53 replies to this topic

[MedEvil]

There is a company called Mushkin, which sells a USB-Stick, which supposedly can read at 40MB/s and write at still 30MB/s.

It's called the Mushkin Midnight Series and is only sold in Europe.

What makes this Stick so very interesting is, that by default, it does not perform that good. One needs to install a software called TurboFlash.

Not interesting? What if i tell you, that this software is protected by a key?

This is what got me interested. If the software would only work with the special controller in this stick, why bother the costumer with entering a key on every machine, he want's to use the turbo on?

Nope! Keys are there to protect software, which works on any hardware!!!



So what did we learn today?
We've learned, that there is a way to accelerate all USB-Sticks!!!

[pscEx]

Sounds interesting!

Does that mean: If I have a suited driver, I can boost my ?? years old (USB2) Yakumo to "HDD" speed?

Open question: I think this is for a running system only. What when I boot from it?

Peter

[MedEvil]

TurboFlash gives the USB-Stick a performance boost of up to 60% read and possible write too.
Acording to the packaging the default speed is about 25MB/s read and 40MB/s with Turbo. Which i guess, would be the same kind of improvement for all sticks.

Open question: I think this is for a running system only. What when I boot from it?

The way TurboFlash is implemented, one can only use it on a running system, it seems.
But maybe, if one of our talented driver writers, has a look at the principle behind it, there can be a USB-driver which uses the technique also for booting.

But imo the advantage to have a faster bootdriver for USB, is too small to justify the work.
Most people don't boot anymore directly from USB, but use Rambooting. This means, that a USB-Driver will be used only after the booting is already done.

For plop, on the other hand, this might be worth a look.

[Wonko the Sane]

Can you post a link to the actual source of this info? (I mean apart the ads byt the actual manufacturer)

The product is here:
http://shop.mushkin....KNUFDMN8GB.html

The software is downloadable (though it won't probably work elsewhere and/or without the right serial) and it contains a very short user manual:
http://filestore.mushkin-emea.com/
http://filestore.mus...Usb_Mushkin.rar

It seems like it is something "triggered" as Autorun.exe ( i.e. exactly what we are trying to disable completely with Ninja Pendisk ).

At first sight it seems a lot NOT like a driver.

The software is (obviously ) from China:

Warning : This program is protected by copyright law and international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this program, or any portions of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law.
Please visit us at :
Copyright © 2006-2009, FNet Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
#40, Yong-Le 5th St., Chia-yi city, Taiwan 600

Though on the site:
http://www.gotofnet....=home/index.htm
the "TurboFlash" dosn't appear.

It seems like a "dedicated" product to USB HD cases/sticks OEM's:
http://www.computex....p;list_id=30511


Wonko

[pscEx]

It seems like it is something "triggered" as Autorun.exe ( i.e. exactly what we are trying to disable completely with Ninja Pendisk ).

Peter

[MedEvil]

Can you post a link to the actual source of this info? (I mean apart the ads byt the actual manufacturer)

I've learned about it from a few german reviews, but couldn't find an english on to post.
If german is good enough for you, let me know.

It seems like it is something "triggered" as Autorun.exe ( i.e. exactly what we are trying to disable completely with Ninja Pendisk ).

Since it is not a U3 device, i don't think it can autostart without user help.
Anyway it is an install routine. Once the software is installed. it is no loger needed on the stick unless one goes to a computer which has the software not yet installed.

At first sight it seems a lot NOT like a driver.

Yes agree. But so far i have found zip on how it does or possibly could work.
Oh and by the way, after install the host computer needs to be restarted, which could speak for a driver.

Though on the site:
http://www.gotofnet....=home/index.htm
the "TurboFlash" dosn't appear.

Great work! I've tryed to find this strange FNet company too, but had no luck. Wonder why?

[Wonko the Sane]

I've learned about it from a few german reviews, but couldn't find an english on to post.
If german is good enough for you, let me know.

Super , ich kann ein wenig Deutsch verstehen.


Wonko

[powaking]

I see this model number is being sold at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co...B/dp/B002V1HYMI

And Newegg

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820226078

[emmanuel d]

if you go to a pc that doesn't have the app installed, can you still acces verything normal?
if not then its a sort of zip app that compressed your data, witch meens that if your file is normaly 30mb and is now 20 it can be read faster. and your processor is so fast these days that you wont notice it decompressing.
so at the end there is less to be read from the usbstick, you would save space to

can sombody confirm this?

[maanu]

my mind is still stuck in the following,

1. does it give the SAME speed at boot time even on the legacy motherboard (which only support usb 1.1 at boot time ?)
2. does it need something like PLOP to achieve the above (if it really can do what i posted above)

[pscEx]

Just very IMHO:

Tomorrow I'm going to offer a new hardware part to use in cars:

It replaces the tube connecting the fuel tank with the carburetor / injection unit.

It has the same size like the existing one.
It has the same appearence like the existing one.

BUT: It has a built in magic magnetic power.
And this magnetic power will cause that the fluence of the fuel is consolidated to an optimum, and therefore your car will need much less fuel, compared with the standard tube.

I'm going to offer this in the WEB:

Billions of intelligent people will laugh. But thousands (maybe millions) of less intelligent people will order.

And I become a rich man!

Peter

[Wonko the Sane]

Tomorrow I'm going to offer a new hardware part to use in cars:

I think you can understand a little italian :


http://www.corriere....08/tucker.shtml



@maanu
Please re-read what has already been posted, sum up:

• it CANNOT do anything during boot ONLY once the OS is loaded (maybe, and I mean maybe) , and specifically the OS should be a Windows one - probably of the NT family only

Wonko

[pscEx]

I think you can understand a little italian :


http://www.corriere....08/tucker.shtml



@maanu
Please re-read what has already been posted, sum up:

• it CANNOT do anything during boot ONLY once the OS is loaded (maybe, and I mean maybe) , and specifically the OS should be a Windows one - probably of the NT family only

Wonko

Sorry. My Italian knowledge is limited with "Senta, cameriere, due gelati da due Euro, per favore".
But Google helped me a bit to understand your links.

So I'm very frustrated that my great idea is not new, and there is no chance to earn money with it.

Peter

[maanu]

I think you can understand a little italian :


http://www.corriere....08/tucker.shtml



@maanu
Please re-read what has already been posted, sum up:

• it CANNOT do anything during boot ONLY once the OS is loaded (maybe, and I mean maybe) , and specifically the OS should be a Windows one - probably of the NT family only

Wonko

thanks , not for me then . i am happy with PLOP . boot speed is all that matters to me personally .

[MedEvil]

I see this model number is being sold at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co...B/dp/B002V1HYMI

And Newegg

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820226078

Sorry wrong model. This is not the Midnight. this is the Mulholland.
Judging from the speeds i would say it does not come with the TurboFlash software.

[MedEvil]

if you go to a pc that doesn't have the app installed, can you still acces verything normal?
if not then its a sort of zip app that compressed your data, witch meens that if your file is normaly 30mb and is now 20 it can be read faster. and your processor is so fast these days that you wont notice it decompressing.
so at the end there is less to be read from the usbstick, you would save space to

can sombody confirm this?

The Stick can be accessed with or without Turbo. So no, data is not compressed.

[MedEvil]

my mind is still stuck in the following,

1. does it give the SAME speed at boot time even on the legacy motherboard (which only support usb 1.1 at boot time ?)
2. does it need something like PLOP to achieve the above (if it really can do what i posted above)

In a best chance situation, the turbo works by a special driver which does some trickery with the USB Protokoll. Since one can't load a driver in BIOS. Bootspeed up until Windows driver takes over, will not be able to benefit.

If the driver works for USB1.1 too, which is unknown, then acording to marketing, it could improve USB speed by up to 80%, which would be ~2MB readspeed for USB1.1.

Just in case this wasn't perfectly clear. TurboFlash does improve upon the speed, it does not create a new speed.
Therefore, differently fast USB-Sticks will end up with different read and write speeds, even when TurboFlash is used.

[eboyhan]

I got an email today from you guys about USB flash drive performance and referencing this thread. I recently went shopping for a largish high performance UFD to serve as a multi-os boot key. The drive that I came up with was the Corsair Flash Voyager GTR 32GB. MFR claims 34GB read 28 GB write. Benchmarks (there is a good recent one at hardwarecanucks.com) show that for large block sequential IO 34GB read 20GB write is probably closer to the mark. Just thought I'd mention it here as I didn't see it mentioned in any of the tables. It is relatively new, and physically large (about the size of a Swiss army knife).

Cheers,
Ed Boyhan

[steve6375]

found this review http://www.hartware....iew_1019_1.html (chrome will translate pages)
looks fast even without the turbo s/w

[Tremek]

My office literally shares a wall with Mushkin's corporate office in the US. I will wander over there and ask them about availability of the Midnight product.

[MedEvil]

Here are the promised reviews.

One did already steve post.

Then there was Orthy. Not the best written imo. But a nice comparison of the Midnight with SanDisks Contour.

And AwardFabrik which has a very good comparison of Turbo mode vs.default mode.

There were also some interesting reviews in internetshops from people who bought this stick.
One posted, that the Turbo worked, once installed, on all his sticks, but i have not been able to find any other source to confirm this.

[MedEvil]

Opened the install file with 7zip, unfortunately the files are still in some containers, so i still have no clue if a special driver is used or not.

[MedEvil]

Could someone running Linux, try to access the install file with unshield or liborange? All Windows tools, i have tryed so far, can't successfully open it.

http://filestore.mus...Usb_Mushkin.rar

[BLUEMONKEY_STU]

Why not everyone reading this Topic forget about obsolete
USB 2.0 Read/Write speeds clocked in the whatever MB
Throw them all in the garbage.
Replace them with USB 3.0 Sticks and external drives
With 5 Gb/s gross throughput, USB 3.0 provides ten times the bandwidth of USB 2.0
Anyone reading this that is an IT TECH knows this already
More and more motherboards incorporate an additional controller to support the fast interface.
For older Computers , there are USB 3.0 Interface Cards and Cables.

So despite your investment in USB 2.0 Sticks and External Drives,
Backup the Data off of them , throw them in the Garbage, they are dinosaurs.
Invest a little money and upgrade your USB.
You will be very glad you did.

read more on this subject link below

http://www.tomshardw...drive,2631.html

Think outside the box

[MedEvil]

Not news. We already have a thread regarding USB3.0.

http://www.boot-land...?...st&p=101739

But a nice review.