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| Version | Pros | Cons | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Works on very old FC1178 | No FC1179 support, buggy on Win10 | | V1.0.5.2 (This article) | Stable, supports both controllers, good bad block management | Password-protected settings (123), no trim support | | V1.0.6.5 | Added FC1179 support, faster | Crashing on some 64GB+ drives | | V1.0.7.0 | Supports 4K NAND | Requires manual flash database editing |
Introduction: The Plague of the "0MB" USB Drive If you have ever plugged in a USB flash drive only to see 0 bytes of capacity, a drive that asks to be formatted despite having no errors, or a device that has completely disappeared from "This PC" (yet lingers in Device Manager), you have likely encountered a firmware corruption issue. --- Firstchip Fc1178 Fc1179 Mptools V1.0.5.2 -
| Error Code | Meaning | Solution | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Controller cannot talk to NAND | Try shorting the NAND pins (advanced) or your flash is physically dead. | | Error: Bad Block too high | NAND has more bad blocks than reserved space | Reduce the capacity setting (e.g., set 16GB drive to 8GB). | | Error: Download ISP Fail | Wrong firmware version | In settings, try a different "Firmware" dropdown option (e.g., FC1179_R1 vs FC1179_R2). | | Error: Timeout | USB connection unstable | Use a USB 2.0 port (not 3.0) and a short, direct cable. | | Drive stays at 8MB after Pass | You formatted without reloading firmware | Re-run with "Erase All Blocks" + "Rewrite Firmware" checked. | Advanced: Shorting Pins for Unresponsive Drives If your FC1178/FC1179 drive does not appear in MPTool at all (Device Manager shows an "Unknown Device" error), you can force it into "Test Mode" by shorting two specific pins on the NAND flash chip. | Version | Pros | Cons | |
Enter —a specialized low-level formatting and firmware repair utility. This tool is the digital scalpel required to resurrect "dead" flash drives. In this guide, we will cover exactly what this tool is, how it works, when to use it, and a step-by-step walkthrough to get your data storage back online. What is Firstchip MPTools? MPTools stands for Mass Production Tools . Unlike Windows Format or Disk Management, which work at the file system level (FAT32/NTFS), MPTools works at the controller firmware level . | | Error: Download ISP Fail | Wrong
For millions of cheap, generic, or promotional USB drives, the culprit is often a controller from (often branded as iStar, USBest, or SMI in older literature). Specifically, the FC1178 and FC1179 controllers are notorious for spontaneously corrupting their firmware tables.
But for the millions of USB drives that have been thrown into drawers because they "broke," this tool is nothing short of miraculous. In under 20 minutes, you can convert an electronic zombie back into a functional storage device.
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