UPDATED! -USB memory stick not working after using friend's comput

[Guest]

I have a Lexarmedia Jumpdrive 256 MB. I have used it as a backup for my
school work and to work on it when I am not at my home computer.

I have had no problems with going back and forth between home and school
computers, but the other day I used it on my friends laptop, saved my work
and pulled out the stick. When I got home, I plugged it into my home
computer, and (I have XP) a window popped up at the bottom saying the USB
device had been detected, and then a brief window opened showing "scanning"
of one of the folders I had saved on the stick, but then another window
popped up saying please insert disk into drive e. (where the stick was
already plugged in). When I go to My Computer, it shows up as a removable
storage device in my e drive, but when I double click to open the drive, it
still doesn't open.

I went back to my friend's laptop, plugged in the jumpdrive, and voila!
everything was there. So for the time being, I have copied all the contents
of my jumpdrive to a CD.

But what is the underlying issue here? Why can I now only view it on her
computer? I do know that she has not updated her computer with XP Service
Pack 2. Is there some kind of incompatibility when using USB ports and
switching between computers that do and do not have SP2? If so, how can I
remedy this?

 

[Ghostrider]

I have a Lexarmedia Jumpdrive 256 MB. I have used it as a backup for my
school work and to work on it when I am not at my home computer.

I have had no problems with going back and forth between home and school
computers, but the other day I used it on my friends laptop, saved my work
and pulled out the stick. When I got home, I plugged it into my home
computer, and (I have XP) a window popped up at the bottom saying the USB
device had been detected, and then a brief window opened showing "scanning"
of one of the folders I had saved on the stick, but then another window
popped up saying please insert disk into drive e. (where the stick was
already plugged in). When I go to My Computer, it shows up as a removable
storage device in my e drive, but when I double click to open the drive, it
still doesn't open.

I went back to my friend's laptop, plugged in the jumpdrive, and voila!
everything was there. So for the time being, I have copied all the contents
of my jumpdrive to a CD.

But what is the underlying issue here? Why can I now only view it on her
computer? I do know that she has not updated her computer with XP Service
Pack 2. Is there some kind of incompatibility when using USB ports and
switching between computers that do and do not have SP2? If so, how can I
remedy this?

Windows does some strange things at times. With the Lexar
drive installed in your computer, go through Control Panel
and Administrative Tools to have Disk Management re-identify
the Lexar Jumpdrive. The friend's Windows XP OS or laptop's
BIOS might have changed an ID bit in the Jumpdrive.

 

[Steve N.]

Windows does some strange things at times. With the Lexar
drive installed in your computer, go through Control Panel
and Administrative Tools to have Disk Management re-identify
the Lexar Jumpdrive. The friend's Windows XP OS or laptop's
BIOS might have changed an ID bit in the Jumpdrive.

I've never heard of an ID bit on any drive, there is media descriptor
but that has nothing to do with drive letters. More likely that Windows
didn't release the E: drive letter on his home machine after the drive
was removed, then when re-insterted it still thought E: was taken.
Windows is real "good" at doing that sort of thing on its own, but we
can "help" it along by making shortcuts to things on removable storage
devices, that's just about a sure-fire way to get drive letter goofups
going.

Steve

 

[Guest]

So what do I need to do to make the drive E recognizable? Specific steps
would be helpful.....

 

[Ken Blake]

In

So what do I need to do to make the drive E recognizable?
Specific
steps would be helpful.....

Catherine, please quote enough of the previous thread to put your
message into context (as I did above). To the many of us who read
messages in a newsreader, and who don't save previously-read
messages, a message like this one is completely incomprehensible.

 

[GHalleck]

I've never heard of an ID bit on any drive, there is media descriptor
but that has nothing to do with drive letters. More likely that Windows
didn't release the E: drive letter on his home machine after the drive
was removed, then when re-insterted it still thought E: was taken.
Windows is real "good" at doing that sort of thing on its own, but we
can "help" it along by making shortcuts to things on removable storage
devices, that's just about a sure-fire way to get drive letter goofups
going.

Steve

Drive letters do not "stick" from one computer to another. It
might be Drive E on the laptop while Drive F in a different
system. But removable drives do have ID numbers and they are
uniquely used to identify them (BTW, same applies to other
devices, as well) uniquely in the Windows Registry for any
given computer system. The "bit" that might have been changed
or corrupted would require the jumpdrive (or device) to be
re-identified. And Windows can change device ID's through DMI,
the Desktop Management Interface. Hence, the "new hardware"
detection dialog box, for instance. The suggested solution is
to follow-up on GR's advice to re-identify the Lexar via Disk
Management; it has worked for me on the rare occasions when
my Lexar jumpdrives do the same thing.