Fake Kingston Usb Flash Drives

[MickeyM]

The Thailand IT community should be aware that there are a large quantity of defective USB flash drives currently being offered for sale in Thailand.

These drives are branded as being Kingston, but are fake. Many also are also deceptive by design and only contain a fraction of the quoted storage.

The chips are modified to report to Windows (or other OS's) as being full capacity, and Windows will appear to write at full capacity; however, when files are retrieved, most are unreadable.

(i.e a reported 2GB drive will contain only .5GB of valid storage.)

What is more deplorable is that these deceptive drives were sold by several vendors at the recent ComMart (where one might expect a screening for reputable dealers).

Some (of many)Internet references to this:

In English:

http://www.thefake32gbs.blogspot.com/

http://reviews.ebay.com/FAKE-KINGSTON-USB-8GB-DRIVES-amp-HOW-TO-TEST_W0QQugidZ10000000007729876

In Thai:

http://www.magmareport.com/content/4877?PHPSESSID=96bbcfcb0ef6025da7afc4292b503b34

Buyer Beware.

[verydumbubba]

The same as you thought the 'Eric Clapton in Concert' DVD for $3.00 at your local bar was genuine?!

I dont buy anything anywhere unless I can return it. These traveling circuses are the worst.

Bubba

[jerrylee]

Kingston fakes have been going on for years.

[koheesti]

I have 3 and some have a "recycled" folder which needs to be emptied and others don't.

[webfact]

Kingston Asia

Verify Kingston Flash

Information on fake Flash: SOS Fake Flash

Edited July 23, 2009 by webfact

[nikster]

Interesting. Kinston isn't that good - maybe that's the trick because I would not exactly assume somebody goes to great lengths to make copies of their products?

I have been trying to find some high speed flash USB drives in Chiang Mai, to no avail. All stores seem to have the same three models, and they are the kind that doesn't specify any speed on the package, meaning they are dead slow. High speed isn't that much more expensive and just much more pleasant to use.

PS: I should mention that I found a few "novelty" USB drives. The strawberry is supposed to be pretty fast but I couldn't find that either.. http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/information...d-and-compared/

Edited July 23, 2009 by nikster

[marshbags]

I have two 4 GB data travellers.

How can I see how much info is loaded on to them please ?

How much does 4 GB translate to roughly re. downloading various pieces of data ?

Eg personal stuff my comp. holds.

Apart from the use of travelling data, what is worthwhile saving in case of a crash, virus contamination or something similar please ?

I once lost everything I had previously downloaded once when they took into the shop to renew part of the system that was failing.

The techo failed to save my personal imput that was on the desktop among other stuff and I had to start from scratch.

Thanks in advance for any info and advice.

marshbags

[webfact]

I have two 4 GB data travellers.

How can I see how much info is loaded on to them please ? plug-it in, open ---> my computer right click on "Kensington" --->properties

How much does 4 GB translate to roughly re. downloading various pieces of data ?

Eg personal stuff my comp. holds.

Apart from the use of travelling data, what is worthwhile saving in case of a crash, virus contamination or something similar please ? you may want to backup each to DVD or an external HDD

I once lost everything I had previously downloaded once when they took into the shop to renew part of the system that was failing.

The techo failed to save my personal imput that was on the desktop among other stuff and I had to start from scratch.

Thanks in advance for any info and advice.

marshbags

[marshbags]

I have two 4 GB data travellers.

How can I see how much info is loaded on to them please ? plug-it in, open ---> my computer right click on "Kensington" --->properties

How much does 4 GB translate to roughly re. downloading various pieces of data ?

Eg personal stuff my comp. holds.

Apart from the use of travelling data, what is worthwhile saving in case of a crash, virus contamination or something similar please ? you may want to backup each to DVD or an external HDD

I once lost everything I had previously downloaded once when they took into the shop to renew part of the system that was failing.

The techo failed to save my personal imput that was on the desktop among other stuff and I had to start from scratch.

Thanks in advance for any info and advice.

marshbags

Thanks for your imput / reply webfact.

Is it possible to to save all my desktop info and if so how to do it if posssible in one go rather than individual transfer ?

marshbags

* Noted there is another thread ongoing re the 64GB and may compliment this one in relation to other questions being asked

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Kingston-64-...ve-t239136.html

Is it worth Tagging please mods

Edited July 26, 2009 by marshbags

[webfact]

I have two 4 GB data travellers.

How can I see how much info is loaded on to them please ? plug-it in, open ---> my computer right click on "Kensington" --->properties

How much does 4 GB translate to roughly re. downloading various pieces of data ?

Eg personal stuff my comp. holds.

Apart from the use of travelling data, what is worthwhile saving in case of a crash, virus contamination or something similar please ? you may want to backup each to DVD or an external HDD

I once lost everything I had previously downloaded once when they took into the shop to renew part of the system that was failing.

The techo failed to save my personal imput that was on the desktop among other stuff and I had to start from scratch.

Thanks in advance for any info and advice.

marshbags

Thanks for your imput / reply webfact.

Is it possible to to save all my desktop info and if so how to do it if posssible in one go rather than individual transfer ?

marshbags

I am not sure what do you mean.

do you want:

backup "My Documents"

backup Folders/File groups

or image your entire HDD ?

[sorensen]

Still not as bad as this one......

[NanLaew]

I bought a 'Kingston' 8Gb miniSD memory card at the IT emporium in Udon. When I plugged it in, my AV software instantly detected and deleted something nasty. On reinsertion after that, I got the 'media is unformatted' warning. It failed any form of formatting so I threw the bloody thing in the fire!

[webfact]

As a precaution: always disable "auto run" on your PC/Notebook!

[marshbags]

I have two 4 GB data travellers.

I once lost everything I had previously downloaded once when they took into the shop to renew part of the system that was failing.

The techo failed to save my personal imput that was on the desktop among other stuff and I had to start from scratch.

When the techo repaired and replaced something

marshbags

Quotes edited out for brevity by marshbags

Thanks for your imput / reply webfact.

Is it possible to to save all my desktop info and if so how to do it if posssible in one go rather than individual transfer ?

marshbags

I am not sure what do you mean.

do you want:

backup "My Documents"

backup Folders/File groups

or image your entire HDD ?

I lost all the info I had downloaded and put on my Desk top, along with My documents. when the techo upgraded my computer.

Since then I learned of and purchased two 4GB Kingstone data travellers.

I would like if possible to put all the stuff I,ve got on my Desktop plus My Documents to not only use when i,m on the move, but also as back up in case I loose my info again and I can access it and restore it from the Data Traveller.

Any other important information that is considered worthwhile saving also as I looked, thanks to your advice and there is still plenty of space left from the first one

I am not to savvy on the techo side of things, being an older, late and basic self taught user, I am unable to explain as I would have liked.

Thank you again for your much appreciated imput and sorry if I may be taking things off topic.

marshbags

Edited July 26, 2009 by marshbags

[webfact]

I lost all the info I had downloaded and put on my Desk top, along with My documents. when the techo upgraded my computer.

Since then I learned of and purchased two 4GB Kingstone data travellers.

I would like if possible to put all the stuff I,ve got on my Desktop plus My Documents to not only use when i,m on the move, but also as back up in case I loose my info again and I can access it and restore it from the Data Traveller.

Any other important information that is considered worthwhile saving also as I looked, thanks to your advice and there is still plenty of space left from the first one

I am not to savvy on the techo side of things, being an older, late and basic self taught user, I am unable to explain as I would have liked.

Thank you again for your much appreciated imput and sorry if I may be taking things off topic.

marshbags

let me try to explain.

You will not be able to restore your entire OSystem+installed programs including all individual data from your Kingston Flash.

If you want an emergency backup of your entire HDD you need special software and a 4GB Flash drive is not sufficient!

You can backup individual files, folders, installation files but not already installed programs

All that depends on the size of your personal data. 4 GB is not that much storage these days.

Some solutions for you

I understand you travel and like to have access to your stored data as well (i.e. documents).

You can store them online too in case you need to access pdf, Word files, Excel files.

Use Google Docs

You can access your files from everywhere in the world as long as you can connect to the Internet.

You may want to store your data online. Plenty of providers offer so called "online file folder"

I suggest to buy an external HDD drive (250 or 320 GB). I trust it will cost less than 3000 Baht.

Plenty of storage. These HDD drives a very small and handy and you can even put them in your pocket!

You can make an entire system backup to an external HDD as well (i.e. with Acronis True Image)

Edited July 26, 2009 by webfact

[marshbags]

let me try to explain.

You will not be able to restore your entire OSystem+installed programs including all individual data from your Kingston Flash.

If you want an emergency backup of your entire HDD you need special software and a 4GB Flash drive is not sufficient!

You can backup individual files, folders, installation files but not already installed programs

All that depends on the size of your personal data. 4 GB is not that much storage these days.

Some solutions for you

I understand you travel and like to have access to your stored data as well (i.e. documents).

You can store them online too in case you need to access pdf, Word files, Excel files.

Use Google Docs

You can access your files from everywhere in the world as long as you can connect to the Internet.

You may want to store your data online. Plenty of providers offer so called "online file folder"

I suggest to buy an external HDD drive (250 or 320 GB). I trust it will cost less than 3000 Baht.

Plenty of storage. These HDD drives a very small and handy and you can even put them in your pocket!

You can make an entire system backup to an external HDD as well (i.e. with Acronis True Image)

Thanks for all your help and patience webfact.

I,ll do as you suggest, utilise the google facilities and also find a good computer engineer /shop in Udonthani about the external hard drive and backup.

marshbags

Edited July 26, 2009 by marshbags

[MickeyM]

Following are two links to a simple program that will test the validity of a USB Flash Drive; It tests with a complete write/read w/verification process and also gives you a speed indication.

http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/mess...thread.id=26372

http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/report-a...comment-page-2/

Edited July 28, 2009 by MickeyM

[Jockstar]

Similar thing with MP3 players bought on Ebay. They may say they are 4GB or what ever. But infact they are a lot less. Maybe 256 or 512. I know, I bought one a few years back.