FAKE SANDISK USB DRIVE??? WinXP unable to recognize USB key

[sumrandomguy]

i have a Sandisk Cruzer mini 512MB that i've used for about maybe 5 times in total since i bought it. earlier today i used it and transferred a 350mb file onto it and it worked fine. now, when i plug it in my usb port it doens't recognize it as a Sandisk flash drive and recognizes it as a "generic usb flash drive". so thats a little weird...then i proceed to go to My Computer and double click on "Removable Drive E:" and a pop-up appears and says "Please insert a disc into drive E:"

anybody have a clue as to what is going on?

[kingsley]

Maybe it's a fake and it broke?

[ProfessorChaos]

i have a Sandisk Cruzer mini that i've used for about maybe 5 times in total since i bought it. earlier today i used it and transferred a 350mb file onto it and it worked fine. now, when i plug it in my usb port it doens't recognize it as a Sandisk flash drive and recognizes it as a "generic usb flash drive". so thats a little weird...then i proceed to go to My Computer and double click on "Removable Drive E:" and a pop-up appears and says "Please insert a disc into drive E:"

anybody have a clue as to what is going on?

its probably broken...

[evilbunny]

Check this thread.

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/s...d.php?t=220700

[sumrandomguy]

omg. i may have bought a fake Sandisk drive from a fellow RFDer...but i want to keep the user unidentifed for now until i find out this is really the case
thanks evilbunny for the link to the other thread...i did notice i wasn't able to install that Cruzerlock software on my usb key...so that may be another sign that its a counterfeit. is there any other way to test it whether its fake or not? Windows wont even let me open the drive cuz its not recognized.......

and how should i confront the seller who sold me the drive? i met the seller in person and paid cash....
i looked up the seller's heatware and they seem to have sold to serveral other RFDers...should i contact those RFDers to see if they have encountered any problems with their drives?

i feel so ripped off....

[kingsley]

Definitely get to the bottom of this. The mods and everybody else here will help you.

You might not be able to get your money back but you can help prevent further scamming.

[e7lee]

This might not have anything to do with a counterfiet drive. It could simply be a case of a corrupted drive. This could have happened when the USB drive was disconnected while data were still be transferred.

A friend of my had the same problem with her Lexar JumpDrive. It would say "Please insert a disc" whenever she tries to access it. After doing some research online, I found this little HP utility that would reformat the usb drive. The drive worked like new once I reformated it. I've read elsewhere that this utility should work with most usb flash drives out there.

NOTE: YOU WILL LOSE ALL DATA ON THE DRIVE IF YOU CHOSE TO REFORMAT IT!!!!

[The Digital Dolphin]

I recently talked with one of my contacts at NCIX about the recent trend of counterfeit flash drives. Honestly, I never new it existed!!

I think I'm going to wait until Maxell's drives are ready, and then just put in a request for a sample. I don't want to be bothered dealing with counterfeit crap! When my data is on the line, I refuse to cheap out (and yeah, I'll probably have to BUY the sample from Maxell actually).

[sumrandomguy]

thanks e7lee for the link to the HP flash drive utility...i downloaded it and gave it a shot but when i tried to format my usb it says "There is no media in the specified device" so its not recognizing it.

i'm going to contact the other buyer to see if they have had any problems with their drive...and cross check the serial number on their drive (the serial number should be unique for every drive correct?)...i'll keep everyone posted on the situation.

[the one]

Can you try it in another PC?

[sumrandomguy]

Can you try it in another PC?

I tried the drive in 2 other computers.....1 is a laptop which i used the drive in earlier this wk and it worked perfectly...and now WinXP doesn't recognize it

[the one]

I tried the drive in 2 other computers.....1 is a laptop which i used the drive in earlier this wk and it worked perfectly...and now WinXP doesn't recognize it

So what happens when you put it back in the laptop?

[sumrandomguy]

the same thing happens....WinXP doesnt recognize the drive and says "Please insert a disc into drive E:"

[Cyber6]

the same thing happens....WinXP doesnt recognize the drive and says "Please insert a disc into drive E:"

This might be a fat chance... but try to reboot your laptop with the usb key hooked to it. A buddy of mine had the same problem.. after rebooting his laptop the drive worked fine.

C.

[nano]

did you just pull the key out or eject it?