16gb Kingston DataTraveler problem

[mrgreeneyes]

hi,

i have a problem with my kingston 16gb datatraveler flash stick.

when i plug it into my macbook pro it show the full amount (16gb)
and im able to copy files to it and copy files from it.

but when i plug it into my windows pc, it always asks me to format the stick.
and when i do, it only allows me to have 200mb of space on the stick.

i have no idea what is wrong with it.

thanks

 

[ziggyonice]

You just need to format it correctly.

Do this: On your Mac, go to the Disk Utility program (located in Applications > Utilities). With the flash drive plugged into your computer, click on it's icon on the sidebar on the left-side. (Note: be sure to click on it's device name, not the partition's name -- see the pic.)

Next, select the "Partition" tab on the right side. Under "Volume Scheme", where it says "Current", click on "Current" and change it to "1 Partition". On the right side, give the drive a name, and change the format to "MS-DOS (FAT)". Finally, at the bottom of the window is a button that says "Options". Click on it and change the setting to "Master Boot Record", and click OK. Now click "Apply" in the lower right corner.

Doing this will erase the drive, but it will now be readable and writeable on both Macs and PCs.

 

[jbrenn]

look for a serial number engraved on the metal part if it is not there then you have a fake drive. If it was not purchased at a retail store it could be fake.

 

[ziggyonice]

look for a serial number engraved on the metal part if it is not there then you have a fake drive. If it was not purchased at a retail store it could be fake.

No offense, but what the hell are you talking about?

 

[Thiol]

No offense, but what the hell are you talking about?

There are occasionally fake thumb drives sold as high capacity when they are actually lower capacity models:

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/39985.aspx

I bet you're right that it's just a FAT formatting issue, but the other guy has a fair point just in case.