A usb flash drive is displayed. USB flash drive won't open on your computer? Why the flash drive cannot be read on the computer how to fix it ...

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I am sure you have documents, photos or videos that should never be deleted. If this happens, they will help. But what if the flash drive literally broke or stopped working? Why did this happen? Today I will answer these questions.

First of all, let's define the terms. When they say "flash drive", they mean a device with a USB connector:

And what is inserted into phones and cameras is called memory cards:

But this is unnecessary complexity and can be misleading. Both types of memory drives can be called flash drives. The cards have exactly the same details (okay, a little more compact) as in USB sticks. This identical devices... Yes, they look different, the method of data exchange between the device and the flash drive is different, but otherwise they are similar. The only difference is where they are connected.

And their sores are similar, and the treatment (data recovery) is the same. Moreover, it is not always easy. Remember:

The success of data recovery depends on the severity of the situation, the flash drive model and the amount of money in the owner's pocket.

You need to know that repairing and restoring data are two mutually exclusive situations. When pulling out the information, you will have to gut the flash drive so that it will not be possible to collect it back. But you will have the data.

What can break? And if it breaks, will it be possible to recover the files?

1. Memory chips with cells that store data.

Data cannot be written to memory cells forever. Their read / write cycle life is limited to hundreds of thousands of operations. Once the limit is exceeded, the cell will not be able to hold a charge. The files will become unreadable or their content will be damaged. And if the loss of a couple of bytes in a text document threatens with just the absence of a couple of letters, then any distortion is unacceptable for photos, videos and archives.

The data is stored in such a chip. There may be several

To avoid data corruption, memory chips contain cells that are not used during normal use. As soon as the memory starts to fail, the controller (more on that later) will prohibit work with the faulty cell and substitute a spare one for it. Alas, there is not much spare memory, sooner or later the spare area will be completely used up. Then the plan "B" will come into effect: the prohibition of data recording will be turned on. Reading will not go away, so you can safely copy files to your home computer or to another safe place.

But this is the ideal. I have seen a similar situation only on memory cards. USB sticks usually start to "glitch": saved files stop opening because they are damaged. What to do? Alas: no data recovery software will help here!

So, damage to the memory chip is fraught with irrecoverable loss of data. Fortunately, the read-write resource is quite large (hundreds of thousands of cycles). Even if you completely clog the USB flash drive every day and then delete everything, the failure will occur not earlier than a year of operation. And MicroSDs in phones are more resistant to this, because, as I wrote above, protection is triggered and files can be copied to a safe place.

Problems with the controller are much more common.

2. Controller(not a controller!) - a microcircuit that takes care of the transfer of data between memory chips and a computer, phone or other external device.

Most often, problems arise with him. It is a complex component with its own memory and a set of electronic parts in which anything can break. For example, the contents of the controller's firmware are often damaged and the flash drive is simply not detected when connected to a computer or becomes visible as a 0-byte disk. Many USB flash drives can be repaired at home using flashers (data will be lost!), But this trick will not work with miniature memory cards - they have a monolithic case (in simple terms, everything is inside a single chip) that cannot be disassembled.

The controller cannot be repaired, but the data can be restored. Contact a data recovery company - they can connect to the memory chip bypassing the controller or transfer the memory to the exact same donor USB flash drive.

3. Electronic "strapping". These are various electronic components (resistors, diodes, power regulator) scattered around the board.

The parts are "at the forefront", smoothing out power surges due to unexpected pulling of the flash drive from the port and other electronic interference, therefore very vulnerable... The situation is especially bad with memory cards and monolithic flash drives: due to the dense layout, working parts are poorly cooled, and the risk of burnout increases. Memory cards, unlike monolithic USB flash drives, are even worse: they are located inside a working device, which also heats up.

Depending on the model of the flash drive, you can either change the parts for new ones (and the flash drive will live for some time), or connect directly to the memory chip to get the data. Of course, this requires people with the right skills and technique.

Advice: in winter, when fluffy warm clothes become a trend, static electricity kills this very "strapping" one or two times. If you are flaunting something that causes sparks when removing, touch the unpainted part of the heating battery before working with the computer and / or picking up the flash drive - the accumulated charge will go away and the equipment will be out of danger.

4. Connector and housing.

USB flash drives and memory cards have different connectors, but the trouble is common: the contacts are damaged. Oxidation, erasure, just insufficient pressure - and now the flash drive is no longer detected when connected, and the phone does not see the memory card. The problem is solved by cleaning the contacts with an eraser or, if it is a full-size USB connector, by slight compression so that when connected to a computer, the flash drive sits tightly.

For large memory cards, the latch may break or the case may peel off, it can be repaired with ordinary tape (wrapped the case and you're done). The contacts can also be wiped, but if the case is cracked, write down. I had no idea how fragile they were, until I ditched the MicroSD by accidentally wiping it off the table. Falling on an edge, the card just cracked.

And I have often seen the consequences of finding a flash drive in the back pocket of my jeans. The bottom line is always the same:

Sometimes the expression "an ass happened" should be taken literally. Photo from dannydullin.com

Repairing broken connectors is a fairly simple procedure for service center workers. After the repair, the USB flash drive can be continued to be used further.

About software glitches

In addition to hardware failures, software failures occur. Files in case programmatic failures are fairly easy to recover. Usually, there are enough free programs. Then format the USB stick and use it further.

A simple way to determine the type of breakdown: if the flash drive does not manifest itself when connected to a PC or phone, the hardware is broken. And if it is recognized, but something is wrong with the files, the problem is software. Usually the algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Get information out using data recovery software.

2. Format the USB flash drive (right-click on the disk in the "This computer" folder - Format - Start).

The only software problem that is not resolved by formatting is the resizing of the partition. Appears after installing a large-capacity flash drive in old cameras. The camera, not suspecting that there are such capacious flash drives, creates a section that is smaller than necessary. It will help you to work with disk partitions. You can use Windows tools: Control Panel - Computer Management - Disk Management - right-click on the partition on the USB flash drive - Delete volume, then Create volume, you need to select FAT32 instead of NTFS. This will rebuild the filesystem from scratch with the correct size.

Hardware glitches

So, what to do if the controller burns out or the flash drive breaks in half, and there is important data? How can I restore them?

This is where the difficulty begins. Data mining methods can be divided into three conventional types. It all depends on what is broken and what type of flash drive - regular or monolithic.

1. Transferring memory to a workable USB flash drive.

Experts put a memory chip from a damaged flash drive onto a donor of the exact same model.

Ideal option: after repair, the USB flash drive connected to the computer is recognized as a regular removable disk, documents are easily and simply copied to a safe place. Such a trick cannot be done with memory cards, the components are too densely located and cannot be soldered, or the case is completely monolithic. But the following option is suitable.

2. Reading memory directly.

You can do without a controller to access memory. Specialists connect directly to the pins of the memory chip and read its contents in a "raw" form, then use specialized software for data recovery to get the files.

But this is not always the case. Sometimes there are several memory chips and / or the controller works according to its own algorithms, which only the manufacturer knows about.

3. Data recovery from monolithic devices.

You won't be able to quickly connect to the memory of MicroSD cards and some models of SD and USB flash drives, you need to do some complicated work at least to access the pins of the memory chip. It takes expensive equipment, which most laboratories do not have, and a lot of time to get the data. Therefore, prices bite. The minimum price for recovering monolithic flash drives that I found on the Internet is 12 thousand rubles.

Connecting to a memory chip on a monolithic flash drive. Photo from gillware.com

Working with monolithic flash drives is a complex and painstaking process that does not always end with success.

Why are monolithic flash drives so bad? The fact is that instead of the good old board, they use a thin substrate and parts soldered with wires less than a hair thick. All this stuff is covered with varnish. It turns out a monolithic structure, it cannot be disassembled. Specialists under a microscope peel off layer by layer, and then, when the tracks become visible, they are soldered to the desired contacts. This is a temporary measure, after pulling out the data, the flash drive is sent to the junk.

Photo from blog.acelaboratory.com

An important point: when restoring monolithic flash drives, a donor is often needed. To understand which contact is responsible for what, you need to look with the help of a logic analyzer and, possibly, an X-ray machine, how exactly the same undamaged flash drive works.

Monolithic flash drive under X-ray. Photo from the site habrahabr.ru

Such work requires appropriate payment, so not everyone can afford to pay for data recovery from monolithic flash drives. If I were an employee of a laboratory with a similar service, I would insert an advertisement here, but I do not work in this area, so I will tell the victims one thing: I sincerely sympathize. It is especially sad when the flash drive of an unnamed Chinese manufacturer breaks down. Maybe I don’t know something and the nameless flash drives are similar to each other like two peas, but something tells me that this is not so.

When the flash drive of the Chinese brand XEDIAN told my wife to live long, I began to examine her (the flash drive, not my wife) in the hope that it had official contacts. These contacts simplify access to memory and, accordingly, reduce the cost of the recovery process. There were no contacts, but under the top layer of paint I found the inscription "SanDisk Extreme Plus 32 GB". It was applied crookedly, which indicates a fake, and there are no outwardly similar memory cards on the SanDisk website. Rhetorical question: how much will it cost to recover data from a flash drive from a Chinese manufacturer stamping its nameplate on fake memory cards? It is difficult to find a donor, because different models are hiding under the card with this name, judging by the photos and reviews on Aliexpress. This is the case when a recovery attempt can cost a pretty penny and is unlikely to be successful.

Why do flash drives break?

Plugged the USB flash drive into the computer, it is not detected and cleaning the contacts did not help? This does not mean, that you are out of luck. Any technology tends to break if used. Marriage, power surges, temperature changes, hands from the wrong place - everything can be the cause of breakdown. You just have to accept it and move on. Well, or look for service centers with data recovery service.

So that there is no sadness, in advance make backups. Many have already forgotten about the existence of DVD, but this is a good way to store archived photos, videos and other digital data dear to their hearts. Or buy an external hard drive.

For phone owners: you can install Yandex.Disk, enable automatic upload of photos to the cloud and you will never lose your memorable notes. Only 10 GB is available for free, but until July 3

Usually, the suspects in this case are software malfunctions, incorrect operating system settings, outdated drivers, malfunctions of the computer's USB ports, adapters or the drives themselves.

Depending on the reasons, in each case, the problem manifests itself in a different way. It happens that the computer does not react at all to a USB flash drive or hard drive. In other situations, the sound of connecting a new device is heard, but the drive icon does not appear in the explorer. And sometimes the computer just freezes right after contact with the USB device.

What to do if a Windows computer does not see a USB flash drive or external hard drive

First, figure out what exactly the problem arises: with a computer, an adapter (if connected via a cable) or a drive. Try connecting your USB device through different ports. If it does not help and you are using the cable, try replacing it with a spare one. If unsuccessful, check if the drive opens on other computers.

If the device works on another PC or you have no way to check it

Connect a hard drive or flash drive to your computer and follow these steps in order. If the first does not help, move on to the next and so on.

If the other PC does not see the drive either, or all of the above tips did not help

In this case, the problem is most likely in the drive itself.

If you have a flash drive, not a hard drive, you can use special utilities to fix software errors. Such software can usually be found on the manufacturer's website. For example, JetFlash Online Recovery is for Transcend drives. And USB Flash Drive Online Recovery is for ADATA flash drives. But keep in mind that during the recovery process, these utilities erase all data from flash drives.

If none of the above helped, then it is probably a physical malfunction of the hard drive or flash drive. Then it is better to show the device to a specialist or return it to the store under warranty.

What to do if Mac does not see a USB flash drive or external hard drive

On Apple computers, the verification procedure is somewhat different, but it follows approximately the same algorithm. We will assume that you have already tried restarting your computer, disconnecting and connecting a USB flash drive, and also made sure that the connection is reliable. If this does not help, you need to do the following:

Open the built-in tool for working with disks ("Programs" → "Utilities" → "Disk Utility") and check if the problematic flash drive is displayed there. If the drive is still visible, try it by pressing the "Erase" button and reconnect it. Keep in mind that all data from the flash drive will be permanently deleted.

A dedicated Mac diagnostic program provides detailed information about all of the software and hardware components of your computer, including USB devices. Open the Apple menu, then hold down the Option key and click System Information and navigate to the USB section in the menu that appears.

If the flash drive is there, then the problem lies in the software and you can try to restore the disk by referring to the manufacturer's recommendations. If there is no information about the flash drive, then the matter is in a physical malfunction, and you should contact a store or service center if the repair makes sense.

There can be many reasons why a computer or laptop does not see a USB flash drive. And it is rather difficult to determine what is the matter. After all, the reason can be associated with both the PC and the USB device itself. There is only one way out in this case: try all possible options.

And to simplify this task for you, below are 8 recommendations on how to fix a similar problem. The tips are universal and are suitable for all PCs and laptops running Windows XP, 7, 8, or 10.

Checking the functionality of a USB stick

If the flash drive is not recognized by the computer, then first of all check - does it work at all? The easiest way is to connect it to another laptop or PC.

Look at the LED on the USB device (found on all modern models). If it does not light up, then the flash drive is probably not working anymore. Although you could simply have removed it incorrectly. In this case, I recommend reading.

Checking USB ports

The second reason why the flash drive is not recognized by the computer is that you plug it into a non-working USB connector. Even if it worked yesterday, it still needs to be checked. To do this, connect another device to the same port - a mouse, printer, smartphone. Alternatively, you can connect a USB stick to the rear panel connector.

Configuration update

If the flash drive is not displayed on Windows 7, 8 or 10, go to "Device Manager" (you can open it through Start - Control Panel).

Thereafter:

1. Find your USB stick. It is usually found under USB Controllers or Other Devices and may be referred to as mass storage or unknown device (or by a common name - Kingstone, Silicon Power, etc.).
   
2. Select it, right-click and click "Delete".
   
3. In the top menu, select Action - Update Configuration.
   

Installing a utility from Microsoft

After that, you need to open the settings ("USB Configuration"). Since there are so many BIOS versions, the path will be different in each case. For example, in the screenshot below, the required item is located in the "Advanced" section.

Open it up and check that the option “Enabled” is indicated next to “USB Controller”. If not, select the item you want.

Change device letter

To fix this error:

1. Go to Start - Control Panel - Administrative Tools.
   
2. Select the "Computer Management" shortcut.
   
3. On the left, go to the Disk Management tab.

   
   Disk Management Tab

4. Highlight the USB flash drive (it is signed as "Removable device"), right-click and select the line "Change drive letter". To check which letter is not in use, look in My Computer.

   
   

Updating Drivers

If the USB flash drive is not recognized on the laptop, perhaps the reason lies in outdated drivers. In this case, they need to be updated. The easiest to use (they will do everything automatically).

By the way, if you have an old PC, then flash drives with a volume of 32 GB or more are not displayed on it.

Sometimes at the most inopportune moment, when it is urgently necessary to throw information from the flash drive to the PC, the computer refuses see a new device... It is about reasons for We will try to describe this problem and options for solving it in detail in our article.

Hardware faults

So, if your the computer does not seeUSBUSB stick, then the first thing to do when a problem is found is to check the operability of the flash drive and USB connector. A properly working device connected to a working port will have a steady blinking indicator light. If the indicator blinks, and the computer still does not recognize the USB flash drive, then the problem should be looked for in the operating system.

Lack of nutrition

Quite often, a flash drive does not function when connected to a port located on front panel of the unit... It happens that such connectors are simply not connected to the main power supply, and sometimes they do not receive enough power. In this situation, you should try plugging the device into an available port on the back board of the computer.

The flash drive may not work when there is a lack of power supply. This happens when there is an excessive current overload in the USB ports or USB hub, or when the power supply is malfunctioning. In addition, it happens that the computer does not see the USB flash drive because it is too large, but as a rule this is rare.

USB stick malfunction

If, after completing all the previous steps, the computer is still does not see the flash drive, then the reason may be precisely in the device itself. Should try connect it to another computer... If the USB memory does not work on other PCs, then we can confidently say that it is faulty. It should be referred to a competent specialist for diagnosis.

It is possible to fix a USB flash drive, however, very often repairs are more expensive than the cost price. Therefore, it is worth repairing the device when urgently needed. In other cases, it is cheaper to buy a new drive.

BIOS settings

The problem is sometimes hidden in the settings of the current operating system. For instance, the computer does not recognize the USB flash drive unless USB BIOS support is enabled. When the BIOS is configured, a message may appear stating “ USB device not recognized". This may be due to the reasons discussed below.

The USB flash drive is automatically assigned a busy letter

A very common problem is when the system assigns an already occupied drive letter to a device. You can troubleshoot in this way:

It happens that the computer does not see the USB flash drive because the required ones are missing or out of date. In this case, updating the motherboard drivers will help. Her model name can be viewed through the Everest program. The driver follows download from the official website of the developer.

USB driver missing

Sometimes there is no special driver on the computer, and for this very reason the computer does not see the USB flash drive wherever we put it. You need to check this guess in this way:

1. We go through Control Panel on the menu Device Manager;
2. In the proposed list of devices, you need to find USB controllers... One or more USB devices, in the absence of a driver, will glow with a yellow question mark;
3. The malfunctioning device should be removed and reinstalled.

Viruses in the system

Sometimes viruses in the operating system affect the correct functioning of the flash drive. In this case, you need to scan your computer with an antivirus program and.

File system incompatibility

Another reason why the computer does not see the USB flash drive may be that the computer does not work read filesystem... This most often occurs when a file is installed on the USB flash drive. FAT system... You need to try to execute devices on the system NTFS or FAT32.

As you can see, the incorrect operation of the flash drive can be caused by hardware or software problems. That is why, in each individual case, it is required to sort out different versions of the reasons.

In recent years, flash drives have become very popular and almost every PC user has it. It has become the norm that almost every second person constantly carries a USB flash drive with all the necessary information. And this is not surprising, because a memory card is much more convenient than a previous generation storage medium, for example, as a disk.

Compactness and affordability are not the main advantages of flash media. Users appreciate it primarily because all files for work or study are always at hand and, if necessary, they can be erased or overwritten.

But no technology is absolutely perfect. Problems such as the inability to read or open files are increasingly common. The reason may lie both in the storage media itself and in the computer. And this is deplorable, because in an instant you can lose all files with important information. That is why it is worth knowing for what reasons the flash drive stops working and all possible methods of fixing the problem.

Non-working USB flash drive

Let's start with the worst, namely that the problem lies in the fact that the media is out of order. Indeed, in this situation, it will be almost unrealistic or unreasonably expensive to fix it.

Basically, flash drives break down after a rough impact on the controller or chip, as well as in connection with the closure and failure of the contacts on the board. It happens that after getting into the water, the carrier remains working and users only breathe a sigh of relief. But in vain! After the flash drive got into the water and turned out to be working, it is worth immediately overwriting all the files to another medium. After all, the fact that it works correctly does not mean that after a while it will be the same. Moisture and electronics, although very small, are completely incompatible things and almost never their contact goes unnoticed.

Also, if the computer does not see the media, first of all, you need to establish the cause. It is necessary to inspect the body of the device for cracks and dents. Naturally, if the flash drive is broken "into a cake", it is useless to do anything at all.

But if you still have doubts about the inoperability of the device, you need to go further. It is easy to check if it works. You just need to insert the USB flash drive into your computer. If the device lights up (there is a built-in LED in the case) and the computer beeps about connecting the device, then the flash drive works. This means that the problem can still be fixed.

But if the carrier itself did not react in any way, like the PC, then it is already useless to do something. You can, of course, contact an electronics repairman or service center. They will try to re-solder the contacts and can even replace the broken case, but this will be very expensive. It's easier to buy a new flash drive, unless, of course, the old one does not have vital files.

Is the USB flash drive showing signs of life? So, we are looking for the problem further.

De-energized USB port on the front of the PC

The most common reason why the computer does not see the USB flash drive is a de-energized USB port on the front panel. For many users, it comes to automatism to connect a USB flash drive to a computer through the front panel. It's easy and convenient. And somehow it is completely forgotten that these are not the only ports on the PC.

This problem is especially likely after the PC has been repaired or cleaned from dust, replacing thermal paste, or any other activity that includes disassembling the system unit. Just at the time of its assembly, forgetfulness, you can not connect the front ports to the power supply. The problem is simple and easy to solve.

If you need files right here and now, you can simply use other ports. They have to be working if the problem is really the hardening of the front ports. If the flash drive works and the rear ports too, then access to the files will be. This can be called the first way to solve this problem. But after all, it's better to spend a little time and connect them, because the habit is a gain.

But the second method already takes time. You need to connect the motherboard power cable to the front of the PC. The connectors may be different, it all depends on the case model. But it's okay to get confused in them, since each cable has a marking and the whole structure is arranged, so you need to try hard to connect a "foreign" cable.

But still, in different models there are wires of this type, such as "VCC", "D-", "D +", and also "GND". Also, those who are afraid to confuse everything and do something wrong can look at the color coding. Typically, wires and connectors have the same markings. But just in case, you need to pay attention to the inscriptions.

First you need to access the motherboard itself. To do this, you must carefully unscrew the bolts holding the cover and remove it. It is recommended to put the bolts in one place so as not to lose. After that, you need to find the cable leading to the front panel and find the connector on the motherboard. Their markings must match. And so you can work on the principle of exclusion. If only one power cable is not connected, then its free connectors. But you still need to carefully look at the color and letter marking.

After the connector of the desired color is found, you need to carefully insert the power cable into it. Then, without assembling the case, turn on the computer and check the operation of the front panel. If everything works well, then great, if not, then it is worth checking the labeling carefully.

In the event that you cannot connect the cable due to fear of burning the contacts, it is recommended to call the wizard. A qualified specialist will do this work once or twice, and your equipment will work as usual.

Incorrectly functioning or disconnected USB port

In some cases, the problem that the computer does not see the USB flash drive is not in the storage media itself, but in the connector where it is connected. For example, a port may simply not work due to damaged contacts in it. And this port will not see not only the USB flash drive, but also any other device connected through it.

The problem is easily solved if there is little knowledge in circuitry. You just need to patch up the contacts of the soldering irons. But if such knowledge is completely absent, then the computer must be taken to a service center. There, problems can be quickly resolved for a small payment.

But it is worth noting that if none of the ports are working, then the problem may lie much deeper. For example, this can happen because the ports are disabled in the BIOS.

To reconnect the ports in the BIOS settings, you must first go into it. To do this, you need to restart the computer and press the F2 key in the first three seconds of the restart. After that, the BIOS window should open. On different models, the keys for calling the BIOS may differ. They are usually labeled.

To connect the ports, you need to follow the instructions:

• After the BIOS is open, you need to go to the Advanced Settings menu and select the USB configuration.
• Find the line "USB Controller" and set the value "Enabled" in front of it. This will allow you to use the ports.
• After all the above manipulations, you need to save the changes by pressing the F10 key. This will not only save the changes, but also exit the BIOS.

Now that we can say with confidence that the ports are connected, we need to check them. To do this, you need to connect a USB flash drive through one of the ports and make sure that everything works as it should. If the computer still does not see the USB flash drive, then the problem lies elsewhere.

Dirt and dust in the flash drive connector

Due to the fact that the flash drive is very compact, it is always carried with you in your pocket or bag. Some even attach it as a squirrel to their apartment or car keys. In addition, quite often the cap from it is lost.

It is this attitude towards the device that leads to its pollution. Small debris and dust getting into the card slot can damage it. This is because the pins get dirty and stop communicating properly with the port pins on the PC.

Also, a sign that the flash drive is dirty can be its freeze, slow file transfer and information reading. In order to clean the media connector, you need a match or a cotton swab. Use a match to shake out all the litter from the connector. And moisten a cotton swab in alcohol and wipe everything inside. This will help remove debris and prevent contact oxidation.

Viruses on a PC or media

You should be especially careful to ensure that no virus gets on the USB flash drive. Even on a verified site, you can get infected. And many users do not think about information security at all and download files from unverified sources.

Inserting a USB flash drive into someone else's computer with viruses is a sure sign of infecting files that were already on the media. Viruses on your computer multiply rather quickly, infecting more and more files.

That is why quite often the flash drive does not work precisely because it is infected with a virus. As a rule, in this case, the computer recognizes the media and beeps to indicate that it is connected. But the files on it cannot be read, and the system tries to convince the user that the flash drive was not found.

If this happens, first of all, you need to install an antivirus on your computer and check it completely. And in order to be able to view files on the map, you need to access them. But for this you need to delete the infected document from it. To do this, first of all, you need to do the following:

1. Open "Start";
2. Find through the search bar "Show hidden folders";
3. Right-click on the item issued at the request and go to "Show hidden files and folders";
4. Find the line "Hide system files" and remove the checkbox from it;
5. Find the line "Show hidden files" and mark it with a tick;
6. Press the "Apply" button;
7. Click "OK".

After all these steps, you need to go to the "My Computer" folder and go to the problem device, in this case the drive. A file named "Autorun" will be visible in its folder. This file must be deleted, and then scan the USB flash drive for viruses using any antivirus software. This can be done by right-clicking on the drive folder and selecting "Check for viruses". Typically, this line will be marked with your antivirus icon.

After the flash drive is completely safe for use, you can easily read information from it. But, for example, if there were no viruses on it or it still did not work after all the manipulations, then the problem may lie in the absence of drivers.

Outdated or crashed drivers

It also happens that the flash drive is not displayed by the computer due to the fact that the drivers are outdated or a failure in the system. Power surges or sudden system shutdowns are common causes of failure. Also, older computers may simply not work with cards larger than 32 GB. Both are solved by a simple driver update.

To do this, go to the "Device Manager". You can get into it through the "My Computer" folder and simply find it by searching in the system. After the "Device Manager" folder is opened, you need to insert the problematic USB flash drive into the computer port and open the "USB Controllers" tab. In the tab, we find a line with the name "Storage device", select it and delete it through the menu with the right mouse button. This will remove the driver from the system for the USB stick. After deleting, you need to reconnect the USB flash drive. This will start the automatic installation of drivers and the computer will see it as usual.

Of course, if the problem persists, then you need to try to do something else. For example, reinstalling all USB drivers can help. This can be done using the disk that came with the motherboard. If it is not there, then you can download a driver update program. There are many such programs on the web. They work identically. They scan the computer and give out all the drivers that have updates. Also, such programs themselves and update them after the agreement of the user.

It is worth noting that you should not doubt your actions due to the difference in USB formats. Drivers for ports 2.0 and 3.0 are installed the same way. Moreover, the ports differ only in the speed of writing and reading information.

The presence of errors in the file system

Due to the fact that the computer has an error in the file system, it cannot see the drive. You can check this through the "Device Manager".

To do this, you need to insert the drive into the PC and go to the "Disk devices" tab in the manager. If the device is displayed, then the drive itself is working properly, and the system simply does not perceive it as necessary. The problem is corrected by simply formatting the memory card. But this is a very delicate action. It will be described in detail in a subsequent paragraph.

If the drive is not displayed in this tab, then the flash drive itself is faulty. Her contacts could come off or the controller burned out. In the repair of techniques, the craftsmen will fully cope with its resurrection. But such a small work will be unreasonably expensive, it will be cheaper to buy a new device.

Conflict between filesystems

It happens that the files on the media are not displayed by the computer due to the fact that there is a conflict between the file systems on the connected device and the PC. For example, this often happens when the file system is NTFS on the computer, and FAT32 on the drive. This is found not only in Windows operating systems, but also in "apple" products. So, for example, if a flash drive was formatted on a MacBook, then it will not be readable on a PC with the Windows operating system.

So, it turns out that the only way out is to format the device. But before that, it would be wise to copy the files on a computer with a different operating system. The latest PC where the drive was used is fine. After formatting, the flash drive will be completely empty.

To properly format the drive, you need to follow the instructions:

• Open the "My Computer" folder;
• Click on the connected device with the right mouse button and select "Properties";
• In the window that appears, see which file system is used on the drive and remember. Close this window;
• Right-click on the folder of the connected device and select the "Format" function;
• In the window that appears, check the box that matches the file system of the drive. This will format it to the correct file system;
• Check the "Fast" attribute and click "Start".

After a while, the PC will inform you that the formatting of the drive is complete. The flash drive is formatted correctly and should now work correctly.

IMPORTANT! Fast formatting is chosen not only for the reason that files will be deleted faster. If suddenly there was something important on the flash drive, only in this way of deleting these files can be returned using a special program. If you use non-fast formatting, then the files will be lost forever.

Unformatted USB flash drive

Quite often, when a completely new USB flash drive is inserted into the port, the PC warns that the device needs to be formatted before use. That is, there is no access to the device until formatting. If the flash drive is new and there is no information on it, then you can safely perform formatting of any type. The problem will go away after that.

But if the flash drive is not new and has been used before, that is, it has the necessary files or not, then you can try to connect it to the port of another PC. Then again to the computer, which does not give access to files. This simple action helps to fix the problem.

If the problem persists, then it is better to copy the files you need to another PC and format the USB flash drive. A step-by-step instruction on how to do the correct formatting was provided just above.

The flash drive was assigned a busy letter or there are problems with the partition

As already mentioned, the technique is imperfect and even the computer can be wrong. So, the PC may not correctly detect the type of the connected device. But in appearance you can't tell, because the computer signals the connection and the flash drive is being displayed. But you cannot use it for its intended purpose.

Also, the problem itself may be that the system did not assign a letter to the partition, or it did it, but it is already busy. For this reason, there is a conflict between addresses.

To fix this, you need to try assigning a letter to the section. You need to do this manually according to the instructions:

1. Press simultaneously "Win + R" in order to bring up the "Run" window;
2. Enter the command diskmgmt.msc in the window line. It will redirect to the necessary section for managing drives;
3. In the manager for connected devices, you need to find a USB flash drive. You can just turn it off and on and see what appears;
4. On the section defined as a connected drive, you need to right-click and click on "Change letter";
5. In the window that appears, click successively "Change" - "Ok";

After that, an additional dialog box will open in which you can select the letter you like for the drive. After selection, just click on "OK" and the selected letter will correspond to the section of the device.

ADVICE! Before choosing a letter for a drive, you should look at the already occupied ones. Otherwise, the problem will remain if you unknowingly assign a busy letter to the device.

Power supply defective or portal overcurrent

Many users noted that the computer did not see the drive due to the fact that the power supply was faulty. Its job is to consume and distribute energy. Like any device, it has a limit on power values. That is why the distribution across the nodes is balanced.

For example, this situation may arise after replacing one node. And the new element requires more energy than the rest. Because of this, the balance is disturbed during the distribution of energy, and since the power supply cannot supply more energy to the replaced node, it simply does not reach other points.

This imbalance in power distribution can literally de-energize a PC's USB network. It is correct to calculate in advance the energy consumption of one or another unit when replacing it. But if an important element was replaced without this calculation, then all that remains is to buy a more powerful power supply.

But if there was no replacement of the node, then most likely the power supply is faulty and incorrectly gives out the potential for power. For example, after a breakdown, it began to produce less power than declared by the manufacturers. In this case, you should not even try to fix the problem, since the fate of the entire PC is at stake. Better to replace the power supply.

There is another explanation for the fact that the PC does not see the USB flash drive. Look at your computer, what's connected to it? A computer mouse, a lamp for a keyboard, a smartphone on charging, and maybe some other device? And all this overloads the USB ports. Simply connecting multiple devices already consumes the maximum current distributed to them. And the flash drive is superfluous there. For the PC to start seeing the map, you need to turn off a couple of devices and the problem will be solved.

What to do if your Windows XP PC does not recognize your flash drive

There are many reasons why a memory card is not recognized by a PC with Windows XP operating system. The problem can be both in the storage medium itself and in the operating system. But the computer hardware itself may also be to blame.

If the operating system is the reason that the computer does not see the connected device, then it is necessary to make changes in the OS settings. This can be done using special utilities, but it is recommended to do everything yourself.

A defective flash drive is not worth the money that can be spent on repairing it in the service. The only thing worth keeping is to save this one and buy a new drive. You should choose a flash drive of good quality in a case made of sturdy material. This will help protect the new drive from mechanical damage.

As a rule, if the PC cannot identify the drive, then the OS informs the user about this with the following messages:

• The drive is inserted into a computer port and when you try to read information from it, a message like "Insert a disk drive" pops up.
• When you try to read information from the card, the OS informs you that the drive should be formatted before use and does not allow data to be read without this. It turns out that it is not possible to view the files, since after formatting they will be deleted.
• After the user tries to access the files on the connected device, the OS reports that access to the files on the drive is not possible.
• Immediately after connecting the device through the port, the OS hangs. It is noteworthy that when the drive is removed, everything returns to normal.

When solving the problem that the PC does not see and does not read files from the drive, it is necessary to solve it sequentially, clearly following the points:

1. The first thing you should pay attention to when connecting a drive is the indicator on the card case. It is built there in order to determine the health of the device itself. If the LED blinks, but the USB flash drive is not read by the computer, this means that the problem lies with the OS itself or the hardware of the PC.
2. The flash drive looks ok but still doesn't work? It is recommended to change the port. There is a possibility that the one in which the flash drive is inserted is malfunctioning. Quite often, when connecting a drive through an incorrectly working port, the computer freezes. It is easy to check, since there are other ports on the computer. If everything works as it should when you reconnect the device, then you need to either stop using the broken port, or have it repaired at a service center. It is also recommended to check if it is dirty. Dirt and dust can interfere with the connection of the contacts and cleaning the problem usually fixes the problem.
3. When using hubs or extension cords to connect a USB device, it may not be recognized by the computer due to a malfunction of additional equipment. It can be easily repaired with minimal knowledge. Upon inspection, you can easily notice the contacts that have come off and the soldering iron can easily fix this. You can also solve everything without personal intervention and just take the hub for repair.
4. There is a possibility that not enough current is being supplied to the USB ports. This is due to their overload by various devices. This is easy to check by turning off all extraneous devices, leaving only the most necessary, namely the keyboard and computer mouse. After that, you need to connect the drive and make sure that it works. If so, the power supply is too weak and needs to be replaced. But buying a cheaper USB hub can help as it has its own power source.
5. If the previous points did not help to fix the problem, then there is a possibility that the power supply unit does not have enough power or the USB port is out of date for your drive. In short, older computers and laptops cannot read drives larger than 32 GB. Nothing can be done here. Either use a smaller drive or replace your computer with a more modern model.
6. Well, the last chance of a faulty flash drive is that it is plugged into the front port out of habit. It may be de-energized due to the fact that the port is not connected to the motherboard. Also, the ports may not work due to lack of power. You can connect them to the motherboard yourself. Detailed instructions for connecting them are located in the section above.

Errors in Windows XP make it difficult to see the drive

The device may not be detected due to errors in the operating system itself. For example, the OS may simply not have the necessary software packages for updating necessary for the correct operation of devices connected via USB ports. It is also possible that only certain devices can be read on a certain port.

You can solve this problem by updating the system to SP3 and making all the updates that are available. This does not require any special knowledge. A couple of clicks and the system will do everything automatically.

Updates can be downloaded either from Windows Update or from media (flash drive, disk). But first of all, you need to check which package is installed on the system. To do this, you need to do the following:

• Click on "My Computer" with the right mouse button and select "Properties".
• In the window that opens, see the necessary information.

In order to install updates, you need to let the system search and install them on its own. This can be done in the Windows Update panel. After the system gains control, it will independently find the necessary updates and ask the user for permission to install them. Installation can be done either selectively from all found, or as a whole package. It is recommended to perform a custom installation only if you have an idea of ​​what the selected update does. If there is no such knowledge, then it is better to let the system install all the updates it finds.

After the system has installed all the necessary updates, the OS will ask for a request to restart the computer. This is necessary for the changes to start working. It does not take a lot of time. After rebooting, you can safely connect the USB flash drive and do business.

For those who want to install only a few updates, you need to know which one does what. Here are the data you need to navigate:

There is a conflict between drivers in Windows XP

It also happens that due to conflicting drivers, the computer cannot recognize the connected device. So, old drivers can cause errors in the system and prevent new ones from working correctly. The problem can be expressed as a pop-up error message when a USB flash drive is inserted. The system does not see it and requires you to insert a disc to start working. Sometimes the OS freezes.

This is due to conflicting drivers. For example, a user has two drives. After he inserts the drive number 1 into the PC, the system automatically installs drivers for this type of device. After finishing work with this device, the user takes it out and starts working with drive No. 2. As a rule, the second flash drive is working, but the system still reports an error. This is because the OS uses the installed driver after using drive # 1 to start the second one. But they are incompatible with each other.

Reinstalling drive drivers on Windows XP

Since the drivers are incompatible with each other, they need to be reinstalled. This can be done both automatically and independently.

Due to the fact that the system uses drivers from one device to another connected via a port, you must first remove all drivers for this type of drives. Then perform a clean install.

As a rule, the OS, in the presence of such a conflict, issues a message stating that the inserted device cannot be recognized. Also, the system can completely freeze so that you can not do work on a PC.

Removing Drivers Using the DRIVECLEANUP Utility

A special utility called DRIVECLEANUP will help you to remove drivers simply and effectively. This utility is good in that it searches the system for drivers before uninstalling. Then it deletes them.

To start fixing the problem, you need to turn on the PC and disconnect all unnecessary devices from it, leaving only the keyboard and computer mouse. This will help to avoid various conflict situations during the process.

Then you need to download the driver removal utility. It is advisable to do this through a trusted resource, or better from the official website of the program. The program itself is compatible with all OS versions. When the utility is downloaded, you need to open it using administrator rights. This can be done by right-clicking on the program icon and selecting "Open as administrator". Then the utility will do everything on its own.

1. Place the driver update utility file in the system folder named System.
2. Open a command line and write the command drivecleanup.exe and execute it by pressing the Enter key.
3. This command will run the utility, and the command line will display information about all the drivers on the PC.

It will also delete them.

Automatic installation

Since in the previous paragraph all drivers were removed from the computer, you need to reinstall them. This is necessary for the normal operation of the system. Fortunately, they can be installed automatically. It's very easy to do.

The only thing you need is a USB flash drive. It just needs to be plugged into a USB port on your computer. After the PC recognizes the device, it will automatically install the drivers for it.

Quite often, this will be visible on the pop-up dialog box. But on some systems, the process of automatically installing drivers for a new device is invisible to the user.

This process is short-lived. This can take 2-3 minutes at most, no more. After installing the drivers, the device will start working correctly. This means that now the computer will not only recognize the card, but also read information from it.

Manual installation

You can also install the drivers yourself without using a flash card. To do this, you need to download drivers from the Internet. But in this case, there may be a conflict with the system. That is why it is recommended to install using a different PC.

To do this, you need to take the USB flash drive with which there were problems and insert it into the computer where it is recognized. There is a small condition for manual installation of drivers, namely that the version of the operating system on the PC where the flash drive was not recognized and the one from which the installation will be performed must completely match.

Now you need to search through the system to find two files with paths:% SystemRoot% \ INF \ usbstor.inf and% SystemRoot% \ SYSTEM32 \ drivers \ usbstor.sys

In any convenient way, you need to move these files to a PC that does not recognize the USB flash drive. This can be done, for example, using another flash drive or send via Kidney or via Contact. On a computer that has a problem with recognizing the drive, the files must be placed in a folder with the same path as they were on a working PC. After moving them to the required folder, the system will ask the user to confirm the replacement of files. When everything is ready, you need to restart the system. And you can safely use an already working USB flash drive, since the problem will be eliminated.

Here were analyzed the most common reasons why a USB flash drive is not recognized by a computer. But as you might guess, there are many other reasons for its inoperability. Also, this error may be accompanied by other messages from the system.

Insert disc message

This message may appear when a disc is inserted. First of all, it is recommended to check how the USB flash drive is inserted and whether the device itself responds (blinking LED). It happens that over time the flash drive bends, and in order for contact to occur, you need to insert it into the port slowly until you hear a beep.

It can also occur due to overlapping drivers from the previous media. Due to their incompatibility, it turns out that the flash drive does not seem to exist. To fix the situation, you need to remove all drivers and install (simple reconnection of the flash drive after removing the drivers).

The system requires formatting the disk before use

This may be due to the fact that the flash drive is new and has never been used. In this case, you can format it without consequences, since there are no files on it.

But this can signal a system failure in the flash drive itself or its damage. The solution to this problem is described above, and there is also the principle of correct disk formatting.

A message about the presence of a data error pops up

This message appears when:

• The computer contains incompatible drivers. Solution: uninstall and reinstall the drivers.
• There was a conflict in the file systems. Solution: formatting the flash drive in the desired system with the preliminary saving of the data.
• Failure in the medium itself.

The system hangs after connecting the device

This behavior of the PC may indicate that:

1. The port through which the media was connected is faulty.
2. The presence of incompatible drivers.

To eliminate one of the problems, it is tedious to connect a USB flash drive through another port. If everything works, then it's in it. No, the drivers are to blame.

The computer does not see the USB flash drive, but it signals the connection

When the carrier is connected, an indicator lights up on it, which signals the established contact. If, in this case, the computer does not see the USB flash drive, a faulty contact in the medium itself, which is directly responsible for the transfer of information, may be to blame.

Also, a conflict between drivers or an already occupied partition letter can also cause such a reaction.

Error 43 / Error 43

If the OS issues this error, then it is useless to even try to get to the files on the media, since it automatically stops the process of reading information on the device. This error can be caused by the following reasons:

• Media malfunction. It is recommended to check its functionality on a third-party PC.
• The presence of incompatible drivers in the system.
• A hardware configuration update has occurred. Solution6 rollback the driver in the Manager.

Conclusion

The article describes all types of the most common reasons why the computer does not see a USB flash drive, and also describes how to solve them. It is recommended, if such a problem exists, to solve it sequentially, following the points of the article. This will help correct the situation only if the flash drive is not mechanically damaged irreversibly.