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Thread: USB Flash Drive Problem...Help Needed

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Evansville, IN
    Posts
    196

    USB Flash Drive Problem...Help Needed

    I don't know what happened, but I hope one of our computer gurus can help.

    My wife uses a Sandisk mini-Cruzer USB flash drive to transfer work between home and school. The drive worked at her school computer this afternoon, but, after my attempts to use a USB hub this evening, now is not recognizable.

    Having more USB devices than USB ports (2.0) on my wife's laptop, I bought a cheap, powered GE USB hub (1.0, knowing it would be slower, but not minding because of price). I plugged in my printer, which worked fine. I plugged in my CF card reader, which worked fine. I plugged in the Cruzer flash drive, but got a message that this was a 2.0 device that would not work well on a slower hub and advising me to find a 2.0 slot via the device manager to plug into. I closed out the message, went to the device manager just to check (really didn't know what I was doing, but looked anyhow, and didn't do anything but look). I then unplugged the Cruzer drive, unplugged the hub and plugged the Cruzer drive back into the computer proper, just the way my wife always uses it.

    Now, the problem...the computer will no longer read the presence of the flash drive as a "removable" drive (E, normally). To make sure the USB port was active, I checked the device manager (all ports working and ready to use), then plugged in the printer to each available port. In each case, the printer, thus the port, was working. I plugged the flash drive back in, but no go.

    I went to the Sandisk web site, where they gave detailed instructions on editing the registry (horrors...I know Mac, not PC). Before doing this, though, I took the flash drive to my desk computer to which the flash drive had never been
    connected and which should, therefore, have no possible registry problem. Being plug and play, the flash drive should read instantly, just like it did on my wife's computer (both use Windows XP Pro). Unfortunately, the flash drive was not recognized on my computer either.

    Because the flash drive would not register on my computer or on my wife's, and because other USB devices do work in all USB ports on both computers, I assume that the problem is not my wife's computer, but in the flash drive.

    Questions, now, are these:

    1. What, if anything, did I do wrong? All literature says the flash drive is backward compatible, albeit slower in a 1.0 connection.

    2. How might I fix my problem?

    3. What am I missing that I should know, but don't?

    Any help will be rewarded by the great computer gods in cyberspace, not to mention being greatly appreciated my lovely wife. Remember, "If momma ain't happy..."

    Joe

    The Cruzer is USB 2.0, but, according to advertisement, is backwards compatible with 1.0.
    "God does not deduct from a man's lifespan the time spent fishing."

  2. #2
    I don't know if I have anything that will really help. I run Windows 2K. When I plug in a USB drive device, an icon appears in the system tray. When I want to remove the device, I have to click on the icon in the system tray and shut it down. I get a pop-up message that tells me it is safe to remove the device. You didn't mention doing this so I am not sure if you did it but didn't write about it or if you don't have to do this in XP or if you didn't do it but you should have. There were all kinds of warnings about removing the device while it was active on my CF reader package. If you haven't done it already, reboot (the standard first step when trying to fix a windows problem). Sorry, I can't help more.

    Wendell

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Just outside of Spring Green, Wisconsin
    Posts
    9,442
    Joe, by going to your machine, "fresh" with the flash drive was a good move, but may not necessarily give you the "final answer". It's highly unlikely, but are you sure that USB devices are enabled on your machine's BIOS? If you're using other USB peripherals on it, then yes. If not, then that could still explain why the device isn't recognized on your box.

    Beyond that, it does kinda' sound like a defective unit, though one thing does occur to me: Have you checked the contacts on the flash drive to be sure there isn't some piece of garbage on one of them? Even a little bit of dirt on a single contact can throw the whole thing into a tailspin.

    If all is OK on the contacts, I'd probably lean toward the unit having left for a long, long "vacation". If it's still under warranty, Sandisk is pretty good about standing behind their products. Good luck.
    Cheers,
    John K. Miliunas

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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,685
    You may need to reboot your machine without any USB devices attached before you plug in the new device. The computer may still think that the 1.0 hub is still attached, etc.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Northwest OH
    Posts
    365
    joe - some USB stix are prone to neck breakage. if it can't be seen (as you say) on multiple machines, it's possible that the connector has become intermittent. i've got 2 of 'em that have done this.

    b

  6. #6
    I agree with Jim on this one...I think that the computer just isn't recognizing it. Leave the key in the machine and restart the machine. I have to do this at work every time I want to use mine b/c of driver issues between my card reader and my key. Other option would be to remove all the drivers all together and just let them get rerecongnized again.

    Noah
    To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; wheter by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easeir because you have lived. This is the meaning of success.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson

  7. #7
    For resolving out troubles associated with corrupted or lost flash data you may use flash recovery. It can help for short time due to its wide features such as restoring after power failures, viruses. It working under low system requirements.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    The Hartland of Michigan
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    7,628
    Does the USB hub have a power supply with it? If so, don't use it. The computer supplies the power. That wall wart is for when it isn't plugged into a computer, and can cause problems/damage to a computer by back feeding the power.
    Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Monroe, MI
    Posts
    11,896
    I'm guessing after over 7-1/2 years they either got it figured out or moved on


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Mid Michigan
    Posts
    3,559
    I have to change the order of my USB devices once in a while when I try to add a new USB device. I have had trouble in the past with hubs but that was when they first became available.
    David B

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