Have you ever encountered such confusion? You obviously purchased a USB flash drive with a large capacity, but errors repeatedly occurred when storing files? Behind this, it is most likely because you bought a fake expansion disk.
False expansion disks are rampant
In the current U disk market, false capacity is extremely common. Many unscrupulous merchants use technical methods to tamper with small-capacity USB flash drives and then sell them disguised as large-capacity products. This kind of U disk has a normal capacity on the computer. However, once files exceeding the actual capacity are stored, the data will be damaged or lost. According to random tests by security researchers, all USB flash drives randomly purchased from mainstream e-commerce platforms were found to be expansion drives, and none of them were spared.
This chaotic phenomenon causes users to suffer real economic losses and data risks. What consumers spend money to buy is just a false number that has no actual truth at all. Important documents and photos may be damaged due to insufficient storage space. What’s worse is that ordinary users basically have no way to distinguish whether it is true or false based solely on the information displayed by the operating system.
New detection tool accurately detects counterfeiting
Recently, a new software called ValiDrive has brought hope to solving this problem. It was released by senior engineer Steve Gibson. It is a completely free green tool with a size of less than 10 OKB. Its core function is to quickly and reliably verify the actual storage capacity of the USB flash drive.
Unlike the computer system that only reads the device identification, ValiDrive will perform random writing and reading tests on the storage space. This real data operation test can effectively expose the disguise of the expansion disk. If the actual capacity of the USB disk is only 32G, but it is tampered with and marked as 1TB, the software can expose its flaws in a short time.
Test results reveal market chaos
Gibson used this software to test 12 USB flash drives of different brands purchased from Amazon. The results of the test are very shocking. All the USB flash drives tested have false capacity standards, and none of them have a real capacity that is consistent with the nominal capacity. Such a result directly and explicitly shows the proliferation of expansion disks in the market today.
A typical example is a USB flash drive with a nominal capacity of up to 2TB. On the computer, it does show 2TB of available space. However, after testing by ValiDrive, its actual available storage space is only about 62GB. This shows that it is the product of a 64GB USB flash drive that has been illegally expanded.
The working principle and harm of expansion disk
The production principle of expansion disk is not complicated. The manufacturer modifies the firmware of the USB main control chip to report a false capacity to the computer operating system that is much larger than the actual capacity of the physical storage chip. When you save a file to it, the former part of the data will be written to the real space normally.
If the amount of data written exceeds the actual capacity of the USB flash drive, subsequent data will either not be written, or the previously stored data will be overwritten, causing all or part of the files to be damaged. Usually, users only realize that they have been deceived after losing important data. However, by this time it is already too late.
How to choose reliable storage devices
Faced with the chaotic situation in the market, consumers need to master basic selection and purchasing skills. First of all, you should try your best to choose officially authorized channels or reputable brands that specialize in sales stores to purchase, and avoid coveting too low prices. Secondly, you can proactively use professional tools like ValiDrive for verification.
Even for users with special needs, such as those who need to transfer very large files or process sensitive data, you can consider choosing a high-speed USB flash drive with a built-in M.2 solid-state drive, or directly use a mobile solid-state drive. The technical threshold for this type of product is relatively high, it is relatively difficult to imitate and expand the capacity, and the quality is also more guaranteed.
Data security needs to be proactively defended
Data is of immeasurable value, and storage devices are the primary line of defense for data protection. We cannot completely rely on the integrity of merchants, but must use reliable tools to carry out active verification. Free tools like ValiDrive provide ordinary users with powerful self-protection weapons.
It is necessary to have the habit of checking the true appearance of a storage device from the very beginning after purchasing it. This is a reflection of being responsible for one's own data property. Especially before backing up or transferring important data, do a faster capacity verification, which can effectively prevent possible data disasters.
Have you ever lost important data due to purchasing an expansion disk, or do you have any good methods for identifying the authenticity of a USB flash drive? You are welcome to share your experience and opinions in the comment area. If you find this article helpful, please like it to support it.
