[SOLVED] Usb flash memory stick not recognized

ajohnb · 11-14-2007, 01:18 PM

I have just joined this forum, looking for answers to this very problem. So, I will add my twopeneth to the issue.

My machine runs XP Pro SP2, and, when I plug in a working stick (works on another XP Pro machine), I get the yellow question mark/yellow question mark with small exclamation mark in the Device manager (this goes away when I unplug it). This applies to all of the 3 USB ports on my machine.
I have let the wizard try to find any drivers that it needs, to no avail.

There is currently plugged into the USB ports, via a hub, a mouse, ADSL modem, scanner and printer, all of which are working fine. I have rather foolishly, perhaps, bought myself a flash stick, which also does not work.

This is driving me up the wall, as the problem should be easy to fix, but I can't. I am assuming that the drivers etc. are/should be included in XP (is this true ?) so am unsure what to do next - OK, I have no idea.

Any help much appreciated.

John

**Deleted090308** · 11-14-2007, 08:20 PM

Hi, welcome to TSF.

This may be a flaw in Windows preventing it from assigning a drive letter for the USB stick.

Try this:

Right click "My computer" > choose "Manage" > Disk Management.
If the USB stick is listed - right click it >
> Choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths" >
> Click "Change" and assign a new unused drive letter.

ajohnb · 11-15-2007, 09:54 AM

eneles

Well, I tried that, and the only drive letters that appear are C:/D: for my partitioned hard drive, and E: for my CD-Rom - no USB stick.

Coincidently (??) the last few times that I tried to create a CD Rom, it failed on the verify stage (using Nero 6) - this could just have been the blank media that I was using. And, recently I got a Windows message telling me that there was problem with my keyboard driver, which prevented the machine going into sleep mode; but only once. Is there a connection, perhaps ?

I have just complete a full virus scan, along with spyware and adware, but there was nothing.

Thanks for trying.

John

**Deleted090308** · 11-15-2007, 10:04 AM

No USB stick in Disk Management?

Reinstall the chipset drivers.

Any yellow/red "marks" in device manager?

ajohnb · 11-15-2007, 01:17 PM

Re-installed the chipset drivers, which talked about USB in it's list of 'goodies', then rebooted.
Still no USB stick in Disk Management, still the yellow question/exclamation marks in Device Manager.
When I plug the USB stick in, XP seems to recognise what it is, as it tells me what it is trying to install.
I still find it odd that the other USB devices all work, including the current ADSL modem, so why is the USB stick that different ? Or isn't it ? I assume from this that the hardware works OK, so all that is left is/are the drivers - am I assuming too much ?
I will stop the questions for now - thanks for the rapid replies so far.

John

**Deleted090308** · 11-15-2007, 01:22 PM

What motherboard?

Do you connect the stick "directly" to the computer, or via a hub?

ajohnb · 11-15-2007, 03:00 PM

According to Everest Home Edition, my motherboard is a Dell Inc ME051,
with a Intel Celeron M processor 1.60 GHz, and Phoenix bios. Everest also list various USB info. such as (4 times) Intel 8280 1FB ICH6 - USB Universal Host Controller and (1 time) Intel 8280 1FB ICH6 - Enhanced USB2 Controller. Too much info ?

I connect the stick both directly to the computer socket(s) and also via a USB 2.0 hub - same result.

John

**Deleted090308** · 11-15-2007, 11:22 PM

What model is the computer? Maybe there's a BIOS update.

ajohnb · 11-20-2007, 09:18 AM

Finally, now that the database has returned, I can answer the last question.

The machine is a Dell Inspiron 1300, and there is, it seems, an update for the BIOS. At $29.95, and given the state of the dollar against the pound sterling this is only £14.63 at today's rate, this is quite cheap, the question is why would I need it ?
The machine is about 1 year old, so the BIOS can't be that out of date (version A08 it seems - don't know what the latest version is). I am aware that nothing else seems to have worked, but the original software, now reinstalled, that came with the machine must have been good enough to support all types of USB device - that was the way that it was advertised, I think - and it does seem a bit like a driver problem, judging by what XP is trying to do. Would the driver be part of the BIOS ?
I even went round the BIOS settings manually, but there seems to not be any USB specific points, apart from the boot order - this used to be floppy/USB/CD/HDD, which I changed to floppy/CD/USB/HDD (there is no floppy drive) just to see. No change, of course.
I will hold off on BIOS upgrade for the moment (I assume I get sent a bit of software which I run, and it installs itself - is this how it happens ?)

Ah well.

John

**Deleted090308** · 11-20-2007, 09:30 AM

The latest BIOS version is A10 - costs nothing at Dell.

ajohnb · 11-21-2007, 02:18 PM

Thanks for the info about the BIOS upgrade being free at Dell - for some reason, I did not think to look there.
Anyway, I downloaded/installed the upgrade to version 10, but, this makes no difference to the machine installing the drivers for the USB stick, so no further forward.

Is this driver part of XP or part of the software that Dell provides ?
If XP, then can I just install the bit I need ?
If Dell, then what do I ask them for ?

I already have entered a question on their forum, but no joy so far - I will add another entry, to see what happens.

John

**Deleted090308** · 11-22-2007, 02:13 AM

With the USB stick disconnected:

Download and install the chipset driver (again).

Reboot.

Download and install the System Utilities.

Reboot again.

ajohnb · 11-23-2007, 02:26 PM

First, I downloaded all the appropriate drivers from the Dell site. Then I tried your advice, step by step, and it still did not recognize the stick. I noticed on the Dell site that the System Software drivers should be installed before any other, so I then tried reversing your order, but still with reboots in between, and got the same results ie no drivers found for the device.
I have to assume that the USB stick works Ok (not independently tested it yet), as the PC knows that it is a USB stick (in Device Management), and I assume that the drivers get installed to the correct library, as I follow the instructions for each driver install.

Part of me wonders if my recalcitrant PC would work after leaving my third floor window, but, as you are still trying to help me, I must learn to be patient ! There must be just one small thing I am doing wrong (hopefully).

Thanks so far

John

**Deleted090308** · 11-24-2007, 12:53 AM

I thought you had tested the stick with another computer. You have to do that - the stick may be faulty (not uncommon).

ajohnb · 11-25-2007, 09:17 AM

The original problem came about when I tried to copy files to the USB stick belonging to someone else; when I could not, I tried the stick on their computer, and found it worked for them. Now I am testing with my own stick, but only on my PC. I do see your point, though, and had rather made an assumption, so will test it as soon as I can.

More later.

John

**Deleted090308** · 11-25-2007, 09:21 AM

The last stick I bought was faulty - had to take it back.

ajohnb · 11-25-2007, 11:20 AM

I must admit that I have never come across a faulty stick, so made maybe the wrong assumption. I have also found an old stick, which I did not use as I believed it to be faulty (used to work for some years, then just stopped); I connected it, XP told me that it was working OK, that it's size was 0 bytes (!!), that it needed formatting, but XP refused to do it. The drivers were listed as being OK, and it even told me the correct makers name. Does this imply that the PC is OK, just my new stick faulty ?

I hope that I have not been wasting your time if it turns out to be my mistake.

John

**Deleted090308** · 11-25-2007, 11:32 AM

It sounds like you have two faulty sticks (with different errors).
And - don't worry - we're here to help.

Try the new stick with another computer.

thepit56 · 11-27-2007, 05:10 AM

geez talk about bad luck!

ajohnb · 11-29-2007, 07:48 AM

Well, I have finally managed to try the original stick, that was working on another PC, the one that caused me to notice that my PC was not working with USB sticks. I have to assume that it is working, although the PC to which it 'belongs' is not available at the moment.
Anyway, it does not work on mine, and still refuses to locate/install the drivers - I must admit to not being too surprised, given my PC's track record with these things. This is a bit embarrassing, as I am meant to be checking the data that is on this stick. So, looks like I will have to find another likely PC, just to check the stick.
As of this moment, defenestration of the PC seems to be a good idea - I must resist temptation, though.

Hope that you have good news for me.
Thanks

John

11-14-2007, 01:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	[SOLVED] Usb flash memory stick not recognized I have just joined this forum, looking for answers to this very problem. So, I will add my twopeneth to the issue. My machine runs XP Pro SP2, and, when I plug in a working stick (works on another XP Pro machine), I get the yellow question mark/yellow question mark with small exclamation mark in the Device manager (this goes away when I unplug it). This applies to all of the 3 USB ports on my machine. I have let the wizard try to find any drivers that it needs, to no avail. There is currently plugged into the USB ports, via a hub, a mouse, ADSL modem, scanner and printer, all of which are working fine. I have rather foolishly, perhaps, bought myself a flash stick, which also does not work. This is driving me up the wall, as the problem should be easy to fix, but I can't. I am assuming that the drivers etc. are/should be included in XP (is this true ?) so am unsure what to do next - OK, I have no idea. Any help much appreciated. John

11-14-2007, 08:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized Hi, welcome to TSF. This may be a flaw in Windows preventing it from assigning a drive letter for the USB stick. Try this: Right click "My computer" > choose "Manage" > Disk Management. If the USB stick is listed - right click it > > Choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths" > > Click "Change" and assign a new unused drive letter.

11-15-2007, 09:54 AM	#3 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized eneles Well, I tried that, and the only drive letters that appear are C:/D: for my partitioned hard drive, and E: for my CD-Rom - no USB stick. Coincidently (??) the last few times that I tried to create a CD Rom, it failed on the verify stage (using Nero 6) - this could just have been the blank media that I was using. And, recently I got a Windows message telling me that there was problem with my keyboard driver, which prevented the machine going into sleep mode; but only once. Is there a connection, perhaps ? I have just complete a full virus scan, along with spyware and adware, but there was nothing. Thanks for trying. John

11-15-2007, 10:04 AM	#4 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized No USB stick in Disk Management? Reinstall the chipset drivers. Any yellow/red "marks" in device manager?

11-15-2007, 01:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized Re-installed the chipset drivers, which talked about USB in it's list of 'goodies', then rebooted. Still no USB stick in Disk Management, still the yellow question/exclamation marks in Device Manager. When I plug the USB stick in, XP seems to recognise what it is, as it tells me what it is trying to install. I still find it odd that the other USB devices all work, including the current ADSL modem, so why is the USB stick that different ? Or isn't it ? I assume from this that the hardware works OK, so all that is left is/are the drivers - am I assuming too much ? I will stop the questions for now - thanks for the rapid replies so far. John

11-15-2007, 01:22 PM	#6 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized What motherboard? Do you connect the stick "directly" to the computer, or via a hub?

11-15-2007, 03:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized According to Everest Home Edition, my motherboard is a Dell Inc ME051, with a Intel Celeron M processor 1.60 GHz, and Phoenix bios. Everest also list various USB info. such as (4 times) Intel 8280 1FB ICH6 - USB Universal Host Controller and (1 time) Intel 8280 1FB ICH6 - Enhanced USB2 Controller. Too much info ? I connect the stick both directly to the computer socket(s) and also via a USB 2.0 hub - same result. John

11-15-2007, 11:22 PM	#8 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized What model is the computer? Maybe there's a BIOS update.

11-20-2007, 09:18 AM	#9 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized Finally, now that the database has returned, I can answer the last question. The machine is a Dell Inspiron 1300, and there is, it seems, an update for the BIOS. At $29.95, and given the state of the dollar against the pound sterling this is only £14.63 at today's rate, this is quite cheap, the question is why would I need it ? The machine is about 1 year old, so the BIOS can't be that out of date (version A08 it seems - don't know what the latest version is). I am aware that nothing else seems to have worked, but the original software, now reinstalled, that came with the machine must have been good enough to support all types of USB device - that was the way that it was advertised, I think - and it does seem a bit like a driver problem, judging by what XP is trying to do. Would the driver be part of the BIOS ? I even went round the BIOS settings manually, but there seems to not be any USB specific points, apart from the boot order - this used to be floppy/USB/CD/HDD, which I changed to floppy/CD/USB/HDD (there is no floppy drive) just to see. No change, of course. I will hold off on BIOS upgrade for the moment (I assume I get sent a bit of software which I run, and it installs itself - is this how it happens ?) Ah well. John

11-20-2007, 09:30 AM	#10 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized The latest BIOS version is A10 - costs nothing at Dell.

11-21-2007, 02:18 PM	#11 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized Thanks for the info about the BIOS upgrade being free at Dell - for some reason, I did not think to look there. Anyway, I downloaded/installed the upgrade to version 10, but, this makes no difference to the machine installing the drivers for the USB stick, so no further forward. Is this driver part of XP or part of the software that Dell provides ? If XP, then can I just install the bit I need ? If Dell, then what do I ask them for ? I already have entered a question on their forum, but no joy so far - I will add another entry, to see what happens. John

11-22-2007, 02:13 AM	#12 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized With the USB stick disconnected: Download and install the chipset driver (again). Reboot. Download and install the System Utilities. Reboot again.

11-23-2007, 02:26 PM	#13 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized First, I downloaded all the appropriate drivers from the Dell site. Then I tried your advice, step by step, and it still did not recognize the stick. I noticed on the Dell site that the System Software drivers should be installed before any other, so I then tried reversing your order, but still with reboots in between, and got the same results ie no drivers found for the device. I have to assume that the USB stick works Ok (not independently tested it yet), as the PC knows that it is a USB stick (in Device Management), and I assume that the drivers get installed to the correct library, as I follow the instructions for each driver install. Part of me wonders if my recalcitrant PC would work after leaving my third floor window, but, as you are still trying to help me, I must learn to be patient ! There must be just one small thing I am doing wrong (hopefully). Thanks so far John

11-24-2007, 12:53 AM	#14 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized I thought you had tested the stick with another computer. You have to do that - the stick may be faulty (not uncommon).

11-25-2007, 09:17 AM	#15 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized The original problem came about when I tried to copy files to the USB stick belonging to someone else; when I could not, I tried the stick on their computer, and found it worked for them. Now I am testing with my own stick, but only on my PC. I do see your point, though, and had rather made an assumption, so will test it as soon as I can. More later. John

11-25-2007, 09:21 AM	#16 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized The last stick I bought was faulty - had to take it back.

11-25-2007, 11:20 AM	#17 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized I must admit that I have never come across a faulty stick, so made maybe the wrong assumption. I have also found an old stick, which I did not use as I believed it to be faulty (used to work for some years, then just stopped); I connected it, XP told me that it was working OK, that it's size was 0 bytes (!!), that it needed formatting, but XP refused to do it. The drivers were listed as being OK, and it even told me the correct makers name. Does this imply that the PC is OK, just my new stick faulty ? I hope that I have not been wasting your time if it turns out to be my mistake. John

11-25-2007, 11:32 AM	#18 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized It sounds like you have two faulty sticks (with different errors). And - don't worry - we're here to help. Try the new stick with another computer.

11-27-2007, 05:10 AM	#19 (permalink)
thepit56 Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 275 OS: windows XP Professional Edition sp2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized geez talk about bad luck!

11-29-2007, 07:48 AM	#20 (permalink)
ajohnb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 19 OS: Win XP SP2	Re: Usb flash memory stick not recognized Well, I have finally managed to try the original stick, that was working on another PC, the one that caused me to notice that my PC was not working with USB sticks. I have to assume that it is working, although the PC to which it 'belongs' is not available at the moment. Anyway, it does not work on mine, and still refuses to locate/install the drivers - I must admit to not being too surprised, given my PC's track record with these things. This is a bit embarrassing, as I am meant to be checking the data that is on this stick. So, looks like I will have to find another likely PC, just to check the stick. As of this moment, defenestration of the PC seems to be a good idea - I must resist temptation, though. Hope that you have good news for me. Thanks John