USB Drive not recognized - Driving me crazy!!!

[Jim Cladingboel]

Anna,
Many thanks for your intervention, but after many weeks of frustration I
can tell you exactly what is wrong with XP.
The so-called "Update Wizard" needs to be rewritten. It just DOESN'T WORK!
It absolutely insists on protecting whatever driver it initially chooses, to
the exclusion of all else.
As XP will not accept the USB 2.00 driver which is supplied with my mobo, I
went to the expense of purchasing a high speed USB 2.00 PCI Host card with
four ports. When I install the drivers from the supplied CD, the response
is "The Wizard could not find a better match for your hardware
than currently installed". Which is patently ridiculous! When I direct XP
to a floppy containing updated Drivers I am told "The location you specified
does not contain any device information files". At times it even states
that the location (Drive A) doesn't exist!
I downloaded and installed the latest Driver from the mobo makers, ASUS,
same results.
With this state of affairs recurring time and time again, how can that
Wizard be operating correctly?
My mobo has six ports, of which four are designated as USB 2.0. The PCI
card has another four ports.
Infuriatingly, when I insert a flash drive into any of the USB 2.0 ports, a
balloon in the Notification area tells me I am inserting a 2.0 device in a
1.0 port (as if I didn't know!) and to use the hub listed above. The hub it
highlights has FIVE ports! Just what is going on here?
I have used Regedit to check that in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion the item 'DevicePath' points to '%SystemRoot%\inf',
and have checked that the INF folder contains USB.INF.
I have tried the sieber.de website, but no result. What else can I do?

FYG, the driver which the Wizard insists can't be beaten is version
5.1.2600.0 dated 01/07/2001, details shown as
USB\VID_0BC2&PID_0503\5&2C9A06280&1. I believe it is USBSTOR.INF or .SYS.
Is there something which can be done to resolve this problem quickly? In
the time It takes to move a couple of GB to/from my EHDD I could walk around
the block!
Is there, perhaps, a Vista USB 2.0 driver which the 'Wizard' dare not
reject?

Re your 14 points: 1 & 2 : I don't have Disk Management - Classic view?
3. Done that. 4. EHDD has own power and extension cable. 5. Done with flash
drive as above. 6. "Scan for hardware changes "produced nil results. 7.
Done that. 8. See (4). 9. Done that. 10. N/A. 11. Can't, EHDD under
warranty. 12/13/14 All done.
A useful check, but unfortunately no further clues.

Thanks, Jim.


Anna wrote in message

 

[thecreator]

Hi Jim,

If Windows , states that it can't fine a better match, then manually
update the drivers, don't automatically update them. Windows XP does have
this ability.

Click on Add Hardware in the Control Panel. Click Next.
Accept the default and click Next.
Scroll down until you find your Hardware device and if not in the list,
scroll down until you see Add a new hardware device. Highlight it and click
Next.
Dot Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced).
Click Next. Follow the onscreen instructions. But you need to tell Windows
where to look for the Drivers.

 

[Jim Cladingboel]

Thanks for that thought, but I have tried it several times. That procedure
always results in the Wizard giving me one of the messages quoted in my
reply to Anna. I *know* it *should* work, but like so many other things in
XP, it just doesn't. Whether I use the 'Update Driver' tab, or the Add
Hardware process, the result is always the same. Like Phil, I just cannot
believe that Microsoft can not only create software which doesn't work, but
also ignore the problem they have created, especially when it is in such a
significant area as USB 2.0.
Perhaps I might have more success going to Linux or Ubuntu or whatever?

Jim.

 

[Jim Cladingboel]

Could you please, individually or collectively, help with a major problem
in Windows XP Home + SP2?
However often, and in whatever manner I try, XP will not accept
any appropriate USB 2.0 driver for my external HDD. This is the case
both for the latest USB 2.0 driver for my motherboard and for my USB/ PCI
Host Card driver.
The so-called "Update Wizard" just DOESN'T WORK !
It absolutely INSISTS on protecting whatever driver it initially chooses, to
the exclusion of all others!
As XP would not accept the motherboard USB 2.00 driver, or the latest ASUS
version of same, I installed a high speed USB 2.0 PCI Host card with four
ports. When, again and again, I install the drivers from the supplied CD,
the response is always "The Wizard could not find a better match for your
hardware than currently installed".
Which is patently ridiculous!
When I direct XP to a floppy containing these updated Drivers I am told
"The location you specified does not contain any device information files".
At times it even states that the location (Drive A) doesn't exist!

I regularly direct this Wizard to update from the Windows\Inf folder
and from the Windows\System32\Driver folder. While these directions
seem to require the relevant folders to be looked at, I always receive the
same "...could not find a better match .." response.
With this state of affairs recurring time and time and time again, how can
that Wizard be operating correctly?
My mobo has six ports, of which four are designated as USB 2.0. The PCI
card has another four ports.
Infuriatingly, when I insert a flash drive into any of the USB 2.0 ports,
not only does a balloon in the Notification area tell me I am inserting a
2.0 device in a 1.0 port (as if I didn't know!) and to use the hub listed
above, the hub it highlights has FIVE ports! Just what is going on?
XP can't count?

I have used Regedit to check that in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion the item 'DevicePath' points to '%SystemRoot%\inf',
and have checked that the Windows\INF folder contains the USB.INF file.
What else can I do? I think I've reached the absolute limit.

The transfer speed I get to and from my EHDD is around 7 to 8 MB/second.
It should be around 60 MB/second!

As you are the official Microsoft Windows XP experts in this Help & Support
NG, please respond with the answer to this problem, or take whatever action
may be needed to have Redmond take an urgent look at this impossible
situation and do something - very quickly - about it.

Thank you. Jim.

 

[Edward W. Thompson]

Could you please, individually or collectively, help with a major problem
in Windows XP Home + SP2?
However often, and in whatever manner I try, XP will not accept
any appropriate USB 2.0 driver for my external HDD. This is the case
both for the latest USB 2.0 driver for my motherboard and for my USB/ PCI
Host Card driver.
The so-called "Update Wizard" just DOESN'T WORK !
It absolutely INSISTS on protecting whatever driver it initially chooses,
to
the exclusion of all others!
As XP would not accept the motherboard USB 2.00 driver, or the latest ASUS
version of same, I installed a high speed USB 2.0 PCI Host card with four
ports. When, again and again, I install the drivers from the supplied CD,
the response is always "The Wizard could not find a better match for your
hardware than currently installed".
Which is patently ridiculous!
When I direct XP to a floppy containing these updated Drivers I am told
"The location you specified does not contain any device information
files".
At times it even states that the location (Drive A) doesn't exist!

I regularly direct this Wizard to update from the Windows\Inf folder
and from the Windows\System32\Driver folder. While these directions
seem to require the relevant folders to be looked at, I always receive the
same "...could not find a better match .." response.
With this state of affairs recurring time and time and time again, how can
that Wizard be operating correctly?
My mobo has six ports, of which four are designated as USB 2.0. The PCI
card has another four ports.
Infuriatingly, when I insert a flash drive into any of the USB 2.0 ports,
not only does a balloon in the Notification area tell me I am inserting a
2.0 device in a 1.0 port (as if I didn't know!) and to use the hub listed
above, the hub it highlights has FIVE ports! Just what is going on?
XP can't count?

I have used Regedit to check that in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion the item 'DevicePath' points to '%SystemRoot%\inf',
and have checked that the Windows\INF folder contains the USB.INF file.
What else can I do? I think I've reached the absolute limit.

The transfer speed I get to and from my EHDD is around 7 to 8 MB/second.
It should be around 60 MB/second!

As you are the official Microsoft Windows XP experts in this Help &
Support
NG, please respond with the answer to this problem, or take whatever
action
may be needed to have Redmond take an urgent look at this impossible
situation and do something - very quickly - about it.

Thank you. Jim.

While not addressing your problem please consider how many copies of WINXP
are in use and how many USB devices are efficiently in use, I think I have
five. Now consider your situation, which is the exception. I am afraid
logic suggests the problem is not WINXP but the way you have it configured,
I doubt whether the problem is with the devices. I guess the test would be
is to plug your USB devices into a machine that is operating USB devices
correctly, very few USB devices require special drivers, personally I would
not use a USB device that requires a dedicated USB driver.

 

[Jim Cladingboel]

While not addressing your problem please consider how many copies of WINXP
are in use and how many USB devices are efficiently in use, I think I have
five. Now consider your situation, which is the exception. I am afraid
logic suggests the problem is not WINXP but the way you have it
configured, I doubt whether the problem is with the devices. I guess the
test would be is to plug your USB devices into a machine that is operating
USB devices correctly, very few USB devices require special drivers,
personally I would not use a USB device that requires a dedicated USB
driver.

Edward, Thank you, but you seem to have missed the point. My EHDD will run
on *any* USB 2.0 driver. It is the O/S which is absolutely resisting
upgrading to UB 2.0 level, even though XP contains such a driver - installed
with the original XP program. Can you explain why this O/S will not allow
the use of one of its own MS drivers?
Where is the logic in that.

Jim.

 

[kevikakes]

Hello thecreator,

What happens if you manually install a driver and it doesn't appear to
change anything?

I have had similar USB drive recognition problems. I manually chose a
different driver and the properties screen still displayed the previous
driver information.

I had two different Sandisk flash drives that quit working at the same
time. I ultimately re-installed the operating system. This worked for
a while and then they suddenly stopped working again. I never found
the cause of the problem. This was on an XP professional OS.

During this time, my flash drives worked on my home computer which is
an XP Home edition. Now I am seeing the same problem.

My problem is: The drives do not get assigned a drive letter. I
manually assign one and they can then only be recognized from within
Office apps or by going to the Device Manager.

I am VERY tired of this annoying problem.

I would be very pleased to hear about a workable solution.

 

[kevikakes]

Hello thecreator,

What happens if you manually install a driver and it doesn't appear to
change anything?

I have had similar USB drive recognition problems. I manually chose a
different driver and the properties screen still displayed the previous
driver information.

I had two different Sandisk flash drives that quit working at the same
time. I ultimately re-installed the operating system. This worked for
a while and then they suddenly stopped working again. I never found
the cause of the problem. This was on an XP professional OS.

During this time, my flash drives worked on my home computer which is
an XP Home edition. Now I am seeing the same problem.

My problem is: The drives do not get assigned a drive letter. I
manually assign one and they can then only be recognized from within
Office apps or by going to the Device Manager.

I am VERY tired of this annoying problem.

I would be very pleased to hear about a workable solution.

 

[thecreator]

Hi kevi,

What Anti-Virus program are you running on the computer? Are you running
any program that monitors the Windows Registry? Have you recently upgraded
any programs, which protects the computer?

Example, in the past, McAfee Anti-Virus Program wiped out Outlook
Express E-mail Messages.

Look at some of the changes to Computer Programs / Upgrades.

 

[saleems]

Hey guys I have read this post from beginning to the end and my
problem seems to pretty much the same as the guy who wrote the first
post. Whenever I insert a USB 2.0 flash drive into any port on the
computer, front or back, the computer crashes with nothing responding
to it at all (ie mouse, keyboard) i have tried to update the usb
drivers, reinstall them and god knows what but nothing has worked.
This is really frustrating since the USB's work fine in all other
computers (Uni, friend's). I have a Gigabyte motherboard with an Intel
845E chip. I also have Win XP SP2. Any help would be greatly
appreciated.

 

[thecreator]

Hi ,

Have you done a Clean Install? Reformat the Hard Drive partition and
reinstall Windows XP. Install Service Pack 2 and before you install any
other programs, try the USB 2.0 Flash Drive and see what happens?

Do you have a program to create Drive Images, in order to save your
current setup to another partition, in order to go back?

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/download/trueimage/

 

[saleems]

Thanks for the reply creator, yes i have tried a complete reinstall
but i installed the motherboard usb 2.0 drivers before the sp2 and all
the updates, do you think that could have caused the problem. I am
prepared to do another reinstall if need be so your help would be
appreciated.

P.S. I don't have a drive imaging program.

 

[Guest]

Regarding Vista, I am having the same problem on my Vista laptop. I cannot
see the USB drive in Explorer or Computer, but the files do show up in Media
Player, and I can copy them to my hard drive. Strange........

 

[Guest]

I have been fighting the same problem for over a year. What I have learned so
far is that my Intel USB controller 82801DB will not recognize any USB2
device, I have a scanner and a printer running on USB ports but they are USB1
devices. I have a friend with a computer simliar to mine with an Itel 82801EB
usb controller, his driver date is 2002, mine is 2001. Very obviously the
service pack 2 that microsoft has admitted to has not been fixed.
I finally gave up and purchased a five port USB PCI card and guess what
these ports will recognive any usb 2 device but will not run at the higher
transfer speed. I bought this pci card from TigarDirect for $15, it is a
Masscool 5-port USB 2.0 PCI card (S457-1080)
I hope this helps because we sure are not going to get help from Microsoft.

 

[nesredep egrob]

On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:39:00 -0700, Uncly Milty <Uncly

I have been fighting the same problem for over a year. What I have learned so
far is that my Intel USB controller 82801DB will not recognize any USB2
device, I have a scanner and a printer running on USB ports but they are USB1
devices. I have a friend with a computer simliar to mine with an Itel 82801EB
usb controller, his driver date is 2002, mine is 2001. Very obviously the
service pack 2 that microsoft has admitted to has not been fixed.
I finally gave up and purchased a five port USB PCI card and guess what
these ports will recognive any usb 2 device but will not run at the higher
transfer speed. I bought this pci card from TigarDirect for $15, it is a
Masscool 5-port USB 2.0 PCI card (S457-1080)
I hope this helps because we sure are not going to get help from Microsoft.

That is interesting - why desparation. I would have thought you would be on the
right track there as you below refer to another symptom, trying to boot the
machine with the Flash Drive inserted - surely that shows you that the boot
order is not in the correct 'order' - reset the boot order to be C:, CD drive
and then A: - make absolutely sure that the USB is not mentioned in the boot
order.

Borge in sunny Perth, Australia

Nothing I have tried works.

 

[Guest]

I have been having the same problem, I can use my usb mouse, keyboard,
printer, scanner, pen drive, freecom 80Gb external drive, camera etc with no
problems. I have just bought a Seagate FreeAgent desktop 500GB drive, when
connected, the found new hardware wizard pops up, and asks for a driver. It
is not listed in my computer, but is in device manager under other devices
with a yellow question mark, and the code 28, I tried the drive on an XP Pro
machine and it worked ok. Has anyone looked at MS article 925196, not being
that up on computers, I wonder if this would help, or mess up my other
devices, also I am not sure what bits to delete in the registry. In registry
editor under the string
{4D36E980-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} in the right panel it lists
{default}, Class, EnumPropPages32, Icon, NoInstallClass, SilentInstall,
TroubleShooter-0
String {4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} right panel lists
{Default}, Class, Icon, Installer32, LowerFilters, NoInstallClass,
SilentInstall, TroubleShooter-0, UpperFilters

Not sure what any of this means, or which bits you are supposed to delete,
Thanks for any help you can give,
Bob

 

[Jim Cladingboel]

All the Drivers you need should already be in WinXP.
I have 4 USB 2.00 sockets on my PC and I run XP with SP2.
I also had an enormous and very lengthy problem getting XP to install
enhanced USB drivers for my external HDD.
If you go to Control Panel\System and click on Hardware then Drivers you
will see, near the bottom, your USB drivers listed. One at least should say
"Enhanced".
Double-click on it, and click the Driver tab, then go down and to the left
and click Driver Details.
This *should* show the following items, all from from System32 :

USBEHCI.SYS
USBHUB.SYS
USBPORT.SYS
HCCOIN.DLL
USBUI.DLL

However, for some reason the New Hardware Wizard will NOT install these
drivers without a lot of effort on your part.
I ended up copying the 3 .SYS files fromC:\Windows\System32 to a
floppy and directing the Wizard to upload those drivers from A:.
It took a while! You might have to direct the Wizard to A:\USBEHCI.SYS
many times before it eventually takes any notice of you!
That's how, after weeks of trying, firstly to discover what was needed (as
above) and then getting the Wizard to install them, that I finally got
access my external Seagate HDD.
This is a Wizard which is really obstinate and thick as two planks!

By the way, don't expect a 20 MB per second transfer rate. I get around 7
upto about 12 on a good day but don't know what is the limiting factor.

Hope it works for you,

Jim.

 

[bojimbo26]

You may need updated drivers .

I have been having the same problem, I can use my usb mouse, keyboard,
printer, scanner, pen drive, freecom 80Gb external drive, camera etc with no
problems. I have just bought a Seagate FreeAgent desktop 500GB drive, when
connected, the found new hardware wizard pops up, and asks for a driver. It
is not listed in my computer, but is in device manager under other devices
with a yellow question mark, and the code 28, I tried the drive on an XP Pro
machine and it worked ok. Has anyone looked at MS article 925196, not being
that up on computers, I wonder if this would help, or mess up my other
devices, also I am not sure what bits to delete in the registry. In registry
editor under the string
{4D36E980-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} in the right panel it lists
{default}, Class, EnumPropPages32, Icon, NoInstallClass, SilentInstall,
TroubleShooter-0
String {4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} right panel lists
{Default}, Class, Icon, Installer32, LowerFilters, NoInstallClass,
SilentInstall, TroubleShooter-0, UpperFilters

Not sure what any of this means, or which bits you are supposed to delete,
Thanks for any help you can give,
Bob

 

[Guest]

I did update the chip set drivers for my Intel motherboard, will this cover
it or will I need to download any other files ?, on another note, I tried
copying the usb files to a floppy, but I keep getting an error message that
this location does not contain any device information files, should I keep
trying, or is there something else I need to do, Bob

 

[bojimbo26]

Need updated drivers for the 500GB drive on your machine from Seagate
..