Rufus says my USB drive has bad blocks, how do I fix it?

My USB drive have 256 bad blocks according to Rufus, and yes it does contain bad blocks since it always give corrupted error message when I try it to install Windows, but running chkdsk on this USB drive shows no error at all, and even though Rufus have the option to check bad block it doesn't have the feature to fix it, how do I fix my USB drive?

The last time I use it a month ago it work fine without any error for installing any OS, I only use it for regular file since then with no problem until now when I want to use it again to reinstall my Windows.

Here is the log.

Nur

Posted 2015-05-02T10:50:44.310

Reputation: 820

1Is it a flash disk (thumb drive) or a portable drive (ie. with a hard disk inside)? – gronostaj – 2015-05-02T11:07:46.707

a thumb drive, kingston dt 101 g2 8GB to be precise – Nur – 2015-05-02T11:16:23.603

You can’t fix bad sectors. Into the trash it goes. ;) – Daniel B – 2015-05-02T11:30:33.697

A replacement is so cheap that it's not worth spending time on. – AFH – 2015-05-02T12:18:08.060

Only 256 blocks of an 8 GB disk are bad? Don't listen to those who tell you to throw it away. As long as you have 10 % free space, you can use it. Usually bad blocks are to added to the bad block list (sic) and you won't notice them. Another reason to get rid off Windows. – ott-- – 2015-05-02T20:42:52.910

@DanielB Agreed, Into the trash it goes ;D. – Nur – 2015-05-03T13:36:11.447

@AFH Right, I was just asking out of curiousity since two different program gives different result. – Nur – 2015-05-03T13:36:49.357

4@ott-- so you have an idea of how to fix it? I don't see why that's the reason to get rid off Windows.. – Nur – 2015-05-03T13:38:48.050

How can I fix bad blocks on a USB flash drive? https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-fix-bad-blocks-on-a-USB-flash-drive

– Unknown – 2018-05-09T12:39:30.917

Answers

The flash drive is failing and should be replaced.

The most likely cause of this issue is flash memory that is wearing out. Flash memory has limited endurance and USB flash drives tend to use lower-grade NAND which has lower endurance than the types found in SSDs. See: Can a USB thumb drive "wear out"?
This problem cannot be resolved by the end user. The drive should be replaced as continued use can eventually result in data loss.

bwDraco

Posted 2015-05-02T10:50:44.310

Reputation: 41 701

That's an interesting article. One question tho, if flash memory 'wears out', will the data last forever, well not forever, maybe for a really long time if they are written once then not being used at all? – Nur – 2015-05-03T13:33:58.627

1@Nur Yes, something like that. Of course, there’s always some risk of the controller failing, but data retention should be good for a few years. Generally, a consumer SSD’s flash cell shall hold its data for 1 years after the rated program/erase count has been reached. – Daniel B – 2015-05-03T18:04:59.303

(Old question, but providing this info for others who find it via a search.)

Don't rely solely on Rufus's error message. It will report this error for other issues as well. Try reformatting/creating a new partition in your OS disk tool (dskmgmt.exe if Windows). If it fails, try a more advanced partitioning tool--when I encountered this Rufus error, Disk Management couldn't solve the problem either. Often a tool like EaseUS Partition Manager (free), will have no problem with the drive, and Rufus will often subsequently no longer detect any "bad blocks."

Travis Terrell

Posted 2015-05-02T10:50:44.310

Reputation: 11

How do I fix it?

Just buy a new one. Flash drives are cheap, especially 8 GB ones.

Sometimes such drives can be salvaged by low-level formatting with appropriate tools, but these are very rare cases and the fix isn't permanent. Failing parts of flash drive often indicate that its overall state will be getting worse because of flash teardown.

gronostaj

Posted 2015-05-02T10:50:44.310

Reputation: 33 047