In 2015, Intel introduced the Compute Stick, or Computer Stick – a product that has been around ever since. The idea is simple and elegant: Intel wanted to create an HDMI dongle computer that could run Windows 10.
There is no confirmation, but our suspicion is that Intel aimed to provide an ultra-cheap and portable solution to run Windows for embedded applications like set-top boxes (DVRs) and other IoT (Internet of Things) products. If our assumption is correct, it’s a wonderful product and a great solution for its intended purpose.
PCWorld did a fantastic review of the Compute Stick back in 2016, and a link to that article is at the footer of this post. The PCWorld review outlined the specifications and performance levels of the Intel-based product. We’ll let that article do the heavy lifting for the tech people out there, but today we want to talk about the applications one might have for a computer stick.
For only around $120 on Amazon, this is an excellent solution to run Windows 10 for a host of specific applications.
Several quick talking points before we move to examples of usage out in the field:
My neighbor has a Model 3 with a wireless charging station right in the console. I didn’t realize this was an after-market purchase, so wanted to review it here today. The brand my neighbor has is the Taptes generation 2 wireless charging station.
The Gen 2 has some improvements from the previous version. Starting with the basics, this version has a ridge line molded into the center of the charging platform. This allows a user to charge two phones vertically, independently getting their charge, at the same time. The center line ridge doesn’t go all the way to the bottom so if you need to charge your phone while in landscape mode, viewing say Google Maps, you have that capability.
The charging station does have USB-C in the event a passenger has a phone which doesn’t support the wireless charging mode. This would include both Android and Apple phones.
My neighbor has the Model 3, 2019 version, but this version does support the Tesla console for 2017, 18, 19 and 20 year models. The black is the same tone of black as the black interior of the Tesla. As I mentioned before, I didn’t realize this was an after-market product until my neighbor told me so. In my opinion, it didn’t look like an add-on.
The charging pad has anti-slip grip material so the phone doesn’t move around while driving. The wireless signal is strong enough to go through phone cases. However; if you have a magnetic disc or a pop-socket on the back, it might not charge as it’s either too far away from the wireless power signal, or the obstruction doesn’t allow your phone to take the wireless charge signal. The charging pad also has two LED to indicate the charging station is sending a signal to the device. Your device will also confirm it is receiving a charge. The wireless charging station comes with two USB splitters so you can power the charging station from the Tesla USB system and still have USB connections off to the dash for something like a dash-cam recorder or other device.
This topic is brought up today because we hear some Users have issues understanding this point. The partition size inside an image file does matter. The question we will answer today is why it matters.
Let us start off with two simplified overviews. First, all storage devices use a partition to define it’s characteristics. A storage device has a file system, like FAT32 or exFAT or NTFS and that file system has a defined size or digital capacity. These characteristics, and some others, are laid out in the partition.
Second, an image file is the above partition with all its detail, the file system, defined capacity along with all the actual files and folders on that partition and put into a single file or .img file.
For a non-technical person, let me use a puzzle as an example.
The puzzle box is equivalent to the physical device.
The plastic bag inside the puzzle box, holding all the pieces, is the image file.
Print on the puzzle box indicating the number of pieces, is the partition.
The puzzle pieces inside the box are equivalent to the data.
Okay, so at this point we know the image file (.img) is the bag which holds all the puzzle pieces and the data are all the bits inside the bag. So let’s address the question of this post, “Why does the partition size matter inside an image file?”
Back to the puzzle box. As with any puzzle, the outside of the box lists the number of pieces. In this example, we can use the number of pieces printed on the outside of the box as the partition table size. If the physical box size is, let us say, 8″ x 11″ then it’s totally logical that a 1,000 piece puzzle would fit inside. In fact, it is logical to say even a 20 piece puzzle will fit inside the box. But, could a 5,000 piece puzzle fit inside this box?
From the three scenarios above, one doesn’t work, right? The scenario where the box says there are 5,000 puzzle pieces in a box that is physically to small.
Partitions are the same.
The situation which doesn’t work, is when the print on the outside of the puzzle is telling you the number of pieces inside the box are clearly more than what the physical box can handle.
Said another way, you cannot use a partition table size of 4GBs and try to have the image file fit on a USB stick that has only 1GB of storage space. Even if the image file itself is only 1GB large of actual data. Just like the puzzle, no matter what is printed on the outside of the box, if the number of pieces are larger than what can fit inside the box… it just doesn’t work.
Here is a real-world example: You can download this IMG file which is only 40MB large. The IMG itself has a 4GB partition inside it. As long as you write out the IMG file to a flash drive that is 4GBs or larger, everything will work. If you try and write out the IMG file to something smaller, like a 2GB stick, it won’t work.
What happens?
Windows is very smart. All versions of Windows (from 7 and higher) will take a look at the total available memory and compare that to the partition table size. If Windows sees the partition table is larger than the available memory of the device, she won’t let you do anything with the device… other than format it. Once the drive is formatted, Windows will automatically rewrite the partition table to fit the amount of available memory. In this example, Windows would format the drive to become a 2GB stick… not a 4GB stick.
Why does Windows do this?
They want to eliminate fraud. Windows 7 was introduced in 2009 and before that, the only OS was WindowsXP. Well, Windows XP didn’t have the capability to compare partition tables to available memory. The result was fraud. Many would sell some larger GB capacity drive… like at the time 32GB, but only 4GB of real, usable, memory was there. The user would run out of memory space long before the “printed capacity” of the drive was reached.
If you found this article; maybe there is a situation where an image file is not working when written out to a USB flash drive? If this is the case, be sure to check your partition table compared to the amount of physical memory available. The easiest way to check, would be mounting the IMG file on your computer and check Properties for the partition size. Keep in mind, the default “Mount” command in Windows doesn’t work. You need something like this.
Today, more than ever before, individuals are working from home offices. A comfortable and productive environment is one of the main reasons so many love working from home. However, even with all the conveniences, sometimes the home office lacks the computer equipment needed to handle specific tasks. With many businesses now practicing social distancing, certain tools are still essential. Let us look at a unique product by Nexcopy, the home office USB duplicator.
Consider the niche requirement to make USB duplicates at home. For example, an IT manager might need to prepare bootable recovery sticks, or a software engineer might need to send program updates to remote sales teams. These professionals require a fast, simple, and economical device to do the job efficiently.
The compact USB flash drive duplicator from Nexcopy is the perfect solution for this need. Measuring just 15cm long and 10cm wide, it fits easily into any computer bag and is as light as a book.
The USB duplicator is a one-master to four-target copy station. It is a digital binary copier capable of duplicating any file system or structure provided by the master flash drive. Using a USB cable, the duplicator can power up to five USB flash drives, though it is not recommended for USB hard drives.
With this device, making duplicates in a home office is quick and easy. The unit has four menu buttons: Enter, Escape, Up, and Down. It operates with a single button press, making it ideal for non-technical users. The duplicator can be set for a standard binary copy or a copy-and-compare function, ensuring every duplicate is an exact match to the master for added peace of mind.
Four language modes on the LCD menu (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese)
USB speed benchmark utility
Firmware upgradeable for future updates
Is this mini-sized USB duplicator worth the investment for a home office? The easiest way to decide is to consider how much time it saves. The Nexcopy USB104SA can copy 1GB of data to each device in just over one minute. If an IT manager or developer had to manually load 12GB of data onto four drives using a PC, it would take about 12 minutes. The duplicator accomplishes this in a fraction of the time. Using the copy-and-compare mode adds some time, about 1.5 minutes per GB, but still remains extremely fast.
The Erase function is another valuable feature. Unlike a simple format, which only removes the file allocation table (directions to data), Erase overwrites memory blocks with random binary data, making data recovery impossible. Quick Erase scrubs portions of the drive, corrupting most data, while Full Erase writes random 0s and 1s to the entire NAND memory, ensuring complete and irreversible data removal.
The USB benchmark utility is a convenient tool for testing read and write speeds, especially with lower-quality promotional USB media, which can be unstable. A write speed below 4MB/s indicates poor quality memory. Speeds above 8MB/s for USB 2.0 or 20MB/s for USB 3.0 are considered good quality.
This Nexcopy duplicator is backward compatible with USB 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 flash drives and writes as fast as the connected device allows. For best performance, USB 3.0 media is recommended.
When trying to format a flash drive in Windows (7 or 10), you will see the file system options best suited for the device. The proper file systems for a flash drive are: FAT, FAT32, or exFAT. Windows also provides NTFS as an option for USB flash drives, but as mentioned before, NTFS is not the best file system for a USB drive. During the format process, only the most compatible file systems will be displayed in Windows.
Why is UDF not listed as an option?
First, let me say it IS possible for Windows to format a USB flash drive as UDF (Universal Disk Format). Microsoft just doesn’t want you to do it—and with good reason.
Important: If you think formatting a flash drive as UDF will make the thumb drive appear as an optical drive in the computer, you are mistaken!
According to the Universal Disk Format (UDF) specification governed by the Optical Storage Technology Association, many believe UDF will make a device work like a disc. UDF is most widely used for DVDs and newer optical disc formats. While it can be used on flash drives, it does not make them function as optical drives.
Some may assume that formatting a USB flash drive as UDF makes it universally compatible across Windows, Mac, Linux, Symbian, and other proprietary systems. In reality, exFAT offers the same cross-platform compatibility without the drawbacks of UDF.
Why You Should Avoid Formatting USB Drives as UDF
Here are the main reasons not to use UDF on USB flash drives:
Lack of fully functional filesystem check tools.
64GB limit with Windows & Linux (a bug, not an inherent UDF limit).
Risk of quick wear-leveling failure on SD and USB mass storage devices.
UDF is read-only on Windows XP.
The most important issue is the lack of filesystem check tools. If the USB is removed during operation and data corruption occurs, there are no tools available to diagnose or repair the UDF file system. Since flash drives are designed for portability and frequent quick access, this risk makes UDF a poor choice.
How to format a flash drive as UDF:
1. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer and note its assigned drive letter.
2. Make sure no programs or data are accessing the drive.
3. Navigate to your C: drive in Windows Explorer. In the search field, type “CMD” (case-insensitive) and press Enter. Administrator privileges are required.
4. In the command prompt window, type the following command:
format G: /fs:UDF /q (Replace G with your USB drive letter.)
The /fs parameter specifies the file system (UDF), and the /q parameter tells DISKPART to perform a quick format.
5. The OS will prompt you to insert the drive (it’s already inserted), press Enter.
6. Next, you’ll be prompted to enter a Volume name. Press Enter to leave it blank or type a custom name (e.g., “Nexcopy”).
DISKPART will process the command and notify you once formatting is complete.
7. Type exit to close the command prompt window.
Note: The /q command deletes the file table and root directory of the previously formatted flash drive but does not perform a full sector scan for bad areas. This highlights the problem mentioned earlier: UDF lacks robust filesystem check tools, making it a risky choice for USB flash drives.
