How to make a disk drive "removable"

SteveSi · 10 Jun 2018

RMPrepUSB will show you whether the USB drive is Removable or not.
Usually all USB HDDs are of the Fixed type. I have never found one yet that is of the Removable type.
Most USB Flash drives are of the Removable type (RMB=1) - but not all.
Microsoft 'Windows Certified' USB drives will be of the Fixed type because up until Win10 Creator Edition, WindowsToGo would not run from Removable-type USB drive. The Corsair GTX USB 3 Flash drive is of the Fixed type.
The BootIt.exe utility by Lexar is the only program that will easily change the RMB bit (it toggles it each time you run it). It works on some old Lexar drives (e.g. USB 2 Jump Drives) and some others such as some older Netac, HP and Verbatim USB 2 drives. It's pot-luck whether it will work or not.

The RMB bit is returned by the firmware in the USB drive, so BootIt is essentially reprogramming or modifying the firmware using proprietary means. I have tried it on many USB drives and it either works or it doesn't - it does not seem to harm the drive if it doesn't work. You need to unplug&re-plug after flipping the bit.

cereberus · 10 Jun 2018

Hard drives always have the fixed attribute set and no way to change it.

USB flash drives are mostly set as removable, but some are set as fixed.

As I said, most manufacturers stopped making flash drives with a programmable bit years ago.

The various tools very rarely work now unless you have an old flash drive, and even then it was only a small portion of them that were programmable.

In summary - there is nothing you can do with a fixed drive, and virtually nothing you can do with a usb flash drive - end of story.

cereberus · 10 Jun 2018

SteveSi said:

RMPrepUSB will show you whether the USB drive is Removable or not.
Usually all USB HDDs are of the Fixed type. I have never found one yet that is of the Removable type.
Most USB Flash drives are of the Removable type (RMB=1) - but not all.
Microsoft 'Windows Certified' USB drives will be of the Fixed type because up until Win10 Creator Edition, WindowsToGo would not run from Removable-type USB drive. The Corsair GTX USB 3 Flash drive is of the Fixed type.
The BootIt.exe utility by Lexar is the only program that will easily change the RMB bit (it toggles it each time you run it). It works on some old Lexar drives (e.g. USB 2 Jump Drives) and some others such as some older Netac, HP and Verbatim USB 2 drives. It's pot-luck whether it will work or not.

The RMB bit is returned by the firmware in the USB drive, so BootIt is essentially reprogramming or modifying the firmware using proprietary means. I have tried it on many USB drives and it either works or it doesn't - it does not seem to harm the drive if it doesn't work. You need to unplug&re-plug after flipping the bit.

Actually true "Windows to Go" still requires a flash drive with the fixed bit set. You could always create a bootable flash drive on a removable flash drive in legacy bios mode using wintousb (Windows To Go Creator, Data Recovery, BitLocker Home Edition & PC Utility) but now Windows recognises multiple partitions on removable drives, you can now create a bootable UEFI usb flash drive.

The official Windows To Go is still restricted to WTG certified drives but this is now an artificial constraint not a technical constraint. MS try to justify this saying WTG drives are certified to a higher standard but that is bs really.
MS created the need for manufacturers to develop expensive WTG drives, but changed Windows so any drive of sufficient capacity COULD be used but if they allowed that, the WTG drive manufacturers would be very upset as their lucrative niche market would be destroyed.

SteveSi · 10 Jun 2018

Well, not to get too 'off topic' but some 'fast' USB 3 flash drives are totally unusable at running WinToGo - e.g. Lexar P20 128GB USB 3. These types of USB 3 drives may have fast large-file transfer speeds, but are terrible at 4K random I/O transfers and so not suitable for WinToGo.

cereberus · 10 Jun 2018

SteveSi said:

Well, not to get too 'off topic' but some 'fast' USB 3 flash drives are totally unusable at running WinToGo - e.g. Lexar P20 128GB USB 3. These types of USB 3 drives may have fast large-file transfer speeds, but are terrible at 4K random I/O transfers and so not suitable for WinToGo.

A drive may only use WintoGo if certified by MS. You could not use that if not certified.

SteveSi · 07 May 2019

A user in Dubai says that he has a 'HaySenser' USB 3 external HDD enclosure and the drive appears as a Removable drive in Windows (e.g. he can run Easy2Boot and it works as a large Removable drive). I cannot confirm this as a I do not have one.

DC4 · 11 Sep 2022

Hello Windows 10 Forum,

I am currently trying to find a way of changing an external USB to a USB HDD.

Despite finding the Lexar USB Format Tool, as yet I have not been able to knowingly change the ‘Flip Removable Bit’ for the USB to be seen as an external USB HDD.

In addition, I also found a file called ‘USB_LocalDisk’ online where I could try by updating the Driver for the USB.

To date I have tried and failed with both a Windows 10 Pro Laptop and Windows 7 Pro Laptop.

Why do I want this?

It is to copy and transfer Recorded TV Show recordings from an old TV Recorder to a recently purchased new TV Recorder without having to stream with the

I will look forward to your feedback and potential way that I may be able to convert an external USB to be seen as a Local HDD.

Kind Regards,

DC4

SIW2 · 11 Sep 2022

I have just found one of these. forgot I had it.

https://product.pconline.com.cn/mobi...nk/592784.html

it is supposedly usb3 .

It might have been there along while and never been plugged in. Just checked and it doesn't show as removable.

DC4 · 11 Sep 2022

SIW2,

Thank you for your feedback.

Ideally I want to be able convert one of my existing USBs to becoming an external USB HDD.

NavyLCDR · 11 Sep 2022

I'll try to find the reference but there is a hack to a USB storage device driver file where you replace the info in the .inf file with the info for the actual flash drive you are installing which flips the removable bit.