Memory stick problem

[Nick Carver]

My wife has a memory stick and ever since she plugged it into my daughter's laptop, she has had a problem. The thing is that on our main computer, the memory stick comes up as a floppy disk, with only 1.5Mb of memory. Obviously it is many times that size and there is loads of space that she cannot access. As a memory stick is a pretty dumb device, surely it must be possible to convince it that really is a memory stick and allow more writable space on it? Can anyone suggest a course of action?

Many thanks

[downside]

Try going into Computer Management >> Disk Management via Administrative Tools in Control Panel and changing the drive letter to one that is not in use.  Right click the flash drive and select Change Drive Letter and Path.

Then open My Computer to see if it shows up there as the correct size.

[Chorlton]

Something else to check quickly.   
I got a Toshiba 2Gb memory stick a while back, and I recall having what I thought was a similar problem.

My computer recognized the memory stick as TWO drives, one being 4.1mb, and the other being 1.85Gb

It took me a while before I realised that the 2nd part of the unit was available, as I was trying to save to the first bit.

I've just looked at it again, to confirm, and it shows up as:
U3 System (J:) capacity 4,325,376 bytes
Toshiba (K:) capacity 1,993,932,800 bytes

My last memory stick, smaller, was just recognised as one single drive, hence my confusion.  (or maybe that's down to my age )

[downside]

If you only have one memory stick in a USB port then it should only show up as one drive, but read this:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U3

[LoneyBones]

This may not be of help, but.... whenever I plug anything into a USB port I get a small screen come up with options. If I use that screen I have all sorts of problems.
I now close that screen and go into MY COMPUTER and find the device, usually called REMOVABLE DEVICE.  (This is my mem-stick, photo card reader, etc.)
When I go into the device from here I don't have any problems.
I can click on the device then OPTIONS, to find out how much memory I have.
I work from inside my own program (eg. Word, PaintShop, etc) and SAVE TO the device. (Usually F-DRIVE)
I find this much simpler than going through the device's program.
Leonie.

[Chorlton]

If you only have one memory stick in a USB port then it should only show up as one drive, but read this:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U3

Thanks for that link, I like this bit at the end "expected to replace U3 by the end of 2008, making the U3 format obsolete" 

No wonder those U3 USB sticks were cheap !!

I'd love to be able to get rid of that first drive and just have the one drive, although I have got used to it now.

[downside]

I liked the word KLUDGE. 

[Suziesmith37]

Hiya

Like cars great when they are working ok!

Memory Sticks can be reformatted ... WAIT!

1: Make sure you have no important info on them - if so back it up elsewhere as the reformat will wipe everything!

2: This does not always work for all memory sticks, you can end up worse off rather than better.

3 My advice - if you have nothing to lose try it!

Good Luck

Su

[Sherwood]

Cautionary note on memory sticks

Beware large capacity cheap sticks from China, e.g. 8Gb for £10-£15. Most are counterfeit or misrepresented in description.  Appears to have the large capacity when "properties" viewed but takes forever to save and read and doesn't really store anything above its real capacity (typically less than 1Gb).

Google search such as "fake USB memory stick" will reveal all.

As "they" say, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Sherwood.