I can't open the flash drive on my computer. Sequential actions if the flash drive is not detected

Almost everyone uses USB flash drives now. This is a simple and reliable way to transfer and store information. But the malfunction of these devices has become a common problem for many users. Below are all possible causes of problems and options for resolving them.

First, simpler and more effective ways to solve the problem will be described, so you should follow the recommendations in order. But do not forget that some problems, such as severe physical damage, cannot be eliminated.

Reasons why the system does not recognize the device

To operate a USB device, it has a built-in special controller. If there is a certain failure, it may become blocked, which will prevent the computer from recognizing the flash drive.

The reason for the failure may be a power surge, sudden removal of the flash drive, incorrect formatting, etc. Violations of this type can still be corrected, but in case of mechanical or thermal damage, it is impossible to restore the operation of the flash drive.

You can understand that the flash drive is not detected by the computer by the following factors:

• The USB device is connected, but the computer says “insert disk”;
• The message “Device connected, not detected” pops up;
• issues a request to format the flash drive;
• a data reading error message appears;
• The indicator on the drive is on, but it is not displayed on the computer, etc.

The cause of the failure may also be:

• non-working computer USB ports;
• outdated drivers;
• viruses on the device;
• settings failures in BIOS;
• different file systems of the USB device and computer;
• assigning the letter of the connected hard drive to the flash drive, etc.

Driver check

First of all, you need to check whether the driver is installed correctly on your computer.

To do this, go to “Disk Management”:

Now try removing and inserting the USB device and see if it appears in this window. If the flash drive is visible and the status is indicated as “Good”, right-click on it and select “Make partition active”.

If there is a problem, the status will show "Not allocated", "Not initialized" or "Unknown", which means that the device is damaged.

The system may assign the wrong letter to the flash drive, which will also prevent it from being recognized. Right-click on the device and select "Change Drive Letter" and assign a different value:

The flash drive driver itself needs to be checked in Device Manager:

• start;
• control Panel;
• device Manager.

If the driver for the flash drive is not installed, yellow question marks will appear next to one or more USB devices.

Computer hardware errors

When the PC does not detect a new flash drive, insert it into different USB ports. If all ports are operating normally except one, the cause of the problem is a problem in that port.

The same problem can arise when connecting a flash drive not directly, but through a USB hub or extension cable. Try connecting the device directly to the USB port. If everything works, then the adapter is the cause.

It happens that many devices are connected to the computer via USB, then the ports may not have enough power to operate the flash drive. Disconnect other devices from the ports one at a time, leaving only the mouse and keyboard. If the USB drive now works, then the problem is due to lack of power.

Photo: USB hub transformer Apacer PH150

In this case, it is better to install a more powerful power supply or USB hub with a separate power source. But if the size of the flash device is very large, older laptop models simply will not handle its power. With this option, it is almost impossible to solve the problem.

Another problem is the heating of the connected USB device. The malfunction may be a short on the device board.

You can check this on another computer - if it continues to heat up, then the USB drive is faulty. And if everything is fine in other places, then the computer port itself may short out.

If the flash drive and USB port are working properly, the indicator on the device will light up. Then the cause of the problem is systemic, not hardware.

Video: Recovering a flash drive that is not recognized by the computer

Virus check

Then why is the flash card seen by the computer, but not read? One reason could be a virus that infects the boot file of the USB drive. Because of this, the device either does not boot at all or is immediately blocked by the antivirus. And if it is displayed, it displays a warning “Access denied” when you try to open it.

First of all, you should destroy the infected boot file “autorun.inf”. To do this, enter the address of the flash drive in Explorer (for example, G:/):

• "Service";
• "Folder properties";
• "View";
• “Hidden files and folders”;
• "Show hidden files and folders."

The download file will now be displayed. It must be removed and data from the entire device scanned with an antivirus.

If the flash drive does not open through Explorer, use the command line:

Setting up USB in BIOS

The flash drive may not be recognized due to USB ports being disabled in the BIOS. This happens very rarely, but it's best to check your settings just in case. Please note that no device will be recognized in a disabled USB port, so if others work fine, then skip this step.

To enter the BIOS, restart the computer and press the Del or F2 button while turning it on. Different PCs may have different keys, so look at what is written on the screen (approximately “Press F2 to enter Setup”). If a blue table with settings opens, then everything is correct - you have entered the BIOS.

Now you should find the menu item in which the inclusion of USB is regulated. Its name may vary, but most often it is the Advanced (Peripherals, Integrated Peripherals) tab:

In it, look for the item USB Configuration/Controller, etc. There are a lot of BIOS menu options, so it’s quite difficult to specify the exact item. But the word USB must be present. Now make sure that USB support is “Enabled”, if not, then switch them:

Some BIOS versions not only regulate how the controller turns on, but also indicate its operating mode - V1.1 or V1.1+V2.0 (there is already 3.0). Choose the option that supports all directions (V1.1+V2.0). Save the settings and exit the BIOS (most often the F10 key).

USB drive is not detected by the system due to errors

After formatting, which may not have been entirely successful, the operating system may not see the flash drive due to errors. This can be checked in the “Disk Management” item, the entrance to which was described above. If the flash drive says “Good”, but it is still not visible in Explorer, the cause may be a formatting error.

This can be eliminated by new formatting. Right-click on the device and select “Format”. The flash drive should now display and work without errors.

Different file systems of flash cards and computers

To restore the operation of a usb flash that is not detected on the PC, you need to change the file system, which may cause a conflict on the computer. The file system of the latter is most often NTFS, while the flash device is FAT32. In the Disk Management window, you can see the file system types of different PC media.

Correct formatting solves the problem. For this:

In the window that opens, check the compliance of the specified capacity and the parameters of the flash drive. Specify the file system as NTFS and check the box next to “Quick (cleaning table of contents).” Now click “Start”:

Confirm your actions:

After the process is completed, the system will notify you:

Photo: formatting completion message

Required OS updates for operation

When Windows XP is installed, the flash drive may not be recognized due to outdated updates required for its operation. However, some flash drives can work in PC USB ports, while others cannot.

The main updates required for normal operation of USB devices:

• KB925196 – incorrect recognition;
• KB817900 – stopping the port after the device was removed and reloaded;
• KB968132 – errors when connecting several flash drives;
• KB88740 – Rundll32.exe error;
• KB895962 – stops the USB device after turning off the printer;
• KB871233 – the flash card does not work after the PC wakes from sleep or hibernation;
• KB314634 – support only older USB devices;
• KB312370 (2007) – USB 2.0 support.

Recovery methods

When no problems are found with the system, you can use special recovery programs:

• ChipGenius – determines the manufacturer and other information about the device;

• AlcorMP – reflashes usb flash controllers from most manufacturers;
• JetFlash Recovery Tool – reflashes flash drives from Transcend.

If your computer says "Insert disk" when booting, the problem may be outdated drivers that should be removed.

For this:

• When the computer is turned off, disconnect all USB devices (except the mouse and keyboard);
• turn on the PC;
• download the DriveCleanup program;
• Depending on the OS version, copy the 32-bit or 64-bit “drivecleunup.exe” to the C:\Windows\System32 folder;
• go to the command line and write “drivecleunup.exe”;
• drivers will begin to be uninstalled:

After this, restart your computer. Insert the flash drive and the system will find new drivers for it.

A flash drive may not be detected for many reasons, the main of which are a malfunction of the device or USB port, as well as system errors, most of which can be eliminated by correct formatting and installing drivers. Some programs can also help restore USB flash, so you should follow the instructions in order.

The computer does not see the flash drive. Technology cannot work forever. There may be several reasons:

1) the front connectors on the PC are not connected to the motherboard;

2) there is not enough food;

3) system driver failure;

4) viruses;

5) file system conflict;

6) hardware failure of the drive.

Almost all problems can be “treated” with improvised means, namely computer system utilities. Let's look at each breakdown in detail.

Reason 1: Inactive sockets and lack of power

If your flash drive does not open on your computer when connected to the front connectors of the system unit, additionally check the jacks for connecting a headset (headphones).

If they are silent, it means that the manufacturers did not bother to connect the socket block to the motherboard when assembling the PC. If the computer is under warranty, feel free to complain to the seller about poor quality assembly. Alternatively, use the rear ports.

The second nuance is insufficient power supply to the connectors, which is why the flash drive “blinks”, i.e. randomly recognized/disappears. Most likely, the assemblers are to blame for screwing up when connecting them to the system board, not completely recessing the cable into the corresponding groove.

In this case, you again need to visit the service center or seller. But if you have experience building a PC, try doing it yourself.

If after all the manipulations absolutely nothing happens, the problem lies elsewhere.

Reason 2: drivers

Each flash drive initially stores a driver in memory, which is automatically installed when the device is connected. But Windows can periodically crash, causing the average user to suffer. To correct the situation, the following set of manipulations will be required.

To begin, right-click on “My Computer” and go to “properties”.

A list of several tabs will be displayed, from which you need to select “Hardware” and go to “Device Manager”.

Scroll through the list until we find USB controllers. We expand the list by clicking on “+” and see the complete list of devices that are connected or have been connected once through the required connector.

Next, you will have to play the so-called attentiveness test. We connect the drive and wait until the list of drivers blinks. One of the components will change its name. This is our culprit and must be eliminated.

To do this, right-click on it and select “Delete”. Confirm your intentions, and then reinsert the flash drive. The driver will be picked up automatically. In the vast majority of cases this helps.

Reason 3: viruses and trojans

Although the system requires checking devices for spyware, few people do this, and they pay for it by causing the system to malfunction. It’s very simple: the virus replaces the “native” autorun driver with a modified one, which can result in the message “Access denied” appearing.

Therefore, if the flash drive does not boot , we do the following.

Open “My Computer” and enter the device letter in the address bar (everything is as in the screenshot, preserving the characters). Your drive letter may vary.

So, you got inside. But now you need to make hidden files visible in order to get to autorun. To do this, select “Service”, and from the list that opens, select “Folder Options”.

We are interested in the “View” tab. Scroll the slider to the very bottom until you find the “Hide system files...” setting. We uncheck this item, simultaneously switching the system to the ability to show hidden files.

Have you checked? Great. Re-insert the long-suffering device and continue working.

Reason 4: Partition conflict

Other incidents also happen. For example, you inserted a drive into your computer. The system recognized him and issued the corresponding “tyn-dyn.” A characteristic icon has appeared on the taskbar at the bottom, but for some reason Windows refuses to assign a partition letter. How to deal with this?

To begin, click Start and go to Control Panel.

On the left side of the window, for ease of use, select “Switch to category view.” Although if it is already turned on, there is no need to perform any manipulations. We need to get into “Administration”.

Important: all manipulations must be done only on behalf of the administrator. Otherwise, the system will not accept the changes.

Select “Computer Management” by double-clicking and move on.

Here is the “reverse side” of the system with various settings. Do not under any circumstances engage in ad-libbing if you do not understand it. Just follow our advice.

Very often, when you launch a flash drive on a computer, it does not open. As a rule, removable media becomes invisible to the PC, but a laptop or computer may also prompt you to format it. The reason for this behavior of the device is all kinds of viruses that overwrite the path to the USB, as a result of which the PC does not find the flash drive.

If the computer does not see the removable hard drive, the cause may be viruses inside the flash drive that have damaged the system files of the device. A disk becomes invisible when there are no drivers for a given model, as well as when the device is physically worn out, errors on the USB, it is turned on or off incorrectly, or various system failures. How to repair a device?

When do you need to repair a flash drive yourself?

Repair of removable media is needed if the laptop does not read files from USB or does not see it. This malfunction manifests itself in various ways:

• An "insert disc" message appears when the device is inserted into the slot.
• A message pops up saying you need to format your hard drive.

• When messages about data errors appear, if the laptop does not read the flash drive.
• When the laptop freezes when connecting a flash drive to the connector.

How to check if the computer sees a removable disk?

You need to check the connected removable storage device for visibility when there is no device icon in the “My Computer” menu. It does not start automatically, the laptop does not read it.

How to check?

To check whether the computer sees the removable hard drive, you need to use the disk management utility. It is launched in two ways:

• Specify the path: Control Panel → Administrative Tools → Computer Management → Disk Management
• Run the command diskmgmt.msc in the search line

A window will appear listing all drives. If there are connection failures, the removable media icon may periodically disappear. What to do?

• If the computer sees the device, the status will be indicated as good. The repair consists of activating USB.
• If the laptop does not see the device, it will be marked as unallocated. This status indicates that the partition on the flash drive is missing. USB corruption is indicated as uninitialized or unknown, and one of the partitions may be marked as unallocated. Repairing such a device involves data recovery.

• If the laptop does not see the device connected via an extension cable, or the flash drive does not open, the problem may be either in the cable itself or insufficient power to read data. In this case, you need to connect the drive directly.
• If the removable media is physically faulty, it cannot be repaired.

What to do when the computer asks you to format the USB?

When the OS requests formatting, you can start the procedure immediately only if there are no valuable files on the flash drive. What to do when there is valuable information?

If the removable drive contains valuable files, it is recommended to first try to start it and back up the information to another laptop, if possible. When formatting, all content will be permanently deleted:

• You can start the formatting process by clicking on the flash drive icon in the “My Computer” panel and selecting the appropriate command in the context menu.
• For standard use of the drive, the FAT32 file system must be selected for formatting.

The second way is to format using the command line, which you run yourself as an administrator. This formatting method is most often used if the laptop does not see the flash drive:

• In the search bar in the start menu, enter the name cmd. Let's launch it.

• First, check under which letter the laptop recorded the name of the flash drive on the computer.
• On the command line, enter the CHKDSK command, enter a space, then indicate the drive letter, enter a colon, a space, and enter /f.
• For example, a removable disk is written under the letter C, then the line will look like this: chkdsk c: /f.

• The procedure will complete on its own.

How to configure removable storage?

If the operating system does not find the removable media or it does not open, the reason may be the lack of updates for working with the flash drive. What to do? Repairs are performed by installing the latest OS updates on the laptop, regardless of the previously installed Service Pack.

The second reason is the lack of drivers or the presence of outdated ones. How to do the removal correctly? If there are outdated drivers, they must be removed. To do this, you need to disconnect absolutely all devices on your PC connected via USB and restart your computer or laptop.

For complete removal you will need the DriveCleanup utility:

1. After installation, run the drivecleanup.exe file through the command line, which will automatically remove all drivers.
2. At the end of the procedure, the laptop is rebooted.
3. The laptop is checked for viruses; the current version of Dr.Web CureIt is often used.
4. It is also recommended to check the registry for the presence of the NoDrives parameter at the path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer, as well as the StorageDevicePolicies parameter at the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control, which should be deleted
5. Next, install the latest drivers for USB operation.

Flash drive data recovery

When the flash drive does not open, you can make repairs through data recovery. It is not recommended to write and save information to a removable hard drive that is inaccessible to the computer when restoring it.

More and more users use small and convenient flash drives to store and transfer information rather than CDs and DVDs. The advantages are obvious: compactness, reusable recording, scratch-resistant like optical media. But on the other hand, it’s just a device that cannot last forever.

So, if you have connected a flash drive to your computer and it is not readable, try using the following methods to revive it.

Check for integrity

First, check whether the USB interface is properly attached to the flash drive body. If it comes off more on one side than the other, there is likely a problem with the contacts. If you know how, you can solder them yourself, but it is better to take the flash drive for repair.

Also check the device for mechanical damage: cracks, deep scratches, dents. Because of them, the board elements could be damaged, then data recovery would be impossible. If water or moisture gets into the flash drive, wait until it dries and then connect it to the computer.

Choose a different port

Another reason why a flash drive does not open on a computer is the computer’s USB ports. It may simply be faulty - connect to another port. If you connect a flash drive to ports located on the front of the system unit, try doing it from the back. The fact is that when assembling the system unit, the front USB ports could simply not be connected to the motherboard.

Lack of nutrition

This option is also possible - the flash drive does not have enough power from the USB port to operate. Disconnect from the computer all connected USB devices that you are not using: web camera, printer, scanner, etc. This may be due to the fact that the system unit has a low-power power supply. For further use of the flash drive, it is better to purchase a USB splitter with additional power.

Changing the drive letter

If the flash drive is still not readable on the computer, then go to the Start menu. There, right-click on the “Computer” item and select “Management” from the context menu.

In the computer management window on the left side, click "Storage Devices" – "Disk Management". Here we are looking for a flash drive; if it is not identified, then you can throw it away.

If you have created virtual disks previously, then the flash drive may have been assigned a letter that is already in use. Right-click on the flash drive and select "Change drive letter or drive path", in the next window, click “Change” and select a letter that is not yet used.

Reinstall the drivers

Problems with opening a flash drive can also arise due to drivers. Go to the tab "Device Manager" and double click the mouse to expand the list "USB Controllers". Here, find the flash drive and right-click on it. You can select from the list or "Update drivers" or "Delete". Remove the flash drive and insert it back into the computer - the drivers will be installed automatically.

If automatic driver installation does not occur, you can find the drivers yourself using the device instance code. If you have the Windows 7 operating system installed, then look in the list "Equipment ID".

Format your device

Another method that can be used if the flash drive does not open on the computer is formatting. To do this, go to the “My Computer” folder and right-click on the flash drive. From the context menu select "Format…".

In the formatting window, click on the button "Restore default settings". Then check the “Quick” checkbox and click “Start”. Please note that after this procedure all data from the flash drive will be erased. But after a quick format, you can try to restore them, for example, using the Recuva program.

If everything went well, then the flash drive should work. If the formatting was not completed, try low-level formatting the flash drive using the hard disk low level format tool.

Removing viruses

A flash drive can also be unreadable on a computer due to viruses. Check it with an antivirus program. If, after deleting all malicious files, the flash drive still does not open, go to “Start” - "Control Panel" – "Folders settings".

On the View tab, mark with a marker "Show hidden files, folders and drives", click "OK".

Now, in the “My Computer” folder, open the USB flash drive, find the “autorun.exe” file there and delete it.

These are all the methods known to me, which is why the flash drive may not open on the computer. I think at least one of them will help you.

Using a flash drive, you can very quickly copy information and transfer it to another computer. Despite the fact that they have no moving parts, flash drives sometimes still break, and then we will look at the question of why the flash drive does not open on the computer.

You should not immediately resort to flashing the flash drive’s memory controller if any problems arise. First you need to try the simplest options. For example, first you need to carry out an external inspection of the flash drive and make sure of its integrity, and then carry out manipulations at the software level.

One of the common problems with flash drives is infection with a virus. "Autorun". After a quick antivirus cleaning, hidden files remain on the flash drive, which may be the reason why the flash drive does not open. You need to try to force access to the flash drive through Explorer or any file manager, and then delete all hidden unnecessary files.

If it is impossible to copy and delete a file on a flash drive, as well as enter a folder, then this may be a malfunction of the file system. You can try to fix this problem using Windows itself by checking the flash drive. To do this, right-click and go to . Then go to the tab "Service", and in the graph "Check Disk" choose "Run check". In an additional window we can select "Automatically fix system errors" And "Check and repair bad sectors".

If the flash drive is completely hopeless and you can’t access it, you can only try formatting. Moreover, if you choose quick formatting, there is still a chance of restoring the files on it.