Solve : USB flash drive error?

1.	Solve : USB flash drive error?
Answer» I received a SanDisk 4GB flash drive; no matter what machine or Windows OS I try to run it on, work or home, I get the following: The LED pilot light on the end is a very pale green, instead of the bright green on my other Cruzer flash drive. On an Me, Win2k or XP machine, it is recognized and the OS advises the drivers were located and I can use the drive. If I go to My Computer, they all call it a removable disk. When I attempt to save any files to it, the OS's all advise to insert a blank disc, like the OS's think it is a burner. If I try to Explore the disk, the OS says to insert a disk. If I check properties after a right click, the capacity is read as 0GB USED, but 0 GB available. The flash drive that works has a FAT 32 file system, the one that doesn't work has an unknown file system. If I attempt to load the SanDisk drivers from their website, all the OS's say the drivers are unnecessary, but I still can't use the drive. If I attempt to use the Tools section from the Properties, all 3 tell me they can't be used on this drive. The Hardware tab and Device Manager all report the drive is working correctly; Troubleshooting doesn't work, either. I even tried to Format the drive (very risky, I know), but the OS's all report the drive can't be formatted. Is it shot before I even got it warmed up?Quote I received a SanDisk 4GB flash drive...I even tried to Format the drive (very risky, I know), but the OS's all report the drive can't be formatted...Is it shot before I even got it warmed up? Very possible it's DOA. Does it have a tiny lock/unlock switch on it? Is it unlocked? Look very carefully.This particular drive does not have a lock/unlock switch and now a second flash drive is doing the same thing. The all report the drive is a burner that does not have a disk and I need to install. I have always used unplug the device from the taskbar to remove the device.sorry, I should say it asks me to insert a blank disk. This issue is also looking similar to the post on an unformatted flash memory that is also in the hardware forum.Raceduck: I agree with C_C.I thank you all for reading and for your feedback. I will attempt to come up with some kind of solution; maybe I have some new key fobs. :-/ On the other hand, I think I may have stumbled onto the cause for any others that use these DRIVES. I have not previously worried about having speakers for a computer. This one does have them. I wonder if the speaker magnets have disabled these beyond recognition. I didn't think about that when I set them on the desk as I juggled them back and forth for various functions. Just an idea for anyone else.I wonder if the fact that it's happening with a second flash drive might suggest there's a different problem. I would suggest finding another machine to try it on - if it still doesn't work then you can safely assume the drive is no good.I thank all for the assistance. After spending way too much time searching for possible clues, I think I found a couple problems. I was one of many that was snookered on an ebay-advertised 8GB Sony flash drive. Turns out it was a fake and the capacity was spoofed. Once data was written, it wiped out the software, MBR and everything. I had to locate about 5 utilities to CLEAN it up, and low-level format it from the manufacturer of the flash chip. It took nearly a month to discover it is a 64MB flash instead of 8 GB! Live and LEARN. I still don't know what CAUSED the problem on the 4GB SanDisk, but using similar families of utilities, I recovered that one too. that one is indeed 4GB. If you give me another week or so to remember what I did, I will post the files/utilities and procedures. I found the utilities on Everything USB. There were tons of threads to sort out, though.

Answer»

I received a SanDisk 4GB flash drive; no matter what machine or Windows OS I try to run it on, work or home, I get the following:
The LED pilot light on the end is a very pale green, instead of the bright green on my other Cruzer flash drive.
On an Me, Win2k or XP machine, it is recognized and the OS advises the drivers were located and I can use the drive.
If I go to My Computer, they all call it a removable disk.
When I attempt to save any files to it, the OS's all advise to insert a blank disc, like the OS's think it is a burner.
If I try to Explore the disk, the OS says to insert a disk.
If I check properties after a right click, the capacity is read as 0GB USED, but 0 GB available.
The flash drive that works has a FAT 32 file system, the one that doesn't work has an unknown file system.
If I attempt to load the SanDisk drivers from their website, all the OS's say the drivers are unnecessary, but I still can't use the drive.
If I attempt to use the Tools section from the Properties, all 3 tell me they can't be used on this drive.
The Hardware tab and Device Manager all report the drive is working correctly; Troubleshooting doesn't work, either.
I even tried to Format the drive (very risky, I know), but the OS's all report the drive can't be formatted.
Is it shot before I even got it warmed up?Quote

I received a SanDisk 4GB flash drive...I even tried to Format the drive (very risky, I know), but the OS's all report the drive can't be formatted...Is it shot before I even got it warmed up?

Very possible it's DOA.
Does it have a tiny lock/unlock switch on it?
Is it unlocked?
Look very carefully.This particular drive does not have a lock/unlock switch and now a second flash drive is doing the same thing. The all report the drive is a burner that does not have a disk and I need to install. I have always used unplug the device from the taskbar to remove the device.sorry, I should say it asks me to insert a blank disk. This issue is also looking similar to the post on an unformatted flash memory that is also in the hardware forum.Raceduck:

I agree with C_C.I thank you all for reading and for your feedback. I will attempt to come up with some kind of solution; maybe I have some new key fobs. :-/
On the other hand, I think I may have stumbled onto the cause for any others that use these DRIVES. I have not previously worried about having speakers for a computer. This one does have them. I wonder if the speaker magnets have disabled these beyond recognition. I didn't think about that when I set them on the desk as I juggled them back and forth for various functions. Just an idea for anyone else.I wonder if the fact that it's happening with a second flash drive might suggest there's a different problem. I would suggest finding another machine to try it on - if it still doesn't work then you can safely assume the drive is no good.I thank all for the assistance. After spending way too much time searching for possible clues, I think I found a couple problems. I was one of many that was snookered on an ebay-advertised 8GB Sony flash drive. Turns out it was a fake and the capacity was spoofed. Once data was written, it wiped out the software, MBR and everything. I had to locate about 5 utilities to CLEAN it up, and low-level format it from the manufacturer of the flash chip. It took nearly a month to discover it is a 64MB flash instead of 8 GB! Live and LEARN.
I still don't know what CAUSED the problem on the 4GB SanDisk, but using similar families of utilities, I recovered that one too. that one is indeed 4GB. If you give me another week or so to remember what I did, I will post the files/utilities and procedures. I found the utilities on Everything USB. There were tons of threads to sort out, though.

Solve : USB flash drive error?

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