flash drive help!!! mac

[raven sanchez]

i have a 2GHz intel core duo 1gb 677MHz DDR2 aSDRAM imac running snow loepard and i have a probleme

my flash rive has the capacity of 2.02 gb and 147 kb are avalible but nothing is on it here is a screen shot plz help me there is nothing on the flash drive and it says that there is used up memorey. any help here? i used to able to use this flash drive for movies but not when the mmory is acting like this!

it says i used some memory but i didnt at all

 

[Chef_eam]

When you last deleted the contents of the flash drive, did you empty the trash? Deleted files will still take up space if the trash is not emptied. Try mounting the drive and checking to see if the files that used to be on the drive show up in the trash, If they do, empty the trash before ejecting the drive. If they do not show up in the trash, another option would be to try erasing the drive using Disk Utility.

 

[hughvane]

Just reformat it FAT32 with Disk Utility. If formatting fails, then you should probably dump that flash drive and buy another. They're very cheap.

 

[cwa107]

NOTE: Thread moved to appropriate forum. Not just anything goes in Anything Goes

 

[Loui]

Recommended USB stick?

I need to buy a USB memory stick that I can use between a Mac and a PC. I have had some in the past but they corrupted quite quickly, presumably because they were switching between the two. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks

 

[chscag]

Any USB flash drive will work. Since most, if not all flash drives are pre-formatted at the factory as FAT-32, you should not attempt to reformat them. And if you do, don't do it with your Mac. Use a PC.

Regards.

 

[hughvane]

'You gets what you pays for', but one brand I would recommend is SanDisk.

May I ask chscag ... why use a WinPC to format a flash drive FAT32? I've always used Mac Disk Utility to reformat a flash drive with satisfactory results, cross-platform.

 

[chscag]

May I ask chscag ... why use a WinPC to format a flash drive FAT32? I've always used Mac Disk Utility to reformat a flash drive with satisfactory results, cross-platform.

Because most folks do not know that when reformatting a flash drive as FAT-32 using Disk Utility, that they must format as MBR and not GUID. Unfortunately GUID is the default. And what that does is create a small EFI 200 MB partition on the flash drive. That means the drive now has two partitions. That's not a problem when using the drive on your Mac, but Windows will only "see" the first partition. (200 MB)

Try it with an old flash drive that you have laying around to see what happens.

Regards.

 

[schweb]

'You gets what you pays for', but one brand I would recommend is SanDisk.

Eh, almost all flash memory is made by 2 companies regardless of what "brand name" is slapped on it.

IMHO, just buy the cheapest flash drive you can find for the money.

 

[chas_m]

When people say they've had flash drives get corrupted, I usually ask them to show me how they eject the drive from the computer (either Mac or PC). That usually explains what's really happening fairly quickly (ie, they do not properly dismount the drive before removing it).

 

[dtravis7]

When people say they've had flash drives get corrupted, I usually ask them to show me how they eject the drive from the computer (either Mac or PC). That usually explains what's really happening fairly quickly (ie, they do not properly dismount the drive before removing it).

Almost every friend I have does that and says to me, well it did not corrupt! I ask them, then why does both Windows and OSX yell and warn you to unmount first? Just to be yelling?

I tell them you might get lucky and have no issues but someday you will yank that flash drive and loose everything. I have seen it happen all to many times.

You sir are very correct.

 

[pigoo3]

Almost every friend I have does that and says to me, well it did not corrupt! I ask them, then why does both Windows and OSX yell and warn you to unmount first? Just to be yelling?

Exactly. Roll the dice enough times...and eventually you get "burned"!

- Nick

 

[vansmith]

'You gets what you pays for', but one brand I would recommend is SanDisk.

Agreed. I've always had good luck with SanDisk drives (I actually bent one, bent it back to its original shape and it still works like a charm). Just as I only buy WD HDs, if a brand works for me, I'll use it until it doesn't.

Almost every friend I have does that and says to me, well it did not corrupt! I ask them, then why does both Windows and OSX yell and warn you to unmount first? Just to be yelling?

Absolutely. OS X and Windows have anger issues .

There's a reason OS X, Windows and Linux require you to unmount drives. It's not there for no reason.

 

[hughvane]

Agreed. I've always had good luck with SanDisk drives

Two things I like about SanDisk - other than its quality/reliability - are:
1. the silicon exterior - good for finger grip, and
2. its compactness, good for when the drives are fitted side-by-side in a USB hub.

Beside me as I type are five flash drives, including Anonymous, Legend, MyFlash, Rundisk, and SanDisk. The best is left 'til last.

 

[dtravis7]

Agreed. I've always had good luck with SanDisk drives (I actually bent one, bent it back to its original shape and it still works like a charm). Just as I only buy WD HDs, if a brand works for me, I'll use it until it doesn't.

Absolutely. OS X and Windows have anger issues .

There's a reason OS X, Windows and Linux require you to unmount drives. It's not there for no reason.

I have never yanked a Flash Drive from a Linux system, so thanks for confirming it warns you also!

Hughvane, I love Sandisk Flash drives also. My ONLY complaint is that when plugging one into one of the front mounted Slanted USB ports on a Dell Optiplex, sometimes the white lock button comes loose and the USB plug retracts! Otherwise I have never had one issue with a Sanndisk drive. I have had some Kingston's that would not work on some PC's but worked fine on others no matter how you formatted them. Never one issue with Sandisk.

Chscag, thanks for that about making sure Disk Utility is set at MBR and not GUID. That makes total sense and probably why some are complaining about drives formatted on OSX.

 

[vansmith]

I have had some Kingston's that would not work on some PC's but worked fine on others no matter how you formatted them. Never one issue with Sandisk.

I had a Kingston flash drive once that died out of nowhere. No warning signs whatsoever. I'm the kind of guy that will give a brand a second chance but only if it deserves it. In this case, as I was given no warning, I will not be purchasing Kingston drives. That said, as I mentioned earlier, I'm not going to be leaving SanDisk anytime soon for my flash drive needs.

 

[hughvane]

Chscag, thanks for that about making sure Disk Utility is set at MBR and not GUID.

Could someone please point me in the right direction here. I have a blank 2 Gb flash drive mounted, and Disk Utility ready to Erase it this is purely a learning exercise. Settings (TigerOS) are MS-DOS File System (FAT-32).

So where do I find and change the GUID and/or MRB settings?

Whoa! If I select the first of the two names of the flash drive, I see Partition Scheme, Master Boot Record. So that's the MRB - right?

Where then is the GUID bit? And when reformatting the flash drive, is the first or second name of the drive to be selected? I've always selected the second name. Why? Can't remember.