Recently I bought a new USB drive: a Kingston DataTraveler 1.0GB. I
installed it in the regular fashion, but I can't seem to access the
drive from Windows Explorer: it doesn't show in the Explorer, and when
I try to access it with "start j:", a box shows up saying "This
operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this
computer." BUT, it accesses fine in the Command Prompt: not only can I
change to J:, I can also copy files to it, and even open files on J:
(by using "start j:blahblah.blah").

My WinXP box is pre-SP1 and SP2 (I haven't been able to install either
Pack)... is this a factor or not? And what can I do about it?

PS: The strangest thing is, my previous USB drive, a 512MB from the
same line worked fine. Hmm...

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
> Recently I bought a new USB drive: a Kingston DataTraveler 1.0GB. I
> installed it in the regular fashion, but I can't seem to access the
> drive from Windows Explorer: it doesn't show in the Explorer, and when
> I try to access it with "start j:", a box shows up saying "This
> operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this
> computer." BUT, it accesses fine in the Command Prompt: not only can I
> change to J:, I can also copy files to it, and even open files on J:
> (by using "start j:blahblah.blah").
>
> My WinXP box is pre-SP1 and SP2 (I haven't been able to install either
> Pack)... is this a factor or not? And what can I do about it?
>
> PS: The strangest thing is, my previous USB drive, a 512MB from the
> same line worked fine. Hmm...

Hard to say, not having SP1 or better yet SP2 could be an issue. You really
need to get it installed. They resolve all kinds of operating system
operational and security issues.

Troubleshooting for USB Drives
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtrouble_e.html

General USB troubleshooting in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310575

Download Windows Service Pack 2 Standalone Version
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Order Windows XP Service Pack 2 on CD
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...efault810.mspx

Installing Service Packs
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/xpsp2.htm
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm

Pre-Install, Install, Cleaning Up Afterwards
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=45

What to Know Before You Download and Install Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/s...hattoknow.mspx

Get the Latest Updates and Information from Your PC Manufacturer Before
Installing Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/oemlinks.mspx

The hard disk space requirements for Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=837783

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]

Update:

I've been able to get my drive working properly by using Disk
Management and remapping my new drive to K: (from J

However, it turns out that Explorer doesn't let me access J: no matter
what's attached to the USB port. For the record, I also have these two
things:

* A Sony CyberShot camera
* A Zen Nano Plus

I suspect the latter has something to do with it, since the My
Computer screen has a link to something called Zen Nano Plus Media
Explorer, which shows what's on my Zen Nano Plus player (it doesn't
work with any of other USB things, though). I did uninstall the Zen
Nano Plus but it still didn't let me access J:, so I reverted with
System Restore.