Write Protect Flash Drive

[ugotdave]

Ok,

How are all of you write protecting your flash sticks?

I saw a reg hack that modified the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" hive, but I was never able to find this reg Key "StorageDevicePolicies" on XP machines.

I saw some are using "SDHC unlocked" but I can not seem to find this utility. Is this a SanDisk util?

 

[Appletax]

https://www.kanguru.com/index.php/flash-drives/basic-flash/kanguru-flashblu-ii

 

[Martyn]

i have one of these

http://www.pqi.com.tw/product2.asp?cate1=18&proid=13

 

[14049752]

Ok,

How are all of you write protecting your flash sticks?

I saw a reg hack that modified the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" hive, but I was never able to find this reg Key "StorageDevicePolicies" on XP machines.

I saw some are using "SDHC unlocked" but I can not seem to find this utility. Is this a SanDisk util?

The reg key would have to be done on every system you plug it into.. don't bother with that.

I think "SDHC unlocked" is just an SD card, with a usb adapter, and using the write switch on the sd card. It's not a software utility.

Basically, it comes down to the fact that you need a write protect switch on either a flash drive or on the sd card. Software is not a solution.

 

[Xander]

FYI: I bought a few cheap SD/SDHC adapters so that I could use my locking CD card. Took me a few uses to notice that the lock did absolutely nothing in one of the adapters; it somehow overrode it and it was writeable regardless of the lock's position.

An SD-adapter is a great tool but test it on your own system before plugging it into a virus-ridden one.

 

[lebpcmedic]

Ok,

How are all of you write protecting your flash sticks?

I saw a reg hack that modified the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" hive, but I was never able to find this reg Key "StorageDevicePolicies" on XP machines.

I saw some are using "SDHC unlocked" but I can not seem to find this utility. Is this a SanDisk util?

Windows 7 Ultimate has a feature called Bitlocker To Go which basically makes the usb drive encrypted as well as read only on foreign machines.

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=1176

 

[gazza]

Just use one of these with a SD card that has a write lock on it. I have never had any problems,to easy!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2x-SD-SDHC-C...1?pt=AU_Input_Peripherals&hash=item255ecbbd67

 

[ugotdave]

Thanks everyone for your input.

As mentioned by Appletax and Martyn, I think I will get one of the Kanguru or Pqi sticks that has a tangible write lock switch on it. Kanguru has a 16GB for about $45, not a bad price. But I will also check to see which one has the fastest memory.

 

[PR Tech]

We only use Kanguru drives in our shop and they all have copies of our "tech tools" loaded onto them. We have never had an issue with any of them so far. They are rock solid flash drives with locking switch to prevent viruses from doing what they do best.

 

[SnoSalmon]

Have been looking for this myself.
I think I will purchase a few 4gb sticks and chuck my tech tools onto them. If one gets chewed up I won't lose sleep as I have a backup to keep me going while I sort the first.

Haven't seen a usb stick with a switch since the 64mb stick days around these parts...

 

[14049752]

FYI: I bought a few cheap SD/SDHC adapters so that I could use my locking CD card. Took me a few uses to notice that the lock did absolutely nothing in one of the adapters; it somehow overrode it and it was writeable regardless of the lock's position.

FYI. The lock actually does nothing to the SD card itself. If you look closely, there should be a little metal arm that moves its position when the lock is closed or open. If you can, you can usually bend it slightly to fix that adapter. Basically the write protect lock on the sd card is just a suggestion and it's up to the reader to prevent write access.