Is it possible to create a partition in my USB Drive
1) without losing the data
or
2) without caring abt the data
Please advise
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You can create a partition using Linux and access it using Linux but not with Windows. Windows only see the 1st partition on removeable drives.
Ed
Don't forget, U3 partitions thier drives to have a read only cd drive and a flash drive, and it only works on Windows, so you may be able to partition it on linux.
Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.
hmm
1.)Yes
2.)Do you mean resizing a partition in a stable fashion? sure...?
Use partition managing software that has a RESIZE option, there are several options
1.)Partition Magic (shareware around $80)
2.)Gparted (opensource $0)
3.)The command line utilities(that Gparted is a GUI for) to manually resize then in Console, which I dont think you want to do
I personally use partedmagic which is a LiveCD for Gparted which hasn't failed me yet or I use Gparted LiveCD (GUI is a tad bit more "scary :)"
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/
http://partedmagic.com/
now If you create multiple partitions on a USB Windows can read them as long as they are filesystems that are supported by Windows nativly (by default this is Fat(xx) and NTFS.) Remember to BACK UP YOUR DATA BEFORE TRYING ANY OF THIS... so GL
BUT if you have a setup like
1st partition is using a filesystem not native to windows ex. ext2
2nd is fat32
then Windows wont read either (As 1st response mentioned)
so if you want to use filesystems other then Windows native (e.g. for linux)
then set up the windows partitions first and the others after
Slackware 12 for system
MCP (For XP and Server 2003)
Network + Certified
aim is "nycjv321" (minus quotes)
Windows only recognizes the 1st partition on removeable devices of which USB sticks and drives are classified. Regardless of file system format.
Ed
We won't confuse things by mentioning U3, which uses some sort of magic to trick windows into thinking that its first partition is a CDrom. Since it is almost impossible to use that partition for anything but autorunning the USB partition, and then only spottily, it turns out to be an exception that proves the rule.
MC
I should have said Regardless of hard drive file system format. U3 and others, sometimes create a CDFS partition on their USB sticks but that's outside the range of what the average user can do without the specific stick's vendor's tools.
Ed
" Windows only see the 1st partition on removeable drives "
If it's true , then I may not be a sucess in my effort. Here in 90% of the public terminals are infected with Viruses and when ever i connect my USB (with Portable Apps)some where in a net-cafe, my 'Apps' get currepted and I am forced for a format and reinstall. So I was trying to keep 2 copies of the same installation in the my USB in seperate partitions. The major draw back of Portable apps envernment is that it not isolated from the host computer and any infection in the host computer will get in to it immidiatly. Is there any way to secure the Apps? ( Like thay claim in MojoPack)
I am in love with technology, but I am a master of none !!
Remember the fake USB Flash Disk I bought on ebay? Well I found a tool that could partition the drive under windows namely with iFormat. Well you could set both areas secure but I just made 2 1GB unsecured partitions with it. Now I doubt wether this would help you but say you could format the partitions some other way...
I found some tool that is a 'USB Drive Letter Manager' for Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003 and Vista. It's a service that is very useful for me because I'm on Windows 2000 (which normally ignores autorun.inf). But besides that it also seems to support showing 2 partitions of my USB stick. I pop in a USB stick with 2 partitions and, hop, I get 2 removable drives added. While this will not be of any use on computers without the service installed, I might find it usefull nonetheless.
(PS. It didn't show both partitions of a partitioned drive with password in case you were wondering).
Here it is:
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html
Besides it being usefull to set preferred drive letters etc., it's perhaps usefull for Windows 2000 users that want USB with autostart to start their portable apps
''you could set both areas secure but I just made 2 1GB unsecured partitions with it. Now I doubt wether this would help you but say you could format the partitions some other way..."
I think this is what I was searching for - only if windows will show both the partitions.( Can u give a link to that software?)
But Still The main problem persists. How can I protect My Portable apps from the virus infected in the Host computer since I have to use the public terminals often? Any advise?
I am in love with technology, but I am a master of none !!
The partition software is specific for the brand of the USB stick so most likely not useful you many people.
About the problem of having virus infections... Hmm not sure. Maybe get a second USB drive with the sole purpose of virus scanning. I don't know huw much a virus scanner itself will be unaffected but one small stick to see if the PC you're on has any viruses, and if it's found to be clean you might start up your PAM USB. Hmm, always keep backups anyway, just in case...
Im not sure but maybe an MD5 check could be implemented withing PAM to see if the files are still the same scince installation? Would setting the files on read-only protect against viruses?
John will soon be distributing more of the files with a signature. That will make it easier to tell which files have been modified, or prevent modified files from being used.
A "low-tech" option might be to have apps on a write-protected USB stick, with user data on a writable one. Except for Word docs and a few others, it is pretty difficult to infect a data file. (It would take some rethinking of the PA architecture, of course... just thinking out loud.)
A more critical consideration would be things like keyloggers, which might record passwords or other critical information; and malicious software which might change or damage your data, or delete it altogether.
In that sort of environment (and we should all assume we are in that sort of environment) we really do need better isolation. My fear is that such isolation would require Admin privileges to at least set up the first time, and it would be hard to assure ourselves that the isolation software itself had not been compromised.
Microsoft and Intel (and others) are working on ways to have a secure setup from hardware to drivers to operating system to software. It looks like they are thinking about that kind of "security" more for restriction management (to make sure we are not free to use copyrighted material the way we want) than to allow us to protect ourselves from malicious software; but it is the sort of design that might eventually give us a bit more assurance as we move from one machine to another.
MC
IT may be difficult to scan and clean a public terminal each time before u insert the USB. The time factor is the main concern which would be followed by technical factors.
Keeping the files read only may not help. But KEEPING THE ENTIRE USB drive READ ONLY when u vist a public terminal may solve the problem but IS THAT POSSIBLE?
I am in love with technology, but I am a master of none !!
Some drives have a write protector switch. But the problem are the apps that need to write on the disk. I think that the solution is to have a write protected drive with an anti virus and an unprotected with all the other apps. That way you can put your AV drive on the PC to see if it has virus, and if it is clear, you can put your PApps drive.
Blue is everything.
Try USB WriteProtector at http://www.gaijin.at/
Note: I know nothing about it, I just know it exists.
~Lurk~
looked at it and it seems to work
nice program
Please search before posting. ~Thanks
None of the above posts give a perfect solution. 'Portable apps' is an alternative for laps while u r on the go. But since the public terminals are virus banks all over the world, there should be a perfect solution to protect ur drive from the infected host computer. Otherwise all the efforts would be wiped out within a few seconds u connect the drive to a port in an unfamiliar mechine somewhere on the roads...
Inviting deep and detailed discussion on the topic.....
I am in love with technology, but I am a master of none !!
AFAIK its not possible to protect your drive from any writes (except with a switch but that rules out PortableApps as well) cause the idea behind flashdrives is that it is part of the PC it is plugged into. So the PC says what can be done with it and what cant.
Of course you can do more with admin rights but thats something not invented yet:
"Admin rights on the go...control every PC you come across"™
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
You could always bring around a CD with a portable AV like ClamWin on it, and a spyware program like Spybot. Not ideal, of course.
Another option would be a U3 stick with a custom partition. I'm not sure how much data you can put on the 'CD' image, but maybe put your AV on there, and password protect the data partition. Don't unlock it until after you've scanned the system.
I still like the write-protected USB stick with AV and spyware as the best option though.
Here's one -
http://www.imation.com/products/flash_devices/usb_swivel_drive.html
This is a piece of information on a related topic. Since I am not a software expert I could not sort it out its possibilities. I would like to know whether this root will help creative programers to develop a new program to solve the above problem, ie creating a new software to make USB computing more safe. I am including my search result below:
" SP2 includes an ability to let users read data from a USB drive, but not write data to that drive. It's a simple Registry change. First, create a whole new key: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control \ StorageDevicePolicies. Then create a REG_DWORD entry in it called WriteProtect. Set it to 1 and you'll be able to read from USB drives but not write to them. Set it to 1 and you'll be able to read from USB drives but not write to them. "
I am in love with technology, but I am a master of none !!
If you've got data on your USB drive and want to partition it without losing the existing data, it's possible but tricky. Way easier to copy everything to another drive and partition, then copy it back.
Any version of Windows prior to Vista will not recognize a second partition on a USB flash drive (not generally true for a USB HDD). You can get around this by changing the driver that Windows uses for the drive, but this is non supported and potentially risky, and you have to tell every computer you use to load that driver to see the second partiton.
If you google for this you'll stumble upon something like this thread:
Ok XP can only see one partition on a removable USB but if change the USB driver to a fixed disk driver then XP will see it as a hard drive then we can have lay down multiple partitions as we like. Now open regedit and goto HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\USBSTOR
and double click on USBSTORE and you see a subkey below it, select the first subkey below USBSTORE and right click and select Copy Key Name
Here is mine, yours maybe different.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\USBSTOR\Disk&Ven_Generic&Prod_USB_Flash_Disk&Rev_0.00
Now we need only need this part:
USBSTOR\Disk&Ven_Generic&Prod_USB_Flash_Disk&Rev_0.00
Copy and paste it temporarily into notepad.
You will now need this driver. http://www.xpefiles.com/viewtopic.php?t=92
Unpack it to a folder on your desktop. Inside the folder is the file cfadisk.inf. You need to open this file and scroll down to you see the line %Microdrive_devdesc% = cfadisk_install, specific data
Now you need to replace all lines %Microdrive_devdesc% = cfadisk_install, specific data with
the line you copied from your registry like so.
%Microdrive_devdesc% = cfadisk_install,USBSTOR\Disk&Ven_Generic&Prod_USB_Flash_Disk&Rev_0.00
There could be more lines so replace all and save the file.
Goto Device Manager and click on disk drives. You see your USB listed, dbl click on it and goto the driver tab and click update driver and install from a specific location and choose the driver to install and click on Have Disk and browse to the cfadisk.inf file your modified driver on your desktop and force that to replace your existing driver. It might ask you to reboot. You should now have your USB showing as Local Disk
We want your first partition dos bootable so run HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. I’m using version 2.1.8. Select your drive letter of your USB device and select "Create a DOS startup disk" and browse to your 98 boot disk folder. Click Start. Your USB will be formatted and 3 files will be copied from your dos startup files. You need to manually copy the rest of the 98 boot files to your USB drive.
You can now resize the drive (mines 512MB) and create multiple partitions. All partition software now sees it as a fixed disk. I used acronis disk director and resized the partition keeping the first dos bootable partition intact and made another 4 fat partitions so I had 5 in total.
Make sure your format all partitions as Primary not Logical.
Thanks maggotb0y, Thank you very much for the valuable information. Thanks for all the friends who spent their precious time to prepare the posts for me.
I am in love with technology, but I am a master of none !!