Frequently Asked Questions - USB Flash Drive

Yes, Integral USB Flash Drives and Card Readers are compatible with Microsoft Windows 8 operating system.

All Integral USB drives and Card Readers support:

• Windows XP
• Windows Vista
• Windows 7
• Windows 8

Click the Windows Start Icon > Right Click on "Computer" or "My Computer" and select "Manage", and on the right hand pane select "Device Manager". If you see a Yellow Exclamation mark visible on "USB Mass Storage Device" then this indicates that Windows was unable to locate the drivers for the device or has installed the incorrect drivers for the device, causing the device to malfunction 

This issue can be caused by a corruption in the Windows Driver Cache file.

To resolve this issue locate and delete the "INFCACHE.1" file. The location of this file varies depending on your Operating System; please follow the correct procedure below for your installed Operating System. We would advise you to backup your system before proceeding.

Before you begin, right click on the "USB Mass Storage Device" in Device Manager with the Yellow Exclamation mark and click "Uninstall"

Windows XP:

1. The INFCACHE.1 file can be found in the C:\Windows\inf\ directory.
2. Simply right click the file and click delete. Once deleted simply restart your PC/Laptop and Windows will rebuild the deleted file.

Windows Vista & 7:

• The INFCACHE.1 file can be found in the C:\Windows\System32\DriverStor\ directory.
• Right Click on the "INFCACHE.1" file and select "Properties"
• Select the "Security" Tab and click the "Edit" button
• Click "Add" and in the "Enter Object Names to select" box type the word "Administrator" and click "ok".
• Click "Apply" and click "ok" to the Windows Warning Screen. Once you are back at the "Permissions for INFCACHE.1" window, select "Administrator" and check the "Full -Control" tick box. Click "Apply" and click "ok" to the Windows Warning Screen.
• Click "ok" to the rest of the screens until you are back to the location of the "INFCACHE.1" file.
• Right Click on the "INFCACHE.1" file and select "Delete". (Please note that renaming the file to any other name will not work)
• Restart your PC/Laptop and Windows will rebuild the "INFCACHE.1" file.

Once your PC/Laptop restarts. Plug in your Integral USB Flash Drive and your device should function as normal.

If you still experience problems following this FAQ, please fill in a Support form and we will assist further.

The difference is due to way  that most storage manufacturers and PC manufacturers define a scale. There are two systems decimal and binary.

Storage devices use a decimal system and PCs use the binary system -this lead to some discrepancy between actual capacity and reported capacity by a PC. The difference can be between about 2% - 9% depending on the capacity of the drive. 

Some additional capacity is taken up by features required by the operating system e.g. FAT tables and the flash drive controller e.g. spare blocks for wear levelling.

WARNING: Please back up all your data before you format the USB drive.

If your Integral USB has a security or zip software pre-loaded (Integral Splash, Secure 360) then this will be deleted on format, so you may want to make a backup copy onto your computer first.

To format your USB Flash Drive on a Mac:

If you use your USB Flash Drive only on a Mac you will want to reformat it to HFS+ (Mac OS Extended (Journal)) which allows larger file sizes.

In your Applications folder there is a folder called "Utilities". Here you will find an App called "Disk Utility". Open it and you will see something like this:

To reformat your USB, select it and then click the Erase Tab.

Here you can set the USB name and the file format (Mac OS Extended (Journal)).
When you're ready click "Erase" button.

When Erase is completed, you can safely remove your USB Flash Drive
by dragging the "USB Disk" Icon to the "Trash".

Memory cards and USB drives are NOT designed for long term storage. You should always backup your data on to another device. The data will normally stay valid for a period of up to 10 years if stored under normal conditions. The data cells inside carry a charge which can dissipate over time. The data can be refreshed; copy all data off card and then format the card or USB drive and then restore all data to extend the data for another 10 years.

• A USB Flash Drive requires little care as it is a sturdy and versatile data storage device. However, we highly recommended you keep the Integral Flash Drive away from very strong magnetic fields, as they can alter/corrupt data stored on the USB.
• The data will normally stay valid for 10 years. A USB Flash drive cannot be used as a long term storage device. (The data can be copied off and the drive reformatted and the data then copied back on to last another 10 years)
• We recommend that you always keep a safe backup of any data held on your USB drive. 

If you experience this it may be the case that the USB Flash Drive file table may have become corrupted or damaged. You will need to format the Flash Drive to re-use it. Firstly, ensure you have no important data stored on the Flash Drive. If you are concerned about the loss of some important data files, contact Integral Tech Support before formatting. If you are unable to format the Integral Flash Drive then fill in the tech support form and we can assist you further.

Your data on the USB Flash Drive can become corrupted or lost and the file system of the Flash Drive may become corrupted as well. It is always recommended to use the "Safely Remove Hardware/USB" option when using your Integral Flash Drive on a PC or Mac.

There can be a various causes to this problem. Follow the steps below to try and solve the issue:

• Firstly ensure you are plugging the USB Flash Drive directly into the PC or notebook and ensure you have the latest USB drivers for your operating system
• Try plugging your USB Flash Drive into another USB port on your PC/notebook. You could test the USB on another PC or notebook if available
• Keep your USB Flash Drive plugged in and perform a full ‘Windows Update' to check for any missing or newer drivers for your computer. To do this, open Internet Explorer and click Tools> Windows Update and follow the onscreen instructions

If you are still experiencing problems, please fill in the tech support form and we will help with your issue.

Before you remove/unplug your USB Flash Drive make sure no data is being transferred to or from the USB.

PCs running Windows XP and above and Macs with OS 9 and above have a "safely remove USB" option that we recommend you follow:

Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7

Locate and left click on the "Safely Remove" icon on the System Tray to display the USB devices connected on your PC/notebook. Select the computer drive letter assigned to your USB and click on the "close/unplug" option, so you can safely remove it.

Apple Mac OS 9 and above

Locate the USB drive icon on the desktop and drag it onto the Apple Trash can (icon).

This is due to the USB Flash Drive being removed from the computer without safely exiting the drive. Your data may be corrupted.

In order to prevent this error, you will need to do make sure that all files that you had opened on your computer (that are stored on your USB) are closed.

PCs running Windows XP and above and Macs with OS 9 and above have a "safely remove USB" option that we recommend you follow:

Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7

Locate and left click on the "Safely Remove" icon on the System Tray to display the USB devices connected on your PC/notebook. Select the computer drive letter assigned to your USB and click on the "close/unplug" option, so you can safely remove it.

Apple Mac OS 9 and above

Locate the USB drive icon on the desktop and drag it onto the Apple Trash can (icon).

You may be connected to a USB 1.1 port

• Your Integral USB Flash drive may be connected to a USB 1.1 port. Ensure that your USB port support USB 2.0 otherwise your Flash Drive will only operate at the slower USB 1.1 speed on this port. 

Reformatting the drive may help

• Backup all required data from the drive. Using your PC or MAC format the drive. Copy back the required data.

Shut down other applications and/or reboot system

• Other applications may be causing the system to run slow. Save required data first.

Try another system

• In case the current system is having performance problems or is infected.

Virus check your  USB drive and system

• Errant programs may be slowing down your system

Try connecting the drive to a USB port on the PC

• Using a hub or multiple hubs, may be causing speed and power issues.

Yes you can, the Integral Flash Drive will function as if it were utilizing a USB 2.0 port.

This means that your PC or laptop has a USB 1.1 port and will not function at the high speed offered by USB 2.0 devices.

This is not a error message and your Integral USB Flash Drive is backwards compatible to work at the slower speeds of USB 1.1. To get the full functionality of the USB 2.0 Flash Drive you will need a PC or laptop with USB 2.0 sockets.

The chart below represents the three tiers of the USB Series:

USB Version / Descriptive Term / Transmission Speed

USB1.0 / Low Speed / 1.5 Mbps
USB1.1 / Full Speed / 12 Mbps
USB2.0 / High Speed / 360 ~ 480 Mbps
USB3.0 / Super Speed / 4.8Gbps

Unfortunately we do not offer any Integral USBs that support older operating systems such as Windows NT/95/98 or 98SE.

Unfortunately you cannot as the Integral ICE partitions are built into the chipset of the USB. You can only adjust the partitions using the UDPv27X.exe software supplied with the ICE USB Flash Drive.

Even though you have moved the images/ data to the trash they will remain in a trash folder within the flash drive until you use the 'empty trash' option whilst the device is connected to the 'Mac'. Once you have emptied the trash the space will be available again on the flash drive.

• This could be the reason why a USB Flash Drive may show full when inserted into a Mac computer.

This can occur if the file allocation table (FAT) has become corrupt in some way (e.g. loss of power etc).

The drive can be formatted to remove the problem.

Formatting the drive can erase all data. If you have any data on there it is advisable to retrieve it first on your computer. You may need to use file recovery software before formatting.

All Integral USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 Flash Drives are fully backwards-compatible with USB 1.1 ports. However, the Integral USB will transfer data at the slower speed of USB 1.1

The Integral Flexi, 360, Secure360, MicroLite and UltraLite USB Flash Drives only have pin contacts on one side of the USB connector.

When you plug the device into the USB sockets of you PC make sure that the contacts are matched up so that the device is plugged in the correct way. If the Integral USB is not recognised, turn it 180º, so it is the other way around in the socket.

Copying files could be done in many ways. First insert your USB into the PC after it has booted. The USB should be recognised by the PC and assigned a drive letter. Look under "My Computer" to see the letter assigned.

Using a Windows PC, some of the easiest ways to copy data to your Integral USB Flash Drive are:-

A. Select the files that you want to copy.
B. On the toolbar click on Edit =>Copy. This copies the location to the system memory on the PC.
C. Open the drive for the USB Flash Drive. On the toolbar click on Edit => Paste. This copies   the files from the PC memory to the USB Flash Drive.

Or

A. Select the files that you want to copy.
B. Right-click on one of the files (you will see that the rest of the files stay highlighted) and click on Copy. This copies the location to the system memory on the PC.
C. Open the drive for the USB Flash Drive. Right-click in a white empty space on the drive and click on Paste. This copies the files from the system memory to the USB Flash Drive.

Or

A. Select the files that you want to copy.
B. Press Ctrl and C (this is the Windows shortcut for copy) on the keyboard. This copies the location to the system memory on the PC.
C. Open the drive for the USB Flash Drive. Click in a white empty space on the drive and press Ctrl and V (this is the Windows shortcut for paste) on the keyboard. This then copies the files from the PC memory to the USB Flash Drive.

• Each USB device (such as an Integral USB Flash Drive) that you plug into a PC or Mac draws power from the system. Each device draws the power consumption that it needs to operate. Each device is slightly different in what power it draws.

1. If you use a USB hub so that you can plug in many USB devices, then this will also be quite a drain on the power from the PC/Mac. The more USB devices you have, the more power you are drawing from the PC/Mac and there will come a cut off point where the PC/Mac cannot output enough power to support all the devices.
2. We suggest that if you are connecting a USB hub to attach more USB devices to your PC/Mac then you will need to independently power the USB hub (e.g. plug into mains power) so that it will have sufficient power for all USB devices attached to it.
3. You can remove other power hungry USB devices, so that you can use the USB drive.

• This is not an error message. What Windows is stating is that you have plugged in a USB 2.0 Flash Drive into a computer with only the slower USB 1.1 sockets.
• Your Integral USB 2.0 Flash Drive will function perfectly as it is backwards compatible with USB 1.1 technology; however it will run at USB 1.1 speeds.
• To get the full functionality of the USB 2.0 Flash Drive you will need a PC or Mac with USB 2.0 sockets.

Unfortunately the partitions on the Integral Ice Flash Drive cannot be combined.

• All Integral Flash Drives are fully compatible with Windows Vista and Windows7. However this does not mean that they are compatible with Windows ReadyBoost feature.
• If the Integral Flash Drive model is compatible with Windows ReadyBoost it will clearly state this feature on our Integral website product page and the retail packaging insert (when applicable).