Kingston flash drive shows 0 bytes and will not format: repair (SSS6691)

The symptom

The drive is listed under devices, but its size is 0 bytes and formatting fails straight away. Linux sees the same picture. The device is detected, but its capacity cannot be read (READ CAPACITY failed):

usb 2-4: New USB device found, idVendor=0951, idProduct=162d
usb 2-4: Product: DataTraveler 102
usb 2-4: Manufacturer: Kingston
scsi 12:0:0:0: Direct-Access GENERIC USB Mass Storage 1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
sd 12:0:0:0: [sde] READ CAPACITY failed
sd 12:0:0:0: [sde] Sense Key : Unit Attention [current]
sd 12:0:0:0: [sde] Add. Sense: Not ready to ready change, medium may have changed
sd 12:0:0:0: [sde] Attached SCSI removable disk

An interesting detail: instead of “Kingston DataTraveler” the disk calls itself GENERIC USB Mass Storage. So the link to the PC works, but the controller cannot reach its memory: the table it uses to find its memory chips is lost or damaged.

Step 1. Identify the controller

Only a service utility made for the drive’s controller can restore it. So first find out what is inside. ChipGenius does that: it reads the controller and memory IDs without writing anything.

⚠ From the memory ID ChipGenius estimated 16 GB, while the drive is labelled 32. That estimate is rough. But after the repair it is worth checking the real capacity (step 3).

Step 2. The controller vendor’s service utility

For the SSS6691 it is SSS MP Utility. MP stands for mass production: factories prepare drives with this tool. We used version 2162 from the utility archive on flashboot.ru, where its description and user reports are collected. Such utilities are not distributed officially.

⚠ Before running it:

• the utility wipes the drive completely. The data cannot be read anyway, but unplug other drives so you do not pick the wrong one by mistake;
• run it on a computer with no important data and scan the archive with an antivirus: such tools only circulate on third-party sites.

In the utility you pick your controller and a settings variant. What worked for us was the variant from a comment on the utility page (number nine in the list). After the run the drive came back with a normal size and formatted again.

Step 3. Check the real capacity

A drive restored this way may “show” more than it can actually store, and memory that failed once may fail again. A check that writes the whole drive and reads it back:

• Windows — H2testw;
• Linux — f3 (f3write /media/flash && f3read /media/flash).

If the check finds errors, do not trust the drive with anything important.

Summary

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