Question 1

When I attempt to access my DTLPG3 secure USB drive, MacOS displays “DTLplus_Launcher” is not optimized for your Mac” or, after updating to MacOS 10.15 (Catalina) I get “DTLplus_Launcher” needs to be updated.”  How do I resolve this?

Accepted Answer

To resolve, you will need to update your DTLPG3 secure USB drive for MacOS Catalina. To update, click on the link below to download the DTLPG3_Mac_Updater.app and DTLPG3 Mac Updater Instructions. Note: Please read the updater instructions in its entirety prior to running the update.
Updater: https://media.kingston.com/support/downloads/DTLPG3_Mac_Updater.zip

For more information about the "App” not optimized or “App” needs update message,
feel free to reference Apple’s support article. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208436

MacOS: DTLPG3_Mac_Updater.app supported on MacOS 10.15 Catalina.

Question 2

How long can I use the USBtoCloud software on my DTLPG3?

Accepted Answer

After you activate the USBtoCloud, you will have a free 5-year license to use it. After the license expires, you can purchase additional time direct from ClevX; the company that provides the USBtoCloud software, to continue using it.

FAQ: KTD-1101011-UTC

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Question 3

How do I update DTLocker Plus G3 secure USB for MacOS Big Sur?

Accepted Answer

To update DT Locker Plus G3 secure USB drive for MacOS Big Sur, click on the link below to download
the DTLPG3_Mac_Updater.app and DTLPG3 Mac Updater Instructions.
Note: Please read the updater instructions in its entirety prior to running the update.

Updater: https://media.kingston.com/support/downloads/DTLPG3_Mac_Updater.zip

MacOS: DTLPG3_Mac_Updater.app supported on MacOS Big Sur.

Question 4

When I insert my drive and the security software is launched, I do not get a password prompt. It does work under administrator mode. How do I resolve this?

Accepted Answer

We've seen this when security software blocks the users ability to write to CD/DVD's. Run gpedit.mscand go to Windows settings>security setting>local policies>security options and make sure Devices: Restrict CD-ROM access to locally logged-on user only is set to disabled.

Also, too many entries for mounted devices in older computers can cause this problem. When all the entries cleared the drive should work again. To do this, go to start and type regedit in the search field. Make sure to back up your registry before making any changes. Here are instructions for backing up your registry.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Back-up-the-registry

In the directory list on the left side, find the entry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices. Remove all entries except for default (it won't let you anyway).

You can also look at Device Manager when the Data Traveler is connected to see if the drive comes up with any yellow exclamation marks. Uninstalling the device with the exclamation mark and scanning for new hardware sometimes will work as well. You may want to try this even if you do not see any yellow exclamation marks for this device. You will need to run the uninstall as the Admin to be able to perform this while logged-in as a non-Admin.

Also check the setting for your security programs (Norton, Symantec, etc).

Question 5

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 6

Can this secure USB flash drive be formatted to work as a standard USB drive or the security be disabled as to not require a password?

Accepted Answer

This drive is designed to be 100% encrypted. The security is build into the drive and cannot be removed or disabled.

Question 7

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, Flash Card, or external USB storage, and 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 (e.g., File Allocation Table) 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 8

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

Accepted Answer

To transfer files larger than 4GB, the DataTraveler must have a 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 backup 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 9

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 10

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

Accepted Answer

When you delete files from a storage drive while the drive is connected to a macOS system, macOS will keep a backup of the deleted files, allowing you to recover files if accidentally deleted. Because of this feature, macOS will also reserve space on the drive in the event that you do recover the deleted files. Therefore, in order to recover the available storage space back to the drive, you will need to empty the macOS Trash Bin, while the drive in question is connected to the masOS computer.

Should this not work, a complete format of the device should be done. Please follow these instructions to format your Kingston drive.

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 the left panel and then click Erase on the right.
Select a Volume Format. Select MS-DOS File System or exFAT if you plan to use the drive on macOS and Windows. If used only in a Mac then select Mac OS Extended as the Volume Format.
Click Erase.

Question 11

My DataTraveler is recognized in my macOS but Windows prompts me to format. Why?

Accepted Answer

Windows may not recognize the MacOS Extended or Standard file system. To resolve, format the drive in macOS with MacOS DOS or exFAT file system 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 DataTraveler into the macOS machine and wait for it to mount.
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 DataTraveler, 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" or "exFAT" from the list.
Click Erase.

Note: macOS 10.6.5 and later has full support for read and write access of exFAT formatted drives. However, 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.

Question 12

My DataTraveler is not full, but when I try to transfer data to the drive I receive an error message stating, "The Directory or File cannot be created". Why?

Accepted Answer

This is a limitation of the FAT32 file system, which has a limit on the number of files stored on the root of the drive. In order to transfer more data to this unit, you will need perform one of the following.

A) Create folder(s) on the root of the drive and then transfer all data to the folder(s). Once this is done, you should be able to transfer more data to the DataTraveler.

B) Backup the data on the drive to another storage, then reformat the drive with exFAT file system. Once this is done, you should be able to transfer more data to the DataTraveler.

Question 13

Why does my USB Flash Drive and/or USB Reader get hot/warm to the touch?

Accepted Answer

In most cases, it is normal for an external USB device to get warm or hot to the touch since the exterior shell helps cool the internal components by emitting heat into the air.

Some of the factors of a USB external device getting warm or hot:

Material: Metal flash drives and readers tend to get warmer while in use than other types of USB flash devices. This is simply because metal absorbs heat much more easily than materials like plastic do.
Environmental Temperature: If the host device or surrounding temperature is high, the drive's cooling capability decreases. USB drives often become warmer when used in hot environments or with warm devices.
File Transfers: Transferring large files or a high volume of files can raise the drive's temperature. Large files take longer to transfer, requiring more energy, thus generating more heat. Quick consecutive file transfers have the same effect as transferring large files, increasing the drive's temperature. During data transfer, the drive heats up internally and releases heat through its casing.

Note: None of the above listed factors impact the functionality of the USB device.

After the data transfer is complete, wait 30-60 seconds before removing the USB device from the host machine. This should provide enough time for the temperature of the USB device to cool.

Question 14

If I forgot my password or the drive no longer accepts my password. Can the data on the drive be recovered?

Accepted Answer

By default, after the predefined max number of unsuccessful password attempts is reached, the drive will format and all data will be lost. Once the format is complete, data recovery is not possible. However, if you have not exhausted the max number of unsuccessful password attempts, you may consider contacting a professional data recovery company for assistance, such as DriveSavers Inc.
Please note: Kingston does not retain master passwords for encrypted USB drives.

Question 15

I clicked decline on the installation request for the USB to Cloud feature but it comes back after I format or delete files. How do I keep this from coming back?

Accepted Answer

When you click on decline, a file named usbtocloudinstalldeclined.txt is created. This prevents the installation request from coming back. If this file is deleted or the drive is formatted, this request will reappear when you log into the drive again.

To prevent accidental deletion of this file, right click on the file and choose properties. In the general tab under attributes, check the box next to Hidden and click OK. As long as your computer is not set up to see hidden files, it will not be seen. But be aware that formatting or resetting the drive will still delete the file.

Question 16

If my cloud service is not listed, can I add my cloud service the USB to Cloud app?

Accepted Answer

You cannot add a cloud service that is not listed. The "more clouds" option just allows you to request that your cloud service be added.

Question 17

After upgrading to Windows 10, I cannot log into my secure USB drive. The password Windows appears briefly and then disappears. How can I resolve this?

Accepted Answer

The problem may be due to the update deleting your user Temp folder. The drive uses this when running the security software.

To access the location of this folder, you must first un-hide all files and folders. To un-hide the files and folders, right click on the Start button and select File Explorer, click on File at the top then on Change Folder and Search Options. Click on the View tab and select Show Hidden Files and Folders.

Once un-hid, go to the C: drive>Users>Username (username = your name)>App Data. If there is no file called Temp, create a new folder and name it Temp. Once this is done, try your drive again.

Question 18

When I insert this DataTraveler into my Windows computer, I receive an error stating "(DataTraveler) requires two free drive letters" or "(DataTraveler) could not start." Why?

Accepted Answer

This DataTraveler requires two consecutive drive letters AFTER the last physical disk that appears before the ‘gap’ in drive letter assignments (see figure below). This does NOT pertain to network shares because they are specific to user-profiles and not the system hardware profile itself, thus appearing available to the OS.

What this means is, Windows may assign the DataTraveler a drive letter that’s already in use by a network share or Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path, causing a drive letter conflict.If this happens, please consult your administrator or help desk department on changing drive letter assignments in Windows Disk Management (administrator privileges required.)

In this example, the DataTraveler uses drive F:, which is the first available drive letter after drive E: (the last physical disk before the drive letter gap.)Because letter G: is a network share and not part of the hardware profile, the DataTraveler may attempt to use it as its second drive letter, causing a conflict.

If there are no network shares on your system and the DataTraveler still won’t load, it is possible that a card reader, removable disk, or other previously-installed device is holding on to a drive-letter assignment and still causing a conflict.

Please note that Drive Letter Management, or DLM, has improved significantly in Windows XP SP3, Vista, and 7, so you may not come across this issue, but if you are unable to resolve the conflict, please contact Kingston’s Technical Support Department for further assistance.

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