Question Can't format my 4gb pendrive

[RiseTheS33D]

So i was trying to do a Fedora live USB and i used a third party program in windows to achieve it, named rufus. For some reason it failed and after that my pendrive shrinked to 8mb. I already tried several methods to recover the original size but couldn't find a solution. Could someone help me please?

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

You need to first perform RAW USB recovery and then fix the USB drive in the RAW format.

 

[RiseTheS33D]

You need to first perform RAW USB recovery and then fix the USB drive in the RAW format.

For the RAW USB recovery, i used Disk Drill but it didnt find any file to recover.

To fix the USB drive in the RAW format i tried the chkdsk d:/f

The above didn't work so i tried this:

It says the disk is write protected but doesnt have any kind of button in the USB to unprotect

 

[Grobe]

It says the disk is write protected . . .

This is often a result of usb stick being broken.

 

[RiseTheS33D]

This is often a result of usb stick being broken.

The pendrive is new...

 

[Grobe]

The pendrive is new...

Have you used the pendrive at all (i.e. any files successfully stored and read later) since you purchased it ?

Can I ask what model this is and from where you bought it ?

 

[RiseTheS33D]

Have you used the pendrive at all (i.e. any files successfully stored and read later) since you purchased it ?

Can I ask what model this is and from where you bought it ?

This is a Kingston DataTraveler G4 with 4gb (if needed i can take a photo and post it)
Since i purchased i stored some files and used it. And today i used rufus to install fedora in it, so it formated and then was installing fedora and then failed.

 

[hotaru.hino]

This is a Kingston DataTraveler G4 with 4gb (if needed i can take a photo and post it)
Since i purchased i stored some files and used it. And today i used rufus to install fedora in it, so it formated and then was installing fedora and then failed.

Take a look at https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/wi..._how_it_was_before_I_created_a_bootable_drive , though there may be another question in the FAQ that could help

Regarding Rufus screwing up the flash drive itself: https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/issues/313#issuecomment-322045700 (tl;dr, Rufus cannot directly screw up the flash drive, it requires repeated deliberate actions by the user, unless the flash drive was defective to begin with)

 

[bniknafs9]

try windows disk mangement instead of Rufus .

 

[RiseTheS33D]

Take a look at https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/wi..._how_it_was_before_I_created_a_bootable_drive , though there may be another question in the FAQ that could help

Regarding Rufus screwing up the flash drive itself: https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/issues/313#issuecomment-322045700 (tl;dr, Rufus cannot directly screw up the flash drive, it requires repeated deliberate actions by the user, unless the flash drive was defective to begin with)

Already fixed the problem of write protection but rufus cant revert the situation still.

I used rufus to search for errors in USB and it gave me this output:

16 errors of corruption

 

[RiseTheS33D]

try windows disk mangement instead of Rufus .

Already tried but didnt help.

 

[bniknafs9]

Already tried but didnt help.

your only other option s are the software you have to purchase for full features like EAsy US partition .

 

[bniknafs9]

let me know if you find a fix cause i got two more or less expensive pen drives , that got fried and bricked in Ubuntu Linux .

 

[RiseTheS33D]

let me know if you find a fix cause i got two more or less expensive pen drives , that got fried and bricked in Ubuntu Linux .

If i find it i post it

 

[Grobe]

let me know if you find a fix cause i got two more or less expensive pen drives , that got fried and bricked in Ubuntu Linux .

To my knowledge, a OS itself aren't capable of bricking a usb pen - but bad hardware can.

Ok, then I must ask - did you use the same physical computer for that, or is this Windows computer another one?

And : Could it be that you also have connected this particular usb drive to that computer also, if only for a brief moment ?

 

[bniknafs9]

To my knowledge, a OS itself aren't capable of bricking a usb pen - but bad hardware can.

Ok, then I must ask - did you use the same physical computer for that, or is this Windows computer another one?

And : Could it be that you also have connected this particular usb drive to that computer also, if only for a brief moment ?

no mate .
i was reformatting two particular USB flashes i got that i really adore , Queen and PNY ... then we got a blackout in our neighborhood ,and when the lights came back . BAM both were bricked .
Rufus didn't help .
can you help ?

 

[Grobe]

i was reformatting two particular USB flashes i got that i really adore , Queen and PNY ... then we got a blackout in our neighborhood ,and when the lights came back . BAM both were bricked .

Ah - that definitively clear up some question.

Ok - the thing is that people tend to believe that SMPS power supplies somehow are completely isolated to main voltage. However, this has proven being not true many times, this one included. That is - when a voltage spike from the mains (i.e. from the power company or another bad equipment inside your house) occur, it can travel all the way to the 12V and 5V rail. That can easily kill most connected hardware, and it seems to be the case here.

I highly suggest you get a proper Surge Protective Device (SPD) in order to minimize the chance of broken devices in the future because of voltage spikes.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Already fixed the problem of write protection but rufus cant revert the situation still.

I used rufus to search for errors in USB and it gave me this output:

16 errors of corruption

That means the USB drive itself is hosed. As a last resort, you could try a third party partitioning tool like EaseUS Partition Master or Minitool Partition Wizard

 

[RiseTheS33D]

That means the USB drive itself is hosed. As a last resort, you could try a third party partitioning tool like EaseUS Partition Master or Minitool Partition Wizard

Tried the EaseUS but didnt work, Trying the gparted in fedora virtual machine but it can't detect my usb. But the disks fedora program can detect it.

Edit: Gparted can display my usb but can't format

 

[Grobe]

Trying the gparted in fedora virtual machine but it can't detect my usb

Have you remember to designate a usb port for that VM ?

Also - if you happens to have a spare usb stick that works, then try using Live desktop and then launch Gparted.

 

[RiseTheS33D]

Have you remember to designate a usb port for that VM ?

Also - if you happens to have a spare usb stick that works, then try using Live desktop and then launch Gparted.

Gparted can now display the usb but it doesnt let me format. Can't even click in "format to".
How do i do the last? (using the live desktop)

 

[hotaru.hino]

I suppose at this point you should ask yourself: how much time are you willing to recover this drive? Are 4GB drives so expensive that they take a week's wages to buy?

If you bought it recently, you could probably return it to the store as a defective item.

 

[RiseTheS33D]

I suppose at this point you should ask yourself: how much time are you willing to recover this drive? Are 4GB drives so expensive that they take a week's wages to buy?

If you bought it recently, you could probably return it to the store as a defective item.

I just didnt want to spend money. But yeh, it seems hard to recover this.

 

[Grobe]

Gparted can now display the usb but it doesnt let me format.

There are an option to remove a storage devices partition table. Given the likelyhood of the usb stick being broken, I'd assume it probably won't work - but it cannot hurt to try anyway.