ReadyBoost killed my USB flash drive

[Guest]

I plugged my (working normally) 1Gb flash drive into my Vista computer and
received the alert that I could use it to speed the system using ReadyBoost -
so I emptied the drive and formatted it ready to go.

When I turned the system off, I removed the flash drive and, later, when I
reinserted it I was told that it needed to be formatted - but the format
utility reported that it was unable to complete the operation. I tried it on
an alternative computer and it reported the same. So it seems that ReadyBoost
has killed my flash drive!

Is there a utility that could reclaim the flash drive? It appears to format
OK if I use NTFS, but then it fails when I copy files to it. Has anyone else
suffered a similar fate?

 

[Guest]

IanB,

If this is a SanDisk drive, then try using the SanDisk software removal and
formating tool. You can download it from its website. SanDisk flash drives
have some proprietary configuration that requires its tool to get right.
Also, flash drivers configured in FAT 32 work in Vista ReadyBoost. That's
how mine is set up, and I'm having no problems.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Freddy, but it's a generic device - I'll try Sandisk's software,
though, just in case it works!