Micro Center used USB drive

[bakedp0tato]

This is something I find absolutely insane and definitely worth talking about on WAN Show so I'll put it here. I bought a Micro Center branded 512 GB flash drive from Micro Center a few months back and today I was downloading a torrent of a "family home video" and the drive was heating up pretty bad so I popped the cheap plastic case off to give it some air. Low and behold, used solder pins for another usb header (probably lightning or usb c). This made me remember that when I initially installed the drive there were a couple files on there- one folder named "System Backup Information" and one file with dropbox in the name and a weird file extension which at the time I deleted without thinking too much of it but now I'm convinced this is a used drive. 

 

So I call Micro Center. I assume with their reputation for customer service they'll be super helpful and this is just an issue on their manufacturer's part, but nobody I talked to seemed to understand that they had sold me somebody else's data in a Micro Center branded shell and get this- tried to get me to drive 2 hours to my nearest Micro Center to RETURN the drive. Eventually I convinced them I had a valid reason to not want to hand over my data to them but they still wanted me to go in person to get a replacement drive OF THE SAME F***** SKU!!! Now I'm waiting to hear back in an email about whether or not they "can" ship me a drive and micro center has lost a long term customer- I looked in my email and I must have had 50 different receipts (I grew up a mile away from one now I'm in school out of state).

 

Anyway, I went into this expecting to just alert them of a problem and for them to deal with it but now I'm pissed and would love to either see Luke and Linus talk about this on WAN show or someone from Labs looking into their stock because if one is used you have to assume it's not an isolated indecent and this drive does perform like dogshit- transferring files to my $45 ancient NAS is quicker than it's supposed "USB3.1" speed.

 

Pictures of naked drive below

[Kilrah]

25 minutes ago, bakedp0tato said:

transferring files to my $45 ancient NAS is quicker than it's supposed "USB3.1" speed.

It is USB3 as advertised. Many have slow flash but it's extremely common unless you go to really high end ones.

 

26 minutes ago, bakedp0tato said:

"System Backup Information"

It'll be "System Volume information" and that's a hidden folder Windows makes on any drive you connect.

 

[Skipple]

18 hours ago, bakedp0tato said:

Low and behold, used solder pins for another usb header (probably lightning or usb c). This made me remember that when I initially installed the drive there were a couple files on there- one folder named "System Backup Information" and one file with dropbox in the name and a weird file extension which at the time I deleted without thinking too much of it but now I'm convinced this is a used drive. 

I'm honestly not sure why you think this was a used hard drive. They manufacture an almost identical thumb drive with a USB-C interface. The PCB is almost certainly manufactured in the same run and if they aren't putting a USB-C port on it, they just leave the solder pins as is. 

 

 

As for the System Volume Information, this is a normal partition on the hard drive for various Windows functions. 

If I recall correctly, tons of flash drives used to come with some dropbox files/firmware pre-installed. I haven't heard of manufactures doing that in a while, but this may be a remanence of this old process. 

 

Regardless, I'm still a bit confused why you think this flash drive is used. 

18 hours ago, bakedp0tato said:

nobody I talked to seemed to understand that they had sold me somebody else's data in a Micro Center branded shell and get this

I mean, it's probably because that's not the case. 

[bakedp0tato]

21 hours ago, Kilrah said:

It'll be "System Volume information" and that's a hidden folder Windows makes on any drive you connect.

That's my bad, it was, however, I'm running fedora and have never plugged this drive in to a windows device so that just adds to my belief that it's used

 

4 hours ago, Skipple said:

Regardless, I'm still a bit confused why you think this flash drive is used. 

I mean, it's probably because that's not the case. 

Sorry my first post had a few things misremembered, it was system volume information but I'm running fedora and have never used this on a windows device so wasn't me. I also hadn't deleted them properly so with disk drill and way too much time last night I got another look at what was on there (will attach pictures later when I'm back at my apt with the drive) but I got the back up part from an 8.5 GB file called ESD_Back_Up.pst (someones outlook data). Again, I'll attach pictures later but I understand your skepticism to my first post and this until I get those (Probably 12:45ish mst)

 

4 hours ago, Skipple said:

 The PCB is almost certainly manufactured in the same run and if they aren't putting a USB-C port on it, they just leave the solder pins as is. 

But also look at the picture you can tell there used to be a header there

[bakedp0tato]

10 hours ago, bakedp0tato said:

ESD_Back_Up.pst (someones outlook data). Again, I'll attach pictures later

Picture of file below- EDU Back Up not ESD lol

[LogicalDrm]

@bakedp0tato

Your posts have been split from LMG Sponsor Complaints thread by request from LMG.

[8tg]

It isn't too uncommon at all for super cheap usb drives to contain used flash media. Though actually finding anything on said media is definitely a rare sight.

 

The pcb is manufactured to cover a few different products. So seeing it with unpopulated spots for a type c connection isn't odd at all.

 

 

[TetraSky]

What's with the influx of quick to anger people jumping to conclusion about companies lately...

You want to be mad, but don't want their help because their solution to help would somewhat inconvenience you?
Please realize that they don't have the drive in front of them, they don't see the files. To them, you just sound crazy person demanding them to send a flashdrive without providing actual physical proof. They are supposed to take your words for it?

 

Are you just looking to vent or something? It's a generic flash drive branded with their logo. Even assuming it was used and had random files on it... Delete the file and move on with your life. Don't be expecting top tier performances from a generic flash drive.

[Godlygamer23]

I don't believe there was necessarily a header on the other side of that PCB. They may have 'tinned' the pads to make it easier to solder a connector there later, given the potential fate of the PCB where it would have both connectors at the same time, or just a USB-C connector.

 

Even if there was a connector there at one point, it doesn't mean the drive is used. It may not have been removed to sell it as just a flash drive with a USB Type-A connector.

[Absentia13]

I've had nothing but bad experiences at Microcenter. Never going back there at this point. 

[wasab]

there are some things in which you just dont buy used. drives are one of them. dont buy used disks and drives!

[Godlygamer23]

2 minutes ago, wasab said:

there are some things in which you just dont buy used. drives are one of them. dont buy used disks and drives!

They're complaining that their drive is used, despite being advertised as brand new. They didn't knowingly buy a used drive(but it's likely not a used drive).

[Motifator]

I take it this is the French version of a USB, don't mind this comment I'm sleeping lol.

Edited March 9 by Motifator

[Needfuldoer]

18 minutes ago, wasab said:

there are some things in which you just dont buy used. drives are one of them. dont buy used disks and drives!

I've bought plenty of used drives. They're fine as long as you have backups, and you completely zero them out before using them.

[IkeaGnome]

On 3/5/2024 at 7:30 AM, bakedp0tato said:

But also look at the picture you can tell there used to be a header there

Just as a heads up, there being solder on that header doesn't mean there used to be a header there. PCBs are usually bulk presoldered at factories then specific components get soldered on by PaP machines. Notice there's also resistors that aren't there because they simply aren't needed on that version of the USB but there's still solder on the pads.

 

Take your graphics card apart and you'll see spots with solder but no components too. 

Spoiler

Unless Techpowerup got a second hand board with some components taken off for their review..

 

Edit: @Godlygamer23that's what happen when you use the link as the last thing before you post. I didn't think about it embedding the picture instead of just the link.

[Kisai]

On 3/4/2024 at 1:16 PM, bakedp0tato said:

This is something I find absolutely insane and definitely worth talking about on WAN Show so I'll put it here. I bought a Micro Center branded 512 GB flash drive from Micro Center

 

 

Did you happen to buy some kind of "open box" or discounted version. Because I can pretty much tell you what happened.

 

Either: 

A) it was a customer return and it was just put in a new package and back on the shelf

B) It was a warranty return and it was repackaged having found nothing wrong with it

 

In both cases, with flash media, they should wipe the drive before putting it on the shelf or discarding it.

[Godlygamer23]

16 minutes ago, IkeaGnome said:

Just as a heads up, there being solder on that header doesn't mean there used to be a header there. PCBs are usually bulk presoldered at factories then specific components get soldered on by PaP machines. Notice there's also resistors that aren't there because they simply aren't needed on that version of the USB but there's still solder on the pads.

 

Take your graphics card apart and you'll see spots with solder but no components too. 

Unless Techpowerup got a second hand board with some components taken off for their review..

There's actually a term for this.

It's called "tinning". You basically prep the area for solderability prior to actually consuming that location with a part. Just makes it easier to solder.

 

Also your image isn't inside the spoiler.