USB Stick with Password under Linux

[Michael Reich]

That's the U3 drive "feature."  You bought a stick that dedicates some 
of the storage space to a hidden partition with the U3 "operating 
system" that's needed to run the U3 applications.  You cannot delete 
this partition directly (supposedly U3 has a tool to do this, but it 
didn't work for me).  If you have no intention of using the U3 
applications, buying a U3 memory stick is not a good idea.  Read the 
fine print on the packaging to see if the memory stick you're 
considering is U3 or not.  FWIW, I think U3 is a waste of time and 
resources for most people, who simply want to use the memory stick to 
store files.  I returned the one I bought to Office Max and got a 
"normal" USB memory stick.

On 12/31/2006 ubuntu-users-request at lists.ubuntu.com wrote:
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 06:28:05 -0600
> From: Steve Jeppesen <ampster40 at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: USB Stick with Password under Linux
> To: ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> Message-ID: <20061231062805.2c174dfb at steve.homeip.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 10:41:48 +0300
> OOzy Pal wrote:
>
>   
>> > Can some one recommend a USB stick that I can password protect under
>> > Linux and Windows?
>> > 
>>     
>
> I just purchased a Kingston U3 DataTraveler 1 gig this past weekend and
> noticed it had a password/security function built into it - however I
> am unable to test it in either O.S. right now as it is at my place of
> business - and I'm not!
>
> http://www.kingston.com/flash/datatraveler_home.asp
>
> That link provides a listing of their various USB flashdrives, and the
> top one is listed as "Kingston DataTraveler Secure Privacy
> NEW! DataTraveler Secure - Privacy Edition " - maybe that would work as
> well?
>
> the datatraveler I purchased has a couple of annoyances though.
>
> When you plug it in, it mounts two drives, one "cd-rom" type and
> one for your data.  That's for M$ and Linux. I can live with that.
>
> The "cd-rom" mount doesn't allow you to delete anything, like a normal
> cd-rom.  And according to the instructions, it comes with preloaded
> "apps" on the data mount that can be deleted if desired.
>
> I found you can delete those apps on the data mount, but every time you
> plug that sucker back in, either in M$ or Linux, it copies three files
> back over from the cdrom mount.  I find that to be rather suspicious
> behavior myself and don't like it.
>
> Other than that - it's really fast.
>
> Hope this gets you pointed in a direction at least.
>
> Steve