Disabling a U3 USB Flash Drive

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John,

I've been down the same road. I don't know of any other way to get rid of the U3 garbage. The only additional thing I can recommend for anyone who is having this same problem (ie - most Mac users) is to do what I did - contact SanDisk's Tech Support and give them a piece of your mind. Also contact the U3 guys. It's ludicrous that SanDisk would pre-install the intrusive U3 software without a simple way to get rid of it. Both U3 and Sandisk should post a Mac version of the uninstaller on their websites. In addition SanDisk should arrange with the U3 folks to have the U3 feature be a free download for their customers who do want it, instead of installing it on all flash drives. What kind of Bozo ideas will they come up with NEXT??? -- A Mac version of the U3 software??? UGH!

'Sorry 'bout the bad attitude, but spending an hour or so on the phone getting nowhere with those nuckelheads will do it to ya.

Best to you guys!

Bob

Hi Guys,

The following is an update to my last post. I figured I'd try again to contact U3 & SanDisk again about the error of their ways and the undesirability of the U3 software & partition for Mac users. Firstly, it turns out that U3 is apparently a subsidiary of SanDisk. The Tech Support fellow who I spoke with claimed that they had released a Mac version of the "uninstaller", but it had to be pulled from their websites because of bugs and/or compatibility issues (it probably was deleting partitions & software from users hard drives instead of the flash drive). They now say that the Mac "uninstaller" should show up again "in coming months". I would suggest using great care in using any software that comes from them - they are SO incredibly clueless (at LEAST about Mac systems)! My original recommendation from my previous post still stands: Keep giving them heqq by way of their tech support line until they come through for us!

Bob

Hi John & Roger,

I have two of the 4GB Cruzer SanDisk drives. It did take a while to figure out how to get that stupid extra "drive" off. While the U3 partition doesn't show up in Leopard, it does in any other Mac OS. Here's the instructions from SanDisk's web site to remove it. It does require access to a PC, or Windows running on a Mac.

Can I remove U3 technology from my USB drive? Yes. To remove the U3 technology from the drive, simply go to the U3 Launchpad and, under Settings, select U3 Launchpad settings and click Uninstall. This will completely remove the U3 Launchpad from the drive.