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I have a USB flash drive that's become unreadable in any computer. It has a lot of confidential information on it which I need to wipe before sending it back to the manufacturer for a warranty replacement.

What would be the best way to do this given that I can't get any computer to read the drive and format it?

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    Hopefully if your computer can't read it, no one else's would be able to either.
    – BenjiWiebe
    Jul 17, 2014 at 12:40
  • Have you tried the USB stick in a Mac or Linux computer ?
    – Lawrence
    Jul 17, 2014 at 12:56
  • No I've only tried it on Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines. I tried using DiskPart in MSDOS and it throws an error. But the drive appears in Device Manager with the correct name and I get the USB 'sound' when I plug it in. But nothing appears in Disk Management.
    – volume one
    Jul 17, 2014 at 13:21
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    @RuslanGerasimov it may also melt the drive so my warranty will be void!
    – volume one
    Jul 18, 2014 at 13:15
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    Other than that. If it has confidential information and you can not securely wipe it, then make the unpleasant choice between destroying the drive or applying for warranty. And for really sensitive information the choice should be easy. (Though I admit if often is not, and if this is a flash drive from work then there probably will be a long discussion about it which will cost way more than a new drive. Such is life).
    – Hennes
    Oct 22, 2015 at 12:05

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