transcend JetFlash 520S Silver Plated USB Flash Drive

Buy 32GB Transcend JetFlash 520S Silver Plated USB Flash Drive online from MemoryC at low prices. Worldwide shipping, money back guarantee, in-stock guarantee!
www.memoryc.com www.memoryc.com
hmm, lifetime warranty, did not know.
 
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I have a metal USB 3.0 i use, but use a 2.0 extension cord for it. Drops to 2.0 speeds which moves it away from the TV heat source and lowers it's own heat output, then if possible i stick on something metal like a table leg or whatever happens to be nearby

droid-I said:
^I have one of these, an older version that does not have the better thumb grip. It still works, but yes no dust cover, has not been carried around, exposed to elements.
It does have a very tight fit though, plugging&unplugging needs a bit of accuracy & finger strength.
www.memoryc.com

32GB Transcend JetFlash 520S Silver Plated USB Flash Drive

Buy 32GB Transcend JetFlash 520S Silver Plated USB Flash Drive online from MemoryC at low prices. Worldwide shipping, money back guarantee, in-stock guarantee!
www.memoryc.com www.memoryc.com
hmm, lifetime warranty, did not know.
Click to expand...

It's the products lifetime not yours - the moment it's EOL, you're SOL.
 
By chance I decided to check for bad sectors, using HD Tune (HD Tune website), on my 128GB Lexar drive... found some; my other smaller drives got a clean bill of health. Purchased a replacement 128GB thumb drive only to find it had bad sectors from new, and I don't just go for the cheapest.

Given this experience, I'd go so far as to recommend using HD Tune (there is a free version) to check all ones USB thumb drives.
 
I am wondering if anyone else is willing to check their USB flash drives for bad sectors to see if it is as prevalent as I have experienced.

The great thing about HD Tune is that the drive does not need to be empty.
 
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FDISK
 
I believe hddtune does a sector read-time comparison to determine if a sector is bad. This may not work properly on modern controllers because of how they remap sectors. Good sectors may get marked as bad.

I would try a scandisk surface test if you really have concerns.
 
I also saw the issue with Check Flash, so it may be real.

The replacement
  • 128GB Gorilla drive (256GB is not available)
turned out to also have bad sectors (my 32GB and 64GB versions tested clean), so I returned it and now I have a
  • 256GB Samsung BAR Plus
on the way and will test that in various ways.
 

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256GB Samsung BAR Plus got here and it passed the HD Tune Error Scan with flying colors.
 
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