XPost: aus.computers, alt.os.linux.debian   
   From: not@telling.you.invalid   
      
   In alt.os.linux.debian Felix  wrote:   
   > Computer Nerd Kev wrote:   
   >> In aus.computers Felix  wrote:   
   >>> Paul wrote:   
   >>>> On Sun, 8/17/2025 10:09 PM, Felix wrote:   
   >>>>> yes, USB sticks are the best option for convenient data storage.   
   >>>> The charge is estimated to stay on the floating gates for ten years.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> What kind of Reed Solomon error corrector is used in a USB stick ?   
   >>>>   
   >>>> SSDs have much better handling of the media than a USB stick does.   
   >> Last time I used a USB memory stick the other week it failed on me.   
   >> It was a 16GB one that I hadn't used for many years.   
   >   
   > was it a brand name?   
      
   Not really, "Shintaro". Seems Big W etc. still sell things from that   
   brand, but not familiar to me. The USB vendor ID is for "Alcor Micro   
   Corp.", but the dodgy Chinese manufacturers sometimes just lie with   
   that info.   
      
   Anyway hardly the first example I've seen. Sometimes when the stick   
   isn't recognised at all it can just be the clock crystal that's   
   failed. In fact it looks the same as the 4GB memory stick at the   
   top of the photo on this page about fixing sticks by replacing the   
   crystal:   
   http://infar.be/index.php?/archives/1002-My-experiences-with-USB   
   FLASH-drive-drive-repair.html   
      
   The way this one died makes me think the flash chip or controller   
   are more likely at fault though, because the files in the one   
   directory that survived seemed to read back OK which is unlikely   
   if it was a fault with the crystal messing up communication with   
   the PC. I guess it could be intermittent though.   
      
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