Unfortunately, there are often problems with a computer system that are not easy to solve. Someone needs to reinstall the OS sooner or later or restore the state of the PC. It is not always possible to access the hard drive to roll back the system or install a new one. Therefore, experts use a flash drive.
Using it is much more convenient than carrying a heavy hard drive. But for this you will have to learn how to make a USB flash drive a hard drive. Many people find it difficult to do this. But if you apply the instructions, everything will be much easier. For everything to work out, you need to get a flash drive or memory card.
Preparation
Before you make a USB flash drive a hard drive, you need to prepare everything for this process. Firstly, it is worthwhile to deal with multi-partitioning. As practice shows, it will have to be abandoned, since flash media do not cope with other partitions, but only work with the first block.
Next, you need to check whether Windows works with a USB flash drive. After you have to configure the definition of the drive as a non-removable device. A flash drive is almost always displayed as a removable drive, and the system should “think” that a hard drive is installed.
Before you make a USB flash drive a hard drive, you need to understand that by doing something wrong, you can ruin the device. If the setting is incorrect, the drive will not be able to change its connection parameter. Specialists suggest using a special driver.
First step
Can I make a USB flash drive a hard drive? You can, and it will be simple to do, it is only important to adhere to the instructions. After connecting the flash drive, you will need to determine its type. You can do this in two ways: using two commands or a special menu.
To do this, open the drive control manager. Using the Win + R combination, you can launch the Run menu. You will have to enter the diskmgmt.msc command in the search bar. Information about the drive appears.
You can also use the diskpart command. In the new window, you will need to enter the following command - list volume. To determine the flash drive in the list, just look at the volume of the drive. You can also see the type of media in the properties. Just go to the Volumes tab.
Second phase
How to make a USB flash drive a hard drive? After determining the type of drive, you will need to either change the connection or continue working with it. If, however, the USB flash drive is defined as a removable device, you need to install a filter driver. You can use the Hitachi Microdrive utility for this. Thanks to it, you can not "physically" change the properties of a flash drive, but "deceive" the system by passing the drive as a hard drive. Then you can make a USB flash drive a hard drive. The system will allow you to divide the archive into several blocks that will have to work simultaneously. It will be enough to install the necessary software.
Third stage
Next, you will need to find the media number. Go to "My Computer", find the connected flash drive and click RMB. Selecting “Properties”, go to “Details” and in “Properties” select “Path to the device instance”. The device number appears below. In this line, you need to copy the characters after the second slash. The numbers will be needed for the Hitachi Microdrive program. Next, you will need to find out the capacity of the system in order to understand the configuration of the drive.
To do this, just go to "My Computer", click on the free area, click RMB and select "Properties". In a new dialog box information about the system and its capacity will be indicated. After that, you can configure the program.
Hitachi Microdrive Utility Setup
If the computer works with a capacity of 64 bits, you will have to go to the program folder. Find the cfadisk document in it, find the chapter cfadisk_device and cfadisk_device.NTamd64. After the slash, you will need to paste the copied equipment number. If the computer runs on 32 bits, you must use the cfadisk_device chapter. We find the line DISK & VEN_ & PROD_USB_DISK_2.0 & REV_P and insert the media number instead.
Fourth stage
The final step is to replace the drivers. If an OS with a bit capacity of 64 bits is installed, you will need to configure one more parameter. For correct operation and driver installation, you will have to disable digital signature verification, otherwise the system will suspect fraud. In addition, it can update itself, which, of course, is undesirable for the process.
Now you can start the installation. Open the tab “Drivers” and select “Download drivers”. Here you must specify the path to the folder with the utility driver. The system will detect that the digital signature is disabled, and then ask you to restart the PC. After a reboot, the flash drive will work as a non-removable drive.
Hard drive operation
It is also possible to try to figure out how to make a bootable USB flash drive from a hard drive. There is enough to configure the hard drive to work with the OS. Through the "Control Panel" you need to go to "Administration" and "Computer Management". In the left column we find "Disk Management". The table on the right will display all the information about the hard drive partitions. Now you need to format the hard drive and delete all partitions. After that, you will have to partition the disk and create a new volume. It will be enough to make it active and write the operating system there.
Alternative
Thinking about how to make a USB flash drive an external hard drive also leads the user to the Lexar Bootlt utility. They do not often talk about her, although she is very simple and effective for this task.
The utility is free and helps to remake the USB flash drive into a fixed device. By the way, thanks to the same program, you can return the drive to a removable type. The software is designed for Lexar devices, but easily copes with other flash drives. Also works with Windows, starting with version XP.
But still there are some nuances associated with this program. The utility works with branded devices, but sometimes crashes with other drives. May fail to connect via USB 3.0. And it is important to remember that after flashing any device, the warranty is lost.
After installing Lexar Bootlt, you need to run the program as an administrator, select a USB flash drive in the list, and then click on the Flip Removable Bit command. Next, you need to save the change and restart the PC.
Work with laptop
Is it possible to make a laptop hard drive a flash drive? As practice shows, laptops are not eternal, so many users simply abandon the device or simply sell. But you can get profit from it by turning the hard drive into a drive. Usually it is enough to purchase a special box where to place the railway.
This option is suitable for hard drives that are installed in older models. For example, you can use a hard drive with a capacity of 4 to 100 GB. Larger devices may not work through the rather slow USB interface. A similar box costs about 10-20 dollars. Included with it is the necessary cord to connect the drive to the PC. To install the hard drive there are screws that will securely fix the railway in the case.
Expert Advice
Working with a hard drive and flash drive is not easy. Care must be taken not to damage the drive. It is also worth following the instructions for installing drivers and carefully using commands.
Experts advise you immediately to figure out how to remove program drivers. In our case, we are talking about Hitachi Microdrive. To do this, open the properties of the hard drive and select the driver update. This process will automatically get rid of third-party installations and load the native driver.
Changing the parameters of the flash drive will lead to the fact that the user will be deprived of the guarantee, so it is better not to experiment with the newly purchased device. In addition, if you make a mistake in the settings, you can lose the drive.