This how to tutorial describes a simple way to check for bad sectors on a USB flash drive. The instructions below will also fix any bad sectors, if possible, during the scanning process.

A bad sector on a flash drive is a portion of memory on the flash drive which cannot be accessed, written to, or read from and therefore cannot be used. A bad sector on a flash drive sounds easy enough to diagnose, but it’s important to know there are two types of bad sectors: hard and soft.

Physical damage to a USB flash drive will create a hard bad sector. A hard bad sector cannot be repaired or fixed and is typically induced from physical abuse. A good example: leaving a flash drive in your pocket and it went through the wash, or the device was dropped and hit the ground. In both cases, physical damage happened to the memory.

A soft bad sector on a flash drive are memory logic problems. A soft bad sector can occur from a software or data error during the write process. In lower quality flash drives, it is possible the incorrect firmware was written into the USB controller ROM and thus creates instability via soft bad sectors.

Bad sectors cannot be repaired; however soft bad sectors can be repaired.

The soft bad sectors can be fixed by using the CHKDSK utility in the Windows operating system. This same utility will also flag any hard bad sectors not to be used again, and of course not repaired.

Some signs of a bad sector on a flash drive include:

• Cannot read a file on the flash drive
• A file location is no longer available
• Unable to format the USB flash drive
• A disk read error occurs during operation

In our opinion, run the check disk one time to see if your issue is resolved, but if subsequent scans are required, we recommend discarding the flash drive to avoid further issues.

Running the chkdsk scan is really easy:

Insert flash drive to computer

Using Windows Explorer navigate to the drive letter

In the Explorer window type cmd and press enter

Once inside the command line utility type chkdsk d: /f /r /x and click Enter. NOTE: *The letter d represents the drive letter of the flash drive.

• The /f parameter tells CHKDSK to fix any errors it finds.
• The /r parameter tells Windows to repair/restore bad sectors (if possible).
• The /x parameter unmounts any “handles” to the drive or said another way, this step will not allow any other resource to access the flash drive during the scan.

Alles-Omoton is offering their three level aluminum laptop riser unit for only $16.62. They have a 99% positive feedback so little risk considering the company’s Amazon rating. If you are not a Prime member, orders that exceed $25 will qualify for free shipping. A recent price drop in addition to an on-page coupon reduces the total price 33% from list price. With room for any modern MacBook, this aluminum stand is also able to uphold a majority of PCs and Chromebooks, as well. This unique offering wields an adjustable design that’s uncommon among this style of laptop stand. Owners can choose between a 5.7-, 6.3-, or 6.8-inch height. This will undoubtedly lead to improved ergonomics and perhaps even a better arrangement for multi-monitor setups. Rated 4.7/5 stars.

OMOTON 3-Level Aluminum Laptop Riser features:

• The laptop riser offers 3 height choices (5.7/6.3/6.8 inch) to meet your different needs. It provides optimal viewing angles.
• This laptop stand for desk helps to relieve neck and shoulder pain. It also creates more space under your PC, which helps you to organize your desk.
• The laptop holder is made of reinforced aluminum alloy. It can support up to 11lbs of weight. The soft silicone pads protect your laptop from scratches.

Click to view more details, pricing and size options.

GetUSB.info does mention Amazon affilate products to help pay for the cost of running our blog.

Using the command prompt (cmd) you can quickly and easily get the USB volume serial number and the USB device serial number. There is no computer experienced needed to perform these functions, simply type a couple letters and you will get the information!

To get the USB Volume Serial Number do the following:

Insert USB flash drive into the computer

Double click the drive letter associated with the USB flash drive (remember the drive letter as you will need this in a moment)

In File Explorer type: cmd

From the command prompt type: vol d: and click Enter ( where “d” is the drive letter of the USB flash drive)

The command prompt window will return the results and look something like this:

The Volume in drive D is named “Nexcopy”

The Volume serial number is 3AAB-AA16

After we explain how to get the USB device serial number we will explain the difference between the two.

To get the USB Device Serial Number do the following:

It’s been reported for more than four years that Apple has been trying to solve non-invasive blood glucose testing — and continues to run into problems.

Apple has not disclosed the specific technical issues during development, but it’s almost certainly due to inconsistent test readings. In other words, whatever method Apple is using to estimate blood glucose levels is not reliable enough to meet regulatory approval standards.

Hey Apple — if you want to solve your glucose testing problem, listen up.

It is well documented that blood glucose levels correlate directly with blood viscosity, or how thick and fluid the blood is.

Our take is that Apple’s current sensor approach isn’t accurate enough to determine viscosity, which makes reliable glucose readings impossible.

That makes sense when you consider where Apple Watch sensors are located. They’re attempting to measure through skin that’s simply too thick — the wrist.

Here’s the hot tip for Apple (@AppleHCG @tim_cook):

Forget using the Apple Watch itself as the primary sensing device. What Apple should build is a mouthpiece accessory that communicates with the Apple Watch and scans the lingual frenulum.

The lingual frenulum is the thinnest skin on the human body, making it ideal for optical scanning. Measuring opacity in this area would allow for far more accurate assessment of blood viscosity — and therefore glucose levels — than scanning through the wrist.

The mouthpiece would sit under the tongue with a sensor aimed directly at the lingual frenulum. It would scan blood circulation and analyze color and opacity to determine glucose levels in real time.

This under-the-tongue device would only be used when a reading is required. The scan itself would likely take no more than five seconds.

For accuracy, the mouthpiece would read from both the left and right sides of the lingual frenulum. Higher blood viscosity results in darker, denser blood and greater opacity. Lower glucose levels produce lighter, less opaque blood.

The mouthpiece would communicate wirelessly with the Apple Watch to transmit the glucose reading.

Obviously, this is not a finished product design. Engineering, validation, and clinical testing would need to be handled by Apple’s healthcare team. That said, this concept points in a direction far more likely to succeed than wrist-based optical sensing.

If someone at Apple reads this article, we hope they have the integrity and respect for original ideas to reach out. gmo (at) getusb.info