Transfer files?

Question

My comp is no longer detecting my USB flash drive. I tried the device manager with every single USB port on my comp but my flash drive was still not detected. If anyone knows how to fix this please tell me. Is there any other way to transfer files between 2 of my computers? A macbook and a PC.

Answer 1

Delete the USB port in Device Manager (without the flash drive inserted). Then restart Windows. Once you are fully in Windows, insert the flash drive. It should correct the problem 9 times out of 10. The 10th time would be if the USB port itself has died. This is for WinXP and/or Vista.

Answer 2

Found this interesting article on USB drives:

Problem With USB Port – Can’t Reinstall USB Device – Plug & Play Problem
- With Windows Plug & Play feature, Windows is supposed to recognize any device plugged into a USB port -- the problem is after it recognizes something once, Plug & Play will never again try to install that device. You need to erase all memory of the device (printer etc) from the computer.
- Right-click on My Computer, cl Properties, click Hardware, click Device Manager.
- Click on the plus sign next to “Universal Serial Bus.” Look for the problem device’s name and right-click. Now Remove. Restart and reinstall.

Source: Article by James Coates, Chicago Tribune.
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Personal Notes:
1. I found that if I did not go through the “safely remove” procedure before unplugging a USB device, the computer did not recognize another item. I had to reinsert the first item, “safely remove,” then plug in another item. This must be like shutting down for USBs.
2. Some flashdrives are to be removed at shutdown, and reinserted after startup. This is stated on the literature that accompanied my SONY 1G flashdrive. I do not recall seeing this instruction for my Cruzer 1G, but I suspect it is the same. I found that if I leave it connected, I cannot access files. After removing it and reinserting, files are there. A couple other smaller, older flashdrives do not seem to have this problem.
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If you have a lot of data to transfer, you might want to invest in a transfer cable. I've seen them advertised from $15 to $40. Look around.