USB Flash (pen) Question

[OldGuy]

I have a high speed 32G USB pen drive.
On my desktop PC I have no problems with pen drives.
On my home laptop and travel laptops when I plug it in I get either:
1) All good
2) Message that this device is unknown
3) Message that this drive is faster than the port
4) Nothing happens.

If I unplug and plug in again I can get any of 1) thru 4).
Once I get a 1) then all works as expected.
I doubt it a drive problem since if I get the 1) option all is well.
i.e. drive speed is as expected, etc.

Other 32G pen drives have the same scenario so probably not a pen drive
problem.

Is there some app that can give me more lower level information related
to the inserted pen drive?

 

[OldGuy]

low level info like:
how fast data is moving in or out of the pen drive.
errors reading or writing
device info like mfr etc.

 

[OldGuy]

It happens that OldGuy formulated :

low level info like:
how fast data is moving in or out of the pen drive.
errors reading or writing
device info like mfr etc.

Ooooo ... found Nirsoft has an app USBDeview. Looks very helpful.
www.nirsoft.net
Anyone have experience with this?

 

[casey.o]

I have a high speed 32G USB pen drive.
On my desktop PC I have no problems with pen drives.
On my home laptop and travel laptops when I plug it in I get either:
1) All good
2) Message that this device is unknown
3) Message that this drive is faster than the port
4) Nothing happens.

If I unplug and plug in again I can get any of 1) thru 4).
Once I get a 1) then all works as expected.
I doubt it a drive problem since if I get the 1) option all is well.
i.e. drive speed is as expected, etc.

Other 32G pen drives have the same scenario so probably not a pen drive
problem.

Is there some app that can give me more lower level information related
to the inserted pen drive?

What is a pen drive?

 

[casey.o]

Google Pen Drive and you will be enlightened.


http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-pen-drive.htm

OK, just another name for a flash drive... thanks.

 

[OldGuy]

What is a pen drive?

Google Pen Drive and you will be enlightened.


http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-pen-drive.htm

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <[email protected]>,

OK, just another name for a flash drive... thanks.

Because at one (brief) time, they were made - or thought - to vaguely
resemble pens, with a clip for keeping them in your pocket. (You can get
cameras ditto.)

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

low level info like:
how fast data is moving in or out of the pen drive.
errors reading or writing
device info like mfr etc.

Ooooo ... found Nirsoft has an app USBDeview. Looks very helpful.
www.nirsoft.net
Anyone have experience with this?
[/QUOTE]
Try it and see! I've just opened my copy (2.2), and I have columns for:
Device Name, Description (those two between them mostly give a
description in words), Device Type (mostly repeats something from the
first two), Connected (Yes or No), Safe To Unplug (ditto), Disabled
(ditto), USB Hub (ditto), Drive Letter, Serial Number, Created Date,
Last Plug/Unplug Date, VendorID, ProductID, Firmware Revision, USB
Class, USB SubClass, USB Protocol, Hub / Port, Computer Name, Vendor
Name, Product Name, ParedtId Prefix, Service Name, Service Description,
Driver Filename, Device Class, Device Mfg, Power, USB Version, Driver
Description, Driver Version, and InstanceID.

(Phew, I think that's the first time I've scrolled all the way over!)

In short, more or less everything you could want to know about anything
(including internal parts of your PC!) you've ever plugged in; by
default it's sorted by the Connected column, so what's currently present
(in my case currently the bluetooth device and the webcam, both
internal) is at the top. Oh, and it also has disconnect, uninstall,
disable, enable, and disable/enable buttons (I assume the last does one
then the other) for selected devices.

It doesn't tell you speed (other than what USB version it is) or errors.
I've always thought it a very useful utility, though admit I've rarely
used it other than for curiosity.

Being able to uninstall sounds potentially useful, if the driver for
some past device is causing problems. Not sure how you'd know that was
the case, though.

 

[casey.o]

And are also known as thumb drives, on occasion, IIRC. (for Casey)

That one i have heard. I dont hear that term used too often though.
(kind of a weird name). I've referred to them as USB sticks too, and
people understand. I just recently learned that camera memory cards
placed into a card reader can can be used the same way as a flash drive.
I used to think they were different, and while I'd copy my photos to my
computer, I hesitated to put any thing else on them, thinking I'd wreck
them so the camera could not use them. I'm now guessing they contain
the same circuits internally, just are shaped differently.