There are many reasons why the computer does not see the flash drive, and if you visited this site, then you have such a problem. The error can appear on both Windows XP and Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows 10. There are several options for this error to appear when a flash drive is inserted:

1. A message appears "Insert disc", after connecting the flash drive.
2. The computer prompts you to format the flash drive.
3. A data error message occurs.
4. The computer freezes after connecting a flash drive to it.
5. It is possible that an error appears "USB device not recognized", then read.

In this article I will try to describe several effective methods that can solve this problem, starting with simple ones first, and then moving on to more complex ones. If it turns out that the first method did not help, move on to the next one. If none of the methods help at all, then there is a possibility of physical damage to the flash drive and then these instructions will not help you. But let's be optimistic and try to solve the problem. Go.

Checking the flash drive in Disk Management

We need to open the Disk Management utility. To do this, press the keys Win+R and enter the command diskmgmt.msc. Or we open "Control Panel" — "Administration" — "Computer Management" — "Disk Management".

And we see if the manager sees our flash drive. Try connecting it and disconnecting it. The ideal option would be that if the flash drive section is able "Good", then you can simply use this partition by right-clicking on it, and, if necessary, set the drive letter. If you did everything correctly, then you should see the flash drive in “My Computer”.

You may see the following message: "Not distributed", "Unknown" and other things, then this may mean that the flash drive is damaged, in this case, it is worth trying to restore the data.

Solution one. Simple

When connecting a flash drive via a USB hub or extension cable, you should connect directly; if that doesn’t work, try connecting the flash drive to other ports, including those located on the back of the system unit. Also, first try unplugging all devices connected via USB, and then connecting only the USB flash drive. If everything went well, then there is a possibility that the power supply is insufficient. In this case, you will have to purchase a more powerful one. There is an easier option - there are USB hubs that have their own power supplies.

If the flash drive is not visible on Windows XP

Frequent problems with USB drives not being detected are that the necessary updates are not installed to work with them. In particular, many organizations still use Windows XP. Since there may be restrictions on the Internet, such updates are not installed.

So, if you have Windows XP installed, on which the flash drive is not visible:

• Install version SP3, if you have SP, also uninstall Internet Explorer 8.
• You should install all updates on Windows XP.

Updates that fix some bugs related to USB flash drives:

KB925196, KB817900, KB968132, KB895962, KB88740, KB314634, KB871233, KB312370.

I will not describe them; perhaps you will find information about these updates yourself if you are interested.

And if you have Windows Vista and the same problem occurs, then you should start by installing updates. Although, this OS is almost never used anymore.

Second way. Removing USB Drivers

Sometimes, errors occur, e.g. "insert disk", is associated with damaged or outdated drivers. Also, because of this, the computer may freeze or reboot.

So what is the reason? After we connect the flash drive to the computer for the first time, the drivers are installed; when the flash drive is disconnected, the driver remains in the system. Next, we connect another flash drive, which we have never connected, in this case Windows will try to use the drivers of the previous flash drive, which is why conflicts arise. Now, let's try to remove drivers that are not located in the device manager, as you probably thought.

Remove drivers for USB devices

Let's write everything down point by point to make it clearer.

• Turn off the computer and unplug all USB devices (flash drives, memory cards, mice, keyboards, hard drives, etc.).
• Turn on the computer
• Download DriveCleanup (compatible with all OS)
• Copy the file drivecleanup.exe and move it to the C:\Windows\System32 folder. Choose either 32 or 64.
• Run a command prompt as administrator and enter the following command: drivecleanup.exe
• Now the removal of all USB drivers, as well as registry entries, will begin.

After the operation is completed, restart the computer and insert the flash drive. She must earn money in a new way.

Additional method

Another method. You need to go to the registry and follow this path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

If there is a parameter NoDrives, then delete it, and then restart the computer.

Well, the last thing on this point. We go to the registry and follow the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control

If there is a parameter named StorageDevicePolicies, then delete it and restart the computer again.

If the above methods do not work, try data recovery. And even if this does not help, then the flash drive will have to be taken to a service center, only to a good and trusted one.

What to do if the computer does not see the flash drive? Removable drives and HDDs should be extremely easy to use. But sometimes it happens that after connecting an external USB device to a personal computer running the Windows operating system, it is absolutely not recognized. If the computer does not see the flash card, this may be caused by problems with the partitions on the removable drive, using the wrong file system, faulty connectors, outdated drivers, or other reasons.

Below in the text, as well as at the end of the article, you can watch a video why the computer does not see the removable disk. Perhaps you will learn or understand more from it than from the article.

If the PC does not see the flash drive through “My Computer,” then, in the worst case, this may mean that the removable drive has failed and can no longer be restored. Pocket flash drives and large external HDDs work on identical principles, so the tips listed below apply to both types of devices.

What to do if the laptop does not see the flash drive? First of all, you need to find out whether the drive is visible in the disk management manager. Windows Explorer should automatically detect a removable device when it is connected via USB. Insert the disk into the slot. In some cases, to activate an external device, you must press a special button or lever on it. Heavy removable HDDs, unlike flash drives, can even be connected to the mains using a separate power cable, so the computer may not see the external drive if it is turned off.

Now you need to open the Disk Management tool. To do this, press the key combination Win + R, enter diskmgmt.msc in the line that appears and confirm with Enter. Now we can see the external drive in the management window. It should appear here even if it has no partitions.

If you see a device here that is unreadable, then you can immediately start formatting it so that Windows Explorer and various devices can access it. If the netbook does not detect the flash drive, then move on to the next section, in which we will try to determine why the drive is not recognized.

Now we need to somehow get Windows Explorer to recognize the external drive. It may not be recognized due to a hardware problem related to the computer's USB port. Other possible reasons could be incorrectly installed drivers or physical damage to the flash drive.

What to do when the computer does not see the flash drive? First, you need to disconnect the drive from one USB port and try connecting it to another. If the removable disk works in the new slot, this means that the problem was a malfunction of the previous one. In case you are using a USB extension cable, try disconnecting it and connecting the flash drive directly to your computer. Such cables sometimes cannot provide the removable device with enough power to operate.

Driver problems

If Windows 7 does not see the flash drive in Disk Management, even after you have connected it to another connector on the laptop, then the problem may be with the flash drive itself or with the PC. If there is another computer nearby, you should try connecting the drive to it to see if it detects it. If a flash drive refuses to work on several computers, then it has most likely become obsolete and must be disposed of. But before making such a sad conclusion, you definitely need to check whether the removable device appears in the disk management window on other computers.

If the drive works on other PCs, or you do not have additional computers at hand that can be used, you need to check that the installed drivers are up to date. This is done using the device manager. To open it, press the key combination Win + R, enter devmgmt.msc in the line that opens and confirm with Enter.

In the list of devices that appears, you need to carefully check all drives for the presence of an icon in the form of a yellow exclamation mark. If you were able to detect such a symbol, then the problem lies with the drivers. Right-click on the device with the yellow exclamation mark, select “Properties” and look at the error message. It should help you solve the problem, as you can copy it into a Google search to find reviews from other users who have encountered a similar problem.

Problems like these can be difficult to fix. If the computer does not see the drive relatively recently, you can try running System Restore. But the best way is to use the Update Driver button to install the latest version of the required software. You can try clicking “Roll Back Driver” in the hope that its previous version will work. You can also use the “Delete” button to make the external device disappear from the system’s field of view until the computer is restarted. It also happens that when Windows is restarted, the flash drive suddenly becomes working.

Partitioning and formatting

If the computer does not recognize the USB flash drive, then the disk management tool can be used to fix partition and file system problems. If you see that the disk is partitioned and full of unallocated space, then you can create a new partition on it. Thanks to this, Windows and other operating systems will be able to work with the flash drive.

Right-click inside the unallocated space, select “New Simple Partition” and follow the further instructions of the program. If the drive is divided into parts, but still does not appear, you need to check whether a specific drive letter is assigned to it. Typically this should happen automatically, but in some cases manual entry may be necessary. Right-click on the removable disk partition, select “Change letter” and enter any free letter. For example, you can write “G:”, and in the future the drive on the computer will be called that way.

If the disk is partitioned, but XP does not see the flash drive, then it is not a fact that the partition was done using the correct file system. For example, a flash drive can be formatted using ext4 for Linux (Linux) or HFS Plus from Mac (Mac). In this case, Windows 10 does not see the flash drive because it is not familiar with such a system. You need to reformat the drive using NTFS or FAT32. Thanks to this, Windows will be able to recognize the flash memory. To reconfigure a partition, right-click on it, click “Format” and select the desired file system.

Please note that this will delete all files on the drive. It makes sense to first connect the flash drive to a Linux or Mac device to copy the data. If you can't connect a removable drive to devices such as a DVD player or TV, the reason may be the NTFS file system. The above technique only works with FAT32.

Article content:

Mobile flash media have gained wide popularity for their undeniable advantages over other external storage devices. It is probably impossible to overestimate the benefits that USB flash drives bring to users. You can very quickly record the necessary information on a flash drive, it is convenient to always carry it with you, and it costs an order of magnitude cheaper than an external hard drive. Users who actively use USB storage devices have probably at least once encountered an unpleasant problem when the computer does not see the flash drive.

At the most crucial moment, you can lose access to important recorded information and find yourself in a difficult situation. There may be several reasons why the computer does not see the flash drive. In most cases, the situation is fixable and your non-working USB drive can be returned to normal operation. Sometimes the problem with the computer detecting a flash drive lies entirely in the computer itself and the USB drive has nothing to do with it. We will analyze in detail the most common causes of malfunctions and ways to solve them.

If you encounter a flash drive malfunction, then probably one of its reasons is listed below:

The USB flash drive itself does not work

Problem: This option is the most unfavorable for the user because in this case it is almost impossible to bring the flash drive back to life. A flash drive becomes unusable if the chip is mechanically damaged, if the built-in controller fails, or if the electrical circuit is shorted. You can also lose the functionality of a USB flash drive if the contacts on the board are physically damaged (with active mechanical impact on the USB port of the flash drive).

Determining the irreversible failure of a flash drive is quite simple: insert it into the computer and monitor what is happening. If the light indicator on the USB drive does not light up, you do not hear the characteristic sound of connecting a flash drive and the computer does not see a new connection, then the failure is most likely fatal. If the indicator light is on and the characteristic connection sound is heard, then there is still a chance of returning to functionality.

Solution: In the event of a fatal failure, when the computer does not see the flash drive and there are no visible signs of its performance, the result is disappointing. It is almost impossible to solve such a problem. You can try to take the drive to a workshop, where perhaps a technician will resolder the contacts, but this will be unreasonably expensive and will only help if the contacts are physically damaged.

If there is a non-fatal malfunction (the computer does not see the flash drive, but after connecting the indicator light is on), you should try the methods that will be discussed below.

The USB port on the front panel of the computer is de-energized

Problem: Owners of personal computers very often insert a flash drive into the USB connectors on the front panel of the computer, because it is fast and convenient. There are times when, when assembling a computer, the cable from the USB ports on the front panel is forgotten to be connected to the motherboard, or for some reason it comes off. Naturally, if the USB connector is de-energized, the computer does not see the user’s flash drive.

Solution: There are two solutions to this problem. The first is to connect a flash drive using the rear USB ports, while the front connectors remain inoperable and this is difficult to consider as a complete solution.

The second is more productive and involves connecting a cable from the front USB ports to the computer’s motherboard. Depending on the computer model and the number of USB connectors on the front panel, the cables may have different designs. In this case, the marking of individual wires remains unchanged. Most often, four wires labeled “VCC”, “D-”, “D+” and “GND” are connected to the connector. In addition, they are color coded red, white, green and black, respectively (in rare cases, it does not match the cable and the motherboard, use the labels as a guide).

We connect the USB cable to the connector on the motherboard. See below for what the connector should look like.

The meaning of the contacts can be seen below.

It will be better if the connection is made by a knowledgeable person. If the cable is connected incorrectly to the connector (for example, if the wires are mixed up), you may subsequently burn the connected devices. If you decide to make the connection yourself, write to us the model of your computer and motherboard, and we will clarify the data specifically for your components.

The computer does not see the flash drive due to a non-working USB port

Problem: Sometimes problems with a flash drive are due to the fact that the USB port on the computer that is being used simply does not function. In this case, not only the flash drive, but also other USB devices will not work in a particular faulty port. The most common cause of a non-functioning USB port is a damaged contact. If all USB connectors on your computer are not functioning, they may be disabled in the Bios settings.

Solution: The solution to mechanical damage to contacts can only be repaired by a specialist who solders all damaged elements. It is not recommended to do this yourself.

USB ports that are disabled in Bios can be enabled using a simple setup. First, you need to go into the Bios of your computer (when turning it on, press the “F2”, “Del” or other key, depending on the Bios version). Next, go to the “Advanced” --> “USB Configuration” section.

Make sure that the “USB Controller” field allows the use of USB ports and says “Enabled”. Don't forget to save the settings before exiting Bios.

Trivial contamination of the USB flash drive connector

Problem: Since a flash drive is in many situations carried in pockets or used as a key fob, over time plaque, dust and foreign debris accumulate in its connector. This happens extremely rarely, but a dirty USB connector can cause the computer to not read the flash drive. It will not be detected the first time, it will often freeze, or the reading speed will be greatly reduced.

Solution: To fix this problem, you need to clean the USB port of the flash drive from debris and dust. Removing plaque and oxidation from the connector may solve the problem.

The computer does not see the flash drive due to viruses

Problem: Very often, viruses cause problems in the operation of a flash drive. When trying to open an infected USB flash drive, the user receives the message “Access denied” or “Removable media not found.” Thus, access to the recorded data becomes limited.

Solution: To solve this problem, you need to delete the malicious file from the flash drive and scan it for viruses. Go to “Start” and enter “Show hidden files and folders” in the search bar and click on the search result.

Uncheck the box next to “Hide protected system files” and check the box next to “Show hidden files, folders and drives”.

After that, using Explorer, go to the flash drive and delete the malicious file “Autorun.inf”.

Drivers failing or using outdated drivers

Problem: There are often cases when the computer does not want to see the flash drive due to outdated drivers or a malfunctioning driver. For example, some older computers cannot handle flash drives larger than 32 GB. A driver failure can occur for various reasons. In any case, the problem with the drivers is solved by updating them.

Solution: Go to “Start” and enter “Device Manager” in the search bar, go to the found section.

We connect the flash drive to the computer and in the device manager go to the “USB Controllers” section. Right-click on “USB Mass Storage Device”, select “Properties” and click “Delete”.

Using these steps you will remove the installed driver. We remove the flash drive from the computer and then connect it again. This will update the necessary driver.

If this method does not help you, you can try reinstalling the chipset drivers. They include drivers for all controllers. For this purpose you can use .

File system conflict

Problem: Quite often, the computer does not see the flash drive due to a file system conflict. So, if the computer uses the “NTFS” file system, and the flash drive uses “FAT32”, their incompatibility is possible. I would also like to describe a problem that Mac OS users may encounter. When formatting a flash drive in the Mac OS operating system, users most often choose the “Mac OS Extended” or “ExFAT” file system. Flash drives formatted in this way are very likely to become unreadable in Windows.

Solution: To solve the problem of file incompatibility, you need to format the flash drive. In order to find out what file system your computer has, go to “My Computer”, right-click on the hard drive and select “Properties”.

If you work on both Mac OS and Windows OS, then format the USB flash drive on your Mac in the “MS-DOS” file system. Then it will work fine on both operating systems.

The disk is not formatted

Problem: When a user inserts a flash drive into a computer and tries to open it, he sees a warning that the drive is not formatted and needs to be formatted before starting work. In this case, the amount of occupied and free space on the flash drive is indicated as zero. The recorded information cannot be accessed.

Solution: An effective solution in this case will be formatting. Of course, before this you need to try connecting the flash drive to other computers and see the result. If the problem persists, then format the flash drive (we have already discussed how to do this above). If there is valuable information on the flash drive, select “Quick formatting” when formatting. Then in the future it will be possible to recover deleted information using special programs.

The computer does not see the flash drive due to problems with the partition

Problem: In some cases, the operating system cannot properly mount the flash drive in the system. The flash drive icon does not appear and it is impossible to use it.

Solution: The problem is solved by forcing the partition letter to be specified. To do this, press the key combination “Win” + “R” and enter the simple command “diskmgmt.msc”.

In the manager that appears, we look for our USB device (the partition letter will not be specified next to the flash drive). Right-click on the removable device and select “Change drive letter.”

A small window will appear in which you need to enter the partition letter and click “Change”. Next, select a specific letter and click “OK”.

Conclusion

We examined in detail the reasons why a computer may not read a flash drive. The solutions described should help you cope with this unpleasant problem. In most cases, the unreadability of a flash drive is a reversible process, and only in the most advanced cases, problems with a flash drive are associated with fatal malfunctions of the device. If these tips didn’t help you, write in the comments, we’ll look for answers together.

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.

Checking the functionality of the USB flash drive

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:

1. Find your flash drive. It is usually located in the "USB Controllers" or "Other Devices" section and may be named as a mass storage or unknown device (or the standard name - Kingstone, Silicon Power, etc.).
   
2. Select it, right-click and click Delete.
   
3. In the top menu, select Action – Update configuration.
   

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:

1. Go to Start – Control Panel – Administrative Tools.
   
2. Select the Computer Management shortcut.
   
3. On the left, go to the Disk Management tab.

   
   Disk Management Tab

4. Select the flash drive (it is labeled “Removable device”), right-click and select the “Change drive letter” line. To check which letter is not in use, look in My Computer.

   
   

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.