Flash drive firmware Kingston. Software Repair USB Flash Drive Using SK6211 Utility

Kingston Format Utility is a proprietary utility that is designed to format Kingston USB drives. In general, the program was released specifically for "flash drives" of the HyperX DTHX30 / XXGB series, but, nevertheless, it supports any other drives from this manufacturer. Compared to standard Windows formatting tools, this program demonstrates a much higher speed. It has no other significant advantages.

Kingston Format Utility can convert media file system to FAT32 and NTFS. Both of these file systems have their advantages and disadvantages. We will not go into them now, but only note that FAT32 is better suited for storing small files, and NTFS for large ones. Moreover, drives in FAT32 format have a limitation that does not allow files larger than 4 GB to be written to them, which must be considered when choosing a file system before starting the formatting process.

All the necessary utility controls are concentrated in one small window where you can select the desired media (if there are several connected) and specify the source file system. Formatting will begin immediately after pressing the "Format" key. The program works with media of any size and does not need to be installed. The only thing you need to do before launching it is to unpack the downloaded archive.

Key features and functions

  • quick formatting of USB-drives from the manufacturer Kingston;
  • support for NTFS and FAT32 file systems;
  • work in portable mode;
  • a minimum of controls in the main application window;
  • faster performance than the standard Windows format tool.

But before you do anything, think about how valuable information is stored on it? If the data is important, then it would be better to try to restore it before and after the firmware. To do this, you can use the Recuva program, or another similar one. And if super-important data is stored there, which is very important and valuable, then in this case, it is better not to do anything on your own. Take the flash drive to a specialized service center, where specialists can restore it with a lower risk to your data.

Restoring a flash drive using the example of Kingston DT

In our example, a Kingston DataTraveler Elite 3.0 16GB flash drive will be used. She worked for the time being, normally for the time being, but then oddities began. When you try to delete or write data, the whole process is so slow that you can say it didn’t move at all. After re-connecting, the system issued a message asking you to format the disk.

Given the low importance of the data on the device, it was decided to format it. The formatting process took a long time and was not completed. There was only a message that said about an unsuccessful attempt to perform formatting.

We connect our faulty flash drive and run the utility. At the top of the program window there will be a button for receiving data, click on it. After that, we will see all the information on the device. We pay attention to the values ​​that stand near VID and PID.

Re-flashing a faulty kingston flash drive

While we turn off the drive. We launch the utility for flashing (our program is called MPTool.exe). If the application comes with a file called readme.txt then take a look at it. There are probably instructions in there. I note that the utilities are different and yours may look a little different. But in general, the interface and the principle of operation should be similar.

After starting the flashing program, you need to reconnect the USB flash drive. The utility will then detect the device. Now it remains just to click on the button to start flashing the firmware. Let's wait a bit until the process is completed.


Upon completion, the program will let you know that everything went well.


Then a system message will immediately appear that it needs to be formatted before working with the device. But it is better to immediately disconnect the flash drive, and then connect it again. And only after that proceed to the formatting process. After completing all these procedures, you can check the operation of the flash drive. Everything works as fast as it should and files are adequately copied and read. Do not forget that some steps may be slightly different from those described in this article. But in general, the whole process looks like this.

That's all. Take care of your flash drives, safely remove the device.

This might come in handy.

There are several solutions for backing up data:

  1. Built-in operating system applications. Microsoft Windows provides data backup methods that involve storing files and data on external or built-in storage media. All modern versions of Windows already include the ability to back up essential files or the entire hard drive if necessary. The features provided by Windows are complete and stand-alone, and are designed to ensure that you do not need to use third-party services or programs.
  2. Copying data manually. You can always use the old proven way to back up data - manually copying data to an external storage medium. This is long, but if you work with a small amount of data, this solution may be quite acceptable for you.
  3. Online services. Recently, the most modern way of backing up data has become increasingly popular - these are numerous online services. Companies that provide online backup of your files. A small background application installed on the computer creates copies of the necessary data and saves them on a remote server. However, the volumes provided by such companies for storing your files in the free version do not allow them to be used as a comprehensive solution. Often the space offered for backing up data does not exceed 10 GB, so there is no need to talk about creating a backup copy of the entire hard drive. Such services are rather aimed at backing up a separate number of files.
  4. Create a disk image. This is the most complete data backup solution for advanced users. This method involves the use of a third-party program to create an image of the entire disk, which can be deployed if necessary on another storage medium. With this solution, you can in a short period of time access all the data that was on the disk at the time of its backup: documents, programs and media files.

SmartBuy flash drive models for 64gb, 32gb, 16gb, 8gb, 4gb, 2 gb:

  • Glossy;
  • crown;
  • V cut;
  • Lara;
  • Cobra
  • Quartz;
  • click;
  • Hatch;
  • comet;
  • paean;
  • crown;

First of all, it is necessary to mention in what cases it is required flash drive controller firmware. The list of such malfunctions is not very long, just below I made a list of the most common situations when such a technique can help in repairing a flash drive. But, you should not take the technique described here as a panacea for all "diseases". Each case is individual, but the general technique is similar, with the exception of some points that are associated with different controllers, memory chips and a different combination of faults. You can also read others on the blog.

When to apply the flash drive controller firmware technique:

  • Zero volume of the flash drive, not the correct volume (2\4\8\16 Kb\Mb) instead of the normal size;
  • The drive is not detected on different PCs;
  • When connecting a disk, an "insert disk" error appears;
  • Error "Disk not found in device";
  • Error "The disk is write-protected";
  • There are read / write errors, and there is no way to copy or write data to a USB flash drive. It may be that data is being written, but not opened from a flash drive;
  • When connected to a PC, the flash drive is detected for a long time with errors Error "Code 10", Error "Code 43" and the like.

Maybe I didn't mention everything here. If someone has additions - write your case in the comments, and I will try to promptly make adjustments to the materials.

We proceed to the preparatory work on the flash drive for its further flashing (the controller itself is being flashed). We will assume that we have decided that there are no other options, except for flash drive controller firmware we don’t have any left and this is the last chance to repair a precious flash drive (the road is like a memory, a large volume, a beautiful case, etc.)

Flash drive controller firmware (stages of work):

1) Determining the flash drive controller

Here we have only 2 options for determining the manufacturer and model of the controller. The first option is the most banal - to open the case (if it is constructively possible). To do this, you need to open the case of the flash drive and get the drive board from there. For the most part, all USB flash drives are the same internally, with the exception of monolithic flash drives. For example, I took a photo of a general view of the board of a flash drive and a controller (for example, a photo of a flash drive from free sources).

The visual method is very simple and the most accurate, since programs for determining pid&vid devices are not always accurate. If it is not possible to visually look at the controller or there are difficulties in disassembling the case, then we have a direct path to programs to determine pid and vid flash drives.
Important: in cases where the flash drive is not detected on the PC, the controller can only be recognized by visual inspection.

Identification of the controller by PID and VID

2) Selecting a utility for the controller

The next step is to search for a specialized utility for flashing a flash drive controller. We already have the VID and PID values, so we can start looking for a utility for the controller. To find the right utility, I use the service http://flashboot.ru/iflash/.

After pressing the search button, it offers us far from one result. The thing is that such a controller, as in my case, is used in flash drives from different manufacturers and with different sizes. When searching, pay attention to the UTILS (utility) field, where you need to look for exactly the result where the name of the utility is displayed. You can ignore the volume of the flash drive - this is not a critical parameter. You can also search for a utility by the name of the controller, which to a greater extent can speed up the search for the desired utility.

P.S. practice shows that sometimes it is worth trying different versions of utilities for the same controllers.

The search result gave us one more or less suitable option (highlighted in red in the screenshot) - utility SMI SM3257AA.

To squeak the utility, you can use the same site http://flashboot.ru/files/. In the search bar you need to enter the name of our utility - SMI SM3257AA. As a result, 2 results were found. You need to download both, since there is a chance that one of them will only help solve our problem.

But, there is one but. We know for sure that the exact name of our controller is slightly different from what we found. On the controller body and program USB Flash Info showed that the correct name of the controller SM3257ENAA, not SM3257AA. To clear our conscience, let's check the utility database for the presence of a utility for such a modification. Search dropped 2 utility options.

It is likely that the utilities I found while searching for both SM3257AA and ENAA have the same core. In practice, it may turn out that they are no different, but still there is a possibility that you will need to try all 4 found specials. utilities. I recommend downloading all 4 programs at once.

I downloaded all 4 pieces, but decided to start with the utility SMI SM3257ENAA MPTool V2.03.58 v8 K1129 (11/11/29 Build). I’ll get ahead of myself - I managed to reflash the flash drive controller with this utility, and I didn’t check the others.
And now I will briefly describe the procedure for how the process of flashing the SM3257ENAA controller took place.

- Unpacked the archive and launched the sm32Xtest_V58-8 shortcut

We launch the utility and see that our patient flash drive is not visible in it (see screenshot).

- To determine our flash drive in the program, press the button " Scan USB (F5)”, as a result of which the program “sees” the usb device.

To start the process of flashing the controller of the flash drive, you need to press the Start buttons in the utility menu (before pressing, you need to select the desired flash drive). After pressing the button, the firmware process will begin.

After the firmware operation is completed, in the upper right corner we will see the word OK on a green background (see screenshot).

This completes the firmware flash drive controller firmware process. Within 10-20 seconds, our flash drive will appear in My Computer clean and without any files, since during the firmware process, a low-level formatting of the drive occurs.

For all questions regarding this article, write in the comments.

Over the past few years, flash media have become very popular and are used by us, literally, daily, due to its advantages over disk media. It is hardly possible to overestimate its usefulness of a flash drive, because you can quickly write information to it or count it, it does not take up much space in a briefcase or bag, and the price segment is pleasantly pleasing.

Despite all the positive points, sometimes there are situations when it is impossible to read the data due to the flash drive itself or the computer. Indeed, at the most important moment, you can lose access to the stored files, and in order to quickly return everything to normal, you need to have certain knowledge. In this article, we will analyze all possible problem situations and find solutions to why the computer does not see the USB flash drive.

The most common problems why the computer does not see the flash drive:

Flash drive not working

This is the worst scenario for a person whose documents are stored on a flash drive, because it is almost impossible to bring it back to life. You can disable a flash drive by mechanical action on the device chip or its controller, by closing the electrical circuit, or by damaging the contacts on the USB board. This is what a flash drive looks like after an electrical circuit is closed or moisture gets inside the drive.

Determining if this happened to your drive is easy enough. The very first thing to do is to check the flash drive for mechanical damage, chipped cracks, etc. If it is completely broken, you can look for a replacement in a computer peripherals store. If you doubt its inoperability, you can check it with a practical method.

Plug the flash drive into the USB connector of the computer, if the LED on it lights up and you hear a sound on the computer that is typical for connecting a new device, then everything is in order, it makes sense to look for the problem further. If this does not happen, most likely the flash drive is no longer suitable for use.

You can try to take the flash drive to a service center, where the master will try to solder the contacts or replace the controller, but it will be very expensive, and this action will be justified only if you have important documents stored on it. If no fatal malfunction was found and the flash drive shows signs of life, try the methods to restore its performance, which will be described below.

The USB port on the front of the computer is not powered.

This issue is very common among desktop users. Most computer owners are accustomed to plugging a flash drive into the front USB ports because it's fast and convenient.

But there is a situation when, for some reason, during the assembly of a PC, the front panel is not connected to the power system, usually this happens due to the forgetfulness of the computer wizard. Accordingly, your flash drive will not be displayed, despite its full serviceability.

This problem can be solved in two ways. If you urgently need to use information on removable media, you can plug it into the back of your computer. The front connectors will still remain inoperative, but you will get access to documents. It is impossible to call such manipulations a full-fledged solution, so we will consider the second option.

Method number 2 involves connecting the power cable on the motherboard to the front panel of the computer. Depending on the model of the computer case, the connectors for connection may differ. But do not be afraid, they all have markings and you will not be able to connect the wrong connector due to design features. The most common wire types are "VCC", "D-", "D+" and "GND". Moreover, the color marking of the cable and the connector on the motherboard match, but it's better to keep a guide on the inscriptions.

The first step is to gain access to the motherboard, to do this, unscrew the mounting bolts on the case and remove the cover. Locate the cable that leads to the front panel and find the same connector on the motherboard. In the image below you can see what the connector should look like.


It is not recommended to connect on your own, it is better to call the wizard. If you connect the cable and connector incorrectly, you can burn these contacts and even devices. If you decide to connect the front USB connectors, then it’s better to tell us the model of your case and motherboard, and we will show you how to do it correctly and explain what the connector and cable look like.

Faulty or disabled USB port on the computer

Sometimes the problem of unreadable information on removable media is not related to the problem of the flash drive itself, but to the connector into which it is connected. A certain USB port may be inoperative, and this condition can be caused by simple damage to the connector pins. Then not only the flash drive, but also other USB devices will not work in this port.

You can solve this problem by armed with a conventional soldering iron and minimal knowledge of circuitry. If there is no such knowledge, skill and equipment, then this can be fixed at the nearest service center for a low fee.

However, if there is no reaction to connecting a USB device on all connectors, then the problem may lie deeper. Ports can be disabled in BIOS settings.

In order to connect ports in the BIOS menu, you need to get there initially. To enter the BIOS in the first seconds of booting the computer, you need to press the corresponding key on the keyboard, which is responsible for calling the menu. Most often, the F2 or Del key is set by default, but depending on the motherboard brand and BIOS version, it may be different. On the first image that pops up when loading, it is indicated.

Once you have entered the BIOS itself, we need to follow the following route: “”.

Find the line “ USB controller"So that you are allowed to use the ports, opposite should be the value" Enabled».

After you have enabled the USB ports on your computer, press the F10 key. This will save your settings and exit the BIOS.

USB port dirty

A flash drive is a mobile storage device and therefore is often worn in pockets, briefcases or as a keychain. Due to such operating conditions, dust and small debris can accumulate in the connector. This does not happen often, but it can cause the flash drive to fail. Dust and small debris collects on the contact and prevents connection from the contacts in the port on the computer. Such a flash drive may not only not be displayed at all, but also freeze, slowly transfer or read information and be determined not the first time.

To clean the USB connector of a flash drive, arm yourself with a match and a cotton swab. Wielding a match, remove all debris from the connector, and then moisten a cotton swab with alcohol and wipe the contacts of the flash drive. So you save it from debris and oxidation.

Virus infection

Nowadays, the issue of storage device security is becoming more and more urgent, because viruses are in full swing. You can visit your usual social networking site on the Internet and get infected, not to mention downloading files from unverified sources.

Modern computer viruses can also multiply, no matter how strange it may sound. They infect files on your flash drive or computer hard drive, and their number grows exponentially.

Very often, the problem of the inoperability of a flash drive is virus infection. The drive is detected by the system, you can hear the characteristic sound of the device connecting to the system, but when you try to read the information, you will see the message "" or " Application not found».


Before solving this problem, it is worth installing antivirus software on your computer and conducting a complete file diagnosis. To access the data on the drive, we need to delete the virus file and scan it. To do this, go to the Start menu and enter the following phrase "" in the search box.

Click on the found element with the left mouse button. You will see a window called " Folder Options", here you need to do the following:

  • Uncheck the " Hide protected system files»
  • Check the box ""

After that, be sure to press the key " Apply"And only after that" OK», otherwise the changes will not take effect. It should look like this.

After that, go to "My Computer" and go to the folder of the drive itself. There you will see the “Autorun” file, you need to delete it, and check the flash drive for viruses with one of the free antiviruses, the Dr.WEB Cure It utility can do this perfectly.

Now you can fully use the flash drive and no problems should arise. If nothing has changed, then the problem is the lack of drivers, we will analyze it below.

Crashing drivers or using outdated drivers

A very common problem is when a computer does not want to display a USB flash drive due to outdated drivers or their system failure. The failure may be due to a power surge or an unexpected shutdown of the operating system. Or, older computer models may not work with 32 GB or larger drives. We can say one thing, the problem is solved only by updating the drivers.

First of all, you need to go to "". You can do this in several ways, for example, through " My Computer", Or you can find this section in the system search, as we will do.

We go into this menu, after which we connect the flash drive to the computer, after which we open the sub-tab "USB controllers". Select the line " Memory device", By right-clicking the mouse opens the system menu and click" Delete».


Such manipulations allow you to remove the driver installed in the system for your storage device. As soon as you remove it, feel free to remove the USB flash drive from the computer and connect it again. Then the driver on the flash drive will be installed again and the problem will be solved.

If the problem persists, you may need to update the driver for all USB chipsets, this is quite easy to do. You can use the special disk that came with the motherboard, it contains all the necessary drivers. If you do not have it, download the DriverPack program, it will automatically select all drivers for which there is an update and carry out this procedure after your agreement.

Moreover, most users have doubts about the correctness of their actions when they learn about different USB formats. Don't be afraid!

Drivers for USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are installed according to the same principle. And the only difference between the ports is the maximum speed of reading and writing information.

File system errors

The computer may also not recognize your flash device due to file system errors. Let's check if this is so, go to "", how to do this was described above. Now you need to open the sub-tab " Disk devices", if you see your flash drive there, then it is working, and the file system does not perceive it as it should, and, accordingly, does not display it in Explorer. In my case, the flash drive was displayed, which means it is working.


To fix this problem, you must format your flash drive, but this action has several nuances, so we will consider this process in the next paragraph of the article.

If you do not see your drive there, then the problem lies in the malfunction of the flash drive itself, which means that either the controller burned out or the contact soldered off. Specialists in service centers can try to bring it back to life. However, this is an expensive exercise, it is easier to buy a new one, of course, if important information was not recorded on the faulty one and you need to restore data on a flash drive.

File system conflict

Quite often, the contents of the flash drive are not displayed due to a conflict between the file systems on the computer and the removable media itself. For example, if a computer operates on the NTFS file system and FAT32 is used on a flash drive, a conflict situation is not ruled out. Moreover, this problem is common not only in the Windows environment, but also in Mac OS. For example, if you format a flash drive on your Mac device to ExFAT or the standard Macbook file system, then the flash drive is unlikely to be readable on Windows devices.

The very first thing to do is find a computer that uses a different file system, open the flash drive and save the information that is important to you, because after formatting it will be lost.

To solve this problem, we need to carry out the process of formatting the flash drive. First you need to find out what file system is used on your computer. Go to " My computer", right-click on the hard drive, open the submenu and select the item " Properties".


In the window that opens, you will see information about the free and used disk space, as well as find out what file system is used. In my case, the NTFS system is used.

After you know the file system of the computer, we need to format the flash drive into the same system. To do this, right-click on the flash drive and open the Format tab.


In the tab that opens, select the file system into which we will format, put a tick in front of the attribute " Fast"And click" Start".


A few words about why we use the Fast attribute. Firstly, formatting a flash drive will happen much faster. But there is another side of the coin. If there were any documents on the flash drive, then only with a quick format you can restore this data using special utilities. If you did not check the box, then the information that was on the flash drive for you will be lost forever.

Flash drive is not formatted

A fairly common problem is when you insert a flash drive into a computer (mostly a new flash drive and its first use), and the operating system gives you a warning that says that the removable drive needs to be formatted before use. And if the flash drive was used earlier and data is recorded on it, then it will not be possible to access them. Moreover, the volume of the flash drive becomes 0, i.e. as if there is nothing at all, not even a drive.

If you have already used a flash drive and this is not its first connection, then try connecting it to another computer, the problem may go away and you can save the data. But in any case, the flash drive must be formatted. How to do this was discussed in detail in the "File system conflict" section.

But I would like to draw your attention to two points. To avoid problems with the file system (FS) after formatting, find out which FS is used on the computer and install the same for the drive. And secondly, if the information you need was on the flash drive, then be sure to use the “Quick” attribute, so the formatting of the flash drive will take place only by the table of contents, and the lost information can be returned using special utilities.

A problem with a partition or flash drive is automatically assigned a busy letter

There are situations when the operating system incorrectly detects your removable media. Everything seems to be fine, the device connection is displayed and the flash drive icon appears in the tray, but it cannot be used for its intended purpose.

The problem may lie in the fact that the system did not assign a letter to the partition, under which the removable drive will appear, or it assigned it, but this letter is already taken, and this results in an address conflict.

The solution to this problem will be the forced assignment of the partition letter that we choose, everything happens in manual mode. So let's get started.

First of all, you need to hold down the key combination " Win + R", A window with the name "Run" will open in front of you.

In the line we need to enter a simple command diskmgmt.msc, which will take us to the disk and storage management section.


In the storage media manager that opens, we need to define our USB device. You can do this simply, disconnect the USB flash drive and reconnect it, the partition that first disappears and then appears is what we need.


In my case, the flash drive is a drive called "20151114_17", you can also identify it by a special icon. Now you need to right-click on it, and in the menu that opens, select the item " Change letter».


Now another additional window will open before us, a smaller one. In it, you must click on the button " Change"And" Ok".


Now another auxiliary window will open, where you must select any letter of the English alphabet, and after clicking on the button " OK"The letter will be assigned to the section.


It is worth paying attention to one important point! When choosing a letter to assign to a partition on your flash drive, look at what letters are already in use by the system. This is very important, because we may not fix the problem, but leave it. This will happen if you, for example, designate a partition of a flash drive through the letter “D”, which is already assigned to a local disk.

Faulty power supply or excessive current overload of the USB portal

This problem is very common nowadays. The fact is that the computer may simply not see the USB flash drive due to a malfunction of the power supply. Let's figure it out in order, the power supply consumes electrical energy from the network, and then converts and distributes it to all computer nodes. It has a power limit, for example, a 400W power supply will not be able to give you 600W. This means that the consumption of the entire system must be balanced.

Such a problem may appear if you have recently replaced some important node in the system, let it be the processor. Now it consumes much more energy than in the past, which means that it simply does not reach somewhere, and in this case, this "somewhere" is the computer's USB network. Accordingly, the energy consumption parameter must be calculated in advance, and if such a situation has already occurred, you will have to replace the PSU with a more powerful one.

Moreover, the problem may lie in a malfunction of the power supply, it can produce much less power potential than stated and than it gave out before. You will not be able to solve such a problem, since you risk the performance of the entire computer. The only solution is to replace the power supply.

There is another feature of this issue. Recently, USB devices for computers have become very common, for example, such devices are now powered: a cup warmer mat, a table lamp, a wireless mouse, a removable hard drive, and in addition, a smartphone is also charging. And you still want to connect a USB flash drive, but that's bad luck, the computer sees it. The fact is that there was an overload on the current on the USB ports. Those. all your devices are already consuming the maximum amount of current and you will not be able to connect one more. Therefore, in order to use a flash drive, you need to disconnect several devices from the USB ports of the computer and then the problem will disappear.

If the computer does not see the USB flash drive in Windows XP

There are a number of reasons why a flash drive may not be detected in Windows XP. Moreover, the problem can lie both in the operating system itself, and in a malfunction of the flash drive, and even in the hardware of the computer.

If the problem is related to the operating system, then it can be eliminated only by making additional changes in the settings, it is best to do this manually, despite the abundance of special utilities that can help in this matter.

However, if the drive itself is faulty, then the only thing left for you is to try to save the data recorded on it. And after that, purchase a new and more reliable device.

If your computer cannot detect the flash drive, then it notifies the user with the following signals:

  • Your flash drive is inserted and you are trying to access the data on it, the message "Insert disk" pops up.
  • The system notifies you that the drive must be formatted for further use.
  • Errors pop up about the impossibility of obtaining access to data.
  • The system may freeze as soon as you plug the flash drive into the computer's USB port.

In this section, we will look at all the most common causes of non-functionality of a flash drive in Windows XP and give practical recommendations for solving them. Carefully read the description of the problem, if it is not similar to yours or its solution did not help you, go to the next paragraph until the problem goes away. The first thing to do is to try to determine if the flash drive is working. This is signaled by a light indicator located on it. If you connected the drive, and it blinks or lights up, then the flash drive is working and the problem lies either in the system or hardware of the computer.

Try changing the port into which you connect the flash drive or even the computer, perhaps only the port or the entire system is faulty, and on another PC the flash drive will work properly. For example, if you see a complete system freeze when connecting a flash drive to a port, this means that this port is faulty and it is better not to use it.

If you are using USB hubs or extension cables and the flash drive is not displayed, the problem may lie in the device itself, and not the flash drive. If this turned out to be the case, you can take the hub to a service center or try to repair it yourself. To do this, you need a soldering iron, solder and a little experience, because most often you just need to solder one or two contacts and everything will work as expected.

Perhaps the problem lies in the lack of electric current in the USB port system. To check this, you need to disconnect all USB devices on the computer (camera, printer, lamp, etc.), leave only the keyboard and mouse. If after such manipulations the flash drive is displayed in the system and you can access it, then the problem lies in a weak power supply. This problem can only be solved by replacing the power supply with a more powerful one, but using a USB hub with its own power source will help to delay the purchase of a PSU.

However, if the problem persists after turning off all other devices, there may still be an actual problem with a lack of power supply power and an outdated USB port. In other words, on older laptops, you won't be able to open a flash drive of 36 GB or more. It will not work here to solve the problem, you can only buy a more modern laptop or computer.

A very common situation is when a user plugs a USB flash drive into the front port of a PC, but the system does not see it. This means that either the ports are not connected to the power supply on the motherboard, or too little power is being allocated to them. You can connect the front panel yourself using the instructions located above in the section of the same name.

Does not see the flash drive due to Windows XP errors. Troubleshooting

The flash drive may also not be detected due to operating system errors. For example, Windows XP SP2 lacks updates and software packages that ensure normal operation of USB devices. Moreover, it is possible that only a few USB devices can work in one port.

The solution to this issue will be updating the system to SP3 and installing the necessary updates. Even a new user can do this, since we only need a couple of clicks, and the system will automatically download, install and launch the update. So, let's get started, we can move in two ways - this is the official download from Windows Update or installing SP3 from a disk or flash drive. The first step is to check which package you already have installed.

Click on the icon " My computer"Right-click and select" Properties". The following window will open in front of you, where information about your system will be indicated.


To install SP3, we need to allow the operating system to search for and update the computer's system. To do this, just go from the control panel to Windows Update.


As soon as you do this, the system will start searching for updates, after which you will be prompted to update all at once or select only the ones you need. If you do not understand which update changes what, then it is better to let the system be updated completely.

After downloading all the updates, the operating system will require you to restart your computer in order to apply the new settings. Click OK and wait patiently. That's all, now you can connect the USB flash drive and use it.

If you decide to choose the updates that should be installed, and not download them all automatically, then here's a guideline that will help improve the perception of USB drives by the system.

Driver conflicts in Windows XP

There is also the issue of driver conflicts. The fact is that some already outdated drivers can cause errors at the system level, moreover, they can interfere with the normal operation of new drivers. A striking example of such a problem is the situation when a user inserts a USB flash drive into a computer, tries to access the data on it, and the system immediately knocks out an error message asking to insert a disk. Or, the system just freezes, and even assigning an existing letter to a flash drive partition is real.

The reason for such errors is as follows. Let's say you have two flash drives, you connected one of them to the system. In automatic mode, all the necessary drivers for this device are immediately installed. You have done the necessary manipulations for writing or reading files and pulled out the drive. After that, you insert a second flash drive, which is fully functional, and one of the above errors pops up. This means that the system is trying to use the already installed driver from the first flash drive to start the second one, but they are not compatible.

Reinstalling Windows XP Drivers for USB Devices

This problem can be easily fixed in several ways. Reinstalling drivers automatically or manually. Let's analyze a little theory, the driver from one USB device can be mistakenly used by the system to start another USB device. To eliminate these problems, we need to first remove all available drivers for USB drives, and then reinstall them.

Such a problem may display the message “USB device not recognized”, or inexplicable processes occur at the system level that block access to data or cause the system to freeze.

Remove via DriveCleanup

You can effectively remove all available drivers for USB devices using the DriveCleanup utility. Its advantage is that it searches the entire system for installed drivers and only then removes them.

First of all, turn off the computer, disconnect all USB devices from it in order to avoid conflict situations while the program is running. We turn on the PC, go to the official website of the program and download the executable file. The utility is compatible with any version of Windows, including different bitness. When uploading, pay attention to the file version.

Automatic installation

You have removed all drivers from your computer. In order for the device to function normally, the operating system must have drivers for it. The process of automatic installation of the driver is incredibly simple, you just need to plug the USB flash drive into the USB port, after which the installation will begin immediately. A window will pop up that will display the progress of the installation, on some systems this may occur in a mode invisible to the user. Within one or two minutes, the installation will complete and you will be able to use the device.

Manual installation

Manual installation means installing drivers indirectly from the storage medium itself. We can also install drivers for a flash drive from third-party Internet resources, but in order to avoid conflict situations, we will install drivers for a flash drive using another computer.

So, we take our problematic flash drive, insert it into another computer, where it is recognized. A prerequisite for this process is that the versions of Windows on both computers match. We use system searches and find two files.

By any means, we transfer them to the problem computer, whether it be sending by mail or using other removable media. You need to place these files in a folder with the same path that was on the first computer and confirm the replacement when the corresponding window pops up. We restart the computer and enjoy its performance with FLASH disks.

We have considered only the most common reasons why a flash drive is not displayed on a computer. In fact, there are many more. Moreover, there are problems that are expressed by other system messages, and their solution is already described in the paragraphs of the article.

The message "Insert disk" appears even if the USB flash drive is already connected to the USB port

This system error takes place if the drivers overlap and interfere with the normal functioning of USB devices. In order to fix this error, you need to uninstall all USB device drivers and reinstall them. This process is described step by step in this article.

Disk formatting message

This message appears if you are using a USB flash drive for the first time or if a system failure has occurred in it. In addition to the message, you can make sure that it is not usable, because it does not display either free space or occupied space. The solution to this issue is described in detail in paragraphs 8 and 9.

Data error message

This problem pops up in 3 cases. This is a conflict of drivers, a conflict of file systems and a failure of the flash drive itself. It is solved by reinstalling the drivers, if it didn’t help, then a quick format to save the possibility of recovering data on a flash drive. Step by step instructions are above.

Complete system freeze immediately after connecting the flash drive to the computer

This issue has already been discussed in the article, but I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this error can occur for two reasons:

  1. Driver conflict.
  2. Bad port.

It is easy to check what problem you have, insert the USB flash drive into another port, if the freeze repeats, then it means a problem with the drivers. Instructions and tips for reinstalling them were given as part of this article.

Why does the computer not see the flash drive when the indicator on it is lit

Possible damage to the contact on the flash drive, which is responsible for the transfer of information. A driver conflict and the assignment of an occupied letter to the partition are not ruled out. If the problem persists, after connecting the flash drive to another computer, try checking the accessibility of the partition. If everything is in order here, then reinstall the drivers and the flash drive will work.

Error 43 / Error 43

This error immediately stops reading information from a removable device, which means that we will not be able to immediately access the data. There are several problems that can cause Error 43.

  • A malfunction of the device itself is the first of them. Check on another computer if this situation happens again.
  • Driver conflict - the solution is described above.
  • Updating the hardware configuration - just roll back the driver version in the Task Manager.

findings

We have studied in detail the reasons that may prevent the computer from reading the flash drive and the information on it. The described solutions with step-by-step instructions will definitely help you get rid of this problem. The unreadability of a flash drive can only be a sentence if the flash drive is faulty. In other situations, this is an easily reversible process. If you have any questions or you could not find a solution to your problem in the article - leave comments, we will try to clarify the situation together.