USB thumb drive creates additional (virtual) CD-drive when connected

[zaajats]

Hello

In the course of some campaign I was given a USB thumb drive.

When I connect it, it shows up in My Computer as 2 different drives: a
standard removable disk AND a CD drive with a single file (a PDF with
some marketing content).

Also, after I disconnect it the drives remain visible in My Comp, but
after reconnecting the drive again I get a "G:\ refers to a location
that is unavailable" error when I try to browse the drive contents.

Is there any way I can remove this idiotic (and apparently buggy)
behavior? Perhaps somehow _format_ the entire USB drive (as opposed to
only the non-CD part, which I can format already without affecting
anything)?

And how is this behavior achieved anyway?

 

[Uwe Sieber]

This is an U3 USB flash drive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U3

Because Windows has autorun ennabled for CD-ROM drives only
by default, they put a virtual CD-ROM drive in the USB key.
Very strange solution I think.

There is an U3 uninstall tool to completely remove the CD-ROM
part:
http://u3.com/uninstall


Greetings from Germany

Uwe

 

[Michael Walraven]

If you use disk management tool to examine the 'drive' you might see two
partions, if so you can delte the partions and recreat just one partion.
Then format it.

(start - administrative tools - computer management - disk management)
be carefull make SURE you are changing the USB not you hard disks!!!

 

[Uwe Sieber]

If you use disk management tool to examine the 'drive' you might see two
partions, if so you can delte the partions and recreat just one partion.
Then format it.

(start - administrative tools - computer management - disk management)
be carefull make SURE you are changing the USB not you hard disks!!!

No, these are no partitions. The USB device appears with
two functions: One removable drive and one CD-ROM drive
and this way they appear in the disk management.


Uwe