The situationRecently I purchased a Wireless 802.11b/g Access Point Router from eBay unfortunately after getting it I discovered a lot of people where having problems using it including me. The Problem
Basically whenever WEP Encryption is turned on in the device it seems to corrupt the data in packets to all devices on the Wireless network, Meaning that you PC will never get a response from the DHCP server in the device, so you don’t get an IP on the network. Windows will then report that the connection has limited or no connectivity. For most this is where it ends. My solution-
I Upgraded to the latest firmware for my hardware version (v3). Firmware version V2.16RC4_1.0.2 available from Netgear here make sure you select the correct Model Version (it’s written on the bottom of the unit).
- I logged in after the upgrade and changed from WEP to WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key) and it worked... it’s that simple.
I can only guess that netgear dropped support for WEP at some stage in the firmware development for the device and refused to correct it. |
Just a quick note of warning that there are
fake USB Flash Disks. I have a Unit that reports to Windows as a 2GB Sony Flash Disk.
USBSTOR\DISK&VEN_SONY&PROD_FLASH__DRIVE&REV_%Z!Y\200504260241&0
The actual capacity of the disk is 128Mb NOT 2GB.
The Device reports the correct file sizes to windows and indicates that there is 2GB of available space but, when the amount of data copied to the device exceeds 128M B it is discarded, even though the copy process works without reporting errors.
When the data beyond the 128MB boundary is accessed the unit provides data but it is just FF hex data generated on the fly by the device’s cpu.
How to check the capacity under Windows XP SP2.
Rightclick on the Disk in My Computer > Proprties. Select the HARDWARE tab. This lists all the drives in your PC. Select the FLASH DISK from the list and Click Properties. This brings up a device specific properties window, from here select the VOLUMES tab and click the Populate button to get the info from the Flash Device. A screen shot of this shows fake and true size of the disk.
Note that the two reported Capacities are different. Basically the real size of 131070 KB is reported as the FAKE size of 131070 MB (ie a simple change in the Units from Kilobytes to Megabytes). Then in the volumes list another FAKE size is reported as 2044MB or 2GB roughly.
If you have access to a Hex editor you can look
at the contents of any of the files beyond the 128MB boundary and all you get is ff in hex. I began getting suspicious of this Flash Disk when out of the box it contained a trojan allready on the flash disk. Also just under the Clear plastic cover of the drive is the text 2GMB which
is I guess a typographical error of 2GB. Adam Anderson
Contract I.T. Pty Ltd Also a handy link provided by Dan Mitchel to some more technical information about this
issue, and also possible fix’s for your drives so that you can at least use them safely at the device’s actual capacity. Thanks Dan. |
The following information is courtesy of Dario Pepe, many thanks Dario for your additional work on the USB Flash Disk scam. Hi Adam,
I got an USB flash drive similar to yours on the
eBay. I was looking for a small and cheap 1Gb flash memory, and I found that one. There was several items like that, most being sold as “Sony” branded items. The seller got a low feedback but it was 100% positive, so I trusted him. I won the auction for 56 USD, plus 10 USD for shipping and handling from Hong Kong to Italy. I confirm all the content of your page, the only difference is that my USB memory was sold as 1Gb but the real size is 256Mb and that I haven't found any viruses. In the
box I received there was a mini-cd with the drivers and software for formatting or partion the memory, but it doesn't work. There are several number printed on the cd label, wich I found being chipset models. After looking on Google I found the producer of the chipset of my USB memory. On their site I downloaded a software suite that formatted my drive to its original size, and now I can partition, password-protect and even boot from it. At least I can use the drive without the hassle to
check if my data goes beyond the 256Mb limit! I contacted the eBay seller for a refund because of the hacked item, but they told me to send back the item first. This time, I didn't trust him and I used the eBay fraud complain. I had to send back the item to the seller with traced mail. After a month eBay replied to my inquiry telling me that the seller haven't replied to any of their messages, and they gave me a FULL refund of the item. After 2 or 3 weeks, I got my package back in my mailbox:
the Hong Kong address was “not existent”. Fake address for a fake company that sells
fake items! Great! As now, the seller is still registered to eBay, he still have 100% positive feedback, but he converted his account into an eBay shop e he's now selling polo shirts! The chipset numbers printed on the mini-cd: PS2152, SM320T, ARK3143, i5062,
i5068, OTI6828, OTI2168, AU9382AP, POINTCHIPS, AU6384 Some links: iCreate: http://www.icreate.com.tw
(makers of the chipset of my USB memory; in the “product” section you can download the
software that worked for me, iFormat)
X-bit labs: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/storage/display/usb-flash-roundup_2.html
(here I found a review of an USB flash drive wich came boxed in the same box I received
mine)
Dane-Elec: http://www.dane-elec.fr/index_en.htm
(sellers, and probably makers, of the “zMate Pen NACRE”, wich is IDENTICAL to our fake USB memory) |
