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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?"

12 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 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!

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

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

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    8. 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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    9. 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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  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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