windows 7 - Flash Memory device now shows 31MB capacity after using as linux live-usb device

08
2014-07
  • sherrellbc

    This question already has an answer here:

    • Answers
  • Fazer87

    The chances are that the drive has been partitioned. Right Click computer > Manage.

    Go to Storage > Disk Management.

    Locate your USB Drive and delete all the partitions and volumes on it. You should then be able to create a new single partition which uses all the space on the drive.

    Hope this helps.

  • Dennis Kerrisk

    Check out the partitions on the Flash device. Blow away all the partitions and repartition it.


    • Related Question

    windows xp - 16GB USB flash drive shows as 16MB and is unusable
  • Karim

    I have a Sandisk Cruzer 16GB USB flash drive, but it started to show up as 16MB. And I can't use it, it tells me that I need to format the drive or Please insert a disk into drive X. What software do I need to check the flash drive?

    I can't format it since the format fails, and it shows as 16MB instead of 16GB.


    • Related Answers
  • Collin Allen

    If all else fails, boot an Ubuntu CD, plug in the USB drive, and format it there. Ubuntu seems quite good at formatting things that Windows considers otherwise untouchable. Once formatted, eject and reboot into Windows and attempt to use it.

  • DSO

    Many models of the SanDisk Cruzer flash drive come with U3 security software which you need to run to access the drive. The smaller partition contains the U3 software itself, so you can launch it from there.

    U3 uses the rest of the space to store your data in an encrypted format.

  • Lee B

    This sounds like a partition issue, but if you bought it from the likes of Japanese sellers on eBay, be aware that some people are selling tiny (possibly old/refurbished/rebranded) USB drives, which report their size as much more. I poked around one a few months ago, and it even acted like it was still working past its real size, but just got a lot slower, and didn't actually store the data. I've only seen this done with cheap looking drives and unbranded or unusual brand names; not faking a reputable brand/product like Sandisk's. I suspect they've done that too though, or will try it soon enough.

  • brasofilo

    It seems like you have to allow and create a partition on your disk, if you are using windows, go to computer -> manage -> Disk management the right click your disk -> format and create a new partition, you can also check if it's inactive.

    [Edit]

    You need to delete the partition then allocate the space again, if this doesn't work, please post more details about your problem