Question 1

Can I use my DataTraveler as a bootable USB device?

Accepted Answer

Although it is possible to boot from the DataTraveler, it is not a feature Kingston supports.These drives are intended as storage devices.

Question 2

Are there any security or  write protection features available for this DataTraveler?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately this unit does not have any security or write protection features. If you receive a write protection message with this drive, check for the following:

Verify that you are allowedto write to removable storage devices. There may be a securitysetting in the OS that disables write access to removable storage devices.
Make sure you have notenabled write protection on the drive by using a third party software.
If none of the above apply,the drive may be defective. Contact Kingston TechnicalSupport for further assistance.

Question 3

My DataTraveler will not accept a 4GB or larger file. Why?

Accepted Answer

To transfer files larger than 4GB, the DataTraveler must have an NTFS or exFAT file system. Unfortunately, the FAT32 file system is not capable of handling a single file larger than 4GB (to be exact, one byte less than 4GB). Follow the steps below to format the DataTraveler with an NTFS File system:

Warning, all data on the DataTraveler will be lost! Please back up the data on the DataTraveler before proceeding.

Type This PC in the Windows search bar. Right-click on the Kingston drive and select Format.
Select NTFS or exFAT from the file system drop-down list.
Select Quick Format as the Format option and click Start.

Note: macOS X has read-only access for drives formatted with NTFS file system. Additionally, some multi-media devices may not support NTFS.

Question 4

Why is the available storage capacity of my product slightly less than the advertised capacity?

Accepted Answer

This is common for flash storage, whether internal SSD or external USB storage. It is due in part to a variance in how flash memory vs spinning platter hard drive manufacturers calculate megabyte. Hard drive manufacturers calculate a megabyte (or 1,000x1,000 bytes) as 1,000KBs, whereas the binary calculation for flash-based storage is 1,024KBs.

Example: For a 1TB flash-based storage device, Windows will calculate it as having a capacity of 931.32GB. (1,000,000,000,000÷1,024÷1,024÷1,024=931.32GB).

Furthermore, Kingston reserves some of the listed capacity for formatting and other functions, such as firmware and/or controller-specific information, and thus some of the listed capacity is not available for data storage.

Question 5

I formatted my DataTraveler that is 32GB or larger using NTFS and I want to format it back to FAT32. How do I do this?

Accepted Answer

As Windows is unable to format a drive over 32GB with FAT32, the use of third-party software is required. Although we cannot assist in acquiring or using third-party software to format a drive as FAT32, there are a number of free applications that can be found via Google or Bing search.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-14

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Question 6

What operating systems support exFAT?

Accepted Answer

The Windows exFAT file system is supported natively on Windows 7 and above and macOS X 10.6.6 and above.

Question 7

My DataTraveler is recognised by my MacOS but Windows prompts me to format. Why?

Accepted Answer

Windows may not recognise the MacOS Extended or Standard file system. To resolve this, format the drive in MacOS DOS so that it can be used in both environments.

WARNING: Formatting will erase all of the data on the DataTraveler. Back up your data before proceeding.

Insert the DataTravelerinto the Mac OS X machine and wait for it to mount.
Click on the “GO” option onthe menu bar.
Double-click on Utilities(If you do not see Utilities, double-click on Applications and thendouble-click on the Utilities folder.)
Double-click on the DiskUtility icon.
In the Disk Utility Dialogbox, click once on the Kingston DataTraveler active partition. Note: There will be two listings for the DataTraveler, the first one is the active partition and the second is the volume label.
Click the Erase tab locatedon the right side of the screen.
Using the Volume Formatdrop-down, select “MS-DOS File System” from the list.
Click Erase.

Be aware that MacOS 10.6.5 will support full read and write access to exFAT formatted drives so formatting the drive using the exFAT file system may also resolve this problem. MacOS still has read only access to NTFS formatted drives.

Some devices (MP3 players,digital photo frames, etc) will not read NTFS or exFAT file systems.

Also, Windows XP and Vistawill require an update in order to access exFAT.

Question 8

My DataTraveler is not recognised by macOS X. How do I resolve this

Accepted Answer

To resolve this issue, insert the drive directly into the USB ports located on the computer. The USB ports found on the keyboard and some hubs may not supply sufficient power to properly operate the Kingston DataTraveler. Also, go to Finder>Preferences>Sidebar to ensure CD, DVD and iPod and External Disks are selected. If you have an encrypted USB drive, make sure you have the latest firmware. If the drive has the latest firmware and still is not recognised or not accessible on macOS, please contact technical support for assistance.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-19

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Question 9

While trying to transfer a file to or from the Data Traveler, the MacOS 10 displays an error stating that the file cannot be modified or moved. Why?

Accepted Answer

This happens if the DataTraveler has been formatted with Microsoft Windows NTFS. To resolve, format the DataTraveler with Mac OS X using MS-DOS File System.

To format the DataTraveler with Mac OS 10.3.X, do the following:

Click on the "GO" option on the menu bar.
Double-click on "Utilities" (If you do not see Utilities, double-click on Applications and then double-click on the Utilities folder.)
Double-click on the "Disk Utility" icon.
On the Disk Utility Dialog box, click once on the Kingston DataTraveler active partition.
Note: There will be two listings for the Data Traveler, the first one is the active partition and the second is the volume label.
Click the erase tab located on the right side of the screen.
Using the Volume Format drop-down, select "MS-DOS File System" from the list.
Click Erase.

Be aware MacOS 10.6.5 will support full read and write access to exFAT formatted drives. So formatting the drive using exFAT file system may also resolve this problem. MacOS still has read only access to NTFS formatted drives.

Some devices (MP3 players, digital photo frames, etc) will not read NTFS or exFAT file systems.

Also Windows XP and Vista will require an update in order to access exFAT.

For additional assistance using the Data Traveler, please visit http://www.kingston.com/support/howtodt/default.asp to view the DataTraveler "How To" videos.

Question 10

On a Mac, my DataTraveler  does not show free space after deleting files. How do I resolve this?

Accepted Answer

On Macs, you first have to empty the trash can in order to regain the space. You may have to plug the drive back in after emptying the trash.

If this does not work then the device should be completely reformatted. Please follow these instructions for formatting your Kingston device.

WARNING: Formatting will erase all your data so please make sure you have a copy before proceeding.

Go to Go > Applications > Utilities and Open Disk Utility.
Choose your drive from theleft panel and then click Erase on the right.
Select a Volume Format.Choosing MS-DOS File System will allow the drive to work on the Mac and Windows operating systems. If used only in a Mac then select Mac OS Extended as the Volume Format.
Click Erase.

Question 11

Where can I download drivers for my USB DataTraveler drive?

Accepted Answer

Our flash drives are plug-n-play devices. Therefore, additional drivers are not required.

Question 12

Is this DataTraveler  supported by Linux?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this DataTraveler issupported by Linux as long as you have Linux Kernel 2.6.x and above.

Please note: If the DataTraveler comes with software, it will not function with Linux. Only the drive itself is compatible with Linux.

Question 13

My DataTraveler no longer  works or I can no longer view files saved to the DataTraveler. Can the files on the DataTraveler be recovered?

Accepted Answer

If you have data on the DataTraveler that is important to you, we strongly recommend that you use one of the two possible means of data recovery (see below). Kingston does not offer data recovery services. For more information on ourwarranty policy, please visit http://www.kingston.com/company/warranty.asp

Contact a company thatspecialises in data recovery services, such as Driver Savers at www.drivesavers.com or Ontrack at www.ontrack.com or carry out a Googlesearch for "data recovery".
Go to www.download.com, search for "datarecovery" and download one of the many utilities for data recovery whichare fairly simple to use. We suggest trying one of the free versions as they work just as well as the paid versions. However for this option to work, the computer must assign a drive letter to the device. Even so it is not guaranteed to work. If it does not, option 1 would be your best bet.

KDT-012611-GEN-25

Question 14

After inserting the DataTraveler into the USB port of a Windows computer, an AutoPlay dialog appears with an option to "Speed up my system using Windows ReadyBoost." What is this feature and can I enable it?

Accepted Answer

ReadyBoost is a Windows feature having the ability to utilize USB flash storage space as disk caching to improve system performance. Unfortunately, DataTraveler USB drives do not support Windows ReadyBoost.

Question 15

My DataTraveler is not  being detected in Windows. Why?

Accepted Answer

1. The DataTraveler could be conflicting with a pre-assigned drive letter. To resolve, do the following (Do not do this for a "Privacy" drive that assigns two drive letters):

1. Insert the DataTraveler and open "Control Panel". Then open "Administrative Tools".

2. Open Computer Management

3. Select “Disk Management” on the left window pane.

4. Locate the DataTraveler on the right window pane.

5. Right-click on the drive and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths.”

6. Click Change and select a new drive letter from the drop-down box. Then click OK.

2. The DataTraveler may be conflicting with pre-installed software. Disable all applications running in the background prior to installation of the Data Traveler.

3. Make sure Windows, any USB controller drivers and the system BIOS for you computer is up to date.

4. If you have a desktop computer, make sure the DataTraveler is inserted directly into one of the main USB ports on the back of the PC. Front ports, keyboard ports or USB Hubs may not supply sufficient power for the High Speed DataTraveler to function properly.

If none of the above apply, your USB DataTraveler drive may be defective. Please contact Kingston Technical Support for assistance.

Question 16

The computer has mapped  network drives. Windows says the drive is installed correctly but no drive letter is assigned to it. Why?

Accepted Answer

Windows assigns new drives to the next available physical drive. It will sometimes take the same drive letter as a network drive for this reason. This is a common problem with removable storage devices.

To resolve this go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management. Note the drives on the right window pane. See if the Kingston (x) is recognised. (x) denotes the drive letter that Windows assigned to the Data Traveler.

If the DataTraveler isusing the same drive letter as one of the other drives, right-click theKingston Drive letter and click on "Change Drive Letter and Paths".

In the next dialog box,click on the "Change" button and assign a drive letter that is notcurrently being used.

Note: Do not manually change drive letters if you have a "Privacy" DataTraveler that assigns two drive letters for the device.

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