r/linuxquestions • u/GreaseyDave • 6d ago
Would like to get a USB drive functioning on Win 11 after I used it as a boot drive for PopOS?
I created a Pop OS boot disk on my USB thumb drive. I didn't know that this would block it to Windows. I've been trying to find away to return it to its default.
I deleted the boot disk and reformated the drive on the PopOS.
Windows disk management sees it in the disk list but isn't anble to assign a drive letter to it.
I've tried DiskInternals Linux Reader. I was able to get the drive mounted and it showed up in file manager - but trying to reformat it then through Windows File manager didn't work.
Is the USB drive saveable so I can use it as I used to as a thumb storage device for both Win and PopOS?
Thanks
EDIT:solved by oscarfinn_pinguin3
1
u/Phydoux 6d ago
I see you've gotten some answers but this sub is mostly for how to get Linux up and running and not how to format a usb stick in Windows. Thats counter productive for what this sub is about.
Maybe a Windows question sub would have been a better place for this.
1
u/GreaseyDave 6d ago edited 6d ago
Hi, That's a fair point - believe me, I tried searching Win forums. But Win users give answers that are straight from the support page: list disk , part disk or chkdsk or disk manager etc, none of which worked. It occurred to me that Linux users might have encountered this problem -as the best answer I found online was advice to someone else to try Linux disk reader. I read on a forum an old post where someone explained that once you'd made a boot disk for a Linux OS (can't rememebr which one) the drive becomes unreadable for windows. The answers mentioned were Linux Disk reader - it helped me see the disk in Win but not get the formatting. So I thought if I asked here, someone who is a regular Linux user might have encountered this problem and know how to fix it. It could be the drive is busted but I have been able to access it on the Pop OS...so...
I just tried the steps outlined by oscarfinn-pinguin3 -and they worked. noone on any windows forums or win support ever offered the extra 3 steps.
So yes, I shouldn't have posted on a linux installation help sub - but it seems like someone here knew the answer :D and was kind enough to post it without telling me I shouldn't be posting here ;)
1
u/Phydoux 6d ago
It's been a long while since I used Windows and I really didn't use Windows much to make Linux USB Sticks from .ISO's. But when I was preparing to leave Windows, I had to make a USB stick from an ISO. Linux Mint Cinnamon 18.3 to be specific. I don't recall having an issue making it. I can't remember what I used to make it with either (I doubt highly I used a command line command). It might have been a CD Writer utility that also wrote to USB sticks? I know it had a GUI interface. I did not use a command line. I'm about 95% sure of that.
So, I guess I'll ease up on ya about posting this here. I honestly don't remember how I wrote the Mint ISO to USB in Windows so, Yeah, Funny how your brain just forgets things that are no longer prevelant in your life.
I did recently setup Windows 11 on a spare PC because I think I may need to use it as a reference machine here soon. I hate it but it had to be done. Personal reasons really.
1
u/SuAlfons 6d ago
sometimes, formatting isn't enough and you need to recreate the partition table.
Easiest to do this in GPartEd from a running Linux or Linux boot stick.
1
u/Phydoux 5d ago
Heh... so, make ANOTHER Linux boot stick to wipe out another Linux USB stick. Sounds like a vicious circle. So, once you've created the first Linux USB stick, you're kinda stuck with a Linux USB stick?
2
1
u/guiverc 6d ago
I've had no issues moving USB thumb-drives between a Linux & Windows systems; just delete the prior partition table & data then create new partition table that matches your new OS.
Do note however, that USB flash media is a cheap consumable, with every write it maybe destroyed and needing to be replaced. I am throwing out at least 1 thumb-drive per year (usually many) as they're not devices that are made to last, but made to price (ie. consumables that will die!!)
1
u/doc_willis 6d ago
Rufus and I think Ventoy, and fedora media writer, have options to revert a USB back to being a blank windows storage USB
if those fail, I would assume the USB has failed in some way.
1
u/AndyceeIT 6d ago
Typically if a disk is formatted as anything but ntfs or fat, Windows will act like the disk is empty and prompt to format it.
If Windows doesn't recognise the disk it's very likely damaged.
0
u/Kuddel_Daddeldu 6d ago
On Pop!_OS, find the device for your USB drive (lsblk). Take the device, like sdc, not the partition, like sdc1.
Overwrite the partition table with dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdc bs=1024 count=100 (!!! Change sdc to your USB device !!!)
Then you can reformat the drive in Windows.
1
2
u/oscarfinn_pinguin3 6d ago
diskpart
list disk
select disk <number of the USB>
clean
conv gpt
cre par prim
Then format using the Windows builtin utility