usb device problem

[Guest]

I'm having difficulties connecting some USB devices. All the USB hardware
(ports, root hub etc) show as operating OK, all the drivers have been
updated, but I cannot seem to use several different USB devices on my USB 2.0
ports (the connections are all 2.0 not 1.1).

I have a Kodak Easyshare camera which does work, so I know the system is
working, but it will not recognize a Pentax Optio s50 camera I recently
bought, nor a Sitecom MD004 cardreader I bought in frustration at not being
able to view the Pentax photos. Nor would it recognise a USB memory stick
belonging to a friend.

Can anyone offer any advice on how to fix this?

 

[brush-head]

Mike
I must admit that I still think USB products have a lot of inconsistency
in the way they are implemented against the standard. This may be
because so much emphasis has been placed on plug n'pray part of the
standard.
This may seem elementary but I presume you have followed the
manufacturer's instructions for each device?
This may not work with everything but if the device came with some
software, install it first - do not plug in your USB device first - this
is especially true of non XP systems like W98 - only plug in the device
when prompted to do so by the manufacturer's installation software. That
way you get a driver that's supposed to recognise your hardware and
theoretically it will work (through the salt over your *left* shoulder
otherwise the spell doesn't work!)

Brush-Head

"The meek shall inherit the earth, but not the mineral rights"

John Paul Getty 1892 - 1976

 

[Derek]

I'm having difficulties connecting some USB devices. .... it will not recognize a Pentax Optio s50 camera ... Nor would it recognise a USB memory stick


USB memory stick or flash card device not visible or detected by
Windows

It sometimes happens that a USB memory stick or flash card or other
USB device is NOT visible in Windows XP Explorer. The icon might
appear in the system tray but no drive letter is assigned. It seems
that windows does not recognise the USB device. Putting the USB memory
stick into another USB slot on teh same computer has no effect.
However, the USB device works fine on another PC.


Sounds familiar? I had the same problem, and a friendly IT colleague
explained to me what was happening and how to fix it. Actually its a
very simple solution and easy to do. And it worked for me.

This problem results from windows assigning the same drive letter to
more than one device. When you first plugged in your USB device,
Windows assigned it the next available drive letter (e.g. 'G'). The
problem starts when another device later takes the same drive letter.
Then, when you insert your USB memory card, Windows recognises it (by
some unique identifier) and assigns it the original driver letter -
which is now taken. So you don't see the USB memory at all.

The solution for Windows XP is to reassign the USB to a different
drive:
* insert offending USB memory stick
* open windows explorer and make a note of an empty drive letter (e.g.
'M')
* Go to desktop <flag D>
* right click 'My Computer', select 'Manage'
* this opens Device Manager
* select 'storage/disk management'
* find the offending USB drive in the volume pane
* right click the offending drive and select 'change drive letter and
paths...'
* select 'change' then 'Assign the following drive letter' and select
an unused drive letter (e.g. 'M')
* press ok and exit from Device Manager

Your USB memory device should now appear in Windows Explorer and the
problem should be solved.

Hope this works for you.

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

It sometimes happens that a USB memory stick or flash card or other
USB device is NOT visible in Windows XP Explorer. The icon might
appear in the system tray but no drive letter is assigned.

This problem results from windows assigning the same drive letter to
more than one device. When you first plugged in your USB device,
Windows assigned it the next available drive letter (e.g. 'G'). The
problem starts when another device later takes the same drive letter.

Yes, I see that often, and not only with USB sticks. Typically the
culprit is a LAN share mapped to the drive letter that the USB stick,
or even HD volume, is trying to use.

To check this, go Admin Tools, Local Storage and check the disk
management there. Chances are you will see the device there (proving
that the OS can see it) but no drive letter assigned, or a drive
letter assigned that's also assigned to a LAN share.

For this and other reasons, I prefer to avoid assigning drive letters
to LAN shares, especially "low" drive letters. If your software
environment can use shortcuts and \\pcname\share\path syntax instead,
then I'd use that. Be careful where you put shortcuts to such paths,
though - some contexts (e.g. backup using PKZip25.exe) may see the
contents of the shortcut as being an extension of the path it's in!

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Cats have 9 lives, which makes them
ideal for experimentation!