Trouble with USB-Sticks

Hi Lancelot,

"USBdiskejector " won't mess up with USB HDDs (at least in my tests ). Hotswap is a good tool but it's main function is to power down and eject SATA AHCI drives. We have to right click on the utility and select "removable devices" to enable USB drive ejection. 

I

So your search continues for an alternate automounter,

In fact it should be easy with au3,  following registry mountpoints and existing mount drive win-apis......

I have just tested "USB disk ejector" with share script Yomi, nice, good find 
however, it is bigger than HotSwap! 155Kb or MyUSBEjector 16kb, I will add it as an additional choice.

Hotswap is a good tool but it's main function is to power down and eject SATA AHCI drives. We have to right click on the utility and select "removable devices" to enable USB drive ejection. 

strange that they do not deliver it with "removable devices" enabled by default.
In w7pese, "fixed disk drive", "removable disk drive" and "safely removable devices" are selected by default (written in the registry).

MyUSBEjector 16KB, but it requires msvbvm60.dll 1,32 MB ,
it has very minimal, 16x16 icon 
I like it, since it has light design (point to target design) for its task 
aside all, I could not find its homepage or where it was developed at first place !

USB_Disk_Eject.exe 954KB
requires: msimg32.dll + oleacc.dll + oleaccrc.dll 188 KB
it has 97.1KB icon, and other icons inside usage + menus (well thought cardreader option) + About animation box,
I like its well design, with good coding not loosing much space compared with what it gives 
+ opensource where credits nicely given

if math with dependencies, USB_Disk_Eject.exe wins
If alone, MyUSBEjector wins
so further is up to taste   

edit:
if math with memory usages, MyUSBEjector would probably win,
 keep in mind .dll files kept in memory too ;) but since shared dll files...... 

I just put
Yomi\AppY\HD Tasks\"MyUSBEjector ( U-Ejection Expert )"
as a standalone plugin, if someone get interested to use 

edit:

@anshad,

just came to my mind,
we have
Gena\Components\Tweaks\"Remove Floppy ALL Mount Point 'BL MountVol'"
works like mountvol gui ;), which you can do same stuff with mountvol.exe without gui

Well, Bl MountVol first design purpose is in title,
but besides ;) being gui brings other features,
like easly changing drive letters  ( ex: to mount the drive as C: easly to install windows or to change letters the way you like to see for any reason )
but also,
it lists unmounted volumes 

so, I wonder, when you plugin a usb disk , without mspe etc. and start "BL MountVol", do you see VolumeName on unmounted list ?
and if yes, can you mount nicely with Bl MountVol ?
edit:
and if yes, after mount do you see drive letter on explorer ?
and if no, there is "Restart Explorer" button on right-top Bl MountVol, does using it helps ?

@Lancelot

I will definitely give a try to BLmountvol and let you know the results

@ChrisR

Could you make displaying fixed disks in Hotswap an optional item ?(via a tick box in hotplug script) . I mean a normal Win7PE SE user is not going to disconnect his SATA drive while PC is running. Making it optional is better for USB ejection purpose. Also we can prevent accidental ejection of fixed disks.

Hi Lancelot

Completed the Blmountvol tests. I used a USB HDD for testing (MSPE disabled). Unfortunately BLmountvol failed to mount USB HDD partitions. Trying to mount USB HDD crashed the whole system. So i guess MSPE is still the best option.

  While testing i noticed another strange thing with Nvidia chipset mobos. I did my tests in a Jetway Nvidia chipset based Athlon X2 system. Upon booting Gena i noticed "Safe to Remove" icon is displayed on the system tray.  Both of the SATA DVD and HDD is listed for removal just like with the "Hotswap" utility. Then i booted the same CD on an Intel 41 chipset board and in that machine HDD and DVD are correctly showed as fixed drives. So i doubt something wrong with the Nvidia masstorage drivers but i need more time to confirm this. I work in the IT support field so i could test and verify this issue on different Motherboards.

I will post my test results as soon as i get some more Nvidia boards.

Hi anshad,

I guess we are catching something.....

"BLmountvol failed to mount USB HDD"

so there is volume defined at 'unmounted' tab
When you select your USB HDD on this 'unmounted' tab and click "i" (info) button, can you obtain some decent info about your USB HD ???

one more mini test (and question),
Can you try mounting to a random letter instead of first available letter,
what I mean:
Assuming you have C: D: E: normal disk, you connect USB HD, it is not mounted, than try to mount it to M: (NOT F: G: ...)
with both
BLmountvol
and also try
MountVol.exe
ex:



results would brighten more 

***
Nvidia .... but also be sure you use same cd,
Gena\Drivers\4 Storage\"USB Mass Storage Dummy Filter Driver"
results similar what you write, cause ufd disks seen as fixed disks,

besides who knows,
To me sata is "safe to remove" too 
esata , with different name, has no difference (connecting to same chipset, same cable only different head) but only an external out on mobo 
maybe good Nvidia guys wrote a driver in a way to be flaged as Removable fixed disk !
or maybe they reserve a port for esata and when a disk connected to there it is flaged as Removable fixed disk !
or maybe a bios setting to flag some ports as Removable fixed assuming end user connect/disconnect his/here sata disk ?!
which would help end user, use windows build in safe to remove function to remove e-sata disks (make me feel like a good idea :>)
... only ideas 


***
On Yomi\AppY\HD Tasks\
I just update HotSwap5 and new HotSwap6 , providing options on Device types, (Chris, you may like registry stuff  )

+
To catch such simple registry settings, there is
Gena(Sweets)\Apps\System Tools\Debug\"RegFromApp NirSoft"
(which I found after your "Finding dependancies" topic http://theoven.org/index.php?topic=377 )
Generally "Exiting" application results with writing its changed settings to registry, where you catch nicely with RegFromApp,

in case required, for deeper catchs
Gena\Apps\System Tools\Debug\"Sysinternals Suite" from JonF --> ProcMon would help 

further with RegCPE , Plugin Creator, it is quite an easy task to finish a plugin,
tools we have today gains great time compared to very past, but still devoting some Time required to finishup

I hope you start writing nice plugins and/or ready codes soon

*

I work in the IT support field

I am just a hobbyist on this field, only having 1 PC, and recently 1 Tablet 
It is quite valuable you are able to test and report with different hw 

Hi Lancelot

The Nvidia issue is definitely not a bug of Gena. It could be either original driver's problem or more probably DP masstorage driver pack problem. Anyway that is not a big issue and can be ignored safely.

 I already tried the "i" button in BLmountvol but that also seems to freeze it- no info is displayed. Any drive letters either ascending or descending order gives the same results. Didn't tried mountvol yet but will give it a try after work.

 Thanks for info on registry monitoring tools  I guess you already know the old "InCtrl5" which is quite help full in monitoring software installations. Unfortunately that program is not compatible with new operating systems.
I found some tools which is help full  to script developers.

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/tracking-registry-and-files-changes-when-installing-software-in-windows/



Another tool is Zsoft uninstaller (free) http://dottech.org/3138/how-to-track-what-changes-are-made-on-your-computer-during-a-program-installation/

Download link : http://www.zsoft.dk/index/software_details/4

A very good alternative to commercial total uninstall professional.

 

I already tried the "i" button in BLmountvol but that also seems to freeze it- no info is displayed. Any drive letters either ascending or descending order gives the same results. Didn't tried mountvol yet but will give it a try after work.

Writing mountvol.exe only would be giving same with "i" button in BLmountvol ,
 I wonder if mountvol.exe using alone to give info, cause freeze with usb disk connected ?!...

In all way, it is sure interesting info I will keep in my mind  and test when I get a usb-hd connected 



*
I have very old Ashampoo UnInstaller Suite v1.3.2.SE at hand, still work ok to me, using rarely...
had used fileWATCH v5.0 before , looks like InCtrl5, (InCtrl5 nicer gui  )

"RegFromApp NirSoft" I had mentioned which I discovered lately, works different than others (not snapshot), fast and helpfull to figure out such reg things, which you can use on your hostos to figure out registry option stuff easly to add to your plugin  (what I did on hotswap)
much faster & confortable than snapshot1-2, shutdown, get reg-data files from virtual....... 

"ProcessActivityView NirSoft" works similar for files, not very helpful (since not catching subsequent dll calls...) but quite nice to catch initial dll...........




Feel free to write a plugin for your favorite(s) 
I personally spend time only to plugins I like using or feel promising to be used by all, but not all 

Lancelot, i made a big mistake when checking BLmountvol. When first time i tested Blmountvol with my USB HDD plugged i saw one volume as unmounted. I thought it was USB HDD and tried to mount it. Today while playing with mountvol.exe and blmountvol i recognized it was not my USB HDD but in fact a fake floppy and that is the reason for crashing. As mountvol lists volumes by mount points i coudn't recognize the fake floppy .

To verify it i did the tests with two systems with  disabled floppy drives. I apologize for wrong reporting  

my mistake too, sorry, I forgot to underline saying "be carelful about fake floppy"   
yep, we need to develop blmount a bit higher..... but due to verrry low priority and dealing with other stuff on very limited Time it will wait for a while more....

anyway, progress continues, further test reports with mounvol/blmount waiting to be made with usb-hdd by you

Hi Lancelot

Both BlmountVol.exe and mountvol.exe reports no drives as unmounted when USB HDD connected. Both correctly shows HDD volumes and "X:" ramdrive but no USB HDD partitions. Is there any other thing to do (via cmd or registry) ?

Thanks for feedback, nothing else to do 

This simply summerize at which point failure occurs, pe do not detect/invesigate/add volume of USB-HD after boot  , hence no volume assigned, and subsequent tasks naturally fails (giving drive letter..),
...whatever reason behind still there.... ! if this fixed one day subsequently rest will work....

This also explains why some fixed USB-HD do not work unless plugged in at boot time... (already detected at very early hence added)

Still, When deviced pluged in , windows aware, since can be detected by any other disk utilities 

I guess, partition utilities, like Active@ Partition Manager - APM (my latest precious on this area ) first make a detect/invesigate/add at their startup,
so if you run mountvol/blmount after startup/close such utility (APM, maybe windows dev. management, Easus..), you will probably see volume in the list of mountvol/blmount (maybe last thing to test ;) just for curiosity , if you do not have time totally ignore  )

MSPE detect/invesigate/add, missing investigate caused trouble (bad driver or maybe device) which you know 
 ... with "maybe device" what I mean, the thing you face with mounting fake floppy is very same with mspe bad driver I faced (a bit worser ;))..... So after MSPE one day add a secure-investigate routine, it will be perfect 

Or whoever decide to make such utility, should follow big picture we well defined here 

Hi Lancelot

Just by the curiosity i tested mountvol after running partition tools. Windows built in disk management, Partition Wizard and Easues Partition home are started before mountvol. Just running these tools don't add mount points. May be USB HDD could be visible to mountvol if we do some partition operations. Usually these tools will run a "Updating system information" task after completing operations. Can't check that cause i have a lot of data in my HDD

 Most of the warez disks also have similar tools to mount USB HDDs. The infamous Indian Warez disk "H" also contains a utility named "Automountdrives.exe" to do the job. Hidden partition mounting is done by "showdrive.exe". No idea how these tools responds to empty card readers and WD USB drives.

Do a safe operation, add drive letter on PE to usb-hd volume 


I remember them, better writing both a plugin for them too, to test in future easly, or keep at hand 
Do you know homepages for them ?
if not, can you attach the copies you have 

Hi Lancelot

Here is the download link for "automount.exe" and "showdrive.exe"

http://www.mediafire.com/?qmhg6u82clveesq

Typical usage:

Automount is a systray tool. No known options exists. Showdrive is a commandline tool. Normal usage is "showdrive.exe /all"

No idea about the homepage. Probably Chinese.If that is the case finding the programmer won't help-Their English is worse  than mine 

Thanks anshad,

digging my archive I found some stuff,
http://bbs.wuyou.com/viewthread.php?tid=116177
with showdrive you provided I have 4 different showdrive.exe , one of them I have sourcecode.. (from above link)

automount.exe, I have no finding on net, maybe it makes the detection step and execute showdrive ?!

And I remember, that was the reason I did not make a plugin for them, confusion and no homepage to ask to,
 hence I decided to continue with available MSPE , which  I had found first, and as I remember existed before those 2, and results same in single,
Only I wish my memory remind me showdrive when I had ws_ses disk at hand, well next time 

Lancelot, Automount is independent of showdrive.exe. It don't require showdrive to mount USB HDD- Tested and verified

Good info, Thanks 

Since you have lots of hardware that will be tested in time,
Let us know if you catch Automount (or showdrive) superiority over MountStorPE ( MSPE )    [vice-versa  - in between etc... ]