Why doesn't the computer see the flash drive? The laptop does not see the USB device. Why doesn't USB 2.0 see the flash drive?

Despite the massive spread of cloud technologies and the increase in data transfer speeds over the Internet, removable USB storage media are still actively used in working with computers. The latest generation flash drives transfer large amounts of information at significant speed and do not depend on the connection, provider or network restrictions. This article describes the most common reasons why a personal computer does not see a USB flash drive, and provides instructions for solving these problems.

Physical problem with the flash drive

This is not the most common, but the most obvious reason why the computer does not see the flash drive. Inside these devices there are microcircuits that, like any other electronics, can burn out. It is possible that water got inside the case and caused the contacts to short out. Also, due to improper use, one of the plug contacts could be damaged.

There are even special viruses that burn out all devices connected to a specific USB port of a personal computer. In this case, nothing can be done to help.

Physical problem with the port

Another obvious reason why the computer does not see the flash drive lies in problems with the port itself on the computer. The condensate that got inside it could oxidize the contacts, which leads to a loss of their performance. The port may have burned out due to power outages and unstable operation of the power supply.

Also, a similar problem can occur if the port is not connected to the motherboard. Similar situations often happen with the front panel of a PC case. The controls and ports located on it must be additionally connected to the motherboard. If the wire comes loose, or they simply forgot to connect it, nothing will work.

In this case, you should check the wiring inside the system unit yourself, or contact an assembly specialist.

Drivers for USB 3.0

The USB 3.0 generation, which came into use not so long ago, has not yet completely conquered the market. Typically, such ports are installed in cases along with the still relevant, but slower 2.0. They can be identified by a blue strip of plastic inside the connector itself.

The problem may be that the BIOS version used or the “clean” installed operating system only has second-generation drivers installed. Regular ports in this case operate in normal mode, and the “blue” ones will not show any signs of life.

The problem is solved by installing drivers on your motherboard. They can be found on the included DVD or downloaded from the official website of the product manufacturer. You can also try updating the operating system - the Windows Update Wizard automatically pulls up and installs all the necessary patches.

Reinstalling drivers

If you are confident in the operation of your ports and a portable device that the computer cannot read for some reason, you can try reinstalling the driver for the USB port. Extreme caution is recommended when working with installed drivers. Incorrect actions can disrupt the stable operation of the OS. It is best to create a Windows restore point before following these instructions.

The necessary drivers will be automatically installed on your computer.

Virus infection

If your PC or laptop does not detect the flash drive, the problem may lie in some malicious code. Firstly, a script may be running on the computer itself, interfering with the correct operation of the controllers or Windows Explorer. To solve this problem, you need to scan your system for viruses and clean it. This is done using special programs - antiviruses.

If you do not have an antivirus installed, it is highly recommended to download it. You can use a free utility from Microsoft – Security Essentials, which can be downloaded from this link https://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/details.aspx?id=5201.

Install the program and run it. In the options menu on the right, select “Full” and click the “Check Now” button. After this, you will need to wait a while while the utility searches for malicious scripts on your system.

Another problem may be that viruses have infected your removable device, and the antivirus program installed on your computer is blocking the infected flash drive. In this case, the PC detects the media, but will not work with it until it is cleaned. Wait some time until the antivirus prepares the device for safe operation.

System Configurations

The issue where your PC won't read your flash drive may be caused by specific settings in your Windows. You can change them by editing entries in the system registry:

Not so long ago I encountered such a problem on an already installed Windows 8.1 operating system. The computer was handed to me so that I could reinstall the system from Windows 8.1 to Windows 7, and first of all I checked the USB input. I connected a flash drive and a computer mouse to it, but the laptop did not see any equipment. Then I noticed that the USB port itself is blue, which indicates that it is USB 3.0

It doesn't work for only one reason: drivers for USB 3.0 are not installed on the system.

To check the presence of drivers in the system, look in the device manager to see if there are any questions or other signs next to the installed drivers. If there are no suspicious signs, then the driver is installed in the system, but it is either old or does not fit the operating system.

What are the options for solving the problem?

1. As an option, I loaded USB 3.0 drivers for Intel, AMD and Asus motherboards onto my server. You need to download one of the presented drivers.

How to find out what motherboard you have?

Laptops usually have an INTEL or AMD type label.

In the device manager, in the USB controllers section, pay attention to the following:

As you can see in the photo above, I have a motherboard with an Intel chipset installed, so the driver needs to be downloaded from this particular manufacturer.

2. Download the DriverPack Solution program, then install or update the USB 3.0 driver. The program is absolutely free and does not require installation, but this 1 version requires an Internet connection.

3. If the top two options did not help you, you must either install from the disks that were given when you purchased the computer, or use my article “Where to download drivers”. In this article, I showed how to download firewood from the official websites of such manufacturers as Acer, Samsung, Toshiba and Dell. A video is attached to the article.

But I think that the first option will definitely help in solving this problem.

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

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

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

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

If the device works on another PC or you do not have the opportunity to check it

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

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

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

If you have a flash drive rather than a hard drive, you can use special utilities to fix software errors. Such software can usually be found on the manufacturer's website. For example, the JetFlash Online Recovery program is for Transcend drives. And USB Flash Drive Online Recovery is for ADATA brand flash drives. But keep in mind that during the recovery process, these utilities erase all data from flash drives.

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

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

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

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

Mac diagnostic software provides detailed information about all software and hardware components on your computer, including USB devices. Open the Apple menu, then hold down the Option key, click "System Information" and go to the USB section in the menu that opens.

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

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 that you disconnect all other devices and connect 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.