Why can not the computer see the USB flash drive. Causes

The advent of affordable storage devices based on flash memory marked the beginning of a new round of progress in the field of computer technology. At online auctions, you can still meet "echoes of the past" - mobile phones with a built-in hard drive. Insufficient reliability due to the presence of rotating parts and heating, limitation in the available volume, high mass of the device are just some of the features of mobile devices of this class with an internal hard drive. But with the advent of the flash drives in the market the situation has radically changed, as it became possible to easily and simply overcome all the above problems. Nevertheless, due to the fact that the technology is still relatively new, many users have different questions, for example, about why the computer does not see the flash drive.

Different forums and websites give their recommendations on how to restore working capacity. They help one, others do not. It all depends on the reason why the computer does not read the USB flash drive. However, this is obvious. That's why without a detailed study of the issue can not unequivocally say what to do if the computer does not see the flash drive. In this article we will give some of the most common reasons.

In the instructions to USB flash drives, it is not in vain indicated the need to correctly disconnect the device from the working computer through the system function. Surely every user noticed that after connecting the flash drive in the system tray (the lower right corner of the desktop, next to the clock), a special icon appears, when you hover over which the cursor pointer appears "Safely remove the device."

If the work with the USB flash drive is finished and it needs to be extracted from the USB port, you need to right-click the properties of this icon, in the window that appears, select the desired device and click "Stop". And do not take out "on the go" and the next time you connect guessing why the computer does not see the flash drive! Unexpected (for the computer) extraction can coincide with the transaction, during which you can not remove the device. On the flash drive there is an LED that flashes during the exchange of data on the bus. If you really want to disconnect the device without "Extract", then it is necessary to do this at the moment when the LED does not light up. So, the first reason is incorrect extraction. Solution: follow recommendations for correct shutdown.

The second common problem, which raises the question of why the computer does not see the USB flash drive, and good carriers are thrown away is the use of a USB extension cord. According to the USB 2.0 specification, the maximum current per port is 500 milliamps. Many devices, including some flash drives, require exactly the same 500 mA for their work. Given the low voltage (5 volts) of the bus, when the intermediate conductor is connected, the resistance of the line increases, the current drops, the device does not work. And the user thinks about why the computer does not see the flash drive. Solution: connect without an extension cable, at least for testing.

And, finally, before throwing a flash drive, it's worth trying to override system devices. Follow the path "My Computer - Properties - Hardware - Device Manager". Here in the list, open "USB bus controllers" and delete the lines that relate to the flash drive - "Memory" and "Multiple device". After that, here we press the screen image (the hint is "Update configuration").