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I got a PNY 512MB flash drive about 8 days ago. Last night it is no longer detected when I plug it into a computer.
I've tried all the USB ports on both mine and my neighbors machines.
Is this typical for these things to fail so soon? Or is there something I'm overlooking?
Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 does not detect your new USB device
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;314634
General USB troubleshooting in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;310575
USB port may stop working after removing or inserting USB device
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;817900
Thanks Steve, I should have mentioned that on both computers other USB devices are easily detected and used. I tested a printer and a flash card reader on one machine and a printer and an mp3 player on the other machine.
However I did go ahead and uninstall and reinstall the USB drivers on my machine. I also created the registry entry suggested in your first link, and rebooted. Neither of these actions had any effect on the problem flash drive.
Took it back to the store and exchanged it. Works now. ;)
I too have had the experience of suddenly having my flash drive go unrecognised by my computer (twice, with two separate flash drives), and I too have tested the drive(s) on several different computers, to no avail.
The strange thing is this: I just bought a new computer several days ago...and the flash drives work just fine on it. It is the only computer they will work on. Its running the new Windows 7, and I speculate that this may have something to do with the situation.
Does anyone know what may be going on here? Any feedback would be appreciated...
Thanks...
Bri
Hey everyone,
I think I may have solved this one...I have certainly been able to get three previously "unrecognized" flash drives to begin working properly again. Maybe this will help with yours...
I preface this by pointing out that I am by no means an expert on this stuff. I have never been formally trained in any aspect of computing. I have only a working-knowledge of the subject, obtained via years of my own personal research of it. If anything I say here strikes you as incorrect, please feel free to correct me & set the record straight...
The problems I was having with my flash drives appears to have stemmed from the computer operating system, i.e., there was/is nothing whatsoever wrong with the flash drives themselves (which explains why they will continue to work on some computers, but not on others).
Near as I can tell, the OS - for reasons I am unable to determine - changed the "letter" associated with the drive. The drives were (while they were still working properly prior to them suddenly going unrecognized) designated as the "L" drive(s). The OS apparently, with no action whatsoever on my part, re-designated them as the "F" drive(s).
Unfortunately, the "F" drive was already in use(!)...it is the letter designated as the company server. The computers in question (there were several computers that would not recognize the drives) apparently disregarded the new letter designation and continued (properly) to associate the "F" drive with its original designation as the company server.
The solution was/is as simple as re-assigning the drive letters back to their original letter (or any letter that is not currently in use by the computer). How I accomplished this is as follows:
1) While the flash drive is NOT connected to your computer, left-click on “My Computer”, and make note of all of the letters currently assigned to the various drives on your computer. Exit back to the desktop
2) Connect/Plug-in your flash drive
3) Right-click on “My Computer”, click on “Properties”, click the “Hardware” tab, then the “Device Manager” button, and finally on the “Disk Drives” icon
- If indeed your flash drive is operating properly (which, as noted above, I believe should be the case), then it should appear here under its brand name
- You have just verified that your computer knows that the flash drive is there
4) Once again, right-click on “My Computer”, and then this time click on “Manage”, followed by clicking on “Disk Management”. You will now see a list of the drives that are currently in use, i.e., the main “C” drive, and your flash drive, which will be listed immediately beneath the “C” drive.
- If the problem is what I suspect it is (as noted above, the OS re-assigning the drive letter associated with the flash drive), then the current letter assigned to the flash drive will be one of the letters that you noted previously as already being in use. This is the heart of the problem. This letter needs to be changed (back) to a letter that is not currently in use.
5) To change-back/re-assign the flash drive letter, do the following:
- Remaining in the “Disk Management” screen, go down to the lower portion of the screen to the drive in question (there will be a list of drives, appearing something like “Disk 3”, Disk 4”, “CD-ROM 1”, “CD-ROM 2”….and so on)
- Right-click on the drive, and click on “Change Drive Letter and Paths”, and click on the “Change” button
- In the drop-down menu containing various letters, select any letter that is NOT currently in use by your computer, click on “OK”, then click on “Yes” in the “Confirm” pop-up box that appears.
If I’ve got this one right, your flash-drive problem should now be solved. Give it a try, and please give me some feedback as to whether or not it worked for you…
Best Regards,
BriDog333