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how are drives marked removable?

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ottosykora
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how are drives marked removable?

Meanwhile I have searched all the partitions and sectors for some obvious places where such info could be stored, but a hard drive, connected via such usb adaptor is a hard drive and not removable, thus can be formated in many ways.

A flash stick however, still insists to be a removable device, and so behaving slightly differently.

Does someone has an info where exactly the bit saying it is removable or not is sitting?

Ryan McCue
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The drive itself

I believe the drive itself registers as a removable USB device in the hardware. Same reason that we can't fake a CD partition like U3.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

ottosykora
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yes

but there seem to be also some software or better low level software on the partitions itself.

I mean, ok, the flash sticks, di show removable all the time, it means to me that the controller is passing the info fixed posibly.

But sometimes even normal FAT32 preformated hard drives in usb box show removable, well they are after all, but after reformating them this marking is gone and they are again normal drives (IDE drives)

Then there is a HP utility around, producing on any flash stick second partition in the format of a floppy disk. This since there are more computers capable of booting from usb floppy then hard drive. They boot from that fake floppy and use the other partition as data, similar way as the u3 which however stores all its partition info in the controller and leaves the partition sectors filled with zeros.

So I am still looking for some difference where the info would hide when it is simple drive, may be not flash for begining, just sto be able to experiment with the bootsectors etc.

Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland

NMC
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Flash Drive Controller

Hi, I am no expert but have wondered how U3 fake the CD partition, it has been mentioned in the forums many times that it is hardware based. Anyway I have a Super Talent Pico Usb drive and when searching for info I came upon this article, I will let you decipher it yourself as it is way beyond my understanding ha ha! See the link below.

http://blog.usboffice.kr/?p=146

ottosykora
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yes known site

was recommended by others earlier, but ok, it does not straight answer to me. The CD partitions are clearly done also by this method by writing things to the controller, that is probably why the warning at the end Wink

Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland

NMC
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Flip the bit

There is some info here and a "tool" to change the way a usb drive appears to the system.
http://www.getusb.info/flip-your-bit-usb-utility-to-make-local-drive/

The usual disclaimer is included "at your own risk "

Hope this is some help.

Regards NMC

ottosykora
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ok will try

you see just this bit, but where the hell is it hiding?

will what this util does and see if I can reconstruct what it is trying to do.

That bit could be also edited by other known tools, but which one is it??..??..?? Sad

Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland

ottosykora
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intresting page

seems also this one, http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbstick_e.html

gives some explanation of pro and contra the RMB

Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland

ottosykora
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managed!

in my collection of sticks, I found one which works with one of the tools and could make the CD partition on it.
Works nice if the stick supports it.

Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland

ottosykora
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my did not like it

the stick i tested it, does not do anything with this, it remains still same, removable.

Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland

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