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Hardware and Windows Vista Hardware issues in relation to Windows Vista. (microsoft.public.windows.vista.hardware_devices) |
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Is this flash drive toast?
Friend has a flash drive that was working OK, but when he plugged it in
yesterday, it didn't show in Explorer. When he plugs it in it makes the appropriate sounds, but it doesn't appear in Explorer or Disk management. We uninstalled all of the pertinent entries in Device Manager and tried it again, and it all reinstalled perfectly, gave notice that it was in stalled, etc., but in addition to not showing up, there is no "Safely Remove Hardware" icon, no mention of the device when I force the "safely remove" dialogue. Tried it on another machine with the same results, tried another stick on my friend's machine and it works fine. Is this thing toast? Is there no utility that can reach into the "drive's" guts and make it come back out of hiding, or is it irrecoverable corruption? -- Ronin |
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Is this flash drive toast?
"Ronin" wrote in message
... Friend has a flash drive that was working OK, but when he plugged it in yesterday, it didn't show in Explorer. When he plugs it in it makes the appropriate sounds, but it doesn't appear in Explorer or Disk management. We uninstalled all of the pertinent entries in Device Manager and tried it again, and it all reinstalled perfectly, gave notice that it was in stalled, etc., but in addition to not showing up, there is no "Safely Remove Hardware" icon, no mention of the device when I force the "safely remove" dialogue. Tried it on another machine with the same results, tried another stick on my friend's machine and it works fine. Is this thing toast? Is there no utility that can reach into the "drive's" guts and make it come back out of hiding, or is it irrecoverable corruption? -- Ronin USB flash drives have a tendency to suddenly and irretrievably fail. This is why they are good for conveniently transporting files that you already have, but should *never* be used as working file storage or as backup media. Because of this tendency to fail, I've just stopped using them, and instead use portable drives that use different technology. An iPod can be a handy option. HTH -pk |
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Is this flash drive toast?
"Patrick Keenan" wrote in message ... "Ronin" wrote in message ... Friend has a flash drive that was working OK, but when he plugged it in yesterday, it didn't show in Explorer. When he plugs it in it makes the appropriate sounds, but it doesn't appear in Explorer or Disk management. We uninstalled all of the pertinent entries in Device Manager and tried it again, and it all reinstalled perfectly, gave notice that it was in stalled, etc., but in addition to not showing up, there is no "Safely Remove Hardware" icon, no mention of the device when I force the "safely remove" dialogue. Tried it on another machine with the same results, tried another stick on my friend's machine and it works fine. Is this thing toast? Is there no utility that can reach into the "drive's" guts and make it come back out of hiding, or is it irrecoverable corruption? -- Ronin USB flash drives have a tendency to suddenly and irretrievably fail. This is why they are good for conveniently transporting files that you already have, but should *never* be used as working file storage or as backup media. Because of this tendency to fail, I've just stopped using them, and instead use portable drives that use different technology. An iPod can be a handy option. HTH -pk Thanks, Patrick. I was aware of those issues, and I don't use them much either. Still, my friend and I believe he inadvertently removed the stick immediately after inserting it, while it was in the middle of "installing", and then reinserted it. He has a form of chorea that involves gross tremors and spasms, and what he observed on screen and via the sound prompts leads him to that conclusion. No biggy, though. Nothing that can't be replaced. More a PITA than a disaster, and an opportunity to research possibilities and learn. My thanks to you MVPs (and other volunteers.) The cyberworld would be quite different without you. -- Ronin |