sandisk extreme - memory stick has trim, is it an ssd?

Crystal disk info says it has trim and it shows smart data, it`s only 16gb with a read speed of 245MB/s and write of 50MB/s

If it has trim, should i format it fat32 or ntfs ???

John.

 

TRIM with 16GB total capacity won't really make a difference imo - but yeah; if you won't use this between PC/MAC systems, NTFS all the way.

 

pSSD is just a version of SSD for netbooks or ultrabooks. So treat it like a normal SSD. I would go NTFS.

 

HaHa just tried to Google pSSD

John.

 

I vote FAT32 for trouble free back and forth. Especially when you need to save, open, and work with files in either OS. And ye

 

If you aren't using Mac at all, NTFS isn't a major hassle, FAT32 has limitations such as copying a file over like 4 GB.

 

Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 has the same controller (labelled 20-82-00270-1) as Sandisk ReadyCache SSD. If you don't need to transfer files larger than 4GB I would suggest formatting it in FAT32, as you can make it bootable that way - it can be very useful for BIOS/vBIOS flashing etc.

 

I have notice a few flash memory test utils that i have use with memory sticks for year don't seem to recognise this new ssd style memory stick, no drive to select in the detected drives list.

John.

 

Can you name some of them? I will check if they work with my Sandisk Extreme.

 

I have been using ChkFlash for years, every sdhc and microsd and usb flash drive i have ever had has been checked using this software, but for some reason it does not recognise these sandisk extreme 16gb ssd style memory sticks, i have also had an 64gb version and it did not recognise that one either so i have to use "h2testw"

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/chkflsh-checks-your-flash-drives-on-windows/

Also i use the official SDFormatter, i have use that one for a few years and that one does not recognise them either.

https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/

john.

 

ChkFlash is working with my Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 with no problems. I'm running 'Read stability test' right now. As for the SDFormatter tool, the web page you linked states explicitly: "The SD Formatter was created specifically for memory cards using the SD/SDHC/SDXC standards". It's not to be used with USB flash drives.

 

It`s the write that has the problem, read works fine, you need the read/write to test flash memory, i get nothing but errors.

Also i have been using the SDformatter for years with memory stick, after all they are basically the same as an sdhc but with an usb interface.

John.

 

Something I noticed recently with a purchased USB thumb drive was it was listed as a "hard disk drive" in Windows (7) instead of "Removable Storage." This prevented attempts to make it bootable and could possibly cause other software failures.

SanDisk claimed they did this to make their USB drives compatible with Windows 8.

 

That's interesting - aren't hard disk drives as a category bootable by default? Or did Sandisk do a half-baked job of fudging the drive's identification, leaving the drive in a state where it's not fully recognized as a proper SATA device yet also not recognized as a USB flash drive as well?

 

All I know is that on their website for the USB drives I bought, they specifically stated that using the drives as bootable devices was not supported. Obviously, I wish I had read that before I bought the drives, but it was quite a shock to see that (it appears) SanDisk deliberately removed the option for those USB drives to be bootable. Now, keep in mind that these were low-end USB 2 drives, so they may have different rules for their high end drives.

 

First, what OS is it/ And second, is that the fault of the drive or the OS?

 

Choosing FAT32 or NTFS formatting on a USB stick it will depend on what you plan on doing with said USB stick.

I recently found out that in order to create a UEFI and Secure Boot-enabled Windows 8,8.1 installation disc (USB), FAT32 is the ONLY format available because of the current requirements of UEFI and Secure Boot in Windows 8,8.1. Also don't forget that any USB stick above 32GB will only be able to be formatted as NTFS under Windows 8, 8.1! A 32GB USB stick is the MAXIMUM capacity that can be formatted in FAT32 in Windows 8,8.1.

NTFS can be used under Legacy (aka Compatibility Support Module, CSM, for some HP and ASUS computers, iirr its likely an Insyde UEFI/BIOS) when installing Windows 7, Vista, or XP. You will not be able to boot off of the NTFS formatted Windows Installation disc because of UEFI and Secure Boot requirement of Windows 8, 8.1.

I use many USB sticks for a lot of the work I do and found this out by trial and error and some much needed research. Get yourself a 'actual' USB portable drive, not 'sudo-SSD', and with a Lifetime Warranty at all costs.

My local Micro Center computer store offers a "lifetime replacement, no questions asked" policy on their in-house USB sticks which range fom 4GB-128GB. That's a really convenience for me because I can walk right in, and get a replacement on the spot. When I filed a Warranty claim with Team Group for a USB 3.0 64GB stick it took almost 3 months to physically receive my replacement. Granted the Team Group USB stick has a faster controller. The controller in the Micro Center USB sticks come from Phison and are slower but for certain jobs it does the trick and I'll take a walk-in replacement wait time over having to wait for someone in Taiwan to process my faulty USB.

EDIT: I decided to fire up my Apple MacBook A1342 and format a Team Group 64GB USB 3.0 USB disk drive to FAT in Mavericks 10.8. It had no problem formatting it to FAT32 at 64GB unlike Windows 8,8.1 (max 32GB FAT32 disk drive). I then put the contents of Windows 8,8.1 to create a UEFI/Secure Boot-enabled installation disk. Just some randomness. Carry on.