Retail Windows usb drives: Difference between revisions
fixed form, structure and references |
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| Official Website =https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/windows-11-home/dg7gmgf0krt0 | | Official Website =https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/windows-11-home/dg7gmgf0krt0 | ||
| Logo =Windows1122h2.jpeg | | Logo =Windows1122h2.jpeg | ||
}}Since the release of [[Windows]] 10, '''[[Microsoft]]''' has sold usb drives with an installer preloaded.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shilov |first=Anton |date=5 Sep 2015 |title=Microsoft begins to sell Windows 10 on USB flash drives |url=https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/anton-shilov/microsoft-begins-to-sell-windows-10-on-usb-flash-drives/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 Mar 2025 |website=KitGuru}}</ref> They are deeply write protected, and have no official way to be formatted and reused for anything other than the manufacturing year’s Windows installer. | }}Since the release of [[Windows]] 10, '''[[Microsoft]]''' has sold usb drives with an installer preloaded.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shilov |first=Anton |date=5 Sep 2015 |title=Microsoft begins to sell Windows 10 on USB flash drives |url=https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/anton-shilov/microsoft-begins-to-sell-windows-10-on-usb-flash-drives/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 Mar 2025 |website=KitGuru}}</ref> They are deeply write protected, and have no official way to be formatted and reused for anything other than the manufacturing year’s Windows installer. (The installers inevitably become outdated.) | ||
==Controversy== | ==Controversy== | ||
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Microsoft has undoubtedly sold millions of non-rewritable Windows USB drives, creating needless e-waste. | Microsoft has undoubtedly sold millions of non-rewritable Windows USB drives, creating needless e-waste. | ||
[[File:Diskpart.png|thumb|Normal tools like Windows command prompt diskpart can’t remove the write protection and it highlights how the current read only state is not under its control]] | |||
Shortly after purchasing these drives, people turned to forums seeking help, unable to write to them no matter what they tried.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weisshar |first=Keith |date=8 Aug 2015 |title=Windows 10 Retail USB Drive |url=https://www.tenforums.com/installation-upgrade/14315-windows-10-retail-usb-drive.html |url-status=live |access-date=27 Mar 2025 |website=Windows Ten Forums}}</ref> | |||
==An untrustworthy solution== | |||
By late 2016,<ref>http://www.techunboxed.com/2016/09/how-to-disable-write-protection-on-dell.html</ref> equally locked down oem windows recovery usb drives were noted to be using Phison controllers which a proprietary program for Windows called Phison MPALL can low level format into a writeable state. Same goes for the retail installer drives (subject to change. An incompatibly new Phison part can be made and put in the drives or a different manufacturer’s drives can be used.) | |||
Since '''Phison’s website does not distribute nor mention the program at all''' there’s no way to know for sure that an unofficially redistributed version doesn’t have malware packed in or even if Phison made the software. Try to be very careful using MPALL at your own risk on a device with no sensitive data, and no passwords saved including Microsoft accounts (fresh install with a local account workaround) and fresh install windows again / wipe the main drive when finished with MPALL because some malware scan sites claim it installs a driver.<ref>https://any.run/report/9670e21a30a78af57e5c4b4a702da1e8e8bf587cbc66a837b9e172f3b1a1182b/3fee59f4-c6ab-4cd1-88cc-bf433869f4b5</ref> | |||
It’s unofficial nature’s trust concerns aside Phison MPALL can brick the usb drive if GetInfo.exe’s (should be included with MPALL’s unofficial redistributions) part data doesn’t match what’s inputted into the low level formatting settings but it can also stall and fail for no apparent reason of user error (sometimes recoverable by un and re plugging the drive and pressing the update button to refresh the drive list before trying again with the same settings.) Each attempt can take more than an hour and a half. Don’t close MPALL or power off windows (be sure the windows idle power settings allow such a wait) during the low level formatting. | |||
[https://youtube.com/watch?v=VmyAHmCvILA&t=187 This YouTube video appears to be the best guide on how to use Phison MPALL.] Ignore their use of chipgenius and skip to 3 minutes and 7 seconds in as it’s been known for nearly 9 years that these are Phison drives so the included GetInfo.exe should be all that’s needed to get the correct part number and usb type to input. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 08:06, 31 March 2025
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2015 |
| Product Type | Hardware and software |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/windows-11-home/dg7gmgf0krt0 |
Since the release of Windows 10, Microsoft has sold usb drives with an installer preloaded.[1] They are deeply write protected, and have no official way to be formatted and reused for anything other than the manufacturing year’s Windows installer. (The installers inevitably become outdated.)
Controversy[edit | edit source]
These drives are artificially unwritable, preventing expected reuse from a USB flash drive. There is no indication on the Windows 11 22H2 USB drive box exterior that it is not rewritable.
Microsoft has undoubtedly sold millions of non-rewritable Windows USB drives, creating needless e-waste.
Shortly after purchasing these drives, people turned to forums seeking help, unable to write to them no matter what they tried.[2]
An untrustworthy solution[edit | edit source]
By late 2016,[3] equally locked down oem windows recovery usb drives were noted to be using Phison controllers which a proprietary program for Windows called Phison MPALL can low level format into a writeable state. Same goes for the retail installer drives (subject to change. An incompatibly new Phison part can be made and put in the drives or a different manufacturer’s drives can be used.)
Since Phison’s website does not distribute nor mention the program at all there’s no way to know for sure that an unofficially redistributed version doesn’t have malware packed in or even if Phison made the software. Try to be very careful using MPALL at your own risk on a device with no sensitive data, and no passwords saved including Microsoft accounts (fresh install with a local account workaround) and fresh install windows again / wipe the main drive when finished with MPALL because some malware scan sites claim it installs a driver.[4]
It’s unofficial nature’s trust concerns aside Phison MPALL can brick the usb drive if GetInfo.exe’s (should be included with MPALL’s unofficial redistributions) part data doesn’t match what’s inputted into the low level formatting settings but it can also stall and fail for no apparent reason of user error (sometimes recoverable by un and re plugging the drive and pressing the update button to refresh the drive list before trying again with the same settings.) Each attempt can take more than an hour and a half. Don’t close MPALL or power off windows (be sure the windows idle power settings allow such a wait) during the low level formatting.
This YouTube video appears to be the best guide on how to use Phison MPALL. Ignore their use of chipgenius and skip to 3 minutes and 7 seconds in as it’s been known for nearly 9 years that these are Phison drives so the included GetInfo.exe should be all that’s needed to get the correct part number and usb type to input.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Shilov, Anton (5 Sep 2015). "Microsoft begins to sell Windows 10 on USB flash drives". KitGuru. Retrieved 27 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Weisshar, Keith (8 Aug 2015). "Windows 10 Retail USB Drive". Windows Ten Forums. Retrieved 27 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ http://www.techunboxed.com/2016/09/how-to-disable-write-protection-on-dell.html
- ↑ https://any.run/report/9670e21a30a78af57e5c4b4a702da1e8e8bf587cbc66a837b9e172f3b1a1182b/3fee59f4-c6ab-4cd1-88cc-bf433869f4b5