[Cialug] Modifying a read-only flash drive

[Matthew Nuzum]

There is probably a trigger in the firmware that the vendor uses to create
the read only volume. I think this is done by causing the drive to show up
as a USB composite device with two different mass storage devices.

Regardless of how it's done, it's going to be in the devices firmware, not
something that you can just format to make it go away. I'd look at the usb
vendor id and search for tools that may be used to program the device.

On Mon, May 10, 2010 at 11:13 AM, Matt Breitbach
<matthewb at flash.shanje.com>wrote:

> My little brother gave me a little 2GB USB key that he got from a vendor
> and
> it only has one little problem - there is a 4MB read-only drive full of
> vendor crapola on it.
>
> I'd like to remove that partition and merge it into the main system, or
> just
> fry it completely.  It's currently read-only, and I can't seem to find a
> way
> to disable it.  There's no external switch, and upon dis-assembly there
> doesn't seem to be anything on the circuit board that would indicate a
> read-only switch.
>
> I've tried using DBAN to just wipe the entire thing, but it actually sees
> two physical disks on the USB key.  Is there any way to remove the
> read-only
> switch on this, or am I stuck with 4MB of vendor crap popping up every time
> I insert the stick?
>
>
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-- 
Matthew Nuzum
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"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought."
–Matsuo Bashō
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