How to Detect Fake USB Storage Devices

USB storage devices have been around for a while. Additionally, it is simple to get fantastic discounts on mass storage devices. However, some of the items offered by retailers or posted online are copies of original products with a similar appearance. The issue with these storage devices is that, contrary to what is mentioned on the package or what Windows File Explorer indicates, they do not truly contain that much capacity. This page will demonstrate how to determine a USB flash drive’s actual capacity.

False USB storage devices may promise you more storage space but provide only a small portion of it. Copying data into the device until it is fully functional is the only method to identify these bogus USB devices.

How to recognize phony USB storage devices

Have you ever used a phony SD card or USB flash drive that claimed to have bigger storage capacity but actually just had a small portion of them? By performing storage tests on the devices, the tools described in this post can help you examine, test, and identify a false USB device.

1. RMPrepUSB

With the excellent all-in-one USB utility RMPrepUSB, you may manage several aspects of a USB drive. Additionally, it enables the installation of Linux and the creation of portable Windows installers on the USB stick. The ‘Quick Size Test’ option is included in RMPrepUSB. This test would attempt to read the device after writing some blocks to it. This allows the application to determine the device’s true capacity and identify any fake devices. Before doing this test, make sure you have a backup of your data because it is destructive in nature and will erase everything from your USB drive.

2. H2TESTW

H2testw is a relatively outdated utility that thoroughly tests a USB device to confirm its true capacity. After choosing the mode in which you wish to test the drive, you may specify your USB drive. You have the option of testing the total amount of space available or selecting the exact quantity of MBs you want to scan. Press the “Write+Verify” button to begin writing data to the disk, which will be read back to check its capacity later. If the drive already has test data, moving on to drive verification is not necessary. H2testw is sluggish and takes a long time since it does an exhaustive test.

3. CheckFlash

Another program with functions like examining and validating USB drives is called CheckFlash. In addition, it may display the drive map and other data, like read and write speeds and the overall duration of the test.

4. ChipGenius

A bit differently from the other tools on this list is ChipGenius. You may use it to examine some crucial data regarding all the USB devices connected to your computer. To determine if the item is a fake or not, you may see the manufacturer information, serial number, and other characteristics. A fake capacity check option is also available in the utility, but you must download additional software and put it in the same folder as ChipGenius to use it.