The controller is widely used in USB flash drives, particularly in budget or counterfeit drives from platforms like AliExpress. If your drive is showing "No Media," is write-protected, or has a fake reported capacity (e.g., a "2TB" drive that is actually 32GB), you can use the MpTools utility to reflash the firmware and restore its true functionality. Quick Recovery Guide
Plug your problematic USB flash drive into your computer's motherboard port (preferably a USB 2.0 port for better stability).
Insert your corrupted USB drive into a PC port (preferably USB 2.0 for stability). Look at the output text for the following indicators: Firstchip Controller Part-Number: FC1179, FC1179S, or FC1179AB
: If your drive has many bad blocks, select "Clear" for the first pass and "Standard Scan" for the second. Firstchip Fc1179 Firmware
Choose between USB-ZIP, USB-HDD, or CD-ROM (for specialized bootable drives).
Disclaimer: Firmware flashing carries a risk of permanently destroying the device. Proceed with caution.
methods for these chips specifically if the firmware flash isn't an option? FC1179 Recovery - PC-3000 Support Blog The controller is widely used in USB flash
Click Start . The process can take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour depending on the drive's capacity and the scan type. Known Issues and Limitations
If ChipGenius reports (as seen in this USBDev discussion ), it is a strong indicator that the firmware is corrupted and needs to be re-flashed using Firstchip MpTools. 3. Firstchip FC1179 Firmware (MPTools)
Use H2testw to fill the drive with data and verify its integrity. This is critical for FirstChip controllers, as they are often used in "fake capacity" drives. Insert your corrupted USB drive into a PC
Q: Is the Firstchip FC1179 firmware compatible with my operating system? A: The FC1179 firmware is compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux.
An older, stable alternative.
The is a popular USB 2.0 controller used in many budget and "no-name" flash drives. If your USB drive is showing as "No Media," has a write-protected error, or displays a fake capacity (e.g., a 2TB drive that is actually 32GB), you likely need to re-flash it using the FirstChip FC1179 MpTools (Mass Production Tool). This low-level software acts as the firmware flasher for the drive's controller, allowing you to reset it to factory defaults and restore its true capacity. Key Features of FirstChip FC1179 Firmware Tools