Solved Windows 7 pro x86 Deleting files off USB stick

[HalesowenTechie]

Hi there,

I work for a college in the IT department and we have to recover data on USB sticks all the time. Suddenly this morning we had an influx of USBs throughout the college where data is just going missing. I have tried looking at the event logs and there doesn't seem to be any errors relating to installations for drivers or USB devices going askew or anything like that.

The student computers are connected to a domain and are not on roaming profiles. My first assumption was maybe a script conflict but there is nothing in the event log to explain that as a cause.

Usually this would not be a concern, but this is an abnormal influx and was wondering if there is either a script or update or something else that is deleting files off the USB. A typical symptom what students are telling me is that it asks them if they wish to continue or fix the USB drive. Again, usually that tells me that this is a doggy USB drive but to get this can't be the case for nearly every student and teacher in the college.

Please can someone help?

 

[magicdave26]

Are they making sure to hit the 'safely eject USB device' button ?

Or setting their flashdrives to quick removal?

If not, I've seen perfectly saved data disappear from a USB flashdrive

 

[benjy206]

Hmm this has happened on all you computer's?

It could be a virus that could be causing this issue.

I'm sure you have policy set up for user's not to download programs and software?

 

[HalesowenTechie]

Yes, Sorry, I forgot to mention that all the students; when asked, nearly all of them said that they removed it safely.

As far as I am aware, the Students have the ability to download but not execute, not the best of systems I know, but that is out of my personal control.

I was thinking that it may be a virus but it has all died down now, so not sure if it may be that Students aren't using their USB stick now or that there may have been something in the background running by SCCM?!?

 

[benjy206]

It's hard to know there could be loads of reasons. It could be even the policy of the server, that you can't use flash drives.

We have just rolled out in our company that, nobody can use usb's, and if they try it will tell us. So I'm sure there is software out there of doing this. Maybe you could ask who ever is over the whole I.T Dept there and see before you go doing any more troubleshooting.

 

[HalesowenTechie]

Indeed, if it were up to me I would ban them too. This College spends a lot of money on backups and shared storage and no-one uses it. We have a network team who has overall control, but that is another battle *lol* As far as I know, there is no policy that bans the use of USB drives. They can install the drivers for the USB...actually I wonder if that is conflicting with the students not able to run install files?!?

 

[benjy206]

That could be the problem. If they have a policy like that it could conflict with it. Personally I would see to the network team. As they would know the policy's they have set-up or should know anyways. One of there policy's can cause a problem. Like I said it is hard to know from here as I don't know the network or what structure it has.

 

[HalesowenTechie]

TBH I don't know much more as they like to keep their cards close to their chest...it is quite sad.

Thanks for helping out, I did go to the network team but they want a spreadsheet of who, what, when and where before they will do anything.

Thanks anyway

 

[benjy206]

Nightmare so

No problem