Chip Genius – The Good And The Bad About This Software In Identify Flash Memory Chips And Repairing Fake Hacked Memory. How Useful Is Chipgenius?

ChipGenius is a software used to identify the VID and PID information for flash memory. ChipGenius works well when the correct VID and PID has been programmed in the flash chip controller (see Flash Chip Vendor and Flash Chip Part-Num for examples). The VID is the Vendor information, the PID is the flash chip controller information.

ChipGenius does not work well in identifying flash memory VID and PID when unscrupulous flash memory upgraders (creators of fake flash memory), use wrong VID’s and PID’s.

Upgrading flash memory chips to lie about their true capacity is big business, is performed on an industrial scale. They use machines that can low level format, 12, 24 or 48 units at one time. Frequently they forget to reset the VID PID to correspond to the item they are upgrading. When this happens, Chipgenius will report the wrong information. It can lead people to select the wrong low level reformatting software. If the wrong low level reformatting software is used, it can lead to the flash memory item being destroyed – unrepairable. Sloppy reprogramming of flash memory chips is on the rise.

When people use ChipGenius to repair their items successfully, they tend to over look an important step – writing down the information ChipGenius reported,especially the VID PID information.

After finding a low level formatting tool on the internet, instead of examining the software options (advanced settings) they rush to click on the repair option in their hurry to restore true capacity. Many discover the VID PID information has changed.

If a person trying to repair flash memory looked at the advanced options they would have seen the VID and PID were different from the ones reported by ChipGenius. Low level reformatting tools, save the settings of the last user. What does this mean? The next user who uses the tool, gets the previous users settings!

It’s not the end of the world to have the wrong VID and PID if the tool succeeds in restoring capacity. If the tool did not repair correctly it makes it even more difficult to find the correct tool as the wrong VID and PID are now on the flash memory chip.

If you have a fake flash memory item and are trying to restore it’s true capacity, it means the VID and PID information on the usb controller chip is only as good as the fake flash memory reprogrammer.

Chip Genius reports what it sees, the same way an operating system reports the capacity it sees (the fake size). This software does not perform a detailed interrogation of the usb controller chip or the flash memory storage chip – it simply looks up the VID and PID match in a database and reports this information back to the software.

So the truth is, ChipGenius is perfect in detecting the correct usb flash memory controller chip and flash memory chip for GENUINE FLASH MEMORY ITEMS!

It is not accurate, or 100% successful when the flash memory controller has been hacked. This defeats the goal of people trying to restore flash memory storage chips that have been upgraded, back to their real size.

Using ChipGenuis reduces the possibility of restoring fake memory. Why? If the wrong VID and PID was recorded, people will search out the wrong tool and could lose the flash memory item as a result of using the tool. It’s a shocking discovery. It is also based on two years of observation and data for people trying to repair items at InspectorTech’s FixFakeFlash site.

Using ChipGenuis alone to find a repair tool is not the answer and can be lethal if the usb flash controller chip has the wrong VID PID information.

The best method, is the old method. Manual inspection, opening the item. Decoding the small square usb controller chip and the rectangular flash memory storage chip(s). In some cases it is not possible to do this, but in most it is, provided a person is careful and gentle. People can then do a quick search on the internet to find supporting information for the chips.

Using manual inspection with ChipGenuis is best. Sometimes it is hard to read the flash storage chip because the print is faint or hard to see. If there is a discrepancy between ChipGenuis and manual inspection – you should trust manual inspection, not ChipGenuis.

It is possible to restore usb flash drives that have been hacked. MP3 MP4 and MP5 players too. It is more effort to use a manual inspection but your chances of succeeding in finding the correct tool are better. You need the right low level reformatting tool to succeed, use the wrong tool, you loose the item.

Memory cards continue to be next to impossible to repair. Few succeed. You can’t open them. You will usually get the wrong VOD and PID information because of interference from the usb reader. Some people do succeed but there is no tried and true method as yet for everyone.

Yes, you can use ChipGenuis to help you. You need to know it has limitations. It is not fool proof or 100% accurate. So you should really consider using manual inspection too, before you search for a tool. A hacked memory item is useless, you have little to lose by performing the extra step. You will also increase your chances of succeeding.

If you suspect you have hacked flash memory your first step is to test to find out the real capacity using the free tool, H2testw or the Linux equivalent F3.