Ambiguity with "USB sticks"

[Slavic]

See at the screen "Configuration, Options, Copy/Delete".

The checkbox "USB sticks" is shifted right, so it could be understood as a key depended from "Use compatibility mode for the following drives:". However, the "parent" checkbox can be left unchecked, so user can eventually decide that these items are independent.

I could suggest to shift the item "USB sticks" left to the radio-box column, but it would be better also to name it more clearly, something like "Use compatibility mode for USB drives".

[sqa_wizard]

The checkbox "USB sticks" is shifted right, so it could be understood as a key depended from "Use compatibility mode for the following drives:"

The entry IS dependend !
You can even enter specific drive-letters and/or include "USB sticks" in general.

The structure is shown correct.

It is just confusing, that the depending entries are not disabled (dimmed) if you uncheck the compatibility mode.

[Slavic]

It is just confusing, that the depending entries are not disabled (dimmed) if you uncheck the compatibility mode.

This is exactly that I mean:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/6/7/54504/test/usb_sticks.png

[petermad]

But it is not possible to fill it out like this:

http://users.cybercity.dk/~ccc40086/tcmd/usbstick.png

The text field will automatically be filled out with a * leading all drives to use comptability mode !

[szlori]

Still, "dependent" controls should be disabled when the option on which they depend is unchecked.
This is the common sense used in GUI design...

[Rafal]

Yes, these items should be disabled when "Use compatibility mode" checkbox is disabled.
I didn't know if "USB sticks" option was dependant until finding this thread (even "help" didn't help).

And also mentioned in this thread:
How to use compatibility mode _only for usb sticks_? The edit box above is automatically filling with "*"? I've tried to workaround it by setting to "A" drive (which I don't have anyway) AND checking "USB sticks" but it still didn't work. It only works when setting edit box to "*", but then every drive is using compatibility mode, isn't it?

[Hacker]

How to use compatibility mode _only for usb sticks_?

Only check the USB sticks checkbox.

Roman

[Rafal]

How to use compatibility mode _only for usb sticks_?

Only check the USB sticks checkbox.

My test prove otherwise. Transfers from pendrive are doubling only when "Use compatibility mode" is enabled (and drives box is filled with "*").

[Hacker]

Rafal,
Strange. Then perhaps your USB stick is not detected correctly? Christian will have to say something about this.

Roman

[ghisler(Author)]

TC can only detect the USB stick when it is formatted as a superfloppy (that's the normal case) and not as a harddisk.

In found no way to detect USB sticks which look like a harddisk.

Also USB sticks cannot be detected on Windows Vista, the system has closed down many useful low level functions even for reading information.

[Rafal]

My pendrive is formatted as a superfloppy. It is showing a "removable drive" icon in drives bar.

Also, I'm not using Vista but XP SP2.

Is there some way I can debug this case? Which function is used to retrieve these informations? I might try compiling some app and showing you information it returns.

As a last resort I might try reinstalling windows which might eventually fix my problems (it is showing some weird symptoms like a crash when cancelling drives properties dialog ).


EDIT:
http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=6457&highlight=pendrive
related? I do have a PQI pendrive too.

[Rafal]

Fixed!

I have installed VIA 4in1 drivers and not only TC works in compatibility mode with only "USB sticks" enabled but also transfers speed gone way up in compatibility mode (writing from 1mb to 8mb/s - still some way to advertised 17mb/s but it's because of additional controller I'm using).

I'm willing to uninstall Via drivers and help debugging this problem if this is important to you, mr. Ghisler (although it seems more of an drivers problem an not TC).

[ghisler(Author)]

Yes, it would be nice if you could debug this. I wrote a little test program which calls the function from TC.

You can download it here. It's a quick and dirty program clicked together in 20 minutes, so don't complain about look and feel, please.

The output from the program should look like this:

Code: Select all

Starting detection for drive j:
Device ID:\??\STORAGE#RemovableMedia#8&336b0829&0&RM#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Enumerating device interfaces:
Skipped: \??\STORAGE#RemovableMedia#8&336b0829&0&RM#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Skipped: \??\STORAGE#RemovableMedia#8&336b0829&0&RM#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Skipped: \??\STORAGE#RemovableMedia#8&336b0829&0&RM#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Skipped: \??\STORAGE#RemovableMedia#8&336b0829&0&RM#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
DevID:\??\STORAGE#RemovableMedia#8&336b0829&0&RM#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}, Parent:USB\VID_0781&PID_7113\0000197076
Drive j: is detected as an USB stick!

Explanation: TC forst looks in the registry under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices
what device ID this drive letter has. Then it uses the Setup API to enumerate all devices, until it finds the USB drive. It then checks the parent of the device. If it starts with USB, TC knows that the device is connected via USB!

[Clo]

2ghisler(Author)

Good evening,

• Although I've no special problem with my USB-stick, I did the test, it looks OK, I guess :

Starting detection for drive g:
Device ID:\??\STORAGE#RemovableMedia#7&1960cd9&0&RM#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Enumerating device interfaces:
Skipped: \??\fdc#generic_floppy_drive#5&35ad0cb2&0&0#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Skipped: \??\ide#cdromsamsung_cd-rom_sc-152l__________________c100____#5&249e8aeb&0&0.0.0#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Skipped: \??\scsi#cdrom&ven_axv&prod_cd#dvd-rom&rev_2.2a#2&20c8176e&0&000#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
DevID:\??\STORAGE#RemovableMedia#7&1960cd9&0&RM#{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}, Parent:USB\VID_05DC&PID_0080\5&13B25F5C&0&1
Drive g: is detected as an USB stick!

 VG
Claude
Clo

[Rafal]

The problem is that it's not quite possible to uninstall these drivers. There is some uninstall option but not for every component (not to mention that uninstalling them does not bring back faulty behaviour).
I'll try experimenting some more. Maybe I will try it on a clean system also.

The weird thing about this pendrive is that it was originally formatted as two partitions and the second one of them was not writable (contained some utilities).
I have accidentally formatted it with some PQI formatting tool and now it's only one partition. Wonder if that might had anything to do with this problem.