BEWARE low cost usb flash drives on eBay

wmrcomputers

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
Just a warning that there are a LOT of fake USB flash drives on eBay at the moment that claim to be bigger than they are. Windows sees them as being the size stated, but any files above and beyond the ACTUAL size are not physically there... just the filename. If you try to open these files you are presented with some kind of corruption message.

Both my own father AND father-in-law have been ripped off. One bought a 64GB and the other a 128GB that both turned out to actually be 16GB ones. They just flash the firmware to make it appear as a bigger drive than it actually is.

I'm warning you all as it's not just about being ripped off, but if you own such a device and believe that your files are all safe on there you could come seriously unstuck when you realise your files no longer exist!

If anyone is thinking of buying a large flash drive, stick with not only brand named products but also reputable companies rather than risking ebay.
 
Ecker

Ecker

Well-Known Forumite
Good old WMR, when the world whinges about its computer problems, the man
takes the time to go proactive and warn folk about potential problems.

It's no wonder you have such high credibility with the forum members mate,
many thanks for that.
 
kyoto49

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
Further to this, I recommend only buying encrypted drives. As we all know it's very easy to lose these flash drives, but the trauma is somewhat reduced if the files are encrypted so that no-one else can see them. I recommend Safestick, we use hundreds of these at work, or Kingston Data traveler. Hope this helps!!
 
photography_bloke

photography_bloke

Well-Known Forumite
Hmm, thanks WMR - I'm actually starting to wonder if a few of the 'failed' ones we've had brought to us at work are actually these fake ones... one or 2 have certainly presented these exact symptoms

I'll circulate this warning around

I only ever buy branded drives from trusted retailers - got quite a few around the place!
 
wmrcomputers

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
I think the "trusted retailer" part is what counts more, as the branded names are also copied on the devices. Sometimes they flash the firmware onto a 4gb Toshiba for a 16gb Toshiba, so at a glance you wouldn't have a clue.
 
photography_bloke

photography_bloke

Well-Known Forumite
Very true indeed - only buying from a well known retailer is the only way to be sure, better to spend a few quid more than end up losing a lot of data
 
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