U3

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This article is about the computer company and design specification. For other uses, see U3 (disambiguation).
U3 LLC.
Type Private
Founded 2004
Headquarters Redwood City, CA
Industry Computer
Website www.u3.com

U3 is a company producing a proprietary method of auto-launching applications from specially formatted USB flash drive. Flash drives adhering to the U3 specification are termed U3 smart drives.

"U3 smart drives" differ from traditional USB flash drives because they come preinstalled with the U3 Launchpad, which emulates the Windows OS start menu and controls program installation. The method only works with recent Microsoft Windows systems. Applications are allowed to write files or registry information to the host computer, but this information must be removed when the flash drive is ejected. Customizations and settings are instead stored with the application on the flash drive.

Contents

[edit] The U3 platform

[edit] Hardware

U3 smart drives are USB flash drives with a specific hardware and software setup:

  • The hardware configuration causes Windows disk management to show two drives:
    1. A read-only ISO 9660 volume on an emulated CD-ROM drive with an autorun configuration to execute the U3 LaunchPad, and
    2. A standard flash drive (FAT formatted) that includes a hidden "SYSTEM" folder with installed applications.
  • U3 compliant applications can be (optionally) preloaded by manufacturers.

[edit] U3 Launchpad

U3 Launch Pad example.
U3 Launch Pad example.

The U3 Launchpad is a program manager that is preinstalled on every U3 smart drive, and is set to autoplay on insertion.[1] A partition with the U3 Launchpad pretends to be a CD/DVD-ROM device in order to add USB mass storage device autoplay functionality on pre-Windows XP SP2 systems, or systems whose USB autoplay has been intentionally disabled.

The program is made to work with Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and above. No Launchpad program exists for the Mac OS or Linux platforms.[2]

[edit] U3 applications

To be fully U3 compliant, an application has to be programmed to clean up its own data from the local machine. It must also be packaged in U3's special program format. U3 applications will only run from a U3 device. These apps may be hacked to run from other USB drives with the U3 Launchpad.

[edit] APIs

The U3 APIs allows U3 Programs lower-level access to USB flash drive.

[edit] Compatibility

The U3 Launchpad and U3 Applications runs on Windows 2000 SP4+, XP or newer. The U3 launchpad will work with Windows Vista as of version 1.4.0.2. Data will continue to be accessible from any OS capable of reading from USB Mass Storage Devices, unless the U3 device is password-protected.[2] Compatibility issues have been noted as late as July 2007 under Windows XP Pro between certain Windows drivers that are associated with high-volume data transfers to CD writers and with certain drivers employed by digital video cameras, resulting in a full crash of the XP operating system. According to Sandisk's community forums [1], as of Feb '08 many users are still exhibiting Vista compatibility issues with U3 equipped flash drives regardless of the U3 launchpad version. Apparently this is related to specific hardware/firmware versions of the flash drive itself [2], as removing the U3 software will still not allow Vista to recognize the USB key. While Sandisk has claimed that a patch for the U3 is in the works, Microsoft has released an update to Vista (KB940199) [3], allowing some users to successfully use the flash drive as intended. One of the affected USB Flash drives is the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium series with device numbers 2.17, 2.18, 2.19 and 2.20. By March 2008, SanDisk has released a new Launchpad update for these device versions of Cruzer Titanium that will make these devices fully compatible with Windows Vista [4]. This will allow Vista users to both use the drive for data storage and the U3 functionality as they are used to under Windows XP, including the password protection.

[edit] Developer resources

Information on building U3 compliant applications and the U3 software development kit, are available to registered developers at the official U3 website. Individuals must register (as a company) to download the SDK, or participate in the forums. [3]

Reformatting the drive will remove some of the software, but not all of it. The virtual CD-ROM drive may not be removed by reformatting.

[edit] Benefits

Portability
Software can be taken with all its personalized settings to any computer running a compatible version of Microsoft Windows (though no other operating system), with no need to install the software if not already there, or to use different settings and options, and no need for administrator access privileges.
Software support
Software is available from the U3 site, including, amongst others Trillian (instant messaging client), OpenOffice.org, FileZilla, Mozilla Firefox, and Skype. Some recent software compatibility concerns have surfaced, including incompatibility of newer Firefox versions with U3. However, updated versions of programs have made an appearance, like in the case of Mozilla Firefox.
Ease of use
Programs are run from the Launchpad, functionally similar to the Windows Start menu familiar to most users of Windows XP.
No need of admin rights
New software can be downloaded to a U3 flash drive without the requirement for administrative privileges on the host computer. However, removal of the U3 launchpad requires administrative rights.
Virus protection
Many U3 drives come with virus protection software which gives protection against being infected by or spreading computer viruses.
Data security
Most U3 drives on the market feature a security lock within the U3 Launchpad. This loads the CD partition first and can be user-configured to require a password to be entered; otherwise the data partition will not load. The drive is supposed to seal itself after a certain number of invalid password entries, requiring a reformat.[4]

[edit] Criticisms

Several criticisms have been made of the U3 platform. These criticisms are:

Freezing the computer
Strong possibility of locking up or freezing a computer with certain software installed. U3 claims that it is a result of a conflict with popular CD/DVD burning software, though a Blue Screen of Death can happen even without any such software installed. [5] The posted list includes software provided by Nero and Roxio. Even on computers where U3 functions properly, there can be a noticeable delay while the Launchpad loads compared to the time it takes to access a normal USB flash drive.
Closed platform
The U3 platform is closed, though is available to anyone who registers (for free) with U3. Sandisk, the rights holders for U3, ask for a 5% royalty from USB flash drive manufacturers who wish to implement the platform on their products.
Uninstallation issues
The original U3 Launchpad could not be uninstalled by an end-user. U3 responded to this criticism by making uninstall software available on their website[6]. This was largely due to Best Buy's Geek Squad, who in early 2006 raised the issue of not being able to uninstall U3 and got them to first write an uninstaller for the Geek Squad branded drives, and later for all the U3 drives; as of November 2006, U3 drives come with an uninstaller on the USB drive itself. However, the uninstaller doesn't work in all cases[citation needed]; and requires installing proprietary software on the computer before being able to remove the U3 features from the flash drive[citation needed]. Although U3 removal disables U3 functionality[7], SanDisk does offer LPInstaller to reinstall the basic U3 feature-set.[8]
Leaves traces on host PC
The U3 platform sometimes leaves behind files on a user's PC. These files can be found in the C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch folder. They apparently are for the software to start faster. Software which leave Prefetch traces include the u3 launcher, McAfee VirusScan USB and a number of other software.[citation needed]
Insufficient user privileges
Where a user has insufficient privileges, he or she may run into problems getting the launcher to work[citation needed]. In such a case the launcher might actually prove a hindrance to using the device[citation needed].
Two drive letters
As a work-around to the lack of Auto-Play for Flash drives on older versions of Windows, the U3 software creates two drive letters (one which presents itself as a CD to allow Windows' auto-play to start the launcher, and another for storing user data). Although this is the only way to implement auto-start functionality on pre-Windows XP systems, it could be considered a kludge, and the extra drive letter created can be an annoyance.
Windows requirement for removal
Users of non-Microsoft OSes that don't have access to a Windows PC are unable to remove U3 from their "smart drives".[9]
Updates and reformats
The update program for U3 does not prompt for a system backup, and may reformat over the drive, erasing all contents. Insufficient warning is given to users to prepare for the updates and installation prior, such as a lack of notice for backup of important files.
Cruzer Red Desktop Icon
If the right click menu is accessed and select the command "Permanently Disable Cruzer Icon" the action cannot be reversed and there is no way of reloading the little red icon even from the U3 site. When the Flash Drive fails to ejects and is removed without acknowledgment, the red icon still remains on the desktop and the host computer will not read any flash drive inserted in the USB port until the computer is restarted.
Not updated software
Some software available on the u3.com website are not updated, like Openoffice.org. The version offered by u3.com is 2.0.10.0, but the current version is 2.4.[10]


[edit] Future

Sandisk and Microsoft have recently announced a partnership to develop a new line of portable USB-based hardware.[11] This series, purportedly named StartKey[12], is expected to replace U3 by the end of 2008, making the U3 format obsolete.[13]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ U3 Knowledge Base: Can I access the Documents directory on my U3 smart drive without running the U3 Launchpad?
  2. ^ a b U3 Knowledge Base: Can I use my U3 smart drive on a computer running Linux?
  3. ^ U3 Forum registration guidelines
  4. ^ U3 Newbie Guide
  5. ^ The U3 Launchpad doesn't run. What should I do?
  6. ^ U3 Launchpad Removal
  7. ^ U3 USB removal
  8. ^ U3 LaunchPad Installer
  9. ^ The uninstall page for u3.com has a survey regarding the source of the desire to remove U3 functionality. Available responses includes "Mac OS or Linux user" (since the U3 Launchpad does not run on these operating systems). When this option is chosen, however, the removal tool which is offered for download is not, as would seem sensible based upon the user's answer to the question, a Mac OS or Linux program. It's for Windows only.
  10. ^ u3.com
  11. ^ Dougall, Paul. Microsoft, SanDisk Venture Promises Apps On A Thumb Drive, InformationWeek
  12. ^ "Microsoft missing the cloud with Windows on a USB stick (ArsTechnica)"
  13. ^ Microsoft and SanDisk Join Forces to Create New Experience for USB Flash Drives and Flash Memory Cards, Expanding on and Replacing U3 Smart Technology

[edit] External links