Why doesn't the command line see the flash drive? Why is the flash drive not showing up in My Computer?

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

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

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

Look at the USB device LED (available on all modern models). If it does not light up, then the flash drive is probably no longer working. Although you could simply extract 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 connect it to 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. Or you can connect a USB flash drive to the connector on the rear panel.

Configuration update

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

After that:

Installing a utility from Microsoft

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

Open it and check that next to “USB Controller” the option “Enabled” is indicated. If this is not the case, select the appropriate item.

Changing the device letter

To fix this error:

Driver Update

If the flash drive is not recognized on the laptop, the reason may be outdated drivers. In this case, they need to be updated. Easiest to use (they do everything automatically).

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

Hello friends! in this article you will find out why the computer does not see the flash drive and what to do in such a situation. Today I will tell you how to deal with a common problem when the computer stops seeing the flash drive and does not display the contents.

We will also consider the option when the laptop does not see the flash drive after formatting. Go? I ask everyone in advance to like the article in order to help me develop this blog. Thank you!

The computer does not see the flash drive - what to do?

We have already talked about. But what can you do if the computer does not see the flash drive? We have tried to collect solutions that are really useful and will help resolve this issue for you. If you have any additional questions, be sure to mention them in the comments.

Reasons for flash drive failure

First, let's look at the causes of the described problem, because, as you know, there is no smoke without fire. In our case, there may be many of these reasons, so it is worth paying attention only to the most important ones.

Often, the front panel is turned off on a personal computer, considering it unnecessary. And as a result, we get a number of non-working USB ports.

Not working flash drive. Everything in our world tends to break. For example, flash drives often simply burn out due to improper use or long service life.

This is the 21st century, the century of high technology, and there is simply nowhere without viruses. Transferring infected files from another PC can be fraught with the following things: in the first case, the flash drive itself will not be visible to the computer, and in the second, you will not see the files on the drive. Of course, your machine could also be an infected device, so I advise you to check everything for viruses.

Driver malfunction. This doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

File system conflict. It may be that the drive (flash drive) has a file system installed that is different from the computer, so they may conflict, and the flash drive is not visible on the computer.

Faulty USB port.

The computer does not see the flash drive? Solution!

The reasons why the computer does not see the USB flash drive have become more or less clear, but now let’s figure out how to solve our problem so that the computer finally starts seeing the flash drive.

Let's start with the non-working front panel. In this case, you need to know exactly where the cord is connected to the motherboard, otherwise even bigger problems cannot be avoided.

I would advise you to contact a service center, where competent specialists would quickly and efficiently solve the problem.

Non-working flash drive. A burnt-out flash drive will have to be replaced with a new one.

Malicious programs or utilities. As you may have guessed, the solution to this problem is to scan all disks on your PC with an antivirus program.

Driver malfunction. This problem is not solved as easily as the previous ones, but if you approach its solution headlong, then everything will turn out to be much simpler.

What do we need?

Update the USB port driver through Device Manager. You know how to find the latter from my previous articles.

When you insert a flash drive into one of them, you may notice a slight flicker in one of the list lines. This is what we need to delete by clicking on the appropriate button.

After removing the driver, you will need to install a new one. To do this, insert the flash drive into the same port to which you performed the previous manipulations. That's all, all USB port software is updated.

Point by point, we approached the problem associated with file system conflicts. It can be solved very simply. Format the flash drive, changing the type file system to a similar one installed on your computer. File system name Can find out as follows: My computer - Disk C (right-click on the icon). The properties that appear will show all the necessary information.

The last problem is the easiest to solve. If one of the ports is faulty, then try inserting the flash drive into another; if the others are faulty, there is only one way out - send the PC for repair.

So, I described the solution to our problem for a desktop PC, but users with laptops were unhappy. Don’t worry, because in your situation everything is a little simpler, since there are correspondingly fewer reasons and problems. And they are exactly like this:

• The flash drive is broken
• Malicious code
• Drivers are not working properly
• File system conflict
• Non-working USB port

conclusions

You already know well how to deal with them, so go ahead! That's all I have for today! I hope now you know why the computer does not see the flash drive and what to do about this problem. If you found the article useful, like it. Also, don’t forget to ask your questions and suggestions in the comments. Peace and goodness to everyone!

Today, USB is one of the most common data transfer protocols between a computer and a connected device. Therefore, it is very unpleasant when the system does not see devices connected to the corresponding connector. Especially many problems arise if interaction with a keyboard or mouse occurs on a PC via USB. Let's figure out what factors cause this problem and determine methods to eliminate it.

In this article we will not discuss problems with the visibility of the device associated with its inoperability, because in this case this equipment should be replaced or repaired. The article will concern cases where the problem is caused by malfunctions or incorrect settings of the system or PC hardware. In fact, there can be many reasons for such a malfunction, and each of them has its own solution algorithm. We'll talk about specific ways to fix this problem below.

Method 1: Microsoft Utility

In many cases, a specially created utility from Microsoft can solve the problem with the visibility of USB devices.

Method 2: "Device Manager"

Sometimes an issue with USB hardware visibility can be resolved by simply updating the configuration in "Device Manager".

1. Click "Start". Click "Control Panel".



2. Come in "System and safety".



3. Now open "Device Manager" by clicking on the corresponding inscription in the block "System".



4. The interface will launch "Device Manager". The problematic device in the list can either be displayed in a block "Other devices", or absent altogether. In the first case, click on the block name.



5. A list of devices will open. Problematic equipment may be indicated there either under its real name or listed as "USB Mass Storage Device". Click on its name with the right mouse button ( RMB) and select "Update configuration...".



6. Device search will be activated.



7. After it is completed and the configuration is updated, it is quite possible that the system will begin to interact normally with the problematic device.

If the required equipment is not displayed at all in "Device Manager", click on the menu item "Action" and then select "Update configuration...". After this, a procedure similar to that described just above will occur.

Method 3: Update or reinstall drivers

If the computer does not see only a certain USB device, then there is a possibility that the problem is due to incorrect installation of drivers. In this case, they need to be reinstalled or updated.

If this option does not help, then there is another method.

1. Click in "Device Manager" by device name RMB. Select "Properties".



2. Go to the tab "Driver".



3. Click on the button "Roll back". If it is not active, click "Delete".



4. Next, you should indicate your intentions by pressing the button "OK" in the dialog box that appears.



5. The procedure for removing the selected driver will be performed. Next, click on the position in the horizontal menu of the window "Action". Select from the list "Update configuration...".



6. Now the device name should appear in the window again "Device Manager". You can check its functionality.

If the system was unable to find the appropriate drivers or the problem was not solved after installing them, then you can use the services of specialized ones. They are good because they will find matches on the Internet for all devices connected to the PC and perform automatic installation.

Method 4: Setting up USB controllers

Another option that can help solve the problem under study is setting up USB controllers. It is still performed in the same place, that is, in "Device Manager".

If this does not help, then you can reinstall the drivers for the group elements listed above "USB Controllers", using the same methods that were described in the presentation Method 3.

Method 5: Troubleshooting the port

It is possible that your computer does not see USB devices simply because its corresponding port is faulty. In order to find out if this is so, if your desktop PC or laptop has several USB ports, try connecting the equipment through a different connector. If this time the connection is successful, it means that the problem is in the port.

To resolve this problem, you need to open the system unit and see if this port is connected to the motherboard. If it is not connected, then connect. If there is mechanical damage or other damage to the connector, then in this case it is necessary to replace it with a working version.

Method 6: Relieving Static Stress

In addition, you can try to remove static voltage from the motherboard and other PC components, which can also cause the problem we are describing.

There is also a possibility that the computer does not see the equipment due to the fact that many USB devices are already connected to it. The system simply cannot cope with such a load. In this case, we recommend disconnecting all other devices and connecting the problematic equipment to the back of the system unit if there is an appropriate connector there. Perhaps this recommendation will help solve the problem.

Method 7: Disk Management

The problem with the visibility of a connected USB device, in this case exclusively a flash drive or external hard drive, can be solved using the system’s built-in tool "Disk Management".

1. Click Win+R. Enter in the field of the shell that appears:

   Apply by pressing "OK".



2. The tool interface starts "Disk Management". You need to monitor whether the name of the flash drive appears and disappears in the window when it is connected to the computer and disconnected. If nothing new happens visually at all, then this method will not suit you and you need to solve the problem using other methods. If changes occur in the list of connected drives when attaching new media, then you can try to solve the problem with visibility using this tool. If next to the name of the disk device there is an inscription "Not distributed", then click on it RMB. Next, select "Create a simple volume...".



3. Will start "Simple Volume Creation Wizard...". Click "Further".



4. Then a window will open where you need to specify the volume size. Since in our case we need the volume size to be equal to the size of the entire disk, then click here too "Further" without making changes.



5. The next window requires you to assign a drive letter. In the corresponding field, select a character that differs from those letters that are already assigned to other drives in the system. Click "Further".



6. The following settings window opens. Here in the field "Volume Label" You can enter a name that will be assigned to the current volume. Although, this is not necessary, since you can leave the default name. Click "Further".



7. The next window will provide a summary of all the data entered in the previous steps. To complete the procedure, just click on the button "Ready".



8. After this, the volume name and status will appear opposite the media name "Fixed". Next click on it RMB and select “Make partition active”.



9. The computer should now see the flash drive or external hard drive. If this does not happen, then restart your PC.

There are situations when when opening a tool "Disk Management", the volume that belongs to the flash drive already has the status "Good". In this case, there is no need to create a new volume, but only those manipulations that are described starting from point 8 need to be performed.

If, when opening the tool "Disk Management" you see that the disk is not initialized and has a single volume that is not allocated, this means that, most likely, this drive is physically damaged.

Method 8: Setting up the power supply

You can solve the problem with the visibility of USB devices by making some manipulations in the power settings. This method especially often helps when using laptops that interact with connected equipment via the USB 3.0 protocol.

1. Go to "Control Panel" and then to the section "System and safety". We discussed how to do this during analysis. Method 2. Go here by position "Power supply".



2. In the window that opens, find the current power plan. There should be an active radio button next to its name. Click on the position "Setting up a power plan" near the named position.



3. In the shell that appears, click “Change advanced settings...”.



4. In the window that appears, click "USB Settings".



5. Click on the inscription "Temporary shutdown option...".



6. The specified option will open. If the value is specified there "Allowed", then you should change it. To do this, click on the indicated inscription.



7. From the drop-down list, select "Forbidden" and then click "Apply" And "OK".

Now you can check whether USB devices will work on this PC or whether you need to move on to other ways to solve the problem.

Method 9: Eliminating the virus

We should not exclude the possibility that the problem with the visibility of USB devices arose as a result of a virus infection of the computer. The fact is that some viruses specifically block USB ports so that they cannot be detected using an anti-virus utility connected from a flash drive. But what to do in this situation, because if the standard antivirus missed the malicious code, then it is now of little use, and you cannot connect an external scanner for the above reason?

In this case, you can scan the hard drive with an anti-virus utility from another computer or use a LiveCD. There are quite a few programs designed for these purposes, and each of them has its own nuances of operation and management. But there is no point in going into detail about each of them, since most of them have an intuitive interface. The main thing when detecting a virus is to follow the prompts that the utility displays. In addition, our website has a separate article dedicated to such programs.

There are quite a few ways to restore the visibility of USB devices in Windows 7, but this does not mean that all of them will be effective in your particular case. Often you have to try many options before finding the right way to solve the problem.

External hard drives and USB flash drives are generally easy to use - you connect them to the appropriate connector, and you can immediately work, write and rewrite information. Their convenience and indispensability are difficult to overestimate. But in some cases, when you connect a removable drive to a USB port, you find that the computer does not see the flash drive, and the drive indicator does not light up.

The problem may be caused by partition errors (for example, the wrong file system is being used), non-working USB ports, driver problems in Windows, or other problems. In the worst case, the flash drive itself may simply be damaged during operation or as a result of mechanical damage, but, however, a new flash drive may not work when connected.

Let's take a closer look at why the computer doesn't see the flash drive and what to do to fix the problem yourself.

Let's make a reservation right away - sometimes a malfunction due to which the flash drive fails or another device may be in the BIOS. For example, support for USB devices is disabled in the BIOS settings - that’s why the computer does not see the flash drive.

But it happens that the BIOS itself cannot detect a removable device. For example, you created a bootable USB flash drive, but when you boot your computer, it is not recognized.

Why might this happen? If in the settings the boot priority is set to a removable device, most likely the created bootable flash media was simply written incorrectly. You should recreate the bootable USB flash drive using programs that can be easily found on the Internet and then try to use it again and check if it works on another computer.

The indicator is on, but the flash drive is not recognized

In this case, most likely there is still a chance to restore it, but maybe the problem is not there. This means that the situation is not fatal. Because, in fact, the indicator light just means that there is no power supply. That is, the device may turn out to be quite working.

What could be the reason?

The USB ports on the front panel are not connected - this is perhaps one of the most common reasons. Often, users connect a flash drive to the front USB port and find that the indicator does not blink - it happens that the cable was not connected to these ports when assembling the computer.

There are two solutions here, and both of them are quite obvious and understandable. First, connect the removable drive to the rear USB port, if everything works, the problem is in the front ports. The second option is to check and, if there is no connection, connect the cable from the front ports to the computer’s motherboard.

Other most common reasons why a flash device is faulty

First, let's check if Windows detects the drive when you connect it to your computer. If you are using a portable hard drive, connect it to your computer via a USB cable. Some removable drives may have separate power cables that need to be connected before everything starts working.

To check if your external hard drive or flash drive is recognized, open the management tool. To do this, press Win + R, enter the combination diskmgmt.msc in the dialog box.

You should see your connected external drive listed in the Disk Management window. Even if it doesn't appear in Explorer because it doesn't contain any partitions (not formatted), it should appear here.

If you see the drive in this menu, it means that Windows has detected it, after which you can format it and the device will be ready to use. If you do not see the removable device in the control window, proceed to the next section, in which we will try to determine why the computer does not see the flash drive.

Special connection options

Some users prefer to connect a flash drive via a USB hub or extension cable. This, of course, is sometimes more convenient, but in this case the malfunction also occurs in the adapters. Try making a direct connection.
And it happens that a lot of devices are connected to the computer via USB (for example, through the same hub, which itself is quite functional), and there is simply not enough power for the flash drives. This, however, happens quite rarely in modern cars, but still remains quite possible. Try disconnecting other devices, and if everything works, that was the problem. In this case, the solution may be to install a more powerful power supply or simply not use too many devices at the same time.

USB port problems

If Windows does not see your removable drive in any modes and after formatting, too, there may be a hardware problem with the USB port, a driver problem, or simply the connected device is faulty. What to do in such cases?

First, unplug the drive from the USB port and try connecting it to a different USB port. If it works in one but doesn't activate in the other, your USB connector may be bad. If you connected the drive to a USB hub, try connecting it directly to your computer. Some USB hubs do not provide enough power for your external drive.

If the drive doesn't show up in the management program even after you unplug the USB hub and plug it into another port on your computer, it's hard to know for sure whether the removable media is bad or the computer's motherboard has problems.

If you have another computer nearby, try plugging a USB device directly into it to see if the hardware is detected. If the media does not work on any computer when connected, do not forget to check whether it appears in the disk management window - if not, most likely the device itself is damaged, and you will need to replace it (buy a new one) or repair it.

If the drive works on other computers or you don't have another computer nearby to test it, there may be a driver problem with the connected drives on the Windows system itself. You can check this using Device Manager.

To open it, press Win + R, enter the combination “devmgmt.msc” in the dialog box and press Enter.
And sometimes it also happens that there is a virus in the system that has infected a USB drive file. In this case, the device either does not boot at all, or the antivirus simply blocks it.

Sometimes the flash drive is still recognized, but when accessed, an access denied error appears. In this case, it is usually worth destroying the autorun.inf file through the command line - first Start, then Run, then “cd F:/” (or whatever drive letter is used for the flash drive), then the command “attrib -a -s -h -r autorun .inf"; "Enter"; command "del autorun.inf"; "Enter". In this case, it is better not to turn off the antivirus to avoid infecting the system.

Drivers

Look in the device manager for currently connected devices to check for equipment with a yellow exclamation mark next to them. If the flash drive's indicator is not lit and you see a yellow exclamation mark, there is no doubt - this indicates problems with the drivers.

Right-click on the device with the yellow exclamation point, select the Properties option, and look at the error message. This bug report may help you resolve the issue, but you can do a Google search to find out the actual problem in your specific case. Be sure to enter the code if it is present or retype the error exactly to get the most reliable information that will help solve your driver problem.

System Restore

Problems with a flash drive can sometimes be quite difficult to fix. If the problem occurred recently, you can take extreme measures - run a system restore. You can use the Update Driver button to install an updated, good driver and roll back any changes, or use the Uninstall function to remove the device from the system and hope that Windows will automatically reinstall the driver and then set it up correctly when you reconnect USB drive.

Computer. Let's look at each breakdown in detail.

Reason 1: Inactive sockets and lack of power

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.

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, for which they pay for 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 remove the checkbox from this item, simultaneously switching the system to the ability to show hidden files.

The main work has been done. All you need to do is find the infected file under the name autorun.inf and mercilessly delete it.

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 get started, 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.

So, on the left there are three main categories, of which we need the second, namely “Storage devices”.

A list of all logical drives that are in the system will appear on the right. Including our nameless flash drive.

We fix this jamb by pressing the right button on the drive. Select the item “Change letter...”.

A small window will pop up, kindly asking you to change the letter. Click on “Change”.

A menu will appear with just one active element, which is what we need. Please note that not all letters are applicable to the flash drive, because:

1) A – floppy disc;

2) B – similar;

3) C – system partition of the hard drive;

4) D – logical partition.

Let it be, for example, “G”, which we will stop at. Save the changes and enjoy the result.