Faulty USB stick

[Piff]

As new SLK doesn't work with iPod, but does support music files on a USB stick, operating through Audio 20, decided to buy a large capacity USB stick.
Found on ebay a 32gb stick in the shape of an MB Ignition Key - reasonable price.

Copied itunes to a new forlder & sorted into Artist folders, containing Album folders, containing track files. This seems to suit Audio 20 controls.

Tried several times now, but the USB stick does not seem to receive all the data.

Folder on pc is 16.3gb
USB stick claims to have received 16.3gb.
There are 89 artist folders.
On the USB stick 48 of these folders are empty. USB stick reports 0 bytes for these folders.
Tried deleting the emply folders and USB stick still reports 16.3gb.
Checked the other artist folders on the USB stick and the missing albums aren't hiding in these folders.

Faulty USB stick? Or am I missing something?

 

[Colin_b]

Could be its too big! The stick is probably OK, but formatted NTFS or a similar format that. I think it needs to be FAT32, which has a 32gb limit is (I think..).

 

[Simon_M]

You get a lot of fake USB drives on eBay - they show as the correct size when connected to a computer but you cannot write the full size of data to them.

Run a diagnostic tool like H2testw on it.

S

 

[Piff]

Could be its too big! The stick is probably OK, but formatted NTFS or a similar format that. I think it needs to be FAT32, which has a 32gb limit is (I think..).

It is formatted to FAT32

 

[Gollom]

It is formatted to FAT32

If it is Class 10 the capacity is not guaranteed. They are cheap for a reason. You need one Class 4 as a minimum really

 

[Piff]

You get a lot of fake USB drives on eBay - they show as the correct size when connected to a computer but you cannot write the full size of data to them.

Run a diagnostic tool like H2testw on it.

S

Running test at the moment

 

[Piff]

If it is Class 10 the capacity is not guaranteed. They are cheap for a reason. You need one Class 4 as a minimum really

Hmmm
32 gb stick struggling with just over half

 

[John]

I bought a black Verbatim Pinstripe 32GB for £15 off eBay for the Misses' Juke - you cannot see it is in the car as it blends in so we leave it in.

Get a refund on the one you bought and go for a decent one instead!

 

[Piff]

I bought a black Verbatim Pinstripe 32GB for £15 off eBay for the Misses' Juke - you cannot see it is in the car as it blends in so we leave it in.

Get a refund on the one you bought and go for a decent one instead!

Will wait for the test to end - 42 minutes in & 66 minutes to go (yawn)
But looks very much like a return to e-bay seller.
Been piddling around with it for 3 or 4 days now so will be pleased to see the back of it.

 

[Piff]

I bought a black Verbatim Pinstripe 32GB for £15 off eBay for the Misses' Juke - you cannot see it is in the car as it blends in so we leave it in.

Just had a look at the Verbatim Pinstripe 32GB £14.80 on amazon. With the SLK the usb socket is in the central arm rest box, but with usb stick in, it is likely to get knocked when getting other bits in & out.
Anyone know of a good brand which is short & stubby so less likely to be knocked?

edit
May have found it SanDisk 32GB Cruzer

 

[John]

I've never bought SanDisk but I think they fit in the premium category and I think I had one of their sticks I inherited somehow once. Was fine.

At least you can easily send it back if it is a crock, now.

 

[Simon_M]

I use these - very short...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005LDM3HO/?tag=amazon0e9db-21

 

[npuk]

Fake pendrives / memory cards are rife on ebay. They are really are a lower capacity drive which show a higher fake capacity but when you copy the data across you notice data is missing as all it does is overwrite the data to make it look as if it all copied to the drive.

Buy a good branded drive from the likes of Amazon or 7dayshop.

 

[Piff]

Fake pendrives / memory cards are rife on ebay. They are really are a lower capacity drive which show a higher fake capacity but when you copy the data across you notice data is missing as all it does is overwrite the data to make it look as if it all copied to the drive.

Buy a good branded drive from the likes of Amazon or 7dayshop.

But mine has got a 32gb sticker on it so it can't be fake - can it?

 

[Piff]

Although test incomplete, it is flagging up problems.

What's the best way to get a refund on e-bay?
Options displayed are:-
Contact Seller
Return Item
Resolve a Problem

 

[John]

If you have the option to return it - I'd do that.

Are you within 14 days (distance selling laws)?

Make sure you format it first.

 

[Piff]

Just for the record, the test suggested by Simon M revealed the following
The media is likely to be defective.
7.6 GByte OK (15991872 sectors)
23.6 GByte DATA LOST (49509312 sectors)
Details:0 KByte overwritten (0 sectors)
0 KByte slightly changed (< 8 bit/sector, 0 sectors)
23.6 GByte corrupted (49509312 sectors)
0 KByte aliased memory (0 sectors)
First error at offset: 0x00000001e8088000
Expected: 0x00000001e8088000
Found: 0x0000000000000000
H2testw version 1.3
Writing speed: 8.12 MByte/s
Reading speed: 11.5 MByte/s

H2testw v1.4
Which is why we couldn't get 16gb of data on it

 

[Piff]

If you have the option to return it - I'd do that.

Are you within 14 days (distance selling laws)?

Make sure you format it first.

Bought on e-bay.
Tried to contact seller via e-bay but e-bay site unable to help - redirects me to paypal
Tried to start a dispute via e-bay but e-bay site unable to help - redirects me to paypal
Tried to start a dispute on paypal but paypal unable to help as I had paid by credit card as a paypal guest rather than using my actual paypal account.
Phoned e-bay. they have said that they will refund my paypal account within 3 to 10 days.
So far no requirement to return the usb stick. If they do ask for return I will be inviting them to pay the postage.

It's not the amount of money involved - to me it is the fraudulent sale. Why not sell it as an 8gb usb stick?
Claiming it was 32gb cost me hours of messing around trying to get 16gb on it.

 

[John]

If they can sell it to enough people who then go on to chuck it away because they can't be bothered - everyone in the Ebygum gravy train makes a fat wad of cash at the expense of innocent punters.

 

[Piff]

If they can sell it to enough people who then go on to chuck it away because they can't be bothered - everyone in the Ebygum gravy train makes a fat wad of cash at the expense of innocent punters.

Given him bad feed back & e-bay nanny machine asks me to reconsider all the way.
Sorry if the truth hurts.

No doubt he will now give me bad feedback for being honest