Picked up 3 USB sticks on sale today and noticed that they all came with a few files for SanDisk software. It's been quite a while since I bought a SanDisk USB stick, and I couldn't recall what the software was or did. Since I didn't find a good answer Googling, I fired up a Win11 VM.
Running Install SanDisk Software.exe [691KB] just opens the web page: support-en.sandisk[.]com/app/products/downloads/softwaredownloads . Each of the apps offered lists the devices that it's licensed to work with. Here's the 3 that *appeared* to work with my new USB sticks, at least according to that page.
Setup for PrivateAccess encryption software will only run after copying it to a [likely SanDisk brand] USB stick. It requires setting up a password that is 6+ characters long, includes upper & lowercase characters, numbers, and one or more special characters before setup will complete. Installed, the 3 folders that are added to the USB stick take up less than 1MB, though the privateaccess-win.exe file [10.5MB] you used to set it up is still required. It includes options to backup/restore the vault, and use your choice of AES 128 [the default], 256, 512, or 1024 bit encryption. Clicking the help menu opens your web browser with a warning -- proceeding to the page anyway says the page does not exist. It did not add anything to the Windows hard disk itself.
Memory Zone Desktop seems to be a somewhat rudimentary file sync app that's also allegedly available in the Windows Store. I didn't see any features or capabilities that might be better than Windows own File History: windowscentral[.]com/software-apps/windows-11/how-to-use-file-history-on-windows-11 [Note however, Microsoft's own web page telling you how to use File History is for Win10, complete with disclaimer that Win10 is in its death throws. It could just be typical Microsoft neglect, or it *might* be a sign that it's (yet) another feature that Microsoft intends to remove from Windows.] The app itself takes up 150MB in Program Files (x86), with an additional folder in Users\ [UserName]\ AppData\ Roaming\, and I only recorded a new uninstall key in the registry.
RescuePRO® Deluxe lost file recovery software requires a key that should appear on an insert or the back of the package if a license is included with whatever SanDisk product [didn't see that until it was installed -- Oops]. Installation isn't terrible -- only a couple of registry keys and folders in Program Files (x86), Program Data, and Users\ [UserName]\ AppData\ Local\ -- but the working files from 2022 are rather small and the GUI much less professional looking than the typical recovery app we see on GOTD.