Format NI Flash Drive w/ LabVIEW and LabVIEW NXG for Use as Regular Storage

[beaverpelt]

NI sent me 2 flash drives with LabVIEW 2017 and LabVIEW NXG on them. I don't need this software, but I would like to use the flash drives as regular storage. Everything I've done to erase or format the drives does not work, as they are "write protected".

The drives themselves are Toshiba 32GB, model PA5080L, with I think a PHISON 2303 (2251-03) controller.

Here's a list of the things I've tried:

• Open Windows Explorer, right click drive, format, OK, error message: "disk is write protected"
• Regedit, setdevicestorageproperties, 0 (whatever the right string is)
• cmd, chkdsk, erase data
• cmd, diskpart, clean, error message: "disk is write protected"
• 2 low-level formatters available for similar Toshiba drives

Has anyone else gotten these flash drives and managed to erase/format them successfully? I realize this is a cat and mouse game, and I could easily buy new flash drives for cheap. Also, I apologize if somebody already answered this question or I posted in the wrong place, I found no "Make Use of the Random Stuff NI Sends You" category in this forum.

[Bob_Schor]

I believe that these USB Drives are, in fact, built to be "Read Only".  I know that this is possible (Dell used to send out its Software on a non-writable USB Stick), and if you think about it, it makes very good sense for Vendors, who "brand" their Sticks, to ensure that noone can write to them (and potentially "hide malware").

They are quite compact.  I'd keep them "just in case" you need to do a re-install (which is bound to happen ...).

Bob Schor

[beaverpelt]

I've found evidence that some of the Dell software drives you speak of could be formatted and modified freely:

http://www.techunboxed.com/2016/09/how-to-disable-write-protection-on-dell.html

I've also noticed the article title ends in "ROUND 4", an indicator the supplier tried four times in a row to make it a true "Read Only", yet failed. The formatter in that article did not work for me, not surprising considering it's almost a year old. Has anyone progressed farther than this?

[billko]

Isn't it easier just to buy one?

[beaverpelt]

Certainly. It's way easier and cheaper to just buy one (see original post). But that's not my goal.

I will never use these drives for their intended purpose, but I don't want to send them to the landfill. Thus, I look for a way to repurpose them so they can be useful again.

[billko]

Let them live.  They might repay you tenfold.  😉

[Bob_Schor]

Send them back to NI.  NI clearly can always use some more, as they ship them to the US from (I believe) Hungary, takes > 1 week.

Bob Schor

[stduenne]

Gibt es inzwischen eine Lösung zur Formatiereung des Sticks? Würde den Stick auch gerne anderweitig nutzen.

Die NI Tools sind leider immer noch viel zu aufgebläht und mehre irre GB weise Speicher und ständig Updates. Was soll man mit PXI usw. das dann immer mit alles installiert wird..

[Atmarambhide]

There are many ways to remove write protection from flash drive, one of best of these i am going to share here. You can remove write protection by using registry editor. Steps are follow

Open registry editor> type command "regedit"> go to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE”> Click control> Change the DWORD value to "0"

Now restart your PC and your flash drive will not be write protected anymore.

If it does not work i left a link in article, you can visit the page for other methods.

[Hooovahh]

I used to work at a company that had several binders full of NI CDs and DVDs.  Back then they would get updates every 3 months, with another 20 CDs or so.  They have since of course dialed it back.  But my point is that over the years you will accumulate lots of NI software.  At the moment I have 6 of these USB drives and I find it annoying that I can't re purpose them, and I'm sure as the years go on I'll just get more.  The data was pulled off and put on a server the day we received them and have since just been sitting in my drawer.  I did look into the various MPALL software and replacing the firmware.  I was not successful in replacing the firmware with the stock one but if anyone comes up with a solution I'd appreciate it since otherwise these are useless to me.  Why waste them, or send them back to NI if they can be reused?