Can't access USB flash drive

[Simon]

I've got an odd problem with a flash drive (USB stick). On my home
machine, Windows XP Pro recognizes it as soon as I plug it in and I can
read and write with it. However, I don't get the little icon that says
'Safely remove Hardware'...

When I plug the stick into my work machine (also XP Pro) doesn't give
me a 'Removeable Drive' disk in My Computer. I now get the 'Safely
Remove hardware' icon and I can see the device in Device manager. I can
plug this disk into all the other machines in the office and it is
accessable instantly. My work machine can also access any other flash
stick. It just seems to be this particular stick in this particular
machine.

Any clues?

 

[Guest]

Does the flash drive appear in the device manager?

 

[Simon]

Yes it does. Currently I have two sticks plugged in. Device Manager
recognises them both and shows the same properties for each one, but
only one shows up in My Computer...

 

[Guest]

It could be that there is a mapped/network drive that has the same drive
letter as the USB drive. Check in Disk Management and change the drive
letter(s) if need be.

- John

 

[Simon]

I think I'm getting to the bottom of it. At work, we all have a network
drive mapped to G: (can't change this). I also happen to have two DVD
drives (D & E). For some reason, this one particular flash drive always
wants to be G:, so it can't appear on my work machine unless I
disconnect the G: network drive. Any other flash stick just takes the
next available letter (F). I don't have permissions to change the disk
management at work. When I plug it in a home, would there be some
setting for the stick that makes it always connect to G:? So, is it
possible to configure that particular drive to choose the next
available letter?
It sounds like the sort of thing that should be a OS setting rather
than a device specific setting, but the problem only ever occurs with
this stick...

 

[Uwe Sieber]

You admin could use my tool ReMount to change drive letter
remotely by execute it by means of Sysinternals PsExec:
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/PsExec.html
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/files/remount.zip

Or he installs my USB drive letter manager to ensure
that no one bothers him again about drive letters.
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html


If this is all no option then you can change the letter
by a dirty trick...
Windows saves drive letter assingment once made. But it can
save exactely on assingment per drive and per letter.
When a drive is not connected then its assingment can be
superseeded by the 'first availlable letter' rule. And this
is what you can use:

Attache the first drive. Then borrow anothter drive and
attach it too. It will get letter G because it's the first
availlable in view of the mount manager. Then attach your
second drive (use an USB port at the back side if you have
only two in front). Your second drive gets the first availlable
letter now (maybe H and Windows will save this. And as
long as you never attach three drives at the same time again,
it sould stay at H:.


Greetings from Germany

Uwe