Ok, so you realise that the “bargain” you bought at the robots is not really a 32Gb Transcend USB Memory Stick, but a low quality knock off worth far less than what you paid for it….believe me after the anger has subsided for being ripped off you will start looking for ways to try and get some sort of “value” from them.  That is why I put together todays post.

Your options are:

1. Return it to the street vendor who sold it to you (good luck with that one…)
2. Find a brick/hammer/heavy object and destroy it (can be therapeutic…)
3. Make “lemonade from the lemon” and find a use for it (that what we gonna do today…)

First Step:

You already know that your memory stick is not really 32Gb in size but most likely less than 1Gb in size.  If you have not tested the drive yet, do so with one of the following apps:

Windows: H2testw by Harald Bögeholz
Linux: F3 created by Michel Machado

I ran F3 on the “32Gb” flash drive I had purchased and it reported that only 768Mb was USABLE on the drive…so I know now that I should not use more than 700Mb.

I suggest that you delete all the partitions on the flash drive and make a new partition slightly smaller than your reported usable space.  Format this so that you have a drive letter and “usable” space.  Remember you don’t want to be using this drive for anything important like your photos, will etc…

Lets Mod!

The last thing that you want is to be reminded of the experience everytime you look at the flash drive, so lets change that!  Obviously cracking open the “Transcend” housing will not bring a tear to your eye, so what do you have to loose?

1800Recycling has an article on how to change the appearance of flash drives, check out these and other cool ideas:

Check out more examples at: http://1800recycling.com/2011/01/recycled-usb-flash-drive-mods/

Admit it – that looks pretty cool and add some “value” to your purchase.

What Software To Use with Fake Flash

Obviously you should never use this drive to store information on that you would prefer never to loose. But lets put this sucker to real use – remember your usable size of the device will determine what software can be loaded…

1. Load an Alternative OS:

– WattOS – http://www.planetwatt.com/ – lightweight Linux OS (580Mb)

– PuppyLinux – http://puppylinux.org – lightweight Linux OS (128Mb)

– DamnSmallLinux – http://www.damnsmalllinux.org –  lightweight Linux OS (50Mb)

2. Rescue your PC:

– Hirens BootCD – http://www.hirensbootcd.org – ultimate tool (512Mb+)

– BartPE – http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ – run Windows as a LiveCD (512Mb+)

3. Portable Apps:

Portable apps are apps that run on a PC without the need to install it on the PC…check some of these lists.

– PortableApps.com – great selection of apps

– MakeUseOf – 100 great portable apps

– Hongkiat – 70 portable apps

 

Well with all these inspiring ideas above there is no need to feel depressed about being ripped off.

Now go make “lemonade from your lemon” …. 😆