# Corsair Voyager - totally dead?!? wth?



## Black Panther (Nov 7, 2008)

It arrived from OcUK on the 20th October ie less than 3 weeks ago, 16GB USB memory stick.






The last time I used it was I copied some ebooks directly from my dad's generic USB memory stick onto it using the work pc. It worked perfectly.

Now it's just not working.

I tried it first in the laptop, instead of the normal popup window asking me what to do (play music, view files, view pics etc) I got a strange symbol on the taskbar near the clock saying that it was *'loading drivers'*. It never did that before.












Then when I went into 'My Computer' on laptop the drive was *no longer called Corsair but just Drive E:* and it had a big question mark next to it.

I *tried it also on my desktop computer and it didn't work either*.
So I'm sure the trouble's with the drive.

*I can't even format it!*





I always took care of it, I mean I never dropped it, washed it, left it in the sun, left it near magnetic sources etc etc.

And anyway, after seeing W1zz's review of the 1GB version (he put it in a toaster, dishwasher, ran over it by car....) I thought the disk should be quite a tough one?

Does anyone have a clue please? (I feel lost without my usb )

*Is it something I can correct myself *(I've got a nagging feeling it's a virus......)?
Edit: on other thoughts I don't think it's a virus - my dad's generic usb disk was functioning well, he opened it and showed me the e-book which was on his usb disk, we read parts of it... then I put in my Voyager in the other USB port, created a folder called ebooks, opened the folder, copied the ebook from dad's USB and pasted it on mine.
But I can't even format it what can I do?

*Or should I RMA? *I would prefer not to RMA if I can correct the problem myself because I bought it from OcUK (ie overseas) and it's be kinda a hassle I presume...

Here are some pics of what I'm getting. I'll post the pics from the desktop first, and then connect laptop and post those from laptop (because I obviously can't use the stick to copy files now)

Trying to *access* --





Trying to* format* --





Trying *virus scan* --





*Defragging* --





Trying to use it in *backup* --





*Device Manager* - note no yellow '!' but funny name instead of corsair flash...





Right-click *Properties* -- very weird. Normally capacity shows as 15 point something GB... and it's supposed to be only 1/3 full...





Here are the laptop (vista) shots --











EDIT: I inserted it again and now it's not even showing up as a drive in 'my computer' under Vista. It still shows under XP though.

I can't do anything in *disk management *either. In the Vista pc the drive doesn't show up, and in the XP pc I get this:






I tried to format using the command prompt, I can't remember the exact thing to type but I tried format e: and format -e and format -e:
Still nothing.



*Any advice please? Or is it a hopeless case and I should just try to RMA?*

Duh I've never expected this from Corsair... I got other cheap generic usb flash drives they've been going strong for years!


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## Black Panther (Nov 7, 2008)

Uhhh can I bump this up?

What do you think is it solveable or RMA?

(I hope OcUK won't be needing the blister packet it was in because I think I threw it away.... I still have got the receipt though...)


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## Deleted member 24505 (Nov 7, 2008)

I'd rma it,if its still under warranty.It looks like its died.


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## Black Panther (Nov 7, 2008)

How on earth could it have died? After merely a month of very careful usage? 

Well, I'm still in time for RMA...  it got a 10 year warranty...

I still can't believe it though, maybe we're missing something?  I never even ever dropped this thing!


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## Deleted member 24505 (Nov 7, 2008)

My mate Gabriel,had an 8gb one that went trough a wash cycle and survived.I guess its one of them things.I have found some of them dont like it if you dont safetly remove them.


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## AsRock (Nov 7, 2008)

Yeah RMA it like tigger said..  I own the 1gig one and worked flawlessly but the cap is a pain after a while and it gets loose.

Mine has a lifetime warrenty with it think those 16GB ones do too.


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## Black Panther (Nov 7, 2008)

*Tigger:*
Prior to removing it I always click the little icon next to the task-bar clock and select 'safely remove hardware'. Even though I know it isn't that important... my dad always pulls his usb flash's out without doing so but I never did and I never ever let my dad even touch my Voyager (because it's a family joke that my dad's a pc-killer so he can touch only his own pc's ) lol

*AsRock:* 
My cap's tight to remove so far. After only some month it can't get really loose obviously... Mine has a 10 year warranty with OcUK so I'm still safe so to speak. I'm just hoping that they won't be demanding something ridiculous like the plastic blister packaging (omg it was a pain to get the stick out of it!) which I threw away.

I made this thread after trying all the options I posted by way of screenshots above, just in case I missed out something, or could have done something which I missed.

Seriously, I wouldn't want to RMA something when it results that it could have been a minor glitch which I could have solved myself.

That's why I insist if there is some way that I could format this drive... please let me know.


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## sneekypeet (Nov 7, 2008)

Black Panther said:


> Uhhh can I bump this up?



I understand you wre upset and wanting help fast, but as the rules state, you should wait 24 hours for a bump to a thread.

Not trying to be an ass here but you did ask!

On topic...RMA that little bugger!


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## rampage (Nov 7, 2008)

just rma it, even it could eb fixed, i would still rma it


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## Black Panther (Nov 7, 2008)

To bad. I was really hoping that I had been missing something out...


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## ShadowFold (Nov 7, 2008)

idk what it is with memory but its the thing that seems to die most for me. Ive had alot of ram and flash drives die in my time..


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## spearman914 (Nov 7, 2008)

Black Panther said:


> How on earth could it have died? After merely a month of very careful usage?
> 
> Well, I'm still in time for RMA...  it got a 10 year warranty...
> 
> I still can't believe it though, maybe we're missing something?  I never even ever dropped this thing!



Wow poor luck. RMA is the only answer.


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## panchoman (Nov 7, 2008)

just rma it, it might've the ddo and mbr sectors on it might've gotten corrupted or what not and you probably need to use linux or a boot cd to attempt to fix it. however, as others have said, rma'ing is the easiest way.


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## Black Panther (Nov 8, 2008)

So guys, you're sure it's dead?

I was reading OcUK's RMA terms:


> Any item found to be not faulty will be subject to a £10 +VAT charge if collected or a £10 + return shipping + VAT charge if shipped back to the customer.



I did send a webnote to OcUK outlining the problem and even linking to some of the above screenshots so they see the inaccessibility of the drive.

I just received the reply -


> We can get the memory stick back and have a look at it if you like.



Uhh, they didn't give me an RMA number.


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## Mussels (Nov 11, 2008)

nag them for an RMA number, and send it back. the drive has a decent warranty on it, and you certainly are unable to use it.


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## Deleted member 3 (Nov 11, 2008)

Try it on another machine. 

If it's dead it's your careful usage, this stick isn't meant to be used careful


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## 95Viper (Nov 11, 2008)

Hello, this is from Corsair's FAQ at this site:http://www.corsair.com/faq/default.aspx#Q16

Q »      My flash drive won’t format in Windows Explorer or using a format utility.  
A »      If this happens on multiple machines, try to format your drive by opening the command prompt (Start/Run/type “CMD”) and typing "Format X: /FS:FAT32 /U" (X=the drive letter assigned to the Flash Voyager). Please note that this will erase all data on the drive, so make sure that you select the correct drive. If this still doesn’t work, we’ll have to replace the device for you.  


If you try this and it still don't work, then, rma it; they said they will have to replace it.  Sounds like they know something.

This is interesting, maybe this moght work :http://www.asktheramguy.com/v3/showthread.php?t=62742


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## Black Panther (Nov 11, 2008)

*Modder* and *95Viper*:

I tried your suggestions... with the results as per screenshots below.

*Dan*:

I tried it on 4 pc's and laptop...
What I still haven't done is putting it as an ingredient in a grilled cheese sandwich and place sandwich in middle of road to get it run over by a car...











Btw I just received the RMA number.


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## panchoman (Nov 11, 2008)

if ocuk is giving you a hard time, just screw them and go to corsair, all ocuk will do is take it from you and give it back to corsair anyway.


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## ShadowFold (Nov 11, 2008)

..You didn't stick it in an oven did you


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## Aevum (Nov 11, 2008)

i would try to 
1) use panasonic SD formatter, 
2) low level format it
3) leave it on a speaker playing metal
4) if none of the above work, RMA it woth corsair directly,


theres also the option of opening it, looking up the memory chip scematics and finding on which leg to apply current to clear the chips, but thats a bit excessive, especialy when under warranty,


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## Black Panther (Nov 11, 2008)

ShadowFold said:


> ..You didn't stick it in an oven did you



Lol no. Not yet... 

OcUK is being great so far I think:



> Please review the following information and ensure it is correct:
> ==================================================
> Products on RMA:
> 
> ...



Lol quite a mouthful!

But anyway, tomorrow (now the post office will be closed), I'll be posting the parcel containing-

1) USB stick
2) dongle
3) USB extension
4) Part of the packaging which shows the barcode (the rest I had thrown away)

I hope they won't refuse to RMA because I don't have the original plastic blister pack.... lol
But I think they'd be reasonable, I mean this thing has 10 whole years warranty - if I had to RMA it on the 9th year probably I'd have lost the cap, torn the dongle, misplaced the USB extension (or forgotten that I had one shipped with it)....

*95Viper*: I didn't try your 2nd suggestion... apart from it being rather a hassle especially since currently I don't have a Win98 pc and would have to install it on kid's pc and then reinstall XP... I don't want to have a stick which periodically I have to format on a Win98 pc...

*Aevum*: Same goes for your suggestions I guess!


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## xu^ (Nov 11, 2008)

GL with your RMA ,Overclockers are very good when it comes to delivery etc but rather poor with RMA's

friend of mine had his 8 month old mainboard die ,so he rma'd back to ocuk ,and they refused to accept it as they said it had cpu compound in the cpu socket ,and on return to him there was a large dollop of god knows wat int he socket.

thing was i ,built his pc and removed the board and there was 100% NOTHING in the socket ,i always use MX2 and this stuff in the socket was most deff not MX2 ,so obviously they put something in themselves..

ive since made a mental note that if i RMA anything to ocuk ,to take a few photos of the item befor i send it back,then i can prove wat condition it was in if they are funny about it.

anyway ,hopefully things will go nice and smooth,after all ,isn't much they can do to sabotage a flashdrive hehe


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## Black Panther (Nov 12, 2008)

xubidoo said:


> ive since made a mental note that if i RMA anything to ocuk ,to take a few photos of the item befor i send it back,then i can prove wat condition it was in if they are funny about it.



Took your advice.


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## WhiteLotus (Nov 12, 2008)

Looks like new - I doubt you will have a problem with the RMA seeing as it's just a pendrive. It seems they have a problem with RMA that are worth big £££


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## AsRock (Nov 12, 2008)

Black Panther said:


> Lol no. Not yet...
> 
> OcUK is being great so far I think:
> 
> ...



Will OCUK take it without a box ?..  I'd check 1st and would consider going though Corsair as i lost the box to my XMS ram and they said it did not matter .


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## Black Panther (Nov 12, 2008)

AsRock said:


> Will OCUK take it without a box ?..  I'd check 1st and would consider going though Corsair as i lost the box to my XMS ram and they said it did not matter .



Which box?

It was packed in a transparent blister pack, it's that transparent rigid plastic which you have to destroy in order to get what's inside.

Very similar to this: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




Lol I couldn't keep_ that_, lol it's dangerous, cuts like hell!

Obviously I'll be placing everything in a small box for shipping, just like they did when they shipped it to me.


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## xu^ (Nov 13, 2008)

glad u took pics ,better to be safe than sorry.

ive also got a Corsair Voyager (4gb) ,had it about 2 mths ,hope mine doesnt go the same way as yours 

GL


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## Black Panther (Nov 13, 2008)

Took the parcel to post office this morning.

I've got only one little worry - I was supposed to ship everything, all accessories of the usb drive, which actually I did, as per their RMA rules.

However I was looking at OcUK's site showing the Flash Voyager, it says that it is shipped with drivers on CD for Windows 98  I received no CD in my parcel 3 weeks ago, just the blister pack with usb drive, dongle and usb extension.
Obviously I hadn't paid attention to check if all was shipped correctly, first of all because RMA was the last thing on my mind for this drive, and secondly because I definitely don't need Win98 drivers.

Hope they don't refuse the RMA because I haven't shipped back something which in the first place they forgot to ship to me!


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## xu^ (Nov 13, 2008)

i never got any CD with mine either..


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## Black Panther (Nov 13, 2008)

xubidoo said:


> i never got any CD with mine either..



You bought it from OcUK as well?

Well, maybe it's just an error on their site... 


> - Plug & Play functionality in Windows® XP, 2000, ME, Linux 2.4 and later, Mac OS 9, X and later
> - *Drivers on CD for Windows® 98*
> - Lanyard, USB cable and *driver CD included*
> - Supports sustained read spead of 19MB/sec
> ...


 

There is no way a cd would have fitted inside the plastic blister packet of the drive.


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## modder (Nov 13, 2008)

Black Panther,could you Change ubs drive letter ?


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## Black Panther (Nov 13, 2008)

modder said:


> Black Panther,could you Change ubs drive letter ?



Would that have made a difference you think?
I mean on my desktop it was drive F, on lappie it was drive E
I didn't try to change it but well the disk gave me IOCTL call error which googling made me believe that the drive is really dead as a doornail..


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## modder (Nov 13, 2008)

Black Panther said:


> Would that have made a difference you think?
> I mean on my desktop it was drive F, on lappie it was drive E
> I didn't try to change it but well the disk gave me IOCTL call error which googling made me believe that the drive is really dead as a doornail..


guys solved this problem with drive letter changed.


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## Black Panther (Nov 13, 2008)

modder said:


> guys solved this problem with drive letter changed.



Never heard about it. Well I appreciate your advice, though it's now too late to try anything more since I shipped the drive for RMA this morning.


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## xu^ (Nov 13, 2008)

yes i also bought mine from ocuk ,and as you say there was nocd included ,altho i suppose it could have been 1 of those minicd things that would have fitted in the blister pack ,but i definitely didn't get a cd with mine.

let know how u get on with your rma.


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## Black Panther (Nov 17, 2008)

Update:



> Dear BlackPanther,
> 
> Your RMA has been received at our offices. All RMAs are tested in compliance with manufacturer requirements.  This testing process is currently taking around 5-7 days.  Once this has been completed we will e-mail you again with an update on progress.
> 
> ...



5-7 days?  Hopefully it'd take less to check a thumb drive... Hopefully they just send the same email to all RMA's...


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## Black Panther (Nov 18, 2008)

*I must say that OcUK are VERY efficient! *

They received the thumb drive yesterday, now today early afternoon:



> Dear Black Panther,
> 
> The product MY-132-CS on RMA RMA152781 has been replaced, this will be sent on a new order with order number 3247985.
> 
> This will be despatched as soon as possible, current stocks allowing.





> Dear Black Panther, Your Order has been packed and is in the process of being shipped.
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Goods Shipped:
> £0.00 x 1 - Corsair Flash Voyager 16GB USB2.0 Flash Drives (CMFUSB2.0-16GB)
> ...


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## Deleted member 24505 (Nov 18, 2008)

See ocuk are not thaaat bad 

I dont use a stick myself,i have a 160gb usb/sata portable hdd in a 2.5" caddy.


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## Black Panther (Nov 21, 2008)

Apparently this is going to get tricky...

It's not the first time I ordered stuff from OcUK and Ebay UK. Within 24 hours (give and take 6 hours here and there) of receiving the consignment number I can always log into the track & trace of Royal Mail and trace my parcel.

This time, 3 whole days have passed, OcUK have shipped my parcel on the 18th November morning and yet Royal Mail still 'has no information available on my item' which is weird.

I web-noted OcUK about it (they have a warning to contact them if after 24 hours the parcel is not traced through Royal Mail) and got this reply:



> Thank you for your webnote,
> Unfortunatley we have no more infortmation on this as we do not have a direct contact for royal mail. If you have not recieved this by next week please contact us and we can start to process a claim.



Lol @ the spelling errors.... I hope I get the USB at the end, I miss it so much!


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## Black Panther (Nov 24, 2008)

Meh I miss my stick!

They gave me the consignment number 7 days ago and it still doesn't show on Royal Mails site... 
I checked every day and keep getting this-


> "Information on your item is not yet available. If the International Signed For® item was posted today please note that the majority of items are tracked during the night. Please try again tomorrow."



Very unusual. I regularly get stuff from OcUK and they've always been traceable within 24-36 hours!

I just sent another Webnote to OcUK because I'm positive that either they gave me an incorrect consignment number or that the item got lost. More probably the latter.


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## xu^ (Dec 10, 2008)

any update on this Black Panther?


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## Black Panther (Dec 10, 2008)

xubidoo said:


> any update on this Black Panther?



Yes I received it the following day. OcUK had done everything correctly, but for some reason Royal Mail chose not to track the parcel - hence the source of my worries thinking that it had gone lost. I received the parcel and there was no tracking at all neither from the British Royal Mail nor from my local Malta Post. 

Anyway, got the stick and it's been working fine since.

*touches head... errr wood*


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## xu^ (Dec 10, 2008)

nice ,glad to hear it worked out ok in the end.


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