Dave Burke : Freelance .NET Web Developer specializing in Online Communities

Caution with the SanDisk USB flash drive

I picked up one of those ubiquitous black SanDisk USB Cruzer flash drives at Radio Shack a couple months ago and used it for the first time today, plugging into a Windows 2003 Server machine. I used someone else's Cruzer flash drive before with XP and hated the software it automatically installed, but I thought I'd deal with it. Weirdness quickly ensued, with my CDROM drive displaying as a SanDisk drive and its light staying on. Time to return to my happy place and eject this bugger. Then a hard reboot.

Yeeeech! The CDROM light stayed lit forever on reboot and the system froze on the Windows 2003 Server startup graphic. Twice. I then went into the BIOS setup and reset the system IDE drives to the machine's default configuration. Thankfully that did the trick and the machine rebooted sweetly. I guess I shouldn't be too hard on SanDisk. Reading the USB Cruzer drive spec page, it doesn't say it supports Windows 2003 Server, but then again there shouldn't BE a compatability issue with a stupid USB flash drive. Too much "added value," in this case that user assistance software bundled with the SanDisk flash drives, can be a bad thing.

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Posted on 9/24/2007 3:52:08 PM by Dave Burke
Categories: Everyday
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Comments (2) -

9/25/2007 8:28:09 PM Permalink

By the "Software it automatically" installs I'm assuming you mean the U3 launchpad. If so just remove it www.sandisk.com/Retail/Default.aspx?CatID=1415, I did and now it acts as a simple drive no installing software to use it on a new machine which is what I wanted to begin with. After that I've been happen with my USB Cruzer and you will likely be as well.

Wes Haggard |

9/25/2007 8:36:33 PM Permalink

Thanks, Wes.  I definitely removed it, but it was a chicken-egg thing.  I had to use it the first time before I could delete it, and by then time it was already installed.  I'm sure if I stick it into the USB port again on my W2K3 Server now after having removed the software it would act like a normal flash drive, but I'm not feeling that brave yet.  Thanks for your comment.

daveburke |


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