Brief History Nearly a decade ago, Prolific Technology, a Taiwanese company, developed a USB to Serial chip, the PL2303. These chips were cloned by some Chinese companies and appear in many of today's generic programming cables. Current Windows device drivers have been updated to recognize these 'fake' chips. There are cases where the USB device does not have any OS support and it should interact with a user program directly. In that case, a generic driver such as the open-source libusb driver that. The FakeFlashTest utility is from the developer of the RMPrepUSB multipurpose USB tool. One component of RMPrepUSB is a quick test to check your drive and its real capacity, this is an extended and enhanced version of that and is released as a standalone executable. RMPrepUSB's main purpose is to make USB devices bootable. The software includes a quick size test tool that you may run to verify the size of a connected USB storage device. Note that the test will delete any data that is on the disk at the time. Tip: You may also use Fake Flash Test by the same developer.
- Usb Driver Download Windows 10
- Fake Usb Driver Program Download
- Fake Usb Driver Programming
- Fake Usb Driver Program Free
- Usb Driver Download Windows 7
Have you ever had the experience of buying a flash drive to use in storing your files just to know that the size of the drive wasn’t actually what was written on it? What about fake brands and Chinese brands that try’s to impersonate original brands, how can you tell if the flash drive you have is genuine of fake?
The issue is that, there are lots of fake and counterfeit products around and the world of electronics and many brands are trying their best to fight that. In recent, years one area has become more predisposed to this than any other, and that is flash memory storage. Devices such as USB flash drives, SD/CF, cards and even SSD drives have been affected by this problem drastically.
If you live in Ghana, you probably might have heard the saying “Pen Drive, Memory Card Promotion”. I know how irritating it gets to hear this saying in town over and over again.
Counterfeit USB flash drives seem to be the most common though, there are so many different types, capacities and speeds that it’s easy to hide them among all the real products. This is why it’s a good idea to check any flash device you purchase to make sure it’s not fake.
There are different ways of identifying if a Flash Drive is fake or not. One way is making sure the serial or code number on the drive is legitimate (it’s hard to tell for this method), another is making sure the drive is the size advertised because most fake drives have a lower real capacity than listed by using smaller and much cheaper memory chips. The drive may even be reported as the right size in windows.
But the most effective way to check for counterfeit drives is by using software’s. Luckily enough, some good software developers have seen the rise of this challenge and have developed tools to help you identify if a drive is smaller than what was advertised and is, therefore, likely to be counterfeit.
Here we have listed 4 that will help you identify fake size drives:
1. H2testw
For several years, H2testw has been known as THE tool for checking memory based flash drives to see if they are the correct capacity. The problem is it was developed several years ago and the last release was way back in 2008, flash based media is available in much larger capacities now and a scan with H2testw can run for several hours because it hasn’t been optimized to run on big drives.
The method used in H2testw, while scanning can be very slow, is still one of the most thorough ways to scan the drive for a fake capacity. It isn’t a fully destructive test because it only checks the free space on the drive, but the best way is to use H2testw on a cleanly formatted device, that way it will be checked completely from the first byte to the last.
It works by writing large 1GB files to the free space and then reading them back, the idea being if the read data isn’t the same as what was written, there’s a possible issue. After it’s done the software leaves the test files on the media, you can erase them if you don’t want to verify them again. If you have the time and want a very thorough test, try H2testw, if not try something that works a bit quicker first. H2testw defaults to German language, but you can easily change it in the GUI. Download H2testw Here.
2. FakeFlashTest
The FakeFlashTest utility is from the developer of the RMPrepUSB multipurpose USB booting suite. One component of the RMPrepUSB program is a small and quick test to check your drive and its real capacity, this is an extended and enhanced version of that which has been released as a standalone executable. Unlike many other tools of this type, FakeFlashTest is quite new so includes optimizations and methods better suited for today’s flash media.
FakeFlashTest tries to fix the main issue with H2testw which is the incredibly slow time it can take for the process to complete on larger and slower flash drives. The first test, you can run is similar to the one found in RMPrepUSB and a quick test. This writes and reads 512 bytes of data at set intervals across the drive and so finishes in less time. The second test is very similar to H2testw and writes/reads to all free space on the drive but has been optimized in a number of ways to complete the task much quicker than H2testw. Do note that
The second test is very similar to H2testw and writes/reads to all free space on the drive but has been optimized in a number of ways to complete the task much quicker than H2testw. Do note that the quick test is destructive meaning anything on the drive will be overwritten, so make sure your files are backed up. The slower test is not meant to be destructive but can still corrupt your files if they are in a bad area of the drive also known as sectors. Download FakeFlashTest here
3. USB Flash Drive Tester
USB Flash Drive Tester is listed by its developer as a generic tool for testing flash drives or SD/CF cards but is especially useful for detecting counterfeit drives with a fake capacity. It works in a similar way to H2testw by writing data to the device, reading it back and then comparing the two for differences. Any errors indicate a problem with the drive.
To run a full test select your flash drive from the drop down and a test type of “write, read and compare”, then start the test. If you don’t have the time to run a full test on a large or slow drive, the data can be written to the drive now and compared later on. Like H2testw this is getting a bit old and comes from 2009, it also requires installation. Download USB Flash Drive Tester
4. ChipGenius
The programs listed above all work, in the same way, which is to write data onto the disk and then read it back to see if the data is correct or corrupt. ChipGenius is completely different and actually doesn’t touch the data on the drive at all but instead reads the information from the flash memory chip inside it to see what it is and what it’s true size should be. This might not work all the time but for the majority of counterfeit devices it should work as intended.
Simply run the program and look for the information about the flash chip inside your device, a line will give the vendor and model number of the chip and its true capacity. If your flash drive is supposed to be perhaps 64GB and the Total Capacity listed is much less than 64GB, then it’s likely a fake drive. Right, click in the window to copy the data to the clipboard if you want to manually search or find out more about the chip inside your drive. Download ChipGenius
Video demonstration with H2testw
Source: Raymond
So I was searching for a 32 GB USB flash drive, and I really like the Kingston DataTraveler 100 series (I have 3 of them). I found one on eBay for a great price. What I didn’t realize was that the Internet is infested with unscrupulous sellers trying to unload fake flash drives onto unsuspecting buyers. I happened to be one of those buyers this go-round.
I had the fake flash drive in my possession; what now? Lesson one, the most important thing: Immediately leave negative feedback for the seller and report the item on eBay as counterfeit. Why? Check out this awesomely informative article at SOSFakeFlash entitled Why Leave Immediate Negative Feedback For an eBay Fake Flash Seller?
Now, I normally give the seller the benefit of the doubt and try to work things out, but in cases of fraud it just makes sense to leave feedback first. Of course, the seller will complain, beg, maybe even bribe. But they deserve the negative, even if they unwittingly sold a counterfeit. And it appears that your odds of receiving a refund are improved by leaving negative feedback.
SOSFakeFlash has no evidence that holding back a negative improves the chances of a refund. The opposite has been seen.
Second, if at all possible, use a credit to make the purchase. See this article on SOSFakeFlash: Buying On eBay – MP Players – Memory Cards – USB Flash drives – Why You should Use A Credit Card To Pay And Not Your Bank Account. Fortunately I did, but I wasn’t forced to do a chargeback, as the seller immediately refunded my money after I posted the negative feedback. (Probably should’ve though just to stick it to him more.)
What’s a fake USB flash drive and why should anyone care?
A fake Gucci® handbag might be fine if you’re Asian and don’t care that everyone else knows you have a fake. A handbag doesn’t have a lot of specs other than to look like a replica and let you put shit into it.
A fake flash drive is a lot more involved. To use a car metaphor: Imagine you were sold a vehicle that supposedly had a 32 gallon gas tank. The salesperson claimed it, the owner’s manual says it, the fuel gauge even indicates that it holds 32 gallons. But when you go to fill it up, it only holds 4 gallons. Try to put more than that in, and gas obviously just spills out.
Ok, that was a shitty metaphor, but hopefully you get the picture. I was sold a 32 GB drive that was actually 4 GB that claimed to be 32 GB.
How to tell if a drive is fake/counterfeit
Before you buy, check the price with someplace reputable like Newegg. If the price of the one you’re buying is too low, it’s probably fake. Check out the video in this article at FlashChipTech: How Can You Spot Fake Flash Memory Chips? What Is the Key Factor That Determines If MP3 MP4 Players, USB Flash Drives Or Memory Cards Are Fake Capacity?
After the fact, you have some options. Check with the manufacturer. For Kingston flash drives, I found an informative page at FakeMemorySentinel with a very long title: Kingston USB Flash Drives. How To Check You Have A Genuine One And Not A Counterfeit – Easy Guide. Kingston Technologies Fighting To Protect Consumers And Itself From Counterfeits.Spoiler alert: Kingstons have serial numbers and other info engraved onto the outer part of the USB plug. There’s a nice diagram in the article. Or you can look at my photos below.
In general, though, you can tell a flash drive is fake by running H2testw (Windows only). Here’s what to do:
- Download h2testw from
http://mympx.org/Downloads/p13_sectionid/2/p13_fileid/13website is defunct; Google it. - Plug in your flash drive. You don’t have to delete existing files; the program will work around them.
- Run h2testw. (General safety rule: make sure you have an antivirus installed and active, as should be the case at all times!)
- Click English, then [Select target] button, then select your flash drive. Click [Write + Verify] to run the test.
- The program will then test your flash drive and output something like the following:
The media is likely to be defective.
3.9 GByte OK (8215305 sectors)
28 GByte DATA LOST (58721527 sectors)
(…and several more lines)
This particular result was from testing my supposedly 32 GB flash drive. The test says 3.9 GB data ok and 28 GB data lost, which means that I actually have a 4 GB drive and 28 GB of nonexistent space.
If your numbers match up, then congratulations, you’re good!
The life of fake flash drives
Short story long, for the technically minded and those who like the show How It’s Made. I believe this is mostly accurate:
- Flash drives are made up of (among other things) the memory itself and the controller that allows your computer to talk to the memory.
- Faulty memory chips get destroyed on a regular basis. Not wanting those defective chips to go to waste, a fake flash manufacturer redeems them from memory chip hell and gives them a new reason to go on living.
- They do so by reprogramming the controller to lie to the computer about its size. In my case, I had a 4 GB memory chip being reported as 32 GB. The computer doesn’t know any better than what the controller tells it, so it writes willy-nilly to the memory, even going beyond the 4 GB capacity.”What?” you say, “Doubly faulty?” Why, yes! The memory isn’t only defective, but now it’s only partly there!
- They sell these fake flash drives at a discounted price from the real ones and hope that no one notices. Or, by the time anyone notices, they’ve made their money and you’re the sucker with a defective drive. (Fortunately I immediately got a refund. Many others have not been so lucky.)
Why does any of this matter?
In the grand scheme of things, preventable inconveniences are the most frustrating. Getting ripped off sucks, but what also sucks is that people are buying an inherently defective product. I’d hate to see anyone lose their data by using a counterfeit flash drive that some fucking douchebag made money on at your expense.
Maybe I’m chivalrous. Maybe I believe that, by looking out for others when I can, I’m improving the quality of my own life.
Details of my personal fake flash experience
I bought my USB flash drive from eBay seller dailydeals99. I checked out this guy’s feedback, 100%. Cool. I saw that he had 2 of the ones I wanted, plus several other various flash drives listed as well. When I received my item, I immediately noticed how suspicious looking it was. Of course, this comparison is a lot more difficult if you don’t have another one to compare it to.
After everything went down, I gave him negative feedback and he refunded my money. At worst, I felt a little guilty because the seller said he was honest (after all, he did immediately refund my money). Turns out, upon scrutinizing his feedback, he has had a lot of defective (fake?) USB flash drives. One buyer even reported that he got a fake but still gave him positive feedback because he got his money back!
I ended up buying a Patriot Xporter. I don’t like the separate cap, but I do like the rubber coating and the fact that Patriot is a kick-ass memory company.
The Patriot Xporter was supposed to replace an 8 GB flash drive I bought from FocalPrice.com (in Hong Kong) to exchange media with my friend via Snail Mail (because she doesn’t have Internet). I tested out the 8-gigger with H2testw, and it said that half a gig was defective! So it seems that FocalPrice is also selling defective flash drives. Which is a total bummer, because their chicken wing flash drive is fucking awesome! (Wonder where can I find a legit one of those?)
Links
- SOSFakeFlash — How I learned about fake flash drives, negative feedback and how to deal with scammers on eBay. Tons of information, but a bit disorganized and their search sucks. That’s why this page has all the links on SOSFakeFlash that have helped me. After deciding to write this post, I spent an hour trying to find them all again. I’m hoping to spare y’all that same problem.
- More info on Kingston fakes: Warning KINGSTON DataTraveler 100 USB Flash Drive 128GB Appearing For Sale On The Internet – A Guide.
- Download h2testw from http://mympx.org/Downloads/p13_sectionid/2/p13_fileid/13.
Bonus: Email history with eBay seller dailydeals99
(After I tested the USB flash drive with H2testw…)
Dear dailydeals99,
You sold me a fake flash drive. This is completely unacceptable. I have tested with H2testw v1.4, and have visually compared the item you sent to the DataTraveler 100 I already have. I have reported you and I will be getting a refund.
Thanks.
(Response to my negative feedback…)
hello
why would you do that,first i dont sell fake usb, if you had a defective one, you could email me and resolve a problem, in my auction i specify my warantee for one year, do you think i would give warantee to something fake, i never had any problem with my usb nor i am selling fake, chinese in ebay do that by making their auction private, i dont do that, i buy from legitimate supplier.
if you dont mind try to retract so in my side i will leave positive feedback.
thanks
Usb Driver Download Windows 10
(So he’s denying that he sold me a fake? From me in response…)
Dear dailydeals99,
First off, I can’t speculate as to why you would sell me a fake or even offer a warranty on a fake, but the fact remains that YOU DID. Second, lying about not selling fakes (when you clearly sold me one) doesn’t help your credibility with me.
You need to check your “legitimate” supplier and complain to them about your negative feedback. I’m holding you responsible as a seller of flash media to not sell fakes, just as you would hold your supplier responsible if you bought fakes. You sell all sorts of flash media, so I find it hard to believe that you were unaware. Just from looking at the packaging, I immediately suspected it was a fake, and testing and visual comparisons confirmed it.
I’m open to discussion regarding the feedback. Please explain to me why you feel that my feedback was unfair.
(Explanation from dailydeals99…)
Fake Usb Driver Program Download
hello
look you are right on all waht you said except selling you and me knowing that i sold you a bad usb, i went to show in hannover germany “cebit” last year arround this time every year ( this year it is from 3/2/2010 thru 3/6/2010 you can check) and i met lot of legitimate suppliers, how i should now that one of them was not good, if you see what i sale, my main business is fabrics and i am just getting to this business,i did not have any problem with any of my customers, i work so hard keeping a good service, if you look at my feedback, you can see people who mention good service, friendly email, i prefer to loose the sale but not loosing a customer.this days all is made in china, you can’t now that something is good or not good.
if you think this is not a valid explanation i think you should leave your negative feedback, i tought you should of give me at least a chance to explain myself.
anyway it is your call
god bless
thanks anyway
(End of email exchange, the meat of it anyway.)
…Hmm, maybe he just had a change of heart and is really trying to be legit now? You can never tell with these people that try to backpedal and lie like a motherfucker. Oh yeah, amidst all this, it took 2 weeks before he even sent out the drive. Beware! Stalling is a common tactic by unscrupulous sellers. It lets them bypass the time restrictions for PayPal and eBay to make it harder to get your money back.
So I’m not removing the negative feedback. At least I got his approval to leave it. Hopefully he goes legit; I believe that people have the right to make an honest buck. Maybe I’m too hopeful.
Fake Usb Driver Programming
[edited 4/14/2010 after I noticed some atrocious style issues with the copy and wanted to include some other experiences with FocalPrice.com. If you’ve bought any Kingston shit online—or any flash media for that matter—this article must be useful to you. Shit, I’ve been in or around computers since 1991 and this is my first experience on this matter, hence this long-ass blog post about it.]
Fake Usb Driver Program Free
Usb Driver Download Windows 7
Tags: computer, ebay, flash drive, scam