In this manual I will describe all the ways I know to solve this problem. First, the simplest and, at the same time, the most effective methods will be used in most situations when the computer does not see the flash drive, reports that the disk is not formatted, or produces other errors. There are also separate instructions on how to.
There are many reasons why you may encounter the fact that your computer does not see the flash drive. The problem can appear in any version of the Microsoft operating system - Windows 10, 8, Windows 7 or XP. If the computer does not recognize the connected flash drive, this can manifest itself in several variations.
Start Disk Management using one of the following methods:
In the disk management window, pay attention to whether the flash drive appears and disappears when you connect and disconnect it from the computer.
The ideal option is if the computer sees the connected flash drive and all partitions on it (usually one) are in the “Good” state. In this case, just right-click on it, select “Make partition active” in the context menu, and perhaps assign a letter to the flash drive - this will be enough for the computer to “see” the USB drive. If the partition is faulty or deleted, then you will see “Not distributed” in the status. Try right-clicking on it and, if such an item appears in the menu, select “Create a simple volume” to create a partition and format the flash drive (the data will be deleted).
Try going to Device Manager and see if your device is listed as unknown, or in the “Other devices” section (as in the screenshot) - the drive may be called there by its real name or as a USB mass storage device.
Right-click on the device, select Delete, and after deleting it, in the Device Manager menu, select Action - Update hardware configuration.
Perhaps this action will be enough for your flash drive to appear in Windows Explorer and be accessible.
Among other things, the following options are possible. If you connect the flash drive to the computer via an extension cable or USB hub, try connecting directly. Try connecting to all available USB ports. Try turning off the computer, disconnecting all extraneous devices from USB (Web cameras, external hard drives, card readers, printer), leaving only the keyboard, mouse and flash drive, then turning on the computer. If after this the flash drive works, then the problem is in the power supply to the USB ports of the computer - perhaps the power supply of the PC is not enough. A possible solution is to replace the power supply or purchase a USB hub with its own power supply.
In this case, the free USBOblivion utility can help, removing from the Windows registry all information about previously connected flash drives and external hard drives. Before using the program, I recommend.
Disconnect all flash drives and other USB storage devices from the computer, run the program, check the Perform a real cleanup and Save the undo reg file checkboxes, then click the “Cleanup” button.
After cleaning is complete, restart your computer and connect the USB flash drive - most likely, it will be detected and become accessible. If not, then also try going to the device manager (by right-clicking on the Start button) and follow the steps to remove the USB drive from the Other devices section and then update the hardware configuration (described above). You can download the USBOblivion program from the official developer page: www.cherubicsoft.com/projects/usboblivion
But, in relation to Windows 10, another option is possible - actual incompatibility of USB 2.0 or 3.0 drivers (as a rule, then they are displayed with an exclamation mark in the device manager). In this case, the recommendation is to check the availability of the necessary USB and chipset drivers on the official website of the laptop or PC motherboard manufacturer. At the same time, I recommend using the official websites of the device manufacturers themselves, and not the Intel or AMD websites, to search for such drivers, especially when it comes to laptops. Also, sometimes updating the motherboard BIOS helps solve the problem.
The most common situation I encountered when calling to set up and repair computers, when a computer with the Windows XP operating system installed on it did not see a flash drive (even if it sees other flash drives), was caused by the fact that the necessary updates for working with USB drives were not installed . The fact is that many organizations use Windows XP, often in the SP2 version. Updates were not installed due to restrictions on Internet access or poor performance of the system administrator.
So, if you have Windows XP and the computer does not see the flash drive:
Here are some of the fixes for working with USB flash drives that were released in Windows XP updates:
By the way, despite the fact that Windows Vista is almost never used anywhere, it should be noted that installing all updates should also be the first step if a similar problem occurs.
This option is suitable if the computer says “Insert disk” when you insert a USB flash drive. Old USB drivers available in Windows can cause this problem, as well as errors associated with assigning a letter to the flash drive. In addition, this may also be the reason why the computer restarts or freezes when you insert a flash drive into a USB port.
The fact is that by default, Windows installs drivers for USB drives the moment you connect them to the corresponding port on your computer for the first time. At the same time, when the flash drive is disconnected from the port, the driver does not go anywhere and remains in the system. When connecting a new flash drive, conflicts may arise due to the fact that Windows will try to use previously installed drivers corresponding to this USB port, but to a different USB drive. I won’t go into detail, but will simply describe the steps required to remove these drivers (you won’t see them in Windows Device Manager).
When the program finishes running, restart your computer. Now, when you insert the USB flash drive, Windows will install new drivers for it.
Update 2016: It is easier to perform the operation of deleting mount points of USB drives using the free USBOblivion program, as described above in the section about non-working flash drives in Windows 10 (the program will work for other versions of Windows).
If none of the above has helped so far, and the computer does not see any flash drives at all, and not just one specific one, you can try the following method:
After reinstalling USB devices, check if the USB drives work on your computer or laptop.
If in Windows Disk Management the computer displays the flash drive, but in the status “Not recognized”, “Not initialized”, and the partition on the flash drive is “Not distributed”, then most likely the data on the flash drive is damaged and you will need to use data recovery.
There are a few things to keep in mind that will increase the likelihood of successful data recovery:
If nothing helps, and your computer still does not see the flash drive, and the files and data stored on it are very important, then the last recommendation would be to contact a company professionally engaged in file and data recovery.
Hi all! In this article we will talk about cases when a flash drive is not detected on any computer at all. So this will be detailed instructions for recovery.
I must say that the experimental USB drive is already well known to you from previous publications, since not so long ago we recovered information from it and . For those who haven't read it yet, you can check it out.
The situation changed for the better only when a good old utility called Hard Disk Low Level Format Tool. It was she who helped solve the problem and save money by bringing the drive back to life.
So what needs to be done. The first step is to install the above program from the official website of the developers. It is small and weighs very little. Launch it and select “Continue for free”:
Then, in general, our flash drive appears, which is not detected at all in the Windows 10 system itself. That is, it is nowhere and everything is here:
Select it and click the “Continue” button at the bottom to proceed to the formatting process. In this case, it is probably not worth warning that all data will be lost as a result of this process. 😉
In the next step, go to the “Low-Level Format” section and click the “Format This Device” button:
After this, the program will once again inquire about the seriousness of our intentions. Here, just like in a registry office, we say “Yes” once again:
That's all, friends, now all you have to do is wait for the low-level erasing process of the USB drive to complete. After this, the long-suffering flash drive was finally detected in the system, but when accessed for the first time, it “asked” to be formatted again. Well, let's not argue:
We start the repeated procedure using the standard means of the great and terrible Windows:
As a result, guys, the flash drive, which was not detected before, has successfully started working. Therefore, we can safely say that the detailed restoration instructions were still a success.
If you still have any questions, ask them in the comments to the publication. And that's all for now and see you again. In conclusion, as always, let's watch another interesting video.
Read, what to do if Windows does not display the connected device. How to restore functionality to such a device if this is the reason. A flash drive or any other USB drive should be automatically detected by the computer and displayed in Explorer and the “This PC” folder after connecting to the USB port.
Content:
The first thing you need to do if the connected USB drive is not displayed in the Windows file manager, you need to check the tool Disk management.
To open Disk management in Windows 8/10, right-click on the menu Start and select "Disk Management". In Windows 7, press the Windows key + R key combination to open the dialog box "Run" and enter the command in it diskmgmt.msc.
Check the list of drives in the window Disk management and find the USB drive that is not detected. It should appear here even if it is not in the folder "This computer", and match in size. Sometimes it is defined as "Removable device", but not always.
If you do not see your disk or flash drive even in Disk Management, then try the following:
If the problem options described above do not apply to your case, then your problem can most likely be solved using one of the methods described below. Depending on what you find in Disk Management, there are options for solutions to the problem that has arisen with identifying an external storage medium.
If Windows sees the disk, but cannot read it, then this means that it has a file system that it does not support. In this case, the operating system will prompt you to format the disk before using it. But don't rush to do it! This will destroy all your data.
If other computers detect your USB drive, but yours does not, then most likely there is a problem with the device drivers.
To check this, open Device Manager and look for Disk devices And USB controllers. Look to see if these sections contain devices marked with a yellow exclamation mark. If there is such a device, right-click on it and select Properties. The properties will contain information about the error and driver status.
To fix the driver problem, right-click on the device, select Properties / Driver / Update.
If the disc is visible in Disk Management, but it does not have a letter, then it is for this reason that it may not be displayed in Windows Explorer. In order for the system to start displaying it in Explorer, such a drive must be assigned a letter.
To do this, right-click on it and select "Change drive letter or drive path". If there is no such item in the pop-up menu, this may be due to the absence or unsupported file system type of the storage medium.
In the menu that opens, you will see that the drive does not have a letter assigned - assign it. To do this, select Add / / Ok.
If the disc is visible in Disk Management, but it is not distributed, which means that it is not formatted. In order for such a disk to become operational, right-click on it and select "Create Simple Volume".
Select the maximum suggested partition size and assign a drive letter suggested by the system. After this, the disk will be normally detected by the system and ready for use.
If for some reason the disk cannot be formatted, then to restore its functionality, you can completely erase it and then re-create the partition.
Note. As a result of such manipulation, all data from the disk (as well as flash drives or memory cards) will be permanently deleted. Therefore, worry about their safety in advance - scan the disk or flash drive using Hetman Partition Recovery, and save your data in a convenient place.
To clean the disk, open Command line as administrator and clean it up using the command diskpart – "clean".
Every day, more and more people use flash drives to transfer information: they are small, light and you can buy it with the required amount of memory. But what should you do if one day, after inserting it into a USB connector, the flash drive does not appear on the computer, and therefore you will not be able to work with it.
On a working flash drive, when you connect it to the computer, the indicator light starts blinking: green, blue, red. If it does not catch fire, then there may be several reasons why this is happening. Let's start dealing with them.
You inserted the flash drive into the USB connector located on the front panel of the system unit. The thing is that the front USB ports are not always connected to the motherboard when assembling the computer. In this case, simply insert the flash drive into the ports located on the back of the system unit.
This is the use of a USB hub or extension cable. It is usually needed so as not to move the system unit each time to connect a flash drive. The USB extension cable has a USB plug - it connects to the rear USB port of the system unit, and a USB connector - the flash drive you are using is connected to it.
To eliminate a problem related to the device itself, connect the flash drive directly to the computer. If it works, then there is a problem with the USB extension cable. If not, then the device is in order, and we will figure it out further.
Perhaps you have many different devices connected to your computer via USB ports: printer, scanner, mouse, keyboard, web camera, external hard drive. In this case, disconnect all devices, leaving only the keyboard, mouse and flash drive.
If the device works, it means that there is not enough power for the USB ports. The reason may be the low power of the power supply itself or the large volume of the flash drive itself. In this case, change the power supply to a more powerful one, or buy a USB extension cable with an additional power source.
Unfortunately, flash drives also don’t last forever and can break. Usually they just burn out. In this case, you can either throw it away or try to extract all the important information from it. Also try to take her to specialists to resuscitate her, but, of course, you will have to pay for this. If, when you connect a flash drive to a computer, you hear a characteristic sound, then we’ll look into the other reasons.
Computer viruses can also cause problems with a flash drive. In this case, you need to connect the flash drive to the computer and perform a full scan of disks and removable media using an antivirus program. If your antivirus detects anything, delete the malicious files.
It may be that the computer simply does not see the drivers for the device, or they are out of date. In this case, you will have to remove the existing drivers for the flash drive and install new ones. To do this, go to “My Computer” and right-click on the free space. Next, select “Properties” from the context menu.
In the next window, go to the tab "Device Manager".
In the device manager we look for the item "USB Controllers" and click on the small arrow on the left. The list of devices expands. Now you need to insert the flash drive into the computer. After this, the device manager should update and another item will be added to the list. Select this item and right-click on it. Select “Delete” from the context menu. We did this in order to remove the drivers for the flash drive.
Now you need to remove the flash drive from the computer and insert it back. Drivers will update automatically.
It may also be that the file system installed on the computer conflicts with the file system on the flash drive. This is due to the fact that the NTFS file system is usually installed on the computer, and the manufacturer sets FAT on the flash drive. This problem can be solved very easily: you need to format the flash drive to NTFS.
Open the “My Computer” folder and right-click on the flash drive, select from the list "Format".
In the next window, select the desired file system and click “Start”.
If the flash drive does not appear in the My Computer folder, then you can use the following programs to format it: HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool or Hard disk low level format tool. The program interface is clear, you just need to select the file system and format it. By following the links, you can download the programs.
The USB port itself may not be working. Just connect the flash drive to another port, and if it works, then to fix the USB port you need to take the system unit to the workshop.
I will end here. I hope the article will be useful to you. If I haven't described any reason, write in the comments.
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There are several reasons why you may encounter the fact that the computer does not see the flash drive.
This problem can occur on any OS. It occurs on both Windows XP and Windows 10. 
If the computer does not recognize the connected flash drive, then you may encounter one of the following variations:
The simplest and at the same time effective methods will be located at the beginning of the article.
If any method does not help you, move on to the next one. Also, write a comment below to the article about your problem...
If all else fails, check the flash drive for serious physical damage - it may make it impossible to repair the flash drive.
First of all, you need to check whether the computer sees the connected flash drive.
Run Disk Management Utility: Win + R and then enter the command diskmgmt.msc and press Enter
In the disk management window, pay attention to whether the flash drive appears and disappears when you connect and disconnect it from the computer. 
If the computer sees the connected flash drive and all partitions on it (usually one partition) are able to "Good"- then this is the ideal outcome.
In this case, just right-click on it and select “Make partition active”, and perhaps assign a letter to the flash drive - this will be enough.
If the partition is faulty or deleted, the status will display "Not distributed."
Try right-clicking on it and selecting "Create Simple Volume" to create a partition.
This will create a partition with formatting and deletion of all data that was on the flash drive.
If the mark is displayed "Unknown" or "Not initialized" and one section is able "Not distributed", this may mean that the flash drive is damaged.
We launch the device manager and check whether your device is displayed as unknown; it may also be located in the “Other devices” section.
The drive can be called either by its real name or as a “USB Mass Storage Device”.
Right-click on the device, select Delete, and after deleting it, in the Device Manager menu, select Action - Update hardware configuration.
Perhaps this action will be enough for your flash drive to appear in Windows Explorer and be accessible.
In addition, you can do the following:
If you connect the flash drive to the computer via an extension cable, try a direct connection.
Try connecting to all ports on your PC.
Turn off the computer, disconnect all third-party and USB components, except for the mouse and keyboard - if they do not have a built-in card reader, as well as the flash drive being tested. Turn on your computer.
If after this the flash drive works, then the problem is in the power supply to the USB ports of the computer - the reason is a weak PC power supply.
Programs designed to remove all USB device drivers.
What is this for? To eliminate erroneous interactions between installed drivers and connected devices.
Windows installs the driver for the USB device the moment it is connected to the PC.
When connecting a new device, it is possible that an attempt will be made to use the already installed driver for the new device.
If the driver and device are incompatible, both an error and a computer freeze may occur.
Such programs include, for example, DriveCleanUp and USBOblivion.
Drivers for USB components are located in the registry, and such programs remove them from there - there is no other way.
My personal opinion is that you should use such programs only when everything is very bad when working with flash drives.
Third-party programs with incomplete compatibility can lead to new problems in the interaction of flash drives with the system, for example, the PC will stop seeing ALL flash drives.
If the computer does not see a single flash drive, and the above recommendations did not help, try the following:
After reinstalling USB devices, check if the USB drives work on your computer or laptop.
This is where I will end the article.
After reading it, you learned about possible ways to solve the problem of an unidentified USB drive.
I hope the information was useful, and if there was a problem, you were able to fix it.
All the best.
See you again, friends!
