USB Flash Drive Question...U3...

audiobliss

I just recently got a Sandisk Curzer Micro USB flash drive (4GB....woohoo!!!), and I'm having a problem with it.

It came with this thing called U3 Launcher. Appearantly U3 is some kind of format in which you can install programs to your flash drive and then run them on any computer from your flash drive. Well, I have absolutely zero need for that, and would rather have more space on my flash drive.

Under settings and what not, it has the option to let me uninstall the U3 stuff and return it to just a regular flash drive. However, everytime I say 'uninstall' it counters with "This program only supports one U3 drive removal. Exit the program and unplug extra drive then try again."

I don't have an extra drive...what should I do?

Thanks!

Systems

Have you tried just formatting the drive?

disneyjoe7

Yes just reformat USB drive, if still a problem do it in XP safe option.

audiobliss

Ok, nevermnd. I actually tried using google!

It was actually quite simple. While believing in its powers and future greatness, www.u3.com also recognizes that some people don't want it and have a program you can download that uninstalls it. I just Went through it, and now I have a regular 4GB flash drive, and don't have to put up with the U3 launchpad and such.

Thanks, though, everyone!

brettw22

I have the cruzer titanium with the u3 and I like it. I can store my own personal favorites places, my firefox etc so if i end up on a machine that doesn't use the browser i like etc i can just load the sites off my drive so i can have everything i possibly could need with me while on someone elses computer............good stuff imo.

audiobliss

I think the technology is pretty awesome, and can actually see that its capabilities could definitely have its uses, but for my purposes, the U3 served no need, nor really a want, and just took up space and increased 'loading' times for the flash drive. At the rate the price on these are going down...when I'm in a position where I could benefit from the U3 technology in 4 years or so...I'll just buy another one.

I didn't know about the titanium version when I got mine. I definitely would have been tempted to get one of those if I had, despite the fact it's only half the size. Crush resistant to 2000 pounds?? I'd like that. Wouldn't be near as afraid of messing it up. Mine's not flimsy, really...but not too far from it.

disneyjoe7

What I seen from U3 site the software looks like you can download it also. So no need to buy another if you desired it back. Also it looked like a server software product that you need to be on a network to make it work. Some things like passwords / music / pictures may be stored on USB drive locally, but others like browser looks like it's server based.

audiobliss

I'm not sure if you could reinstall it or not. Several throughout the uninstallation process, a warning popped up asking if I was sure I wanted to remove it, because the uninstallation was irreversible.

Oh well.

disneyjoe7

Checked again and funny need U3 software brings you to USB makers with U3? I'll be interested if this business model is working for them.

Early B.

After reading this thread, I uninstalled U3 from my Sandisk Cruzer jump drive. Glad I did. Thanks, AB.

audiobliss

Wow, one of my lame, moronic threads actually did some good? :eek:

Cool!


You're we'come.

PhantomOG

Can someone answer this for me?

I have a USB flash drive that I use pretty easily: plug it in, do whatever I need to do with files, close all apps/windows accessing the drive, then unplug it. I never click the sys tray icon and do the "Safely Remove Hardware" thing.

I now also have an external hard drive that I connect with a firewire cable. I've been doing the whole "Safely Remove Hardware" thing before powering it down because the book said to. Do I really need to do this? Or can I just turn the drive power button off whenever I'm done accessing the files?

disneyjoe7

PhantomOG wrote:

Can someone answer this for me?

I have a USB flash drive that I use pretty easily: plug it in, do whatever I need to do with files, close all apps/windows accessing the drive, then unplug it. I never click the sys tray icon and do the "Safely Remove Hardware" thing.

Agreed

I now also have an external hard drive that I connect with a firewire cable. I've been doing the whole "Safely Remove Hardware" thing before powering it down because the book said to. Do I really need to do this? Or can I just turn the drive power button off whenever I'm done accessing the files?

I say doing the way you are doing it now is the right way. You asking about a spinning disk with a head reader, so power off wrong and the head reader can crash the disk. Doing so causes errors, bad spots.

PhantomOG

That's what I figured, thanks. With all the effort I went through getting the drive to work with my system I'm beginning to wish I had just bought a new internal drive.

ohskigod

wow, makes my puny 128 Megabyte flash drive look like nothing eh?

disneyjoe7

Well I think you can remove the disk for the external disk case, then you could install this drive to your computer.

disneyjoe7

ohskigod wrote:

wow, makes my puny 128 Megabyte flash drive look like nothing eh?

My wife is using my old 32 meg flash drive, I checked it somethings for just how much is used and it never over 50%. So you never got another one from me.

PhantomOG

disneyjoe7 wrote:

Well I think you can remove the disk for the external disk case, then you could install this drive to your computer.

considering I'm the one who put it into the enclosure...

Basically, I bought a new computer and wanted to bring in my old IDE HD, but the system is entirely SATA, no IDE connectors available. I bought a PCI IDE controller, didn't work for my needs (required boot drive be attached to card), returned it. Bought a little IDE-SATA bridge circuit board thingy, kinda worked but caused system instability. Finally broke down and bought an external enclosure. Things are ok now, however its just not as convenient as I'd imagined.

So in the end, I should have just ponied up for a nice new big SATA drive and copied the files over. But I'm dumb and stubborn.

audiobliss

ohskigod wrote:

wow, makes my puny 128 Megabyte flash drive look like nothing eh?

Your what? Oh. Well, where is it? Where? There? Oh...that little thing. Boy, that is small!

brettw22

It is a little funny that on a 4GB flash drive you're worried about the minimal space taken up by the u3 software......

audiobliss

Yes indeed, yes indeed.

Though I'm pretty sure I did mention at least once that I just didn't like dealing with the launch pad and other U3 stuff. Space wasn't really an issue...though more space is just like more watts/amps which is just like more displacement which is just like bigger blinged out dubs which is just like...etc etc

brettw22

eh...it takes 3-5 seconds to load on my laptop.......i guess it depends on your system too

audiobliss

Took about the same on my computer at home. However, I'll be using it primarily on various computers at school, and you have to log into the school computers for a certain length of time, and often times when I'm using my flash drive with one, I just want to plug it in, access a paper, and print it, as fast as I can. That's the main use this drive will see. That extra 3 - 5 seconds, while not substantial, would be quite an annoyance after a while.