Why can’t I copy a small file on to my USB stick?
Q
I need your help with a small problem. I have a 16GB USB stick that my computer says has a total size of 14.4GB with space free of 3.06GB. However, it won’t accept another a file that’s just 63.9MB (see screenshot). Do you know why? Murray Sinclair
A
Have you ever successfully used this card to store its full capacity, or close to it? If so, then we’re not entirely sure what’s causing this. It could be a bit of corruption caused by the failure to completely write a previous file, perhaps because the stick was removed too soon. To begin with, we’d copy the contents on to your PC’S hard drive and then perform a full format to see if this restores the full capacity. To do this, first right-click the stick in File Explorer and then choose Format. Next, in the ‘Format options’ section, click to clear the tick from the Quick Format box and then click Start.
If this doesn't work – and particularly if this stick is new to you – then we’re afraid you’ve probably got a fake. These abound online, and if buying from the likes of ebay there’s often no easy way of telling good from bad. To check, you can use a tool called H2testw, which is a free download from www.snipca.com/35365.
First, extract the H2testw.exe program file from the downloaded ZIP file. Next, double-click H2testw.exe and then click English. Now click ‘Select target’ and choose your USB stick. Finally, choose the ‘all available space’ option. Check your selections and then click the ‘Write + Verify’ button. H2testw will now attempt to write data to all 16GB of the stick.
If it reports your stick is a fake, we’re afraid there is no fix.