Can I force Windows XP to detect flash drives as if they are hard drives?

[ShawnD1]

I can't quite understand how Windows XP detects things. I have a USB hard drive and Windows sees it as a "Hard Disk Drive", just like one of the normal IDE drives. I also have a 256mb flash drive and a 4gb ipod, both of which show up under "Devices with Removable Storage".

Is there a way to switch these devices from one category to the other? Can I make the ipod show up as a hard drive or make the usb hard drive show up as removable storage?

[Steve R Jones]

Curious to know what difference you think you'll get by doing this if it can be done?

[ShawnD1]

I have this theory that it will be easier to format stuff when it's seen as a hard drive. My USB hard drive formated as NTFS without a problem whereas I've only ever put NTFS on one USB thumb drive, and it involved doing something under Manage >> Removable Storage >> Media. It cannot be done the usual way of just right clicking the drive in Explorer and selecting to format with NTFS.

[EXreaction]

Eh?

How often do you format these drives?

[ruleofnike69]

I just checked my thumb drive format function it worked like you are wanting through my computer.....I right clicked on it and it gave me the option of fat 32 or ntsf.

[ShawnD1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruleofnike69

I just checked my thumb drive format function it worked like you are wanting through my computer.....I right clicked on it and it gave me the option of fat 32 or ntsf.

Lack of NTFS makes me a sad panda




I'm trying to do this because most "document" file types compress extremely well. For example, one of my access databases is 2.03mb file size and only 456kb size on disk; isn't that something like 75% less space?

[ruleofnike69]

have you tried removing the memory card from the thumbdrive and then reformatting it in a memory stick slot on the PC?

Oh.....I see your reason below.

awfully small stick to be formatting NTSF ....I would think.

[EXreaction]

I would think Fat32 would be fine on smaller drives.

NTFS would only be wanted on drives bigger than the file size limit (and you had any plans on passing that limit with a file).

You can still compress the files to put it on there, NTFS doesn't automatically compress the files for you.

[gbmax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShawnD1

I can't quite understand how Windows XP detects things. I have a USB hard drive and Windows sees it as a "Hard Disk Drive", just like one of the normal IDE drives. I also have a 256mb flash drive and a 4gb ipod, both of which show up under "Devices with Removable Storage".

Is there a way to switch these devices from one category to the other? Can I make the ipod show up as a hard drive or make the usb hard drive show up as removable storage?

Make Windows see any USB flash drive as local disk:

Make Windows see any USB flash drive as local disk