How to remove CDFS partition from a USB Stick

[Daleus]

I just got a free USB stick from a vendor, but everytime I plug it in, Windows7 also mounts a hidden file/partition as a CD drive (device manager), giving it a drive letter

It hold s single Promotional PDF.

It doesn't take up a lot of space, but because I would use it at work in a network environment, there is a good change drive letter assignment with conflict with the network.

While it *acts* like a U3 device, the U3 remover util doesn't not recognize it.  I've spent most the day tracking down expired or irrelevant Google hits, trying to find help, to no avail.

While cruising those threads, I am given to believe that a low level format might be what I need.  I am personally doubtful, as I have also booted my computer with GPartED magic and a couple of other environments and the same thing happens - the regular partition shows up like normal, and the CDFS partition shows up with it's own drive letter, but no program can show me that particular partition, nor delete/rename/disable it.

Has anyone else run across this and if so, where you able to find a way to get all of the disk space into a single partition that require two drive letters?

Thx!

[40hz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omgf7qg_JZI

If that doesn't fly then you'll need to delete and recreate the partition table, then create a new partition.

[Stoic Joker]

Links from end of video above that don't require (manual labor) typing:

http://www.webtopicture.com/cdfs/cdfs-usb.html
http://agnipulse.com/2011/08/remove-secure-drive-cdfs-partition-transcend-jetflash-usb-drive
http://cworld.wikidot.com/adm:how-to-remove-cdfs-partition-from-usb-thumb-drive

[ewemoa]

Don't know if the following will be of any help, but regarding gparted and missing partitions:

 http://www.rodsbooks.com/missing-parts/


Thanks 40hz and Stoic Joker for that interesting info!

[x16wda]

Google Chipsbank Umptool.  My old company bought about a thousand of those "secure" thumb drives where you had to enter a password to see the hidden partition. Of course it wasn't compatible with anything newer than XP so we had to remove it. Low level format took care of it.

[40hz]

Umptool is chip specific IIRC.

So you'll also need to grab a copy of Chip Genius to determine which chip and flavor of Umptool you need. Google it.

[Stoic Joker]

So you'll also need to grab a copy of Chip Genius to determine which chip and flavor of Umptool you need. Google it.

No need for to Google, it's covered by link 3 from your video posted above.

[Daleus]

Many thanks for the suggestions.  I forgot to subscribe to this thread or I would have replied earlier.

Chip Genius I had already tried, but couldn't find proper PID/VID info.  I later read that those values can be over written as part of the process of creating this odd setup, so I gave up on that.

I tried GPartEd Parted and GPartMagic - none of them could see the CD based partition, likely because it identified as a CD which of course can't be partitioned.

The RodsBooks link was an interesting read, but I do not have an easily accessible linux machine to use, nor do I have the chops to know what I'm doing even if I did.

I tried several programs that promised to wipe the Partition Table, but in fact were not able to.

Not all is lost though.  I have previously used a tool called Rufus, which is used to prep a USB stick to install and boot from a USB stick.  It is the only program I have found that sees the device as the full 8g capacity.  I am currently oprepping it now and have higher than reasonable hopes that it will be that easy

There was another program I downloaded yesterday as well, that I haven't had a go with yet, called Kill Disk Suite, and it advertises it's ability to wipe and reinitialize the partition table.

I'll report back on which if either of these works.

Cheers and thanks again for the fantastic response!

Dale

[40hz]

So you'll also need to grab a copy of Chip Genius to determine which chip and flavor of Umptool you need. Google it.

No need for to Google, it's covered by link 3 from your video posted above.

I missed that. Thx!

FWIW, I've never had much luck with Umptool in the past when I needed to fix something seriously screwed up. I don't know if I'm unlucky, clueless, or the tool was just a little too behind the curve when I needed it.

[katykaty]

Throw it away. The time you'll spend removing the partition is worth more than a bit of USB memory.

[Stoic Joker]

Throw it away. The time you'll spend removing the partition is worth more than a bit of USB memory.

Um... Guys can't do that! When challenge vs. practical ... Practical loses.

[40hz]

Throw it away. The time you'll spend removing the partition is worth more than a bit of USB memory.

Um... Guys can't do that! When challenge vs. practical ... Practical loses.

Seriously!  

He's right KK...we can't do that. And we won't let him either! We can sometimes put our own problems on the backburner. But somebody else's challenge? 'Fraid not.

[Daleus]

Whelp,

None of my approaches have worked.  I have even cut open one of these little buggers, to try and fetch physical chip numbers etc., but the chip inside has no markings what so ever!

From what I've been able to determine, the CDFS portion has likely been flashed directly to the chip, and because the chip can't be identified, this is a lost cause.  I appreciate how determined you guys are to dogging this thing to it's end, but as KatyKaty notes, the time spent already has been worth far more than the actual successful outcome.

I was hoping to learn some concrete skill as a result and while I've become a bit more knowledgeable about this sort of thing, all I've learned (reinforced actually) is that there is a time to move on, and this is it.

If anyone is desperate to crack this problem, let me know - I can probably mail one of these things off to you, to torture at your leisure.

Cheers!

[Prince1458]

Try using commend formatting ur usb drive by administrator right..that will petition ur usb drive totally in a new format if u want...good luck

[arch0nmyc0n]

I know this is a necro of an older thread, but I wanted to post my solution here in case anyone else finds this like I did. Even took the time to register properly... There is a utility called RMPrepUSB that can, as far as I can tell, do pretty much anything to a USB stick except install a kitchen sink. I have no stake in this software so it's not a shameless plug...

http://www.rmprepusb.com/

[Giampy]

I just got a free USB stick

What brand and model?