Repairing Guides

how to repair flash drive that cannot be detected

by Ludwig Cormier Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

How to Quickly Fix a USB Flash Drive That Is Not Recognized
  1. Method #1: Isolate the Problem.
  2. Method #2: Connect Directly to the Motherboard.
  3. Method #3: Clean the USB Contact Points.
  4. Method #4: Hardware Troubleshooter.
  5. Method #5: Update or Reinstall the USB Drivers.
  6. Method #6: Reinstall USB Controllers.
Jan 4, 2022

How to physically open a flash drive?

Physically opening a USB flash drive is a careful process, as you risk damaging the internal components. A typical USB has a back plate and a front...

How do I get my computer to recognize a USB device?

First, connect the USB to a port on your motherboard rather than your computer case. If your device still isn’t appearing, you can try running the...

Why is my USB not showing up on the computer?

There are a number of reasons why your USB may not be showing up on your computer. It could be as simple as a faulty USB port. To ensure your USB i...

How Can I Fix my Flash Drive Not Recognized?

Question: " My USB flash drive is not recognized when I plug it to the computer. What causes such a problem to happen? Is my USB drive got broken? How to fix the flash drive not recognized issue? Also, can I recover data from the USB flash drive not recognized? "

What to do if you find something missing on a flash drive?

You should also check if there is any accidental data loss from the drive. Should you find things missing, use a flash drive data recovery tool to help you recover loss documents do this immediately before it is overwritten by new data.

How to check if flash drive is working?

Way 1: Scan Flash Drive to Find the Issue. Plug the flash drive into your USB port. Go to My Computer and right-click on the flash drive. Open the Properties. Open the Tools tab and click Check now "¦. It may take some time to complete the scan. Once finished, it will tell you what the flash drive's problem is.

How to format a flash drive?

Right-click on the flash drive and click on Format"¦, the Format window will pop up.

How to update USB driver software?

Expand the menu and right-click on the Generic USB Hub. Click on Update Driver Software"¦

Why won't my computer recognize my flash drive?

USB Formatting Issue : This is the most probable reason your computer could not detect your flash drive. The inability to format flash drive properly before the first use could cause problems later on. Driver Issue: The drivers may not be available, corrupted, or outdated which would make the flash drive not Recognized.

Where to find flash drives that need to be fixed?

You will be able to find the flash drives that need to be fixed in the left panel.

How to Recover Data From USB Not Recognized

Even if your USB drive doesn’t show up in Windows Explorer, your computer may still be registering it. In fact, as long as it’s visible in Disk Management and showing the correct size, you will be able to recover data from a flash drive that’s not recognized. If it’s not visible in Disk Management, try to make it readable first.

How to Format an Unrecognized USB

Formatting a USB involves refreshing the existing file system or adding a new one. This process will delete any data that resides on the USB. Formatting has always been a quick and effective method to fix USB flash drives if not detected, as it’s basically restoring it to factory settings.

How to Make a USB Readable

If your USB isn’t visible with the correct size in Disk Management, recovery won’t be possible. But, there are a few solutions you can try to make it readable. The below methods will help you understand how to fix a USB flash drive that is not recognized.

How to fix USB flash drive not detected?

For different reasons that cause USB drive not showing up in computer, you can take different measures to solve it. Here you can do as following methods according to your needs.

Why is my USB flash drive not recognized?

Here we list part of common reasons: It may because of the USB flash drive is damaged; A broken USB port cannot detect USB flash drive;

How to change USB letter?

In the main interface, you can see the USB drive shown with no drive letter. Right-click it, select Advanced -> Change Drive Letter. Step 2. Here you can choose the drive letter to assign to this USB drive, click OK. Step 3. Finally, click Apply at the toolbar to submit the pending operations.

How to uninstall USB driver?

Here, click on Disk drives, then, right-click on your USB flash drive and choose Uninstall. Confirm the driver you’ll uninstall and click OK. After that, you need to reconnect the USB flash drive to the PC and it will reinstall new device software. And your USB flash drive may be detected. Method 4.

How to detect USB flash drive?

For those people who never use USB flash drive or other external devices, even it installed device driver, the USB flash drive not detected problem may happen. It is because the motherboard’s CMOS port is disabled. And for this situation, you can do as follows: 1 Reboot computer, and get into CMOS setting window. 2 Find “ PNG/PIC CONFIGURATION ” column. 3 Enable “ Assign IRQ For USB ”.

Why is my USB not recognized?

If the USB port is broken, it would cause USB flash drive not recognized problem. Thus, you need to check whether it is because of a broken USB port. You can try to connect another normal USB drive via this USB port to see whether it can be detected. Method 3. Update or reinstall USB flash drive driver.

What to do if USB is not detected?

If the USB flash drive is damaged, you need to abandon it and buy a new one. Thus, if your USB flash drive not detected, you can try to plug it to another computer and see if it can be detected. If it not, it means the USB flash drive is damaged. Method 2.

Why is my USB not recognized?

When the USB driver is not installed correctly , there are chances that the “USB device not recognized” error appears. So you can try to uninstall and then reinstall the USB driver to fix the problem.

What happens if you remove a USB drive without removing the hardware?

If you abruptly remove USB drive without selecting “safely remove hardware and eject media”, the file system will probably get damaged or becomes RAW and then result in USB device not recognized issue later. If the file system turns into RAW format, you can use the free partition manager ( AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard) to format it to FAT32 or NTFS on Windows 10/8/7.

How to reinstall USB driver?

Step 1. Right-click on Start menu and type in “ devmgmt.msc ” to enter Device Manager. Step 2. Browse and expand “ Disk Drive r”, right-click the USB flash drive, and select “ Uninstall ”. Finally, restart your PC, and then Windows will attempt to reinstall the USB driver automatically. ▌ 4.

What command to use to check disk errors?

To check and fix disk errors is another common solution for the recognition problem. In this case, CHKDSK command can help.

Does formatting erase data on USB?

Warning: formatting will delete all data saved on the USB flash drive, if there are precious data on it, you can first recover them via data recovery software and save them on another safe place.

Can I insert a USB flash drive in another USB port?

No matter when your storage stick develops recognition issues or other problems such as BIOS detect USB drive but Windows does not, inserting the USB flash drive in another different port should be the first thing to do. Besides, you can run reliable anti-virus software to remove any possible virus.

How to fix USB flash drive not working?

1. Change the USB Cable. If you are using the USB Type-C cable, it could be faulty hence; you are not accessing the USB flash disk on your computer. In that regard, we recommend that you try a different cable. Alternatively, you may connect the USB flash drive directly to your computer, to see if it is working. 2.

Why is my USB flash drive not detected?

However, be aware that many USB-C cables could malfunction, leading to a “USB flash drive not detected” error message. 2. Virus / Malware. Viruses in your USB Flash drive or the computer could be the reason you experience the “USB device not detected” error message.

How to scan with Windows Defender?

Step 1. Insert the USB flash disk into the computer’s USB port. Step 2. Navigate to the USB flash disk icon under the “my computer” icon list. Step 3. Right-Click under the USB flash disk option and select the “scan with windows defender” option.

What is a bad sector on a USB drive?

A bad sector refers to the area of the USB drive that cannot be accessed, written, or read. Therefore, in the case of a USB flash drive with a bad sector, windows will not recognize it. In that regard, you will be required to use the flash drive repair utility to recover the data.

Why is my USB drive not recognized?

USB Drive Mechanical Issue. The USB drive on your desktop computer could malfunction. Therefore, when a windows user inserts the USB flash drive onto the drive, the USB flash drives the computer does not recognize the USB flash drive. To ascertain the issue, you may insert the USB flash drive on another USB drive or computer.

What happens if a second computer detects a USB flash drive?

If the second computer detects the USB flash drive, it is clear that the computer is infected, and you need to scan and clean to avoid experiencing the same issue again.

Is a corrupted USB flash drive a common issue in Windows 10?

Corrupted USB Flash Drive is a common issue in windows 10/8/7? If you have been a victim, it would help if you knew how to fix USB flash drive not detected, without losing data. This post explains the important USB flash drive repair tips. In the end, we share an effective data recovery method that works on corrupted USB flash drives. Firstly, we evaluate the different techniques for dead USB flash drive repair.

Why is my USB flash drive not showing?

The most likely reason the USB flash drive doesn't display is the USB driver problem. If the driver is too outdated, damaged or missing, your device finds no way to communicate with the flash drive, so it can’t display the drive for you (the flash drive is not recognized).

Why is my USB not flashing?

The USB indicator does not flash or its state is abnormal. The system fails to boot as usual after the USB device was connected to the computer . The content in USB device can't be accessed or the access speed is much slower than before. You should provide a separate external power supply to the USB device.

Why isn't my Xbox 360 detecting my USB flash drive?

If the USB flash drive is used on Xbox 360 when you find flash drive can't be recognized, there's a special reason why it is not detected by Xbox 360: the first partition of USB flash drive is not a FAT32 partition.

How to find USB drive in Windows Explorer?

Right click on the Start button in the lower left corner of the PC screen. Choose Disk Management from the context menu. Look for your USB flash drive. The USB device would appear in Disk Management but not in Windows Explorer when the USB device has no drive letter or it becomes unallocated.

Why is my USB not showing in Windows Explorer?

You should open Windows Disk Management to check. If your USB device is not recognized but appears & becomes unallocated space in Disk Management , the outdated USB driver should be blamed for.

What happens when your motherboard is turned off?

When the motherboard gets powered off, all hardware (including the USB ports) connected to the computer will be cut off. You should wait a few minutes to re-plug the power supply; then, the USB ports will be rebooted and the drivers will be reloaded, so your USB flash drive may be recognized. Shut down your computer.

Can you use a USB flash drive on Xbox 360?

Since Xbox 360 could only recognize the USB flash drive under the condition that its first drive is formatted as FAT32, you must check the file system of USB flash drive to see whether it is FAT32. If not, please get the MiniTool Partition Wizard to help you.

How to fix USB not detected?

Connect your USB drive to the computer once more to confirm its functionality. Solution 2. Unplug and Re-plug your computer. This is a simple way of refreshing your computer's operations to fix USB not detected issues. It will remove power from the computer and possibly reboot all the ports.

Why is my USB flash drive not reading?

This problem may result from a virus attack, physical damage, or power corruption. If the USB drive is not able to read a flash drive then it could be dead. A detailed repair may help restore it to use.

How to change the letter of a USB drive?

To change the drive letter, right-click on the 'This PC' button and select the 'Manage' option. Go to the 'Disk Management' to see your USB device. Then select the 'Change Drive Letter and Paths' option. Next, choose a new drive letter and click 'OK'. Your USB drive should be operational with a new drive letter.

How to uninstall USB drive?

If your USB drive was not correctly installed, you may require to properly install it once more. Open the 'Device Manager' tab. Click on the 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers' to expand it. Check out for your USB device that is not being detected. Right-click and click the 'Uninstall Device' option.

Why is my pen drive not opening?

When your pen drive is detected but not opening, there is a possibility that the drive is in RAW format. You need to convert it to a compatible file system to use it. Right-click on the 'Start' icon and key in 'Computer Management' then click on it. Go to the 'Disk Management' and figure out your drive device.

How to tell if USB port is faulty?

Remember your computer harbors several ports. Try them out by connecting your USB drive and switching to other ports. By this, you can immediately identify if there is a faulty port.

What happens if a pen drive is not detected?

Fixing pen drive not detected error may lead to data loss. For example, formatting or changing the drive letter are common scenarios that result in data loss. At this juncture, you need a recovery tool that has the power to restore your data. Recoverit Data Recovery is easier to use, with laid down steps.

Why is my USB flash drive not detected?

USB flash drive not detected occurs can be a result of a corrupted registry entry. If so, you need to remove the bad registry key. 1. Run open box, input “ regedit ” and hit Enter to open Registry Editor. 2.

Why is my flash drive not showing up?

USB flash drive not showing up may be out of broken USB port. Thus, you can remove USB flash drive and insert it to another USB port to see whether it is detected and showing up in Windows 10 File Explorer.

How to make all data on USB drive gone?

1. Install AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. Run it, right-click the flash drive partition that you need to format, and choose “ Format Partition ”. 2. Among the listed file system, choose an appropriate one. Then, click “ OK ” button. 3.

Why won't my USB flash drive appear in BIOS?

If you have disabled the USB Interface in BISO to protect your computer, USB flash drive won’t appear. In such a case, you can enter BIOS settings to enable USB Device. Then, restart your computer and see if the USB flash drive is detected.

How to change the path of a USB flash drive?

At this time, it is simple to solve this issue by following the steps below: 1. Right-click the USB flash drive partition and select “ Change Drive Letter and Path…. ”. 2. In the pop-up window, click “ Add ” and choose a proper drive letter. Then, click “ OK ”. 3.

How to update USB drive?

To update USB drives for your flash drive, press “ Windows ” + “ R ” simultaneously, input “ devmgmt.msc ” and hit Enter ” key to access Device Manager. In Device Manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers (usually the last one), right-click Generic USB Hub and choose Update Driver Software....

image

Scenario

The Reasons of USB Flash Drive Not Detected Problem

  • There are many reasons would cause USB flash drive not detected, or the USB flash drive not recognized. Here we list part of common reasons: 1. It may because of the USB flash drive is damaged; 2. A broken USB port cannot detect USB flash drive; 3. The USB flash drive driver has been installed incorrectly; 4. The motherboard’s default CMOS port is ...
See more on diskpart.com

How to Fix USB Flash Drive Not detected?

  • For different reasons that cause USB drive not showing up in computer, you can take different measures to solve it. Here you can do as following methods according to your needs.
See more on diskpart.com

Conclusion

  • Different causes to USB flash drive not detected need different solutions to solve. Here we conclude 7 situations and 7 solutions. Hope this post can help you fix USB not detected problem. If you have any other solutions, welcome to share it in the comments.
See more on diskpart.com

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9