Over the past few years, flash storage media have become very popular and are used by us literally every day, due to their advantages over disk storage media. It is hardly possible to overestimate the usefulness of flash media, because you can quickly write or read information on it, it does not take up much space in a briefcase or bag, and the price segment is pleasantly pleasing.
Despite all the positive aspects, sometimes situations occur when you cannot read the data due to the flash drive or computer itself. After all, at the most important moment, you may lose access to stored files, and in order to quickly return everything to normal, you need to have certain knowledge. In this article we will analyze all possible problem situations and find ways to solve why the computer does not see the flash drive.
The most common problems why the computer does not see the flash drive:
- The flash drive itself does not work
- The USB port on the front panel of the computer is de-energized
- The USB port on the computer is faulty or disabled
- The USB flash drive connector is dirty
- Viral infection
- Drivers failing or using outdated drivers
- File system errors
- File system conflict
- Flash drive is not formatted
- There is a problem with the partition or the flash drive is automatically assigned a busy letter
- Malfunction of the power supply or excessive current overload of the USB portal
- The computer does not see the flash drive in Windows XP The computer does not see the flash drive due to Windows XP errors
- Driver conflicts in Windows XP
The flash drive itself does not work
This is the worst situation for a person whose documents are stored on a flash drive, because it is almost impossible to bring it back to life. A flash drive can be damaged by mechanical impact on the device chip or its controller, by shorting an electrical circuit, or by damaging the contacts on the USB board. This is what a flash drive looks like after the electrical circuit is closed or moisture gets inside the drive.
It is quite easy to determine whether this happened to your drive. The very first thing you need to do is check the flash drive for mechanical damage, chips, cracks, etc. If it is completely broken, you can look for a replacement at a computer peripherals store. If you doubt its inoperability, you can check it using a practical method.
Connect the flash drive to the USB connector of the computer, if the LED on it lights up and you hear a sound on the computer that is typical for connecting a new device, then everything is in order, it makes sense to look for the problem further. If this does not happen, the flash drive is most likely no longer suitable for use.
You can try to take the flash drive to a service center, where the technician will try to resolder the contacts or replace the controller, but this will be very expensive, and this action will only be justified if you have important documents stored on it. If no fatal malfunction was detected and the flash drive shows signs of life, try the methods to restore its functionality, which will be described below.
Launch USBOblivion, delete information about drives from the registry
Disconnect all flash drives and other devices from the PC. Run the program with the items marked “perform real cleaning and save the undo reg file.” Then click on the “clean” button.
As soon as everything is cleared, restart the computer and connect the flash drive - as a rule, it appears and becomes accessible. If this does not happen, go to the device manager (using the “Start” button), remove the drive from the section dedicated to other devices. Update your hardware configuration. To download the USBOblivion program, you can use the official website of the developer.
The USB port on the front panel of the computer is de-energized
This problem is very common among desktop PC users. Most computer owners are accustomed to inserting a flash drive into the front USB ports, because it is fast and convenient.
But there is a situation when, during PC assembly, for some reason the front panel is not connected to the power system; usually this happens due to the forgetfulness of the computer technician. Accordingly, your flash drive will not be displayed, despite its full serviceability.
This problem can be solved in two ways. If you urgently need to use information on removable media, you can connect it to the back panel of your computer. The front connectors will still remain inoperative, but you will have access to documents. Such manipulations cannot be called a full-fledged solution, so let’s consider the second option.
Method No. 2 involves connecting the power cable on the motherboard to the front panel of the computer. Depending on the computer case model, the connection connectors may differ. But don’t be afraid, they all have markings and you won’t be able to connect the wrong connector due to design features. The most common wire types are “VCC”, “D-”, “D+” and “GND”. Moreover, the color markings of the cable and the connector on the motherboard are the same, but it is better to keep a guide by the inscriptions.
The first step is to gain access to the motherboard; to do this, unscrew the mounting bolts on the case and remove the cover. Find the cable that leads to the front panel and find the same connector on the motherboard. In the image below you can see what the connector should look like.
Connector on the motherboard for connecting the front panel
It is not recommended to make the connection yourself; it is better to call a specialist. If you connect the cable and connector incorrectly, you can burn these contacts and even devices. If you decide to connect front USB connectors, then it is better to tell us the model of your case and motherboard, and we will tell you how to do it correctly and explain what the connector and cable look like.
The USB port on the computer is faulty or disabled
Sometimes the problem of unreadability of information on removable media is not related to the problem of the flash drive itself, but to the connector into which it is connected. A certain USB port may not be working, and this condition can be caused by simple damage to the connector contacts. Then not only the flash drive, but also other USB devices will not work in this port.
You can solve this problem by arming yourself with a regular soldering iron and minimal knowledge of circuit design. If you don’t have such knowledge, skills and equipment, then it can be fixed at the nearest service center for a low fee.
However, if no response to connecting a USB device is observed on all connectors, then the problem may lie deeper. Ports can be disabled in BIOS settings.
In order to connect ports in the BIOS menu, you need to get there initially. To enter the BIOS in the first seconds of booting the computer, you need to press the corresponding key on the keyboard, which is responsible for calling up the menu. Most often, the default key is F2 or Del, but depending on the motherboard brand and BIOS version, it may be different. It is indicated in the first image that pops up when loading.
After you have entered the BIOS itself, we need to follow the following route: “Advanced Settings -> USB Configuration”.
Advanced Settings -> USB Configuration
Find the line “USB Controller”, so that you are allowed to use the ports, the value opposite should be “Enabled”.
Set Enabled to USB Controller
Once you have enabled the USB ports on your computer, press the F10 key. This will save your settings and exit the BIOS.
Reboot BIOS via F10
Outdated drivers
It is possible that your drivers are outdated - update them. To do this, you need to find out what manufacturer and model of your motherboard is. Usually written on the packaging box, if you saved them, of course. If not, then use the Everest or Aida program. Using them, you can find out the model of your motherboard and a lot of other useful information about your computer. After you have found out everything, you need to go to the manufacturer’s official website, find the required motherboard and download drivers for the chipset and usb device, if any.
I recommend downloading all drivers only from the official websites of the manufacturer. Otherwise, your personal computer or laptop may not work properly.
The USB flash drive connector is dirty
A flash drive is a mobile information storage device and is therefore often carried in pockets, briefcases or as a keychain. Due to such operating conditions, dust and small debris may accumulate in the connector. This does not happen often, but it can cause the flash drive to malfunction. Dust and small debris accumulate on the contact and prevent connection from the contacts in the port on the computer. Such a flash drive may not only not be displayed at all, but also freeze, transfer or read information slowly and may not be detected the first time.
To clean the USB connector of a flash drive, arm yourself with a match and a cotton swab. Using a match, remove all debris from the connector, and then moisten a cotton swab with alcohol and wipe the contacts of the flash drive. This way you will rid it of debris and oxidation.
Virus infection
Nowadays, the issue of storage device security is becoming more and more urgent, because viruses are in full force. You can visit your usual social networking site on the Internet and get infected, not to mention downloading files from unverified sources.
Modern computer viruses can also reproduce, no matter how strange it may sound. They infect files located on your flash drive or computer hard drive, and their number grows exponentially.
Very often, the problem of a flash drive not working is infection with viruses. The drive is detected by the system, you can hear the characteristic sound of the device connecting to the system, but when you try to read the information, you will see the message “Removable media not found” or “Application not found.”
Removable media not found
Before solving this problem, you should install anti-virus software on your computer and conduct a full diagnostic of the files. To access the data on the drive, we need to delete the file with the virus and scan it. To do this, go to the “Start” menu and enter the following phrase “Show hidden files and folders” in the search line.
Show hidden files and folders
Click on the found element with the left mouse button. You will see a window open called “Folder Options”, here you need to do the following:
- Uncheck the “Hide protected system files” option
- Check the box “Show hidden files, folders and drives”
After this, be sure to press the “Apply” button and only after that “Ok”, otherwise the changes will not take effect. It should look like this.
Show hidden files, folders and drives
After that, go to “My Computer” and go to the folder of the drive itself. There you will see the “Autorun” file, you need to delete it, and check the flash drive for viruses with one of the free antiviruses; the Dr.WEB Cure It utility will do an excellent job of this.
Now you can fully use the flash drive and no problems should arise. If nothing has changed, then the problem lies in the lack of drivers; we’ll look at it below.
Drivers failing or using outdated drivers
A very common problem is when the computer does not want to display the flash drive due to outdated drivers or their system failure. The failure may occur due to a power surge or unexpected shutdown of the operating system. Or older computer models may not work with drives with a capacity of 32 GB or more. One thing can be said, the problem can only be solved by updating the drivers.
The first thing you need to do is go to Device Manager. You can do this in several ways, for example, through “My Computer” or find this section in the system search, which is what we will do.
device Manager
We go to this menu, after which we connect the flash drive to the computer, after which we open the “USB Controllers” subtab. Select the line “Storage device”, right-click to open the system menu and click “Delete”.
In USB Controllers, remove the Storage Device
Such manipulations allow you to remove the drivers installed on the system for your storage device. As soon as you remove it, feel free to remove the flash drive from your computer and connect it again. Then the driver for the flash drive will be installed again and the problem will be solved.
If the problem is not solved, you may need to update the drivers for all USB chipsets; this is quite easy to do. You can use the special disk that came with the motherboard; all the necessary drivers are recorded on it. If you don’t have it, download the DriverPack program, it will automatically select all the drivers for which there is an update and carry out this procedure after your agreement.
Moreover, most users have doubts about the correctness of their actions when they learn about the different USB formats. Don't be scared!
Drivers for USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are installed according to the same principle. And the only difference between the ports is the maximum speed of reading and writing information.
Drivers
If the computer still doesn’t see the flash drive, then let’s try to approach the other side of the problem. It often happens that when connected to USB, the computer starts using broken or outdated drivers.
- Find the two keys “Win” and “R” on your keyboard and press them simultaneously.
- We enter the command: devmgmt.msc and click “OK”.
- The Device Manager window should open. Find the “USB Controllers” section, open it and find “USB Mass Storage Device”. Right-click on it and select “Delete”.
- Then remove the media and reinsert it. You must install the drivers yourself. If nothing happens, you need to do the installation manually. Go to the “Other devices” section and find any device with a “USB” label. Right-click on it and then select “Update hardware configuration”.
Checking the connection. If this does not help, connect your computer or laptop to the Internet. Go back to the USB controllers and delete all connections that are there (right click - delete). At the very end, restart the computer and go to the “Device Manager” again. See the section “USB Controllers”. If the drivers are not installed automatically, click in the top menu - “Actions” - “Update hardware configuration”.
File system errors
The computer may also not recognize your flash device due to file system errors. Let’s check if this is true, go to “Device Manager”, as described above. Now you need to open the “Disk devices” subtab, if you see your flash drive there, it means it is working, and the file system does not perceive it as it should, and, accordingly, does not display it in Explorer. In my case, the flash drive was displayed, which means it is working.
Checking our flash drive in Disk Devices
To fix this problem, you must format your flash drive, but this action has several nuances, so we will consider this process in the next paragraph of the article.
If you don’t see your drive there, then the problem lies in the malfunction of the flash drive itself, which means either the controller is burned out or the contact has become unsoldered. Specialists at service centers can try to bring it back to life. However, this is an expensive endeavor; it’s easier to buy a new one, of course, if important information was not recorded on the faulty one and you need to restore the data on the flash drive.
Nothing helped
You need to check the flash drive on another computer or laptop. If the flash drive does not open on another PC or, even worse, is not displayed, then most likely it is damaged at the controller level. If possible, you can try to format it - I already wrote about how to do this correctly above. If even after formatting the Flash media does not work, then there are two options:
- You can try to revive it with a specialist at the service center if important information is stored there. Sometimes you can only get information, but the disk or flash drive itself cannot be restored. Check with a specialist about all this.
- Just buy a new flash drive, since they are not so expensive now.
Of course, if you have enough knowledge, you can repair the device yourself and resolder broken or failed parts. But as practice shows, it’s still easier to buy a new media. I hope the article was useful to you, and yet you managed to solve this problem.
File system conflict
Quite often, the contents of a flash drive are not displayed due to a conflict between the file systems on the computer and the removable media itself. For example, if the computer operates on the NTFS file system and the flash drive uses FAT32, a conflict situation cannot be ruled out. Moreover, this problem is common not only in Windows, but also in Mac OS. For example, if you format a flash drive on your Mac device to ExFAT or the standard MacBook file system, the flash drive is unlikely to be readable on Windows devices.
The very first thing you need to do is find a computer that uses a different file system, open the flash drive and save the information that is important to you, because after formatting it will be lost.
To solve this problem, we need to carry out the process of formatting the flash drive. First you need to find out what file system is used on your computer. Go to “My Computer”, right-click on the hard drive, open the submenu and select “Properties” in it.
My computer - Flash drive properties
In the window that opens, you will see information about the free and used amount of disk space, and also find out what file system is used. In my case, the NTFS system is used.
Flash drive file system
After you know the file system of the computer, we need to format the flash drive into the same system. To do this, right-click on the flash drive and open the “Format” tab.
Format the flash drive
In the tab that opens, select the file system into which we will format, check the box next to the “Fast” attribute and click “Start”.
Formatting Settings
A few words about why we use the “Fast” attribute. Firstly, formatting a flash drive will happen much faster. But there is another side to the coin. If there were any documents on the flash drive, then only with quick formatting will you be able to recover this data using special utilities. If you do not check the box, then the information that was on the flash drive will be lost forever.
Disabling the drive
The flash drive must not only be connected correctly, but also disconnected - then there will definitely be no problems with its detection by the system.
You cannot simply pull out the flash drive from the USB port - this can damage the files written to it.
Disabling removable media and its subsequent removal is a certain algorithm of actions that every user must remember:
- Find the flash drive icon in the notification area on the taskbar.
- Left-click on it and select “Extract”.
- When the "Hardware can be removed" message appears, remove the drive from the USB port.
Sometimes users encounter an error message appearing on the screen when attempting to safely remove their device. Typically, this message indicates that the files recorded on the flash drive are running in some other application on the computer, and until you complete their work, the drive cannot be turned off correctly.
Close all programs that may use files from the flash drive and end their processes through the Task Manager. After this, you can try to remove the device from the computer again.
The flash drive is not formatted
A fairly common problem is when you insert a flash drive into your computer (usually a new flash drive and its first use), and the operating system gives you a warning that states that the removable drive needs to be formatted before use. And if the flash drive has been used before and there is data written on it, then there is no way to access it. Moreover, the volume of the flash drive becomes 0, i.e. as if there was nothing there at all, not even a storage device.
If you have already used a flash drive and this is not the first time you have connected it, then try connecting it to another computer, perhaps the problem will go away and you will be able to save the data. But in any case, the flash drive must be formatted. How to do this was discussed in detail in the “File system conflict” section.
But I want to draw your attention to two points. To avoid problems with the file system (FS) after formatting, find out what FS is used on the computer and install the same one for the drive. And secondly, if the flash drive had the information you needed, then be sure to use the “Quick” attribute, so the flash drive will be formatted only according to the table of contents, and the lost information can be returned using special utilities.
Working with a flash drive for beginners
The first step is to insert the drive correctly. This is a fairly simple task. To do this, examine the surface of the device and find a special hole for it. Usually there are several of them, on the side or behind. Next to them are usually the headphone and microphone jacks.
Every modern laptop and even a tablet or TV has USB ports. The connector is equipped with a “branching” icon and is easy to recognize. It is important to correctly position the contacts of the device relative to the contacts of the USB connector. Usually the manufacturer's name is at the top.
Advice! Be sure to insert the USB flash drive before turning on the laptop or after it is fully loaded. Otherwise, it may not be recognized by the system, and you will have to reboot.
If the operating system works smoothly, it will find and install drivers itself, and then open the autorun window. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. It happens that users wait a couple of minutes, but no action occurs. This may be due to either a hardware malfunction or a software glitch. First, you should remove the flash drive and try to insert it into a different port.
It is better to check its serviceability on another laptop. If the flash drive connects without problems, then obviously the problem is in the connector. There are ports that, when a large number of devices are simultaneously connected, some do not see due to lack of power or RAM.
If the flash drive does not connect, and there was a lot of valuable information on it, then you will have to take it to a service point. If there was no particularly important data, then it is more logical to replace it with a new one.
Attention! If you can’t insert the flash drive the first time, then you don’t need to apply force. Simply turn the drive over and try to insert it again.
There is a problem with the partition or the flash drive is automatically assigned a busy letter
There are situations when the operating system does not correctly detect your removable media. Everything seems to be fine, the device connection is displayed and a flash drive icon appears in the tray, but there is no way to use it for its intended purpose.
The problem may be that the system has not assigned the partition a letter under which the removable drive will appear, or it has assigned it, but this letter is already occupied, and this results in an address conflict.
The solution to this problem will be to force the assignment of the partition letter that we choose; everything happens manually. So let's get started.
First of all, you need to hold down the key combination “Win + R”, a window called “Run” will open in front of you.
In the line we need to enter a simple command diskmgmt.msc, which will take us to the disk and drive management section.
Run – diskmgmt.msc
In the storage media manager that opens, we need to identify our USB device. This can be done simply, disconnect the flash drive and connect it again, the partition that first disappears and then appears is what we need.
Disk and Storage Manager
In my case, the flash drive is a drive with the name “20151114_17”, you can also identify it by a special icon. Now you need to right-click on it and select “Change letter” in the menu that opens.
Assign a letter to our flash drive
Now another additional window will open in front of us, a smaller one. In it you need to click on the “Change” and “Ok” button.
Changing the drive definition letter
Now another auxiliary window will open, where you must select any letter of the English alphabet, and after clicking on the “Ok” button, the letter will be assigned to the section.
Assigning a letter to a partition
It is worth paying attention to one important point! When choosing a letter to assign to a partition of your flash drive, look at which letters are already in use by the system. This is very important, because we may not fix the problem, but leave it. This will happen if, for example, you designate a flash drive partition with the letter “D”, which is already assigned to the local disk.
Error in the name of the flash drive
The reason why a flash drive does not open on a computer may lie in its name. Because of this, the computer system cannot correctly detect the device and an error occurs that interferes with normal operation.
If the assigned letter of the flash drive matches an existing letter on the hard drive partitions, then the system will give priority to the hard drive, and the inserted USB drive will be ignored.
To fix this error, the first thing you need to do is go to the command line. Enter the command “diskmgmt.msc” into it. The program for working with drives will open. In the program, select the flash drive, right-click and select the item responsible for changing the letter. In it, specify a different Latin letter and click “OK”. After this, remove the device and reconnect it to the computer.
Malfunction of the power supply or excessive current overload of the USB portal
This problem is very common these days. The fact is that the computer may simply not see the flash drive due to a faulty power supply. Let's look at it in order, the power supply consumes electrical energy from the network, and then converts and distributes it to all nodes of the computer. It has a power limit, for example, a 400W power supply will not be able to give you 600W. This means that the consumption of the entire system must be balanced.
This problem may appear if you have recently replaced some important component in the system, let it be the processor. Now it consumes much more energy compared to the past, which means it simply doesn’t reach somewhere, and in this case, that “somewhere” is the computer’s USB network. Accordingly, the energy consumption parameter must be calculated in advance, and if such a situation has already occurred, you will have to replace the power supply with a more powerful one.
Moreover, the problem may lie in a malfunction of the power supply; it may produce much less power potential than stated, and than it produced before. You will not be able to solve this problem, since you risk the performance of the entire computer. The only solution is to replace the power supply.
There is one more feature to this question. Recently, USB devices for computers have become very common, let’s say the following devices are now powered: a mat for warming a cup, a desk lamp, a wireless mouse, a removable hard drive, and in addition, a smartphone is also charging. And you want to connect a flash drive, but bad luck, the computer sees it. The fact is that there was an overcurrent on the USB ports. Those. All your devices already consume the maximum amount of current and you will not be able to connect another one. Therefore, to use a flash drive, you need to disconnect several devices from the computer’s USB ports and then the problem will disappear.
If the computer does not see the flash drive in Windows XP
There are many reasons why a flash drive may not be detected in Windows XP. Moreover, the problem may lie in the operating system itself, or in a faulty flash drive, or even in the computer hardware.
If the problem is related to the operating system, then it can only be eliminated by making additional changes in the settings; this is best done manually, despite the abundance of special utilities that can help in this matter.
However, if the drive itself is faulty, then the only thing you can do is try to save the data recorded on it. And after that, purchase a new and more reliable device.
If your computer cannot detect the flash drive, it notifies the user with the following signals:
- Your flash drive is inserted and you try to access the data on it, the message “Insert disk” pops up.
- The system notifies you that the drive must be formatted for further use.
- Errors appear about the impossibility of gaining access to data.
- The system may freeze as soon as you plug the USB flash drive into the computer's USB port.
In this section, we will look at all the most common reasons for the non-functionality of a flash drive in Windows XP and give practical recommendations for solving them. Carefully read the description of the problem, if it is not similar to yours or its solution did not help you, move on to the next point until the problem goes away. The first thing you need to do is try to determine whether the flash drive is working. This is indicated by a light indicator located on it. If you connect the drive and it blinks or lights up, then the flash drive is working and the problem lies either in the system or hardware of the computer.
Try changing the port into which you connect the flash drive or even the computer; perhaps only the port or the entire system is faulty, but on another PC the flash drive will work properly. For example, if, when connecting a flash drive to a port, you observe a complete system freeze, this means that this port is faulty and it is better not to use it.
If you are using USB hubs or extenders and the flash drive is not displayed, perhaps the problem lies in the device itself, and not the flash drive. If this turns out to be the case, you can take the hub to a service center or try to repair it yourself. To do this you will need a soldering iron, solder and a little experience, because most often you just need to solder one or two contacts and everything will work as expected.
Perhaps the problem lies in the lack of electric current in the USB port system. To check this, you need to disconnect all USB devices on the computer (camera, printer, lamp, etc.), leaving only the keyboard and mouse. If after such manipulations the flash drive appears in the system and you can access it, then the problem lies in a weak power supply. This problem can only be solved by replacing the power supply with a more powerful one, but using a USB hub with its own power source will help delay the purchase of a power supply.
However, if the problem is not resolved after disconnecting all other devices, the problem may still be related to the lack of power from the power supply and an outdated USB port. In other words, on older laptops you will not be able to open a flash drive with a capacity of 36 GB or larger. There is no way to solve the problem; you can only buy a more modern laptop or computer.
A very common situation occurs when the user connects a flash drive to the front port of the PC, but the system does not see it. This means that the ports are not connected to the power supply on the motherboard, or too little power is allocated to them. You can connect the front panel yourself using the instructions located above in the section of the same name.
Can't see the flash drive due to Windows XP errors. Troubleshooting
The flash drive may also not be detected due to operating system errors. For example, Windows XP SP2 lacks updates and software packages that ensure the normal operation of USB devices. Moreover, it is possible that only several USB devices can work in one port.
The solution to this issue will be to update the system to SP3 and install the necessary updates. Even a new user can do this, since we only need a couple of clicks, and the system will automatically download, install and launch the update. So, let's get started, we can move in two ways - this is an official download from Windows Update or installing SP3 from a disk or flash drive. The first step is to check which package you already have installed.
Right-click on the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties”. The following window will open in front of you, where information about your system will be indicated.
Checking whether SP3 is installed in Windows XP
To install SP3, we need to allow the operating system to search and update the computer system. To do this, just go from the Control Panel to Windows Update.
Control Panel in Windows Update
As soon as you do this, the system will begin searching for updates, after which it will offer you to update everything at once or select only the ones you need. If you don't understand what update changes what, then it's better to let the system update completely.
After downloading all the updates, the operating system will require you to restart your computer to apply the new settings. Click “Ok” and wait patiently. That's all, now you can connect the flash drive and use it.
If you decide to choose the updates that should be installed, and not download them all automatically, then here is a guideline that will help improve the system's perception of USB drives.
Driver conflicts in Windows XP
There is also the problem of driver conflict. The fact is that some outdated drivers can cause errors at the system level, moreover, they can prevent the normal operation of new drivers. A striking example of such a problem is a situation when a user inserts a flash drive into a computer, tries to access the data on it, and the system immediately displays an error message asking to insert the disk. Or, the system simply freezes, and even assigning an existing letter to a flash drive partition is possible.
The reason for such errors is as follows. Let's say you have two flash drives, you connected one of them to the system. In automatic mode, all necessary drivers for this device are immediately installed. You have made the necessary manipulations to write or read files and removed the drive. After that, you insert a second flash drive, which is completely working, and one of the above errors pops up. This means that the system is trying to use the already installed driver from the first flash drive to launch the second, but they are not compatible.
Reinstalling Windows XP drivers for USB devices
This problem can be easily resolved in several ways. Reinstalling drivers automatically or manually. Let's look at a little theory: a driver from one USB device can be mistakenly used by the system to launch another USB device. To eliminate these problems, we need to first remove all existing drivers for USB drives, and then reinstall them.
Such a problem may display the message “USB device not recognized,” or unexplained processes occur at the system level that block access to data or cause the system to freeze.
Remove via DriveCleanup
You can effectively remove all existing drivers for USB devices using the DriveCleanup utility. Its advantage is that it searches the entire system for installed drivers and only then removes them.
First of all, turn off the computer and disconnect all USB devices from it in order to avoid conflict situations while the program is running. Turn on the PC, go to the official website of the program and download the executable file. The utility is compatible with any version of Windows, including different bitmaps. When downloading, pay attention to the file version.
Then you can simply run the program as an administrator by right-clicking on it and selecting the appropriate item. The program will immediately begin searching for drivers and preparing them for removal.
However, more advanced users are advised to do the following:
- Move the program executable file drivecleanup.exe to the System folder
- After that, write “CMD” in the search and open the command line.
- In the command line, enter the phrase “drivecleanup.exe” (the name of the executable file) and press Enter.
We write drivecleanup.exe on the command line
- The command line will display information about all drivers and begin preparing them for removal.
The process of removing drivers using the driveclenup utility
Automatic installation
You have removed all drivers from your computer. In order for a device to function normally, the operating system must have drivers for it. The automatic driver installation process is incredibly simple, you just need to plug the USB flash drive into the USB port, after which the installation will begin immediately. A window will pop up that will display the installation progress; on some systems this may occur in a mode invisible to the user. Within one to two minutes, the installation will be completed and you will be able to use the device.
Manual installation
Manual installation means installing drivers not directly from the storage medium itself. We can also install drivers for a flash drive from third-party Internet resources, but to avoid conflict situations, we will install drivers for a flash drive using another computer.
So, we take our problematic flash drive and insert it into another computer, where it is recognized. A prerequisite for this process is that the versions of Windows on both computers match. We use the system search and find two files.
We transfer them to the problem computer by any means, be it sending by mail or using other removable media. You need to place these files in a folder with the same path that was on the first computer and confirm the replacement when the corresponding window pops up. We reboot the computer and enjoy its performance with FLASH disks.
Possible problems and tips
We looked at only the most common reasons why a flash drive is not visible on the computer. In fact, there are many more of them. Moreover, there are problems that are expressed by other system messages, and their solution is already described in the paragraphs of the article.
The “Insert disk” message appears even if the flash drive is already connected to the USB port
This system error occurs if drivers overlap each other and interfere with the normal functioning of USB devices. In order to fix this error, you need to remove all drivers for USB devices and install them again. This process is described step by step in this article.
Message about the need to format the disk
This message appears if you are using a flash drive for the first time or if it has experienced a system failure. In addition to the message, you can make sure that it is not suitable for use, because it does not display either free space or occupied space. The solution to this issue is described in detail in paragraphs 8 and 9.
Data error message
This problem occurs in 3 cases. This is a driver conflict, a file system conflict, and a failure of the flash drive itself. It can be solved by reinstalling the drivers; if that doesn’t help, then do a quick format to preserve the ability to recover data on the flash drive. Step-by-step instructions are above.
Complete system freeze immediately after connecting the flash drive to the computer
This issue has already been discussed in the article, but I would like to point out that this error can occur for two reasons:
- Driver conflict.
- Faulty port.
It’s easy to check what problem you have, insert the flash drive into another port, if the freeze continues, it means there’s a problem with the drivers. Instructions and tips for reinstalling them were given as part of this article.
Why does the computer not see the flash drive when the indicator on it is lit?
The contact on the flash drive, which is responsible for transmitting information, may be damaged. A driver conflict and the assignment of a busy letter to a partition cannot be ruled out. If the problem does not go away after connecting the flash drive to another computer, try checking the availability of the partition. If everything is fine here, then reinstall the drivers and the flash drive will work.
Error 43 / Error 43
This error immediately stops reading information from a removable device, which means we won’t be able to immediately access the data. There are several problems that can cause Error 43.
- Malfunction of the device itself is the first of them. Check on another computer to see if this situation happens again.
- Driver conflict - solution described above.
- Updating the hardware configuration - simply roll back the driver version in the Task Manager.
Problem with controller drivers
If the indicator on the flash drive lights up, but the computer does not see it, then the problem may be in the drivers, or rather in their absence. Despite the fact that many write about this problem as a carbon copy, the problem with drivers only happens on old computers with Windows XP, or vice versa, on new hardware on which the old version of Windows 7 was installed. Basically, drivers for USB are standard and work by default "out of the box". However, the drivers could have broken due to a system failure or virus attack. Let's check:
- Open “Device Manager” (write “Start” in the search bar);
- Expand “USB Controllers” and remove all “USB Mass Storage Device”;
- Expand “Disk devices” or “Other devices” and remove the drive by the name of the flash drive or “USB storage device”
- Menu “Actions -> Update hardware configuration”.
These steps will not update, but will help fix driver failure. It is important that in the “USB Controllers” branch there should not be devices with a yellow exclamation mark or with the name “Unknown Device”. In this case, you need to install the correct drivers automatically. The DriverHub program can install missing drivers and update existing ones. This resolves the conflict between drivers for USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports. Let me remind you that USB 3.0 ports are characterized by increased current, speed, and they are blue.
conclusions
We have reviewed in detail the reasons that may prevent a computer from reading a flash drive and the information on it. The described solutions with step-by-step instructions will definitely help you get rid of this problem. An unreadable flash drive can be a death sentence only if the flash drive is faulty. In other situations, this is an easily reversible process. If you have any questions or couldn’t find a solution to your problem in the article, leave a comment and we’ll try to clarify the situation together.
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