29 replies to this topic

[Lebon14]

It won't make things worse... Beside destroying data on disk, it reallocates suspicious sectors. I revived literally tens of hard disks reported as bad and they still work, after years from repairing. Some of them are in NAS systems, under a heavy use, and still work without error.

Anyway, it might be another problem... a problematic USB cable is another thing which appear very often; same as a problematic power source.

Yes, it's dangerous to use low-level format, especially on recent HDDs. Read this. A normal format should do the trick (zero-fill only) for the formatting process. If repairs are needed, Windows' chkdsk (with command "chkdsk c: /f /r") does the trick.

 

Even more reading: http://www.pcguide.c...tilities-c.html

 

But I believe that you are mixing up between zero-filling (standard long format) and hard drive and the actual "low-level" format.

[Lupaie]

Just bought a simple 256gb memorystick. And it works just brilliantly.

Edited by Lupaie, 01 December 2013 - 09:15 AM.

[Lebon14]

Just bought a simple 256gb memorystick. And it works judt brilliantly.

 

256GB memory stick?! Wait, what? You paid ~300$ for a memory stick? Really?!

[Lupaie]

256GB memory stick?! Wait, what? You paid ~300$ for a memory stick? Really?!

just over a 180

[Lebon14]

just over a 180

You could have had a 3TB hard drive for that price... was it really worth it? Not doubting your decision but, imo, you could have made a better deal. Exemple : This+this = 79$ (86$ max). ~2x the space.

 

However, I'm pretty sure you have a reason for spending that much on that. Might be... gaming conditions (i.e. No extra power outlet available, etc)?

 

Anyway. I hope your memory stick lasts for the price you paid, otherwise it'll suck hard.

[Lupaie]

You could have had a 3TB hard drive for that price... was it really worth it? Not doubting your decision but, imo, you could have made a better deal. Exemple : This+this = 79$ (86$ max). ~2x the space.

 

However, I'm pretty sure you have a reason for spending that much on that. Might be... gaming conditions (i.e. No extra power outlet available, etc)?

 

Anyway. I hope your memory stick lasts for the price you paid, otherwise it'll suck hard.

 

To be honest, I just didn't want an extra external device with cables etc. I had no trouble using older USB Sticks and when I tried to connect two of my HDD's all I got was trouble. 

Edited by Lupaie, 02 December 2013 - 03:40 AM.

[Arkhandar]

To be honest, I just didn't want an extra external device with cables etc. I had no trouble using older USB Sticks and when I tried to connect two of my HDD's all I got was trouble. 

 

Remember that it's not advised to use USB sticks as Wii U memory. Unlike HDDs, t'll wear out quickly.

[Lupaie]

Remember that it's not advised to use USB sticks as Wii U memory. Unlike HDDs, t'll wear out quickly.

Thanks, I'll keep my savegames at the hdd then.

[Arkhandar]

Thanks, I'll keep my savegames at the hdd then.

 

Your welcome

 

I just wished Nintendo would release a SATA III compatible Wii U.

[Alex Atkin UK]

Its nothing to do with flash memory wearing out as it only wears from writes and installed games will be reading not writing, except when saving the game.  The Wii U internal memory is still flash memory, as well as most game console memory cards.  I use a USB memory stick on Xbox 360 and that writes quite a bit in some games, it hasn't failed yet.  Good flash memory will more than likely last LONGER than a modern HDD, as you would have to write a LOT to wear it out whereas HDDs age regardless of use.  The only caveat being that flash memory only retains data for about 10 years after it is written, so making sure everything on there is re-written periodically is a good idea.

 

The reason they do not recommend using USB sticks is purely due to the fact their speed varies from downright awful up to really good, whereas even the slowest HDD will perform good enough.  That's why on Xbox 360 they actually benchmark the memory card when you format it to let you know if meets the recommended specifications, something perhaps Nintendo should also do rather than discouraging their use.

 

As long as you use good memory sticks, they will work fine.  I use a relatively slow memory stick (doesn't meet the Xbox 360 recommendations) in my Wii U as it speeds up downloads compared to using internal memory, and it works exactly the same as internal memory.  On the other hand when I tried a HDD it kept telling me it had been removed, I think because the external PSU for the caddy was loose.  So memory sticks are actually a good option.

Edited by Alex Atkin UK, 02 December 2013 - 07:44 PM.