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 built right into the center console. I didn’t realize this was an aftermarket purchase at first, which is why I wanted to review it here today. The brand my neighbor uses is the Taptes Generation 2 wireless charging station.

The Gen 2 model includes several improvements over 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 at the same time, each independently receiving power. The center ridge does not extend all the way to the bottom, so if you need to charge a phone in landscape mode, for example while viewing Google Maps, that is still possible.

The charging station also includes a USB-C port in the event a passenger has a phone that does not support wireless charging. This applies to both Android and Apple devices, making the setup flexible for mixed-device households.

My neighbor’s car is a 2019 Tesla Model 3, but this charging station supports Tesla center consoles from the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 model years. The black finish closely matches the Tesla interior trim, and as mentioned earlier, it does not look like an aftermarket add-on once installed.

The charging pad uses an anti-slip grip material so phones don’t slide around while driving. The wireless signal is strong enough to charge through most phone cases. However, if your phone has a magnetic disc or pop-socket attached, charging may not work reliably. This is typically due to increased distance from the charging coil or signal obstruction. The pad also includes two LED indicators to show when the charging station is active, while your phone confirms receipt of power. Two USB splitters are included so the charger can be powered from the Tesla USB ports while still allowing connections for accessories such as a dash camera.

• 1 × Wireless Charger / Pad (Gen 2)
• 1 × Manual
• 2 × USB Splitters

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, and why an image can fail even when the IMG file itself looks small.

Let us start off with two simplified overviews. First, all storage devices use a partition to define their characteristics. A storage device has a file system like FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS, and that file system has a defined size or digital capacity. These characteristics, along with a few others, are laid out in the partition table.

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 — captured into a single file, typically an .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.
• The print on the puzzle box indicating the number of pieces is the partition.
• The puzzle pieces inside the box are equivalent to the data.

At this point we know the image file (.img) is the bag that holds all the puzzle pieces and the data are the pieces themselves. So let’s address the core question: why does the partition size matter inside an image file?

Back to the puzzle box. The outside of the box lists how many pieces are inside. If the physical box size is, say, 8 by 11 inches, it’s logical that a 1,000-piece puzzle would fit. It’s also logical that a 20-piece puzzle would fit. But could a 5,000-piece puzzle fit inside that same box?

From those scenarios, one clearly doesn’t work. The box claims more pieces than the physical space can support. Partitions behave the same way.

Said another way, you cannot use a partition table size of 4GB and try to write that image to a USB stick that has only 1GB of physical storage. Even if the image file itself contains only 1GB of actual data, the declared partition size still must fit on the device.

Here is a real-world example: you can download this IMG file which is only 40MB in size. The IMG contains a 4GB partition. Write it to a 4GB (or larger) flash drive and it works. Try writing it to a 2GB drive and it will not.

What happens?

Windows is smart. All modern versions of Windows compare the partition table size against the available physical memory on the device. If Windows sees the partition claims more space than physically exists, it blocks access to the device and only allows formatting. Formatting rewrites the partition table to match the real capacity.

This behavior exists to prevent fraud. Older operating systems like Windows XP did not validate partition size versus physical memory, which allowed fake-capacity USB drives to be sold. Windows 7 and newer closed that loophole.

This same partition-size rule shows up frequently when creating bootable media. We’ve seen it come into play when users attempt to write boot images that fail silently or appear corrupted, such as when creating tools like the Ultimate Boot CD on a USB flash drive, where the target USB device must meet or exceed the image’s declared partition size.

If you found this article because an image file is not working when written to a USB flash drive, check the partition size inside the image against the physical capacity of the device. The easiest way to verify this is to mount the IMG file and check its properties. Keep in mind the default Windows mount option does not work for this; 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.

Key Features of the Nexcopy USB104SA:

• Asynchronous copy mode at all times
• Binary copier supports all formats: FAT, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS, Ext2,3,4, Proprietary
• Binary CRC verification algorithm
• Quick Erase and Full Erase for data sanitization
• 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.

The duplicator uses CRC (Cyclical Redundancy Check) for data verification. Learn more about this in our article on CRC vs Checksum verification for USB flash drives.

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.

Source: GetUSB.info

How to Format a USB Flash Drive as UDF in Windows

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.