Buying the best flash disk in the Indian Market and Pen Drive Related Problems

INCOMPLETE

Focus of the post : -

• This post gives an idea of the performance of value flash disks whose performance specifications arent declared by the manufacturer.

• Partitioning a pendrive
• Protecting Data
  
• Booting from pendrive
• Best Portable HDD and Recovering Partitions.
  

1.Corsair - Corsair Flash Voyager is a water resistance drive enclosed in rubber housing.

1.1 Corsair Flash Voyager 4GB

1.2 Corsair Flash Voyager 8GB

2.PNY - PNY offers some excellent slim drives with good performance.I bought 4GB Micro Attache from Ebay,the drive stopped working the same day.I replaced it with a new drive the next day.The new pendrive was slightly different from the original.The Ebay pendrive was replaced by Fortune Marketing and the new pen drive was detected as 0 but had a serial no. in registry,the Ebay pendrive was detected as USBest USB2Flash Storage.The Ebay pendrive(navkarIT) was slow and the dimensions were misprinted as 30x12x21 mm in place of 30x12x2.1mm .Another difference that was visible on the new drive was different circuitry and the presence of two golden dots near the name PNY at the back side.Generally slim pendrives are very slow but the PNY drives offered better than acceptable performance and comes with a 5 year warranty .There are three slim drives available from PNY:-

• Micro Attache - 30 x12 x 2.1mm (little bigger than a simcard)
  
• Sliding Attache - 35 x 15 x 4mm , 50 x 15 x 4mm(open)
• Metro Attache -

In contrast ,the Kingston Mini Slim has dimensions of 38.85 x 16.4 x 6.44 mm and comes with a warranty of 2yrs.Write speeds are good though.

2.1 PNY Micro Attache 4GB

2.2 PNY Micro Attache 4GB - USBest USB2Flash Storage(bought from EBAY)

3.Kingston

Kingston Flash disk Comparison >> OLD >>

3.1 Kingston DataTraveller 2GB Lime

3.2 Kingston DataTraveller 4GB Purple

3.3 Kingston DataTraveller Generation2 (G2) - 4GB - Yellow.Official :-10MB/sec read, 5MB/sec write (Extremely slow drive)

4.Transcend

4.1 Transcend JetFlash 110 8GB

4.2 Transcend Jetflash v33 2GB

5.Sandisk

5.1 Sandisk Cruzer Micro 1GB (Black,Retractable Model)

6.Moserbaer

6.1 Moserbaer 1GB

7.Amkette

7.1 Amkette Spectra Pro 4GB

8.HP - HP slim drives are manufactured by PNY and comes with 2yr warranty.Both PNY and HP are distributed by Fortune Marketing.HP drives are also slower than PNY.


8.1 HP Slim v155w

32mb blocks

8.2 HP v165w

8Mb blocks

32MB Blocks

Official Specs - 2G,4G(4MB-Write,20MB-Read),8G,16G(8MB-Write,25MB-Read)

All tests 8mb blocks unless mentioned

Personal Choice - Corsair Flash Voyager ,PNY Micro Attache,PNY Metro Attache.High speed flash disk arent easily available in the indian market and the ones available are insanely costly.OCZ basic and turbo models has one of the best read and write speeds.Refrain yourself from buying Moserbaer,Amkette,Imation.

Partitioning your pendrive   

1.You can partition the drives easily with lexar flip bit tool.More info available here.Lexar flip bit doesnt support all PD's.It works on Corsair,PNY but not on Kingston.

2.Registry Method :Multiple Partitions on USB Stick Storage

Protecting Data

- Creating a windows supported securezone and public partition - Memory Bar will allow you to create upto two partitons : - 1.Password protected Secure Zone 2.Public Area - Upon insertion the public area will only be accessible.You cant access both partitions at the same time.The public area can be made bootable just like a normal flashdisk.It is similar to Kingston old soft.Make sure you Readme.txt before using memory bar .(Google for download link)

-Using Truecrypt is the best way to protect data

-PDs with Chipsbank controller can try the FlashDisk Manager tool .Quick Start Guide for Flash Disk (Chipsbank Controller)

Unable to Format a Pen drive

Common Issues and Helpful Tips to Avoid Potential Data Loss or Data Corruption on a Corsair USB Flash Drive

Try Windows Disk Manager Utilty or the HP Format Tool .If you get an error like "CFG Table not found" or if the PD is getting detected as a 8MB drive then read pages here and here.

Booting from a Pen drive

• Windows XP /Windows 7 - Skip the old methods - Novicorp WinToFlash

• Boot Various Linux Distros (Forget UNetBOOTIN), specific ISO's ,floppy images from a single pendrive :- Ubuntu,Backtrack,KonBoot,Acronis True Image,Super Grub Disk,Gparted,Super Grub Disk,Sea Tools,etc- Ultimate thread.

Buying the best portable Harddisk

• Maxtor One Touch 4 is my personal favourite
  

• Package Contents:-

1. HDD with preloaded software
2. Mini USB Cable
3. Maxtor Safety Drill recovery (Linux Live CD based on KNOPPIX)
4. Software CD
5. Seagate 5400.3 PR SATA HDD
   

• Cons

1. Surface Prone to Scratches
2. No Pouch for HDD
   

The Seagate Freeagent GO is similar to Maxtor One touch IV.The only differenes are:-

1. Short USB cable supports USB 2.0 only.
2. The Seagate Freeagent GO does not support complete Locking of partitions.
3. One Touch Button Backup and Maxtor Safety Drill missing.
4. Seagate Manager is similar to Maxtor Manager and supports both HDDs.However you cannot lock partitions using Seagate Manager.
5. The Maxtor casing is a lot easier to open and you wont get into warranty void problems.

Recovering Partitions

If you have deleted a partition by mistake or partitions are corrupted coz of cheap chinese casings the first thing you should try is undeleting the partition .Not all data recovery softwares support this mode .

Try:-Testdisk,Active @Partition Recovery,Acronis Disk Director with Recovery Expert,Diskinternals Partition Recovery.

Beetel 220BX1 - New Firmware Disables USB

Focus of the post :- Updating the firmware of Beetel 220BX1 and Beetel 220BX will disable the USB connection port .

The new firmware for BX1 disables the USB port of the modem.The software version in FW3(Beetel 220BX1) and FW4(Beetel 110BX1) pics is exactly the same.This means the new firmware is meant for the newer model Beetel 110BX1 which has no USB port.

During service,the airtel engineer updated the firmware without my consent.When i asked him about the changes in the new firmware he replied that there is nothing new except the USB will be disabled.On asking further,he explained the USB caused frequent corruption of the modem settings.I told him to replace the modem with a new one.I destroyed my modem while downgrading the firmware.You wont be able to downgrade from v3.12L.The USB port is useful in connecting two systems to the internet without any hassles.

The firmware has minor changes and wont really effect the preformance.The logins http://192.168.1.1 and http://192.168.1.1/main.html has been integrated into one.Connect/Disconnect option in the modem page and a few other features.

• v3.00L (Oldest Firmware,Available for Download on the Beetel site)

Filename : T28-0q-003

Size : 1.79 MB

• v3.04L (Beetel 220BX)
  

Filename : T2H-0Q-001

Size : 1.79 MB

Download 

Changes :  Bug Fix and Enhancement History (From Release Notes)

This release contains the following enhancements and bug fixes since the previous release.

1. Blocked PPPoE Discover packet from WAN as the modem is in PPPoE mode. 

2.Don’t allow to create same PVC. 

3. Change the DSL firmware to A2pB021c. 

4. Can’t modify wan configuration via telnet menu.

• v3.06L (Default FW for Beetel 220BX1 - Recommended) 

• v3.12L (Default FW for Beetel 110BX1,Compatible with BX and BX1 also but disables the USB port on both of them)

Filename : T2HQ007
Size : 1.80 MB
Download

Beetel 220BX USB Disconnection problem
http://www.broadband4india.com/airtel-broadband/593-airtel-beetel-220bx-usb-disconnections.html
http://broadbandforum.in/airtel-broadband/10225-airtel-broadband-beetel-220bx-usb-disconnections/2/

USB Driver for Beetel 220BX1 and Beetel 220BX  

PNY 9600GT - GOD,Good,Bad or Ugly??

 

PNY VCG96512GXPB

Place of buy:-Some place in America

Date of buy:-Some time in July 

Price:-$150

I had a $150 budget for a mid-range graphics card.In India i was getting XFX 8600GT for $139(Rs 6000) so i told my friend to get a XFX 9600GT through his uncle in America.8800GT was out of budget for me and 9600GT filled the gap between 8800GT and 8600GTS so i emailed the newegg link for XFX 9600GT Extreme Edition which had the same price as standard edition.XFX gone mad with over 14 9600GT's in the lineup with Standard(650,1800)Extreme XT(680,1900),XXX(700,2000),XXX Alpha dog(740) Editions.Each of the models has its variants with difference in game bundle(Call of duty 4 or Company of Heroes),RAM and accessories.

-Standard model(4 variants) is available in plain 512MB,plain 512MB with CoH,with 1024MB DDR3 with either CoD4 or CoH;
-Extreme XT(2 variants) is available with CoH standard accessories,or with CoH better accessories bundle.
-XXX Edition(2 variants) is available with CoH,with CoD4
-XXX Alpha dog is available with either CoD4,CoH or Assasin's Creed...XFX confuses more with different model numbers for each

...but for my some reason my friend couldnt get a card through newegg and i ended up with a PNY 9600GT.So lets take a look at it......and i got lucky

Specs and chipset comparison table here and here


  
The package and accessories

 

The card is protected in a plastic enclosure and includes basic/standard accessories.Verto sounds a overclocking range but its plain vanilla 9600GT with stock speeds.The package includes:- an installation CD,quick installation guide,2 DVI->D-SUB/VGA convertors,S-Video Cable,Molex->PCI-E convertor,HDTV cable

Ripping it apart

SAMSUNG K4J52324QE-BJ1A rated for 1000Mhz

The cooling is just average when compared to other 9600GT's.Its all aluminium and uses a Chiefly Choice fanCC6010S12H(Chiefly Choice+W*L*H+S for sleeve bearing+12V+H for HighSpeed) with 4000RPM speed and 15.15CFM air flow.The card uses a reference cooler and its idle temp is around 44C.


Memory Chips

The Samsung chips are rated for 1Ghz and easily overclocks to the rated frequencies.There is no cooling on the memory chips so dont expect it to overclock further .


Warranty for America:XFX offers the best warranty options while PNY offers one year warranty which can be extended to three years if you register on their site.In India i wont be getting any warranty so i wont lend it to anyone

Pros

• Conclusion:Good
  
• The USP of this card is its price.This card is one of the cheapest 9600GT's.
• Average overclocking.Overclocked Speeds :- 725/1000 (Not final,if you want you can bring this to cons).Its completely idiotic to pay more for factory overclocked cards...you pay more for what you can do yourselves..plus the card's been already overclocked so it wont overclock that much.
  
•  There is no point in complaining the accessories bundle or the cooling part since its one of the most affordable 9600GTs.Entry level cards in this range from other brands offer the same bundle.
• Attractive SLI option.
  

Cons

• Limited warranty options when compared to XFX and game bundle.

EVGA 9600GTs and Palit 9600GT Sonic with HDMI and Displayport will be an attractive option too.

9600GT around the Web
AnandTech  Bringing Competition to Midrange  The GeForce 9600 GT Raises NVIDIA's Sub $200 Bar
Toms: Nvidia's GeForce 9600 GT Tested Conclusion
Ars Technica: reviews the NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
LegitReviews:EVGA, Palit and XFX GeForce 9600 GT Video Card Review
EVGA e-GeForce 9600 GT SSC Review
LegitReviews:PNY Verto GeForce 9600 GT Video Card Review (June 5.2008)
Tweaktown:PNY Verto GeForce 9600GT Graphics Card
LegitReviews:Albatron GeForce 9600GT-512X Video Card Review
PCPER: BFG GeForce 9600 GT 512MB Review - NVIDIA G94 Tested
Fudzilla:XFX does three 9600GT's.htm 
Fudzilla:Zotac officially launches DisplayPort 9600GT 
Fudzilla:Zotac 9600GT has six outputs
Fudzilla:9600GT shrunk to 55nm
Fudzilla:Galaxy's low-profile 9600GT is available
Fudzilla:Sparkle 9600 GT with a dual-fly cooler 
Fudzilla:Asus OC Gear also with 9600GT
Fudzilla:MSI N9600GT Diamond has 2GB of GDDR3 with Turbo button, Hybrid Freezer and Dr Mos
Fudzilla:MSI's 9600GT Hybrid Freezer is overclocked
Fudzilla:Vvikoo has 9600GT Turbo in copper
Fudzilla:Gainward 9600GT 1024MB likes overclocking 
Fudzilla:Sparkle puts 1GB on 9600GT 
Fudzilla:XFX 9600 GT 700M XXX play hard tested
Tweaktown:XFX GeForce 9600GT XXX Alpha Dog Edition
Techtree:XFX 9600GT XXX Edition
GeForce 9600 GT Triplet
Shader Clock Overclocking Tutorial 
Update 31st August: Amdzone: 24 XFX PVT96GYDF4 GeForce 9600GTs Overclocked



About the card

This card sucks . It is dead within 8 months. Never overclocked.Cabinet always open. Looks like it died of overheating after dust buildup in the heatsink.

I dared to ignore this

Best Recordable Media available in the Indian Market

1.CD-Rs-Moserbaer GOLD - Rs9 or
Moserbaer Platinum 12(+-3)

2.CD-RWs-Sony CD-RW 4x CDRW700s (Made in Taiwan) with 700MB capacity- Rs35
MoserBaer Pro CD-RW 4x-10 with 700MB capacity
Sony CD-RW 4x-10 CDRW650SHS with 650MB capacity

3.DVD-R-Sony 16x Jewel Case DMR47S3 (Made in India) supports upto 18x - Rs22-25
Sony 16x Jewel Case DMR47S3 (Made in Taiwan) - NA now
Sony 16x without jewel case - Rs17

4.DVD+R
use DVD-R instead or Sony 16x Jewel Case DPR47S3 - Rs25

5.DVD-R Lightscribe
Imation is the only option available rightnow.Verbatim medias are also available in few areas.

6.DVD+RW-Moserbaer Pro DVD+RW 4x - Rs55

7.DVD+R DL (DVD+R9)-Moserbaer DVD+R DL 8x - Rs80-100
Verbatrim DVD-R DL 2x - Rs 200 a year ago


-Original or Duplicate?
Sony duplicates are available in the market so while buying Sony media's check for the Hologram on the jewel case or spindle box.
Use Nero CD-DVD Speed to check the Manufacturer name and MID.>>

-Different types of DVD>>
-Dash-Camp(DVD Forum) versus Plus+Camp(DVD-Alliance)>>
-Use DVD-R instead of DVD+R because of wide compatibility and cheaper rates.
-Use DVD+RW instead of DVD-RW because greater speeds DVD+Rs are available in the market and DVD+RW is somewhat more robust in error management>>
-While buying DL media 8.5GB dont care for DVD+R9 or DVD-R9 ,just buy the one which is cheap coz there isnt any practical difference between the media types.They are different in the manner in which they are recorded>>
-DVD-Alliance>>

USB port stops responding after removing and inserting USB devices

Focus of the post:-USB ports stops responding after adevice is repeatedly inserted and removed.Edit the following registry key or open notepad copy the following lines save as *.reg and open.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usb]
"DisableSelectiveSuspend"=dword:00000001

Some other USB problems:-

Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 does not detect your new USB device
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;314634

General USB troubleshooting in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;310575


One or more USB devices may not work after you start your Windows XP-based computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885624/en-us

A USB mouse that is connected to a USB 2.0 hub is not detected by Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893711/en-us

Windows XP Does Not Recognize a USB Storage Device After You Resume from Standby
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329255/en-us

You may not be able to use a USB mouse or a USB keyboard to wake up your computer from standby
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/819804/en-us

USB port may stop working after removing or inserting USB device
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/817900/en-us


How to turn off the "Hi-speed USB device plugged into non-hi-speed USB hub" warning message
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/835967/en-us

How to obtain and to install USB 2.0 drivers in Windows XP Service Pack 1
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329632/en-us

Monochrome Laser Printer Buyout

Date of buy:-23rd October 2007

Place of buy:-NASA,Lucknow

Price:-Rs.5950

Buying an entry level monochrome laser printer was a tough job for me.I had four brands to choose from Samsung,HP,Xerox,Canon.Xerox printers are hard to get in computer market,they have a no frills 600dpi printer for around 4000Rs.I had to travel long distances to get a Xerox printer plus i wasnt sure about its service.They are distributed through esys.The second brand was HP,all the printers were overpriced when compared to Samsung and Canon.An entry level 600x600 dpi HP 1018 costs Rs5500 while a similar specs Samsung ML-1610 costs around Rs.4200.I was surprised at HP's prices because everywhere around you see HP laser printers in government office and in cybercafes too.The second brand out from my list was HP just coz of its insane prices.Samsung had three printers in its product lineup(the printers you can actually buy ,the rest are only available on the wild wild web):-ML-1610,ML-2010,ML-2571.The first two models were available in the computer market for Rs4200 and Rs5200 respectively.ML-2571 is a network printer and it seems that it is distributed through some other channels!!.ML -2010 (1200x600,1 yr onsite warranty) seemed to be quite convincing printer.I was looking for a decent laser printer with good value for money.Generally entry level laser printers are marketed on:-

• speed (ranges from 15ppm-22ppm across models)
• resolution(600x600,1200x600,1200x1200)
• processor(150,400Mhz,etc)
• RAM(8-32MB)
• toner capacity(its equivalent of petrol tank in your bike and NOT EQUAL to petrol),
• time taken to print the first page out

The only feature i was concerned about was resolution.You should be aware if the mentioned dpi is the true dpi or a interpolated one.Since i wanted it for homePC for text printouts speed,time and distance was not a priority for me.Ram and processor are just enough to handle the device so you need not pay attention to this.Another thing that samsung advertised was 1-yr onsite warranty and 3000 page toner capacity.I was impressed so i decided to buy a samsung printer very next day.

Final day:-Finally when i went out with money i found another new entrant in the printer arena - CANON.Canon hoardings were being placed all around the NASA Building and most big shopkeepers(shopkeepers who actually stock the item rather than buying it from other shops)replaced their old hoardings.This indicated that canon is giving a good product lineup,better margins for sellers and good service.Canon is the best manufacturer for inkjets,MFDs ,digicam.Initially i doubted canon's ability for lasers but soon i came to know that it manufactures laser assemblies's and other laser printer parts for other manufactures.Canon's 'laser shot' printers offered excellent features way ahead than SAMSUNG and HP.For my budget,i had two models to choose from the CLB-300(Rs.5500) and LBP-1210(Rs.5950).The LBP-1210 looks like a heavy duty printer.I have a liking for big and heavy things and this printer just got that.Its features were superb:- it has CAPT(Canon Advanced Printing Technology that makes use of PC's processor and RAM),USB+parallel connectivity,250 page paper tray,2400x600 dpi!!(600x600 true) and 0->warm->up->time,bi-directional print direction.The most striking thing i came to know about CANON laser's was that they came with full toner's.I was not aware of the fact that HPee and SAMSunk ship with dem0 cartridges.The are about 25-30% filled.Since i am a no printer expert,his thing i came to know from the dealers only and you should confirm this.Toner's cartridges cost about Rs2500 but they can be refilled for 2500/10=Rs250.The best thing is that i got 2-yrs on-site warranrty on the printer while the lighter model CLB-3000 ships with a lighter warranty of 1-year.The deal was finalised for Rs.5950.

Shortcomings:-The package was so big that it could not be carried on a two-wheeler.The power switch is difficult to reach on the backyard.The worst part is that the printer ships with no connectivity cable.You have to buy it separately from the market.You need a USB B-type cable that is different from normal USB cable.I used my Beetel ADSL 220Bx1 modems USB cable.The printer driver was easy to setup and didnt find any problems in installation.The whole setup took about 15mins.Also let me tell this printer is really big,really really big ,really really really big-388wx524dx254h mm.Therefore thIS printer is not made for OFFICE ENVOIRMENT.Overall,the printer offers an excellent value for money.

Warning/Advice:
-This is a really big printer,i would call it a half pregnant Samsung ML-2010.
-Refrain yourselfes from buying a HP even if they offer 3yr warranty with HP care pack with the packs costing as much as the new printer itself.

Links of Interest:-
http://www.thinkdigit.com/index.php?action=article&prodid=476&page=1
http://www.canon-europe.com/For_Home/Product_Finder/Printers/Laser/LaserShot_LBP1210/index.asp
http://www.laser-printer-reviews.com/laser-printer-reviews/canon-laser-shot-LBP-1210.html
http://www.lotus4services.com/index.php?productID=904
http://www.samsung.com/in/consumer/type/type.do?group=laserprintersmultifunction&type=laserprintersmultifunction

Canon Linux Drivers:-
http://v0xel.wordpress.com/2006/05/23/canoon-lbp-1120-on-ubuntu-510-how-to/
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-672928.html
http://opfc.sourceforge.jp/index.html.en
http://opfc.sourceforge.jp/download.html.en