What's the best ways to test a USB stick for malware and speed?

[TPCEA]

I learned a long time ago from perusing cybersecurity news that it's possible to embed malware on its own partition on a USB stick, but not how to detect it or remove it (which I assume would be a low-level format).

Can anyone explain?

Also, is CrystalDisk the best tool to evaluate a thumb drive's speeds? Does a drive need to be empty or can it have content?

Thanks!

 

[Hardcore Games]

USB sticks vary somewhat but partitions are usually one and only one. Some attempts to use GPT failed for god knows why.