Puzzling USB Flash Drive Behavior

G

Guest

Hi and thank you for reading.
I have twp XP computers and 4 Flash drives.
Computer A is my employers; a Dell Lattitute and is assigned to a domain, XP
Pro.
Computer B is my wife's, a HP Media Center, new in December 2005, XP Media.
We shasre a router at home; but the PCs don't share files, etc. because of
my employers security issues. That's fine: we share on the necessary data on
USB 2.0 flash memory sticks.
Both computers have rear (full 2.0) USB ports, from ports (who knows?) and
powered Belkin 7 port hubs.
Flash Drive 1 is generic, USB 2.0, holds our Quicken files, works on both
PCs, both powered hubs no problem. Is assigned drive letter Q on both
machines. (somestimes I pay the bills, sometime she does.)
Flash Drive 2 is generic, USB 2.0, holds our Filemaker Pro addressbooks.
Great for Chistmas cards. Is assigned drive letter X on both machines.
Flash Drive 3 is new. USB 2.0. PNY 512K. Works fine on my Dell. Both in
real ports and on the hub. Is assigned drive letter T on the Dell.
Flash Drive 4 is new. USB 2.0. Sony 128K. Works fine on my Dell. Both in
real ports and on the hub. Is assigned drive letter Y on the Dell.

Problem: Same for both Flash Drive 3 and 4, but not 1 and 2: 1and 2 work
fine on the HP.
* The HP with XP Media recognizes and identifies the PNY and Sony Flash
drives correctly, but seeks and fails to find a driver for them (although
drive 1 and 2 are using the USB 2 Mass Storage diver.) It cannot find a
driver in D:\i386, where Windows was placed by HP, nor on E:\i386, the
Windows CD, nor anywhere else I send it to look.
* I have located Win98 drivers for both drives, but am reluctant to try to
install them.
* There are tons of other USB peripherals attached and working fine:
scanner, Wacom tablet, two printers, Palm synch, cameras, wireless keyboard &
mouse, bluethooth adaptor et cetera.
* I have tried them carefully in the rear ports, the from ports, and the
powered hub. Same result.
* Both show the yellow circle, not under USB controllers, but, I think,
under storage devices or USB devices in the Device manager. (I'm not at that
Pc as I write.)

This seems like something odd I've done that I should be able to fix.
-> Does not seem likely that the driver would have a limit of 2 devices.
-> Perhaps by assigning a letter on PC A I've confused PB B? Can I unassign
cleanly? would that work?
-> Can I "wrap" the driver in an INF file and direct the seeking installer
to it?

Really, it isn't terribly important. We can get by with the drives that do
work. But it is terribly puzzling, and I'd love to understand what is going
on.

Thank you for any suggestions anf help!
Seamus
 
G

Guest

Probably these not working drives have a slight electric compatibility
problem that prevents them from working on the HP.

(that's why they were so cheap on the sale ;)

--PA
 
G

Guest

Funny, the cheap ones are working fine: the brand name ones - Sony, PNY - are
the ones XP can't see. I've downloaded the October 2005 USB 2.0 patch for
XP, and will see if that helps, and update this thread.

Tks, S.
 
G

Guest

Turned out that XP was corrupted. More errors, mostly "memory cannot be
read" errors, arose, and the Best Buy help desk had us restore the machine.
At least now, all the USB memory keys work fine - cheap or dear! Thanks
everyone.

Seamus.
 

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