[nfbcs] FW: Whozit Drives and Write-protect

[Mike Freeman]

Good morning.

My computer gives me mixed messages. When I put the memory stick into the
USB slot and try to open it, windows says I need to reformat (all the while,
of course, telling me that the drive has zero bytes used even though at one
time, it did not). When I try to reformat the drive, it says the drive is
write-protected. The problem is that the drive doesn't look like a typical
USB stick or, for that matter, a SD card for which I have a reader. It's a
specially-ordered device where the USB stick is encased in rubber with a
ring for putting on a key-chain and having the male USb connector coming out
the end. The other piece to this is a rather abstract representation of
NFB's "Whozit" logo with a slot in one end into which you put the business
end of the drive when not in use to protect it. This has nothing to do with
computer science except that it lends plausibility to my not having a clue
whether (or if) there's a write-protect switch. I'll do more sleuthing. But
you'd think someone on the NABS list (it was students that were selling
these) would already have answered my question. :-)

Anyway, I'm wasting everyone's time here.

Cheers.!

Mike Freeman


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Joseph C.
Lininger
Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2013 4:33 AM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] FW: Whozit Drives and Write-protect

Mike,
I think what Nicole is asking is whether you have the same problem if 
you have the problematic flash drive plugged into a computer. That's how 
i read the question anyway.

I'm a little late to this discussion, but I recommend first testing the 
drive on a computer as Nicole was saying. Also, there might be a 
right-protect switch on the drive. The fact two iterations of delete 
removes a file makes me think that probably is not the issue; if it were 
you could iterate as many times as you wanted and it wouldn't delete. 
That being said, it might not hurt to look for a write-protect switch. 
Most likely it would be along the side of the drive, you'd feel it as a 
small slot in the drive casing. It requires a small stiff object such as 
a straight pin to operate. Finally, try running chkdsk on the drive; I 
don't think it'll help but it's worth a shot. Also check the root folder 
of the drive and see if the read-only attribute is set. Windows only 
applies that to files and not folders, but who knows what other devices 
might be doing?

I know some of this advice is unlikely to help, but I figure may as well 
exhaust all of the possibilities.
Joe

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