Files Updated on Compact Flash When Inserted

[Geoff Schultz]

On generic Windows XP/SP2.

1) Do any files/directory info/etc on a compact flash drive get updated in
any manner when a compact flash drive is inserted into a reader?

2) Same question if one does a directory on the compact flash drive.

The reason that I'm asking is that Navionics makes compact flash based
navigation chips which claim that the chip will be rendered unusable if
placed in a PC. I can't figure out what could possibly be corrupted by
simply inserting the chip.

-- Geoff

 

[R. McCarty]

Is the flash in question housed in a standard USB socket config ?
It could be a voltage issue where the signaling strengths or bus
voltages aren't at a standard USB level and could result in chip
damage. Just a simple mounting operation wouldn't result in the
data being rendered unreadable.

 

[Geoff Schultz]

Yes, the flash is installed in a standard socket. And some of the flash
chips are SanDisk 256 MB chips. In order to update the firmware on the
GPS/Chartplotter you load a file onto a non-chart flash and place it into the
GPS. Nothing special as far as I can tell.

The chart chips are $200, so I'm leary of finding out the hard way if
something really gets updated on them which disables the chip.

Is there anyway to software write-lock the flash drive? The chips don't have
a write-lock switch.

-- Geoff

 

[Geoff Schultz]

I've been thinking about this and kind of answering my own question. The
"Date Accessed" fields get updated for all of the directories that included
in a "dir". I assume that the (I'm not quite sure about the name of it) root
directory "Date Accessed" also gets modified when the drive is mounted.

So, is there a way to write-lock the flash drive via software (freeware)?

-- Geoff

 

[V Green]

I've been thinking about this and kind of answering my own question. The
"Date Accessed" fields get updated for all of the directories that included
in a "dir". I assume that the (I'm not quite sure about the name of it) root
directory "Date Accessed" also gets modified when the drive is mounted.

So, is there a way to write-lock the flash drive via software (freeware)?

-- Geoff

Probably not. That would have the effect of creating a
Flash-ROM. You would never be able to do anything
except READ from it again (you wouldn't even be able
to turn the "lock" off).

 

[Geoff Schultz]

I'm not suggesting that the physical flash card be written to such that it
is marked non-write, I'm suggesting that the drive is marked as
nowrite/read-only in software when it is mounted.

-- Geoff