Consumer Rights Wiki

Retail Windows USB drives: Difference between revisions

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{{InfoboxProductLine
{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = {{PAGENAME}}
| Title = {{PAGENAME}}
| Release Year =2015  
| Release Year = 2015  
| Product Type =Hardware and software  
| Product Type = Hardware and software  
| In Production =Yes  
| In Production = Yes  
| 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 =QuestionMark.svg
| Logo =Windows1122h2.jpeg
}}
}}
{{Placeholder box|Since the release of Windows 10 Microsoft has sold usb drives with an installer preloaded <ref name":0">https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/anton-shilov/microsoft-begins-to-sell-windows-10-on-usb-flash-drives/</ref>". but these drives are deeply write protected with no official way to reformat to reuse it for anything other than the manufacturing year’s windows installer}}


==Consumer impact summary==
Since the release of [[Windows]] 10, '''[[Microsoft]]''' has sold USB drives with an installer preloaded.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Anton |last=Shilov |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/ |website=KitGuru |date=5 Sep 2015 |access-date=15 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906120608/http://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/anton-shilov/microsoft-begins-to-sell-windows-10-on-usb-flash-drives/ |archive-date=6 Sep 2015}}</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 (The installers inevitably become outdated.)
{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):
* User Freedom These usb drives are artificially unwritable preventing reuse one would expect from a usb flash drive.
Microsoft has undoubtedly sold millions of non rewritable windows usb drives creating ewaste}}


==Incidents==
==Controversy==
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
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 re-writable.
{{Placeholder box|Replace the placeholder text in the sections below with the incidents that affect this product and a short summary. Also replace the link so it point to the right product line or company article.}}
===Example incident one (''date'')===
{{Main|link to the main article}}
Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article).
===Example incident two (''date'')===
...


Incidents affecting all of the product line/company's products can be found in the prouct line/company article: [[Product line title]]/[[Company article title]]
Microsoft has undoubtedly sold millions of non-rewritable Windows USB drives, creating needless e-waste.
{{Placeholder box|* [[Example incident one]] (date): Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article).
[[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.]]
* [[Example incident two]] (date):
Shortly after purchasing these drives, people turned to forums seeking help, unable to write to them no matter what they tried.<ref>{{Cite web
Incidents affecting the entire product line can be found in the product line article: [[Product line article, or company article if there is no product line]]}}
|first=Keith |last=Weisshar |title=Windows 10 Retail USB Drive |url=https://www.tenforums.com/installation-upgrade/14315-windows-10-retail-usb-drive.html |website=Windows TenForums<!-- Do NOT insert spacing here --> |date=8 Aug 2015 |access-date=27 Mar 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522023250/https://www.tenforums.com/installation-upgrade/14315-windows-10-retail-usb-drive.html |archive-date=22 May 2022}}</ref>


==An untrustworthy solution==
By late 2016, equally locked down {{Wplink|Original equipment manufacturer|OEM}} Windows recovery USB drives were noted to be using {{Wplink|Phison}} controllers,  which a proprietary program for Windows called Phison MPALL can low level format into a writable state.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jeff |title=How to Disable the Write Protection on Dell Windows 10 USB Recovery Sticks - ROUND 4 |url=http://www.techunboxed.com/2016/09/how-to-disable-write-protection-on-dell.html |website=tech unboxed |date=27 Sep 2016 |access-date=15 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013173716/http://www.techunboxed.com/2016/09/how-to-disable-write-protection-on-dell.html |archive-date=13 Oct 2016}}</ref> The same applied 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.) <= Hiding this garbled sentence for someone else to hammer out. - Sojourna -->


==See also==
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 {{Wplink|malware}} packed in or even if Phison made the software. Use 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>{{Cite web |title=Malware analysis Phison_MPALL_v5.13.0C.rar |url=https://any.run/report/9670e21a30a78af57e5c4b4a702da1e8e8bf587cbc66a837b9e172f3b1a1182b/3fee59f4-c6ab-4cd1-88cc-bf433869f4b5 |website=Any Run |date=22 Jan 2025 |access-date=15 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250708194646/https://any.run/report/9670e21a30a78af57e5c4b4a702da1e8e8bf587cbc66a837b9e172f3b1a1182b/3fee59f4-c6ab-4cd1-88cc-bf433869f4b5 |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref>
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or products with similar incidents.}}


===Usage===
Its unofficial nature's trust concerns aside, Phison MPALL can brick the USB drive if GetInfo.exe's part data — should be included with MPALL's unofficial redistributions — doesn't match what's inputted into the low level formatting settings. It can also stall and fail for no apparent reason even if the user has followed instructions. (Sometimes recoverable by un-plugging and then 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. Do not 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 andd 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 obtain the correct part number and USB type to input.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Microsoft]]
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