In this manual I will describe all the ways I know to solve this problem. First, the most simple and, at the same time, the most effective methods will go in most situations when the computer does not see the USB flash drive, reports that the disk is not formatted, or gives other errors. There are also separate instructions on how.

There are many reasons why you may face the fact that the computer does not see the USB flash drive. The problem can manifest itself in any version of the operating system from Microsoft - Windows 10, 8, Windows 7 or XP. If the computer does not recognize the connected USB flash drive, this may manifest itself in several variations

Start the disk management utility in one of the following ways:

• Start - Run (Win + R), enter the command diskmgmt.msc, press Enter
• Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Disk Management

In the disk management window, pay attention to whether the flash drive appears and disappears when it is connected and disconnected from the computer.

Ideal - if the computer sees the connected USB flash drive and all partitions on it (usually one) are in the "Good" state. In this case, just right-click on it, select in context menu"Make the partition active", and, possibly, assign a letter to the USB flash drive - this will be enough for the computer to "see" USB disk... If the section is faulty or deleted, then in the status you will see "Not allocated". Try right-clicking on it and, if such an item is found in the menu, select "Create Simple Volume" to create a partition and format the flash drive (this will delete the data).

Further simple steps

Try to go to the device manager and see if your device appears as unknown, or in the "Other devices" section (as in the screenshot) - the drive can be called there by its real name or as a USB mass storage device.

Click on the device with the right mouse button, select Uninstall, and after deleting it in the device manager, select Action - Update hardware configuration from the menu.

Perhaps this action will already be enough for your flash drive to appear in Windows Explorer and was available.

Among other things, the following options are possible. If you connect a USB flash drive to a computer via an extension cable or USB hub, try connecting directly. Try plugging into all available USB ports. Try turning off the computer, disconnecting all extraneous devices from USB (webcams, external hard drives, card readers, printer), leaving only the keyboard, mouse and USB flash drive, then turning on the computer. If after that the flash drive works, then the problem is in the power supply. USB ports computer - the power of the PC power supply may not be enough. Possible Solution- replace the power supply or purchase a USB hub with its own power supply.

Windows 10 does not see a USB flash drive after an update or installation (also works for Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10)

Many users have faced the problem of not displaying USB drives after upgrading to Windows 10 from previous OS, or after simply installing updates on an already installed Windows 10. In this case, it often happens that flash drives are not visible only via USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 - ie. it can be assumed that USB drivers are required. However, in fact, this behavior is often caused not by drivers, but by incorrect entries in the registry about previously connected USB stick NS.

In this case, it can help free utility USBOblivion removing from windows registry all information about previously connected flash drives and external hard drives. Before using the program, I recommend it.

Disconnect all flash drives and other USB storage devices from the computer, run the program, check the Perform real cleanup and Save undo reg file boxes, then click the Cleanup button.

After cleaning is complete, restart your computer and connect the USB flash drive - with a high probability, it will be detected and become available. If not, then also try to go to the device manager (through the right click on the Start button) and follow the steps to remove the USB drive from the Other devices section and then update the hardware configuration (described above). You can download the USBOblivion program from official page developer: www.cherubicsoft.com/projects/usboblivion

But, in relation to Windows 10, another option is also possible - a real incompatibility of USB 2.0 or 3.0 drivers (as a rule, then they are displayed with exclamation mark in Device Manager). In this case, the recommendation is to check the availability required drivers USB and chipset on the official website of the laptop manufacturer or motherboard PC. At the same time, I recommend using the official websites of the manufacturers of the devices themselves, and not the sites of Intel or AMD to search for such drivers, especially if it comes about laptops. Also, sometimes the problem is solved by updating the BIOS of the motherboard.

If the flash drive does not see Windows XP

The most common situation I encountered when calling for setting up and repairing computers, when the computer with the Windows XP operating system installed on it did not see the USB flash drive (even if it sees other flash drives), was caused by the fact that it was not installed necessary updates to work with USB drives. The fact is that many organizations use Windows XP, often in the SP2 version. Updates, due to restrictions on Internet access or poor performance of the system administrator, were not installed.

So, if you have Windows XP and the computer does not see the USB flash drive:

• If SP2 is installed, update to SP3 (when updating, if you have installed Internet Explorer 8, delete it).
• Install all Windows XP updates, regardless of which Service Pack is used.

Here are some of the fixes for working with USB sticks released in Windows updates XP:

• KB925196 - fixed errors in the fact that the computer does not detect the connected USB flash drive or iPod.
• KB968132 - fixed errors when, when connecting multiple USB devices in Windows XP, they ceased to function normally
• KB817900 - USB port stopped working after removing and re-inserting the USB flash drive
• KB895962 - USB flash drive stops working when the printer is turned off
• KB314634 - the computer sees only old flash drives that were connected before and does not see new ones
• KB88740 - Rundll32.exe error when inserting or removing a USB flash drive
• KB871233 - the computer does not see the USB flash drive if it has just been in sleep or hibernation mode
• KB312370 (2007) - USB 2.0 Support on Windows XP

By the way, despite the fact that Windows Vista is almost never used anywhere, it should be noted that installing all updates should also be the first step when a similar problem occurs.

Remove old USB drivers completely

This option is suitable if the computer says "Insert disc" when you insert the USB flash drive. Old USB drivers available in Windows can cause this problem, as well as errors associated with assigning a letter to a USB flash drive. In addition, this can also be the reason that the computer restarts or freezes when you insert a USB flash drive into the USB port.

The fact is that by default Windows installs drivers for USB drives the moment you first connect them to the corresponding port on your computer. At the same time, when the flash drive is disconnected from the port, the driver does not disappear anywhere and remains in the system. When connecting a new flash drive, conflicts may arise caused by the fact that Windows will try to use the previously installed driver corresponding to this USB port, but a different USB storage device. I will not go into details, but simply describe the steps required to remove these drivers (in the manager Windows devices You won't see them).

How to remove drivers for all USB devices

1. Turn off your computer and disconnect all USB storage devices (and not only) (flash drives, external hard drives, card readers, webcams, etc. The mouse and keyboard can be left on, provided that they do not have a built-in card reader.
2. Turn on your computer again.
3. Download the DriveCleanup utility http://uwe-sieber.de/files/drivecleanup.zip (compatible with Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8)
4. Copy the 32-bit or 64-bit version of drivecleanup.exe (depending on your Windows versions) to the C: \ Windows \ System32 folder.
5. Run command line as administrator and enter drivecleanup.exe
6. You will see the process of removing all drivers and their entries in the Windows registry.

When the program finishes, restart your computer. Now, when you insert the USB flash drive, Windows will install new drivers for it.

Update 2016: It is easier to perform the operation to remove mount points for USB drives using the free USBOblivion program, as described above in the section on non-working flash drives in Windows 10 (the program will work for other versions of Windows as well).

Reinstalling USB Devices in Windows Device Manager

If none of the above has helped yet, and the computer does not see any flash drives at all, and not just one specific one, you can try the following method:

1. Go to Device Manager by pressing Win + R keys and entering devmgmt.msc
2. In the device manager, open the section USB controllers
3. Remove (right click) all devices named USB Root Hub, USB Host Controller or Generic USB Hub.
4. In Device Manager, select Actions - Update Hardware Configuration from the menu.

After repeated USB installation devices, check if the USB drives on your computer or laptop are working.

Additional actions

• Check your computer for viruses - they can cause inappropriate behavior of USB devices
• Check the Windows registry, namely the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer... If you see a parameter named NoDrives in this section, delete it and restart your computer.
• Go to the Windows registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Control... If the StorageDevicePolicies parameter is present, remove it.
• In some cases, a complete blackout of the computer helps. You can do it like this: unplug the flash drives, turn off your computer or laptop, unplug it (or remove the battery if it's a laptop), and then, while the computer is off, press and hold the power button for a few seconds. Then release it, reconnect the power supply and turn it on. Oddly enough, this can sometimes help.

Recovering data from a flash drive that the computer does not see

In case in management Windows disks the computer displays the USB flash drive, but in the "Not recognized", "Not initialized" state, and the partition on the flash drive is "Not allocated", then most likely the data on the USB flash drive is damaged and you will need to use data recovery.

There are several things to keep in mind that increase the likelihood of successful data recovery:

• Do not write anything to the USB flash drive you want to recover
• Do not try to save the recovered files to the same media from where they are being recovered

If all else fails, and your computer still does not see the flash drive, and the files and data stored on it are very important, then the last recommendation would be to contact a company that is professionally engaged in file and data recovery.

Microsoft's Windows operating systems often do not see USB devices, and there can be many reasons for this.
How this manifests itself and is there a way out of the situation - the topic of our article. We will dwell on the reasons in more detail and try to consider each case separately. If your laptop or Personal Computer does not see the USB flash drive, it manifests itself as follows:

• You connected a USB flash drive, but the computer displays the message "insert USB device".
• The flash drive is connected, as evidenced by the icon and sound, but in file manager she's gone.
• The USB formatting warning appears.
• A data error warning appears.

Before trying various ways to fix the problem of invisibility of the flash drive, make sure that the drive is not physically damaged, and also use one of special applications which diagnoses and fixes errors in USB devices. For example, special utilities developed by the corporations Kingston, Sandisk.

Check if the computer sees the connected USB flash drive in "Disk Management"

To start it special utility controlling USB devices, do the following:

Open the Disk Management tab and turn the flash drive on and off several times. If a connected USB device appears, the computer will notify that each of its sections (there is only one in the flash drive) is working properly. In this situation, the easiest way to fix the error is that the PC does not see the USB flash drive. Click on a section with the right key, making this section active. You can also assign the letter E or D to the flash drive. After that, you will see that the computer saw the USB device.

And if after reconnecting the device, "Disk Management" displays the partition status as "Not allocated", then it either does not exist, or it works with errors. Right click and create a section. But this can only be used if the menu contains the item "Create a simple volume". If you create a partition, the flash drive will be formatted, however, with the loss of all data stored on it.

If in the utility you find the label "uninitialized" USB device, then it is damaged. You can try to restore the memory of the drive. We'll tell you how to do this later. If you have previously created partitions on a USB device that are not supported by the Microsoft operating system, then you need to delete them. Step by step instructions will tell you how to do this.

Further simple steps

Using the OS Device Manager, you can view all installed USB devices and check their correct operation. See how your USB stick is displayed in the manager. The flash drive connected to your computer may be unknown, identified by its own name, or a USB storage device.

This flash drive must be removed. Then "update the USB storage configuration".

Very often, after these actions, an updated USB device is displayed in the OS file manager.

There are also other situations that lead to an error in which the computer does not see the USB flash drive. Are you connecting your USB device with an extension cable or USB hub? Then try direct connection devices in turn into each of the USB ports. Perhaps one of the ports is inoperative, and you do not know about it.

Try another option. Disconnect your computer and remove everything connected to it (printers, cameras, external media, card readers and other devices connected to via USB), leaving only necessary minimum and storage. Then turn on your computer. If the PC sees the connected storage device, you have found the problem. It lies in the fact that little power is supplied to the USB ports of the computer. In this case, replacing the power supply or buying a USB hub will help you.

Windows 10 does not see a USB flash drive after an update or installation (also suitable for Windows 7, 8)

If you have updated your operating system, it is highly likely that you will encounter such a problem. In this case, the problem lies either in the absence of a fresh version of USB drivers, or in the fact that the registry entries about USB devices are outdated.

If this is the second option, you can use the USBOblivion program. You can download it for free on the author and delete all obsolete entries. Be careful! Before deleting, it is better to create a restore point so that if USBOblivion does not work correctly, you can undo the erroneous actions by returning to the previous parameters.

Disconnect any flash drives connected to USB ports before running the utility. Only then run it and clean up the registry, after saving the old entries to the file.

After cleaning the registry, reboot and reconnect the drive. If the computer does not see it again, follow step by step all the steps that we wrote about above: delete it, update the configuration and reconnect it.

If your operating system is version 10, then the error can occur if the drivers are incompatible. If so, there will be an exclamation mark next to the driver. In this case, download the updated versions on the official developer pages. Do not use third-party sites to search for drivers, especially if you need to update them for your mobile computer. In some cases, it is recommended that you update the Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) as well.

If the flash drive does not see Windows XP

Owners of Windows XP, especially SP2 builds, often encounter a problem in which the computer does not see the flash media. This problem is caused by the lack of updates in the operating system that would allow working with USB devices.

If you have this operating system and you are facing a problem, follow these steps:

1. Update your build to SP3 and uninstall IE browser.
2. Upgrade your operating system even if you have a new build.
3. If the problem occurs on Win Vista, also update the software first.

Windows XP new build came out with updates that allowed USB-drives to work correctly. The following errors in new version Windows XP has been patched by Microsoft:

• KB967132 - in old version it was impossible to connect multiple flash drives or other devices. When interacting with each other, they caused crashes, freezes and critical system reboots.
• KB898962 - when the printer is turned off, the flash media also stops working correctly.
• KB315634 - It is impossible to connect new USB flash drives, although the old ones that were previously used work without problems.
• KB924196 - this error indicated that the personal / mobile computer did not see the connected flash drive or portable media player.
• KB88840 - when connecting / disconnecting a USB device, a computer or laptop displays a warning about the common error Rundll32.exe.
• KB362370 - in the new build of Windows XP, the USB port of the second version is now supported.
• KB881233 - after the computer wakes up from sleep mode, the flash drive is not displayed in the device manager. A similar problem as in the previous case occurs after the computer wakes up from hibernation.
• KB857900 - after re-enabling / disabling flash devices, the port did not work correctly.

Remove old USB drivers completely

You connect a flash drive, but the computer does not see it and issues a warning about its absence. The problem may be that your old drivers are not working correctly and, therefore, a letter cannot be assigned to the USB device. Also, old drivers can cause problems with rebooting, freezing or incorrect operation of the computer when the flash device is connected.

The Microsoft operating system driver is installed by default, immediately after the first connection external storage... Then this installed driver it remains in the OS. However, if you connect another device, the driver may not work, causing crashes and other problems. In a word, in order to solve all sorts of problems associated with incorrect operation of drivers, they must be removed and new ones reinstalled.

How to remove drivers for all USB devices

Step One After disconnecting your computer, remove everything: printers, cameras, external media, card readers and other USB devices.

Step two Boot the operating system.

Step Three Download the free DriveCleanup program from the author's official page, compatible with all versions of Windows.

Step Four The drivecleanup.exe file must be copied to

C: \ Windows \ System32 \
Step Five On the command line, write drivecleanup.exe.

Step Six The program will clear all drivers and entries.

After restarting your computer, insert the flash drive and wait for the utility to install the updated drivers.

Reinstalling USB Devices in Windows Device Manager

If you have tried all the methods discussed and none of them helped, follow these four steps:

1. In Device Manager, enter devmgmt.msc.
2. From Device Manager, open the USB Controllers tab.
3. Delete everything where the names include USB hub, Hub, Host Controller.
4. Update the USB device configuration from the manager.

After completing all these four steps, reconnect the flash drive. Perhaps the problem will be solved, and your personal or mobile computer can already see all external devices.

Additional actions

It will also be useful to perform the following four steps in sequence:

1. A possible reason that a computer or laptop does not see flash media is the presence of viruses. Download if you don't have it installed and check all disks.
2. A possible reason may also be an incorrect entry in the registry. HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer... You need to uninstall NoDrives and then restart your PC or laptop.
3. In registry entries HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Control you also need to remove the StorageDevicePolicies.
4. If all else fails, power off the computer completely. Unplug the cable from the outlet after disconnecting the PC, or the battery from the laptop, and hold the power button for a while. After that, you can turn on the computer and try the flash drive.

Recovering data from a flash drive that the computer does not see

If the computer sees your flash drive, but it is listed as "uninitialized" with an "unallocated" partition, then the device memory is corrupted. Do not despair prematurely: in some cases, all information stored on a removable storage device can be restored.

When using flash drives, remember two simple things that, in the event of unforeseen situations, will help you restore everything that was stored on them:

First, if you want to recover your flash drive, do not copy any additional information to it.

Second, if you restore the device's memory, save the information from it to another flash drive.

We recommend that you use the best utility -. The program is free, effective, has a clear Russian-language interface and two versions - installation and portable - therefore it is very popular among different categories of users. With the help of this software, you can recover absolutely all information from all media, not just flash devices.

The utility works both in manual and automatic mode, and it can be used even by beginners who have never dealt with such software... Recuva herself will suggest The best way recovery of all information from a damaged flash drive, you just have to agree by clicking the confirm button.

If, after all the manipulations, you still cannot connect the USB device to a computer or laptop, the recovery program cannot be used, and the information stored in its memory is very important, we recommend the professional help of specialists dealing with these problems. They will restore both files and all content stored on the damaged device.

Probably, many users are faced with the fact that Windows OS completely refuses to detect the connected USB drive and generally work with it. But there are several ways to solve this problem.

In general, there are a lot of reasons for such a mistake. From the banal obsolescence of drivers to the physical breakdown of a flash drive. However, in 90% of cases, the problem can be solved programmatically, without resorting to the help of specialists and without purchasing a new drive.

To solve the problem, you will have to use the capabilities of the operating system itself, or third party applications... The main thing is the result. There is nothing difficult in this. You just need to follow the instructions carefully.

First you need to understand why the flash drive is not detected by the computer. This can be determined by the type of message that the system issues when USB connection drive. The reasons may be as follows.

• Viruses. The most common cause of an error when connecting a USB flash drive. If the drive is hosted by viruses, then it will not work normally. It is required to solve the problem.
• Outdated or faulty drivers. In this case, the system will not be able to identify the device and an icon in the form of a yellow question mark will appear in the "Device Manager". The solution to the problem is very simple.
• Failed formatting. If the file system of the flash drive has been damaged (for example, if it was removed incorrectly), then Windows will not be able to see it and will offer to format the drive.
• The flash drive is connected, but is not visible in the "Explorer". There may be several reasons for this. But the problem can be solved simply. In most cases. This is often due to some peculiarities. file system drive.
• Data error. This message when the drive is connected to the computer indicates file system problems. The solution to the problem should be based on formatting or changing the file system type.
• Insert disc message. If such an inscription appears when the drive is connected to the computer, then the matter is USB drivers... You need to replace them or simply remove the device from the list in the "Device Manager".

If you've tried everything possible options software error elimination, but they did not help, then there is a high probability that the problem lies in the hardware of the drive. And the problem can be solved only by replacing the flash drive. Now let's turn to the ways of correcting the situation.

Eliminate viruses

Viruses on a computer can damage not only a USB flash drive, but also the operating system itself. Therefore, you need to get rid of them. This can be done using anti-virus programs. There are many of them, but not all are good.

The best products include Kaspersky Anti-Virus, NOD32 from ESET and the legendary Dr.Web. however, all of these programs have one drawback: they are paid. And the product from Kaspersky requires too many computer resources.

Dr.Web does not disinfect files, but deletes them. Therefore, it is best to use NOD32. This antivirus does not require a lot of OS resources and works well. Consider removing viruses on a USB flash drive using this program.

Scanning will start immediately. The scan time depends on the size of the drive and the number of files on it. If antivirus program will find any threat, it will inform the user with the appropriate message and will try to eliminate it.

After scanning is complete, you need to disconnect the USB flash drive from the computer and reconnect it. If it was about viruses, then the drive must be determined. If not, then it is worth moving on to other ways to solve the problem.

Removing and installing drivers

Faulty drivers are another common reason that a flash drive may not be detected in the system. There are several solutions to this problem. The first is easy removal devices.

When you reconnect the drive to your computer, the system will detect it and install new driver which will probably work correctly. To do this, follow these steps.

Open the "Control Panel" and in it click on the item "Device Manager".

In the "Device Manager" find "USB Mass Storage Device", right-click on it and select "Remove device".

After that, re-insert the drive into the USB port. Operating system should automatically install the new device. And the freshly installed driver must be functional.

If this does not happen, then you should update the drivers manually. This can be done using the same "Device Manager". You just need to run it in a known way. Next, you need to do the following.

The OS will immediately start searching for the required drivers on Microsoft servers. If they are there, they will be installed immediately. If the wizard does not find anything, then you should find them manually on the official website of the device manufacturer and install them manually.

After that, you should restart your computer or laptop and then reconnect the USB drive. If all is well, then the problem is solved. If not, then you should use alternative ways solving the problem.

Using the USB troubleshooter

Windows 10 also has this option. This tool allows you to fix numerous errors that occur when connecting a drive. Of course, there is no question of a physical malfunction of the storage medium.

First you have to download the utility from the official Microsoft website. It's free. No installation is required. You just need to run the downloaded file. For USB checks on errors you need to do the following.

It is worth noting that while fixing problems, you need to remove the drive from USB port... After carrying out all the activities, it is advisable to restart the computer and only then re-insert the USB flash drive into the USB port.

Basically, this way helps to cope with problems related to the file system of the drive. But if this does not happen, then you will have to do it manually. There is a standard utility for working with FS disks in Windows.

Using Disk Management

This tool allows you to fully customize your partitions hard disk and a USB storage device and provide them correct work... In Windows 10, the component received new features and began to cope with its tasks even better.

Using "Disk Management" is very easy, since the program interface is not overloaded unnecessary elements and has Russian. Now let's talk about what needs to be done to fix the file system on the drive.

The formatting process will start immediately. During this process, the file system of the drive will be completely corrected. After formatting is complete, it is recommended to remove the drive from the port and reinsert it.

It is worth noting that when formatting, all data that was on the USB flash drive will be deleted. It will be possible to restore them, but you should not really count on success. This is the same formatting. But the flash drive should start working fine.

Conclusion

So, we have considered possible options for correcting the error when connecting a USB drive to a computer. If none of them helped, then the problem is probably in the hardware of the drive.

Hello everyone ... Today we will talk about how you can restore a damaged USB flash drive. Due to its versatility, ease of handling and compact size, removable flash drives or flash drives are widely used.

Unlike obsolete optical disks, flash drives allow you to store a larger amount of information. They have a higher data rewritability and shelf life. And also better protection against external damage.

Alas, while flash drives are considered quite reliable devices, they are not perfect. There are many reasons why a flash drive can fail. Physical breakdown of components. Failed controller. Damage to the file system due to removal of the device at the time of writing. The development of the potential of memory cells - all this can lead to the fact that the flash drive becomes unreadable or simply ceases to be recognized by the operating system.

When connecting such a flash drive, the user may receive various errors. For example, " USB device not recognized ”,“ No access to the disk ”, etc. However, this does not mean that the drive itself and the data written to it are irrevocably damaged.

If the flash drive does not have gross physical damage, in most cases it can be restored. The most common problems in the operation of flash drives will be described below. And also I will try to restore the damaged USB flash drive. different ways if one does not help, the other will help. So, let's begin...

The flash drive is recognized by Windows, but its file system is designated as RAW

The prognosis in such cases is usually the most favorable. Logical errors are the most common reason for converting the file system of a flash drive to RAW. In this case, the medium is recognized by the OS. However, its contents are not available, and when you try to open it, the system prompts you to format it.

Indeed, formatting can restore a damaged USB flash drive, but this method is unacceptable if it has important files... Here you can go in two ways: restore the damaged file system or the data itself using recovery programs deleted files type Transcend RecoveRx or.

After recovery, the USB flash drive can be formatted in any way convenient for you. To reconstruct the file system, we use the standard Chkdsk utility. Run a command prompt as administrator and run a command like this: chkdsk T: / f

Letter T in this example has a flash drive, you will have your own letter. In most cases, this simple trick will allow you to restore access to the media. But it may also happen that when you run the command, you will receive the message "Chkdsk is not valid for RAW drives." In this case, we perform data recovery in the first way, and then format the USB flash drive.

The flash drive is recognized by Windows, but there is no data access

If the media is recognized, but shows the wrong capacity, when you try to view the contents, you receive the errors "No access to disk", "Insert disk" and so on, most likely there is a firmware (firmware) corruption.

Such breakdowns are most often caused by power failures, unsafe removal of the device from the USB port. Also, the cause of the errors described above can be failures and damage to the flash memory itself. In such cases, when trying to format the drive, the message "The disk is write-protected" appears.

The case is more complicated than with the RAW file system. However, with the right approach, a non-working drive can be recovered. For these purposes, special programs of the MPTool class are used, which allow performing the so-called low-level formatting.

Since all these tools are strictly specialized, for each flash drive model and controller type, you need to use its own "native" utility. And to do this, at least you need to know the device ID (PID) and manufacturer ID (VID).

Connect the USB flash drive to your computer, open the Device Manager, in the category of storage or portable devices, find the connected drive in the USB controllers category and open its properties.

In the list of properties, you need to find the parameter: Device ID or Device Instance Code. In the Details field, you will see a line containing VID_XXX items; PID_XXX, where XXX is the manufacturer ID and the device ID, respectively.

If you do not have the specified parameters, use the utilities to obtain complete information about the removable media: Flash Drive Information Extractor.

Or CheckUDisk

After receiving information, go to the specialized site Flashboot, enter the received VID and PID in the corresponding fields and search. You will receive a list of recovery utilities for your drive.

If the utility that exactly matches the VID and PID of your flash drive does not appear, refer to the manufacturer of the removable device. It is not possible to give a consistent instruction on the use of each utility. Since they are all different from each other. The main thing when using them is to clearly follow the instructions of the wizard.

However, you can use universal by software to recover flash drives, for example, D-Soft Flash Doctor... This free program is not tied to a specific manufacturer and controller type. And therefore it can be used to treat flash drives of various types.

Additionally D-Soft Flash Doctor disk imaging, scanning for logical errors are supported. Using the utility is simple, you just need to select a non-working flash drive in the window and click the "Restore media" button.

The flash drive is not recognized by the system

In the cases discussed above, the flash drive, although not readable, was still recognized by the system. But what if Windows cannot recognize the connected drive? It does not appear in Explorer, nor does it appear in Disk Manager. And the only indication of the connection is the window with the notification "USB device not recognized."

And also an item marked with a yellow warning icon in Device Manager.

The cause of the error in this example can be both software problems and physical damage to the components of the flash drive. It is important here to exclude hardware breakdowns. Since this almost always means that the flash drive will either have to be handed over for repair, or simply replaced.

First, try connecting the problematic drive to a different USB port, or better yet, to a different computer. If the error does not occur, you need to look for the reasons on your computer. Most often, these reasons are damaged or incorrectly working external storage drivers.

Go to the device manager and find your USB flash drive among the devices. Since it will be marked with a yellow exclamation point, this will not be difficult. If your flash drive is in the Unknown Devices category (which is most likely), try updating its driver. Using the context menu.

In case of failure to update the driver of an unknown device, you will have to use one of the programs to search for drivers on the Internet, for example DriverPack Solution ... If a non-working flash drive finds itself in the "USB Controllers" category, open its properties and, having switched to the "Driver" tab, click the "Roll Back" button.

Updating / reinstalling drivers failed? Try another option - manually clear the registry keys that store device entries.

Using the method described above, find out the VID and PID of your flash drive, then open and expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEMCurrentControlSet / Enum / USB branch. In the last directory, find the subfolders. In the names of which there will be specific VIDs and PIDs and delete all their contents.

Do the same with the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Enum / USBSTOR branch, and then restart your computer. What if none of the above methods helped? The most reasonable thing in this case would be to take the flash drive to the service. Where experienced specialists will help you determine the causes of the malfunction of the gadget ...

Hello everyone! In this article, we will talk about such cases when the flash drive is not detected at all on any computer. So it will be detailed instructions for restoration.

I must say that the experimental USB drive is already familiar to you from past publications, since not so long ago we restored information from it and. If you have not read it yet, you can familiarize yourself with it.

The situation changed for the better only when a good old utility called Hard Disk Low Level Format Tool ... She helped solve the problem and save money by bringing the drive back to life.

So what needs to be done. The first step is to install the above program from the official website of the developers. It is small, weighs very little. We launch it and select the item " Continue for free ":

Then, in general, our flash drive appears, which in the very Windows system 10 is not defined at all. That is, there is no it anywhere and that's it:

Select it and click the "Continue" button below to proceed to the formatting process. In this case, you probably shouldn't warn that all data will be lost as a result of this process. 😉

In the next step, go to the "Low-Level Format" section and click the "Format This Device" button:

After that, the program will once again ask about the seriousness of our intentions. Here, just like in the registry office, we say "Yes" again:

That's all, friends, now you just have to wait for the low-level erasing of the USB drive to complete. After that, the long-suffering flash drive was finally identified in the system, but at the first access to it, it was "asked" to be formatted again. Well, let's not contradict:

We start the repeated procedure already regular means great and terrible Windows:

As a result, guys, the flash drive that had not been detected before successfully worked. Therefore, we can safely say that the detailed instructions for recovery were still successful.

If you still have any questions, ask them in the comments to the publication. And that's all for now and see you again. In conclusion, as always, let's watch another interesting video.

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