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How Does Flash Media Fail?

Posted by kdawson on from the in-the-pan dept.

bhodge writes "Aside from the obvious 'it stops working' answer, how does flash media — such as USB, SD, and CF — fail? Unlike with traditional hard drive, where anyone who's worked with computers for a while knows what a drive failure looks like, I don't know anyone who has experienced such a failure with flash. I've haven't been able to find more than scant evidence of what such failures look like at the OS level. The one account I have found detailed using a small USB drive for /var/log storage; it failed very quickly, and then utterly (0 byte unformatted device), after five years of service in the role. This runs contrary to other anecdotal claims that you should still be able to read the media after you can no longer write to it. So my question is: what have you seen of the nature of flash media failure, if anything?"

26 of 357 comments (clear)

  1. In my case by ptomblin · · Score: 4, Funny

    It usually "fails" because it went through the washing machine in my pants too many times.

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    1. Re:In my case by MindlessAutomata · · Score: 4, Funny

      In that case, what's truly "failing" is you.

    2. Re:In my case by Yvan256 · · Score: 5, Funny

      You have a washing machine in your pants?

    3. Re:In my case by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      How do you sit?

    4. Re:In my case by Chyeld · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's just what all the guys call it...

    5. Re:In my case by qwertyatwork · · Score: 2, Funny

      ...Rapid heating and cooling can cause expansion problems.

      Thats what she said!

    6. Re:In my case by uncledrax · · Score: 2, Funny

      Also, in my case, they usually make it to the dryer too..

      I've learned to be alittle more careful.. but that doesn't mean they don't occasionally get a nice wash and dry :/

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    7. Re:In my case by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's just what all the guys call it...

      My wife didn't appreciate it when I said that about her!

    8. Re:In my case by SnarfQuest · · Score: 2, Funny

      Being in your pants, I'm not surprised there are corrosive elements in it.

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    9. Re:In my case by GungaDan · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, no - he means from the detergent, Tide. It's disrespectful to dirt and soiled state media.

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    10. Re:In my case by LearnToSpell · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sitting's fine. It's hard to stand up though.

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    11. Re:In my case by rackserverdeals · · Score: 2, Funny

      The question is: Did you use soap?

      Ah.... and olde tyme geek.

      Times have changed. You don't need a long beard, poor hygiene and smelly clothes to be take seriously these days :)

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    12. Re:In my case by FooAtWFU · · Score: 4, Funny
      I blame Macromedia, and maybe YouTube.

      Oh, wait, you meant the other "Flash media".

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    13. Re:In my case by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      On the agitator!

    14. Re:In my case by krakelohm · · Score: 1, Funny

      That's what she said.

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    15. Re:In my case by dkh2 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Of course, now, everybody is thinking... "What were you doing in his pants?

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    16. Re:In my case by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      My personal device has been washed and dried at least a dozen times in the last couple of years.

      I suppose that's okay, but I find that the ladies prefer my personal device to be subjected to soap and water a bit more often.

    17. Re:In my case by scorp1us · · Score: 2, Funny

      Washing machines are pretty harsh places. You get tidal forces that will apply various physical stresses to the components.

      I don't use Tide. I use Gain. Perhaps I have it up to high?

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  2. Re:Burnt out by Samschnooks · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dodgy card readers,...

    That's what you get for buying a Chrysler product or any Detroit product. Try getting a Honda or Toyota card reader. Or if you're a yuppy, a BMW card reader. Although, no one holds a candle to the Japanese.

  3. this is a good freaking question. by nimbius · · Score: 3, Funny

    ive been able to roll over a flashdrive with my car, wash, and bake a flashdrive in the process of doing laundry, and its never failed...however ive had one on my desk for a month that failed like a whale for no good (read:user abusing it as normal) reason. blaming gremlins, jeebus, and FSM until a solution abounds.

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  4. Adobe Flash fails by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Because it's proprietary and sucks ass technically too.

  5. Re:Flashmemory by ckthorp · · Score: 2, Funny

    And tasty, too!

  6. Re:Was there a point to this article? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I really wish my flash drives would tell me more of this instead of hiding behind the veneer of being a flawless "generic block device" that's never had any fa&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&7

  7. Re:Quiet failure... by houstonbofh · · Score: 2, Funny

    I also had an expensive Lexar CF card for a digital SLR that failed. In that case pictures that I know I took simply weren't on the card... but could be "recovered" with the Lexar utility (along with EVERYTHING else on the card, so it was a PITA.) Since that was nearly $200 when it was new, I figured getting my lifetime warranty honored would be easy, since the cards were down to about $20. No dice. Just got the run-around and finally gave up. Lexar lost a customer.

    They lost more than one... They are now in the same group as Maxtor, politicians, and strippers...

  8. Flash media by DougWare · · Score: 2, Funny

    Everyone knows that the mainstream flash media is so left wing that's going to fail.

  9. Re:Burnt out by PitViper401 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm still confused. Could you use a car analogy?