H2testw

Danke vielmals, Herald B.!
Ist der Stick, auf den man gerade Daten retten will, wirklich heile? Kommt das in die Jahre gekommene System wirklich mit großen Festplatten zurecht? Um dies und die Integrität von Datenträgern zu klären, hat c't das kleine Programm H2testw entwickelt. Es beschreibt den gewählten Datenträger mit Testdaten, liest diese anschließend wieder ein und überprüft sie. Treten dabei keine Fehler auf, ist nicht mit kapazitätsbedingten Problemen zu rechnen. Dadurch eignet sich H2testw auch zur Erkennung manipulierter USB-Sticks mit falscher Größenangabe, wie sie 2008 in großer Zahl auf den Markt kamen. Achtung: Wenden Sie dieses Tool nur an, wenn noch keine wichtigen Daten auf dem Laufwerk lagern und es sich nicht um die Bootplatte des Systems handelt. (mfi)
Source
H2testw 1.4 has proven itself to be the best of breed for detecting counterfeit Flash drives. It is extremely easy to use and proves detailed information. Created by Harald Bögeholz, the interface is in German but has the option to run in English. It is free and standalone. Nothing is installed into the operating system. Designed for Windows it can run under Linux if Wine is installed. It will not run under Macs. If your computer can not run the software – ask a colleague or friend who has a windows based computer to help you test.
To learn more and for download information

Sections covered:

• Gold Standard rating for H2testw 1.4 Why do you give this software such a high rating?
• Results for a 64GB USB drive purchased on eBay, using H2testw 1.4
• Results from H2testw have been verified on drives detected as fakes
• Acknowledgements
• Download Links
• Note To Flash Drive Sellers

Gold Standard rating for H2testw 1.4? Why do you give this software such a high rating?
We give H2testw 1.4 the highest rating and recommend it for testing counterfeit USB Flash Drives for the following reasons:

1. Easy to Use
2. While in German an English Execution is possible
3. Stand alone executable file – no installation required to run it
4. You do not need administrator privileges on a computer to run it
5. Tested to work on 1.1 and 2.0 USB drives
6. Tested to work on 1.1 and 2.0 USB Ports
7. Tested to work to analyze drives advertised as 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and yes …64 GB capacity.
8. Reports seen capacity – what the operating system sees size to be.
9. Will write 1 GB files up to the reported size – requiring no work on your part except patience if it is a large drive and a slow computer
10. Will read all the files it wrote and verify them
11. Will produce a report. a) short if all is well b) detailed if there issues found.
12. The program is offered free

The readme.txt file provides:

• Explanation of the program and what it does for general computer users
• Information on how to interpret the results
• Technical information for those who have a deeper understanding of data storage and file writing and for the skeptics out there. Output results can easily be copy pasted into notepad to be saved as a text file.

Test results for a 64GB USB drive purchased on eBay, using H2testw 1.4
Sample Output For A Fake 64 GB Drive

The media is likely to be defective.
3.8 GByte OK (8084847 sectors)
58.6 GByte DATA LOST (122921617 sectors)
Details:710.5 KByte overwritten (1421 sectors)
7.6 MByte slightly changed (< 8 bit/sector, 15630 sectors)
58.6 byte corrupted (122904566 sectors)
710.5 KByte aliased memory (1421 sectors)
First error at offset: 0x000000003cef8470
Expected: 0xeb7ac43a237c5170
Found: 0xeb7a843a237c5170
H2testw version 1.3
Writing speed: 9.24 MByte/s
Reading speed: 10.8 MByte/s
H2testw v1.4

This is 4GB USB flash drive not a 64GB USB flash drive. It is of poor quality. As 4GB drive it should be about 3.9 GB not 3.8 GB formatted. This indicates in low level formatting a lot of bad sectors had to be locked out. Usually flash chips like these are rejected for major brands and should be destroyed. Unfortunately instead of the furnace flames these chips are leaving the back door of factories to be resold. These chips are a favorite for counterfeiters to reprogramme. Low cost, big profit.
The results from H2testw have been verified on drives detected as fakes. How?

1. Drives were dissembled
2. Controller chips identified
3. Flash chip identified

Searches on the actual flash drives using their identification number revealed their true capacity. These matched the output from the H2testw Program.
In a few cases, when drives were disassembled, epoxy glue removed holding the flash drive to the bottom casing, quality control stickers were found with a size circled. The size? Exactly what H2testw reported as the capacity it could write to. All drives autopsied for investigation and validation of this program were purchased on eBay.
We do not see any other program that can match these features. Therefore, H2testw has been adopted as the Gold – Standard to detect and test fakes.
eBayers use this program to PROVE they have received a fake from a seller. It is confirmed with more eBayers reporting the same results for the same drive model. We have been able to prove this repeatedly, to the point we have only one conclusion. If a drive model fails capacity testing with H2testw then any for that listing on eBay is a fake. Having more eBayers test the same model only confirms what H2testw reported. The autopsies on counterfeit drives have also proven the value of this program. The report is a God send for eBayers who must file disputes. It gives them evidence to submit with their case.
Acknowledgements
To Herald Bögeholz who wrote the Program H2testw, Thank You!
To c’t Magazin für Computertechnik, Thank You!
To www.heise.de for hosting the download of the programme, Thank You!
People around the world who have suffered the misfortune to receive a Counterfeit Flash drive are grateful for your contribution in the struggle against False Capacity USB Flash Drives and memory cards.
Linux users please read: Linux H2testw Alternative Program Called F3 By Michel Machado
Download links
Using Google translation into English
Article Manipulated data loss caused by USB sticks – Heise Online
H2testw 1.4 Website – English
Note: Using translation can slow down access speed of the web pages.
German
H2testw 1.4 Website – German – Direct Site Access
You may prefer to search with Google for the software. Type in H2testw 1.4 which is the current version at the time of listing on this page. To search all versions you can just type in H2testw.
Direct Download Of Software For version 1.4 of H2testw
Note To Flash Drive Sellers
Please test your merchandise using this software. Do not offer for sale unless the drives are able to pass testing. You do not want to face the consequences of angry buyers. If you have drives which fail, contact the source you acquired from. Submit the proof you have as evidence for receiving counterfeit merchandise.
If the drives you offer for sale are able to pass the testing of H2testw 1.4 – congratulations!
Please indicate this in your advertising or listings. Let prospective buyers know that you have tested. That your drives pass with the program and that you are able to guarantee the true advertised capacity (minus a small overhead for operating system file formatting.).