I have a 8GB dataTraveler flash drive. For some reason my computer only can see it as a 6GB. I am using xp sp3. I tried to format but still it didnt help...Please help.

What is the make and model of the computer?

Windows has built-in support for usb drives. If your flash drive isn't showing up under "Computer/My Computer" then there is a problem with the flash drive.

click start click on my computer you should see your usb drive
right click then select format

another way is to control panel administrive tools computer management disk management right click on your drive select format
hope this helps

click start control panel user accounts click on the administrators account if you have made one or you will have to create one in windows XP

click start right click on my computer select open
Right click the icon of your Usb Drive (It should be E:/ or something)
Click Properties in the menu that comes up
Click the Sharing tab
Click permissions
And finally, click Allow next to Full Control.


click start click on my computer to open you should see your drive
right click then select format

another way
click start control panel administration tools computer management disk management right

click on your usb drive select format
if you need more help with this post a reply

hope this helps you

When the flash drive is inserted and is still detected Kingston, flash drives can be repaired and the data can be saved.

How to save data
To save data, use software full version, for example, you can use EASEUS Data Recovery. After the data is saved, do the repair flash drive.

Repair flash drive Kingston
1. Right-click the flash drive, select Format - select quick format. If this does not work, don't repeat, do the second.
2. Format from Administrative Tools.
Win XP: click START - Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Disk Management - right click the flash drive - select Format - select quick format
Win Vista & 7: click START - Control Panel - select View by: Large Icons - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Disk Management - right click the flash drive - select Format - Perform a quick format - OK. If this does not work, don't repeat, do the third process.
3. Format using the software, the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. Make the process quick format. If this does not work, don't repeat, do the fourth.
4. Repair the flash drive using the software HP Drive Key Boot Utility (Support Win XP, Vista, 7)

How to install the HP Drive Key Boot Utility to the operating system
Win XP: double click the file cp006049.exe - select Install
Win Vista & 7: double click the file cp006049.exe - select extract

How to use the software HP Drive Key Boot Utility

For Win XP, first way
Insert the flash drive - open the HP Drive Key Boot Utility - Next - select flash drives - Next - Create New or Replace ..., select Next - Next select Hard Drive - Create New File system, select Next - wait for the process is completed - Select Next - HP firmware Flash ..., select Next - wait for the process is completed - finish. Then, quick format the flash drive.

For Win XP, second way
Insert the flash drive - open the HP Drive Key Boot Utility - Next - select flash drives - Next - select Backup/Restore - Next - click Restore - click browse, open file C:\Program Files\Compaq\hpdkbu\ flash\initrd.img - Next - wait until the process is complete.

For Win Vista & 7, first way
Insert the flash drive - double click cp006049.exe - for example, extract to C:\HP Drive Key Boot. Open folder C:\HP Drive Key Boot then double click file hpdkbu.exe - Next - select flash drives - Next - Create New or Replace ..., select Next - Next select Hard Drive - Create New File system, select Next - wait for the process is completed - Select Next - HP firmware Flash ..., select Next - wait for the process is completed - finish. Then, quick format the flash drive.

For Win Vista & 7, second way
Insert the flash drive - double click file hpdkbu.exe - Next - select flash drives - Next - select Backup/Restore - Next - click Restore - click browse, open file C:\HP Drive Key Boot\initrd.img - Next - wait until the process is complete.

Description
initrd.img files, the image file for the schema partition flash drive capacity <= 2GB. For capacity >2GB, example: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, etc when we use the initrd.img file, will be changed to 2GB capacity. To restore the capacity of flash drives, do the Low Level Format. To make the process of Low Level Format, use software HDD Low Level Format Tool.

How to restore the capacity of flash drive Kingston



Open HDD Low Level Format Tool - select drive - Continue - click S.M.A.R.T - click Get SMART Attributes - click the tab LOW LEVEL FORMAT - click Format This Device - wait for the process is completed - Finish. Then, remove the flash drive from the computer, then insert it again. Then do a quick format the flash drive. Finish

Hope it helps.

Files on a flash drive canbe corrupted if it is not removed from the USB port properly.
Before removing the flash drive click on the Safely Remove Hardware icon andthen click on the flash drive you want to remove and then remove the flashdrive when the computer message says it is Safe to remove.
To restore the flash drive to working order you need to format the flash drive,BUT you will lose the data stored on the flash drive.
If you need the data on the flash drive these WEB sites may help: -
Data and Digital Photo Recovery
www.artplus.hr/adapps/eng/dpr.htm www.CardRecovery.com

Pause your anti-virus protection & plug the data traveler

You can try formatting the drive by using "HP USB drive format utility". Try first with FAT and then FAT32 do not format it in NTFS. It's free. Download it by Googling. You can even try in a different computer, sometimes due to driver problem also it happens. Best of luck.

Make sure both the hard disk and the flash drives have same format, such as FAT32 or NTFS.

Dude I just fixed mine running the SKYMEDI tool version SK6211BA_20080917 on my 8GB kingston datatraveler 100 is hard to get it but you will find it, you need to determine what version of the sw applies to your flash drive, check the SKYMEDI website www.skymedi.com.tw