BleepingComputer.com: Cannot Find The Usb Connection

When I am connecting my USB device (Disc-On-Key) to my home PC, the appropriate icon
appears on the System Tray (showing that it is connected).
Double clicking on this icon and then on 'Properties' (in the opened window) I get
the window 'USB Mass Storage Device Properties' with the note 'This device is working properly.'
in the 'Device Status' bloc.
When I am clicking on 'My Computer' to open/find the USB, there is no mention of it at all.
I can see there all the other Drives (Floppy, C, D and E) but not the USB (portable device).
Where it is possible to find it?
Notes:
- When I am disconnecting the USB by right clicking the icon on the System Tray
the disconnecting process run normally
- On my office PC the device is working properly.

I am using XP Pro

Thanks for your assitance

does device manager see it?

right click on my computer manage?
does disk management see it?

This post has been edited by DaChew: 11 September 2007 - 04:02 PM

Thank you DaChew for your time,

1. The Device Manager is seeing it:
Opening the 'Universal Serial bus Controller' I'm seeing 'USB Mass Storage Device'
Double clicking on it I get the window with, in the 'Device Status' bloc : "This device is working properly."

2. I've done the same process using a second USB (different brand from the previous one)
Could'n see it also. In the Device manager found: 'This device is working properly.' Same as above.

3. Done same process using this time an external USB HD (80GB)
clicing on "My Computer" I can see it under "New Volume (I)" but under the column "Type" it is
mentioned as 'local Disk' (same as for the PC drives C , D and E)
No problem opening and working with this external device.

Thanks for assistance

Try reloading your USB drivers. You can get them from the manufacture of your motherboard.

I think the Driver is properly installed:
From the 'Device Manager" I clicked on ''USB Mass Storage Device'
Then clicked on the tab "Driver". It is mentioned "Driver Provider - Microsoft"
I've clicked on "Driver Update" The process ran smooth but still
the USB device doesn't appear in the "My Computer" folder i.e. cannot open/use it

I wonder if it's just using too much power, are you using other usb devices? There is a rather limited amount of amperage available for usb devices, even a mouse uses like 1/5 of the total

in device manager you can look at each devices usage

try to uninstall the driver and then install it again... and try to look at the drivers properties..

I had this problem with my daughters Ipod, turned out the computer would find it, but think it was a hard drive. With the usb device connected go to administrative tools- computer management- disk management and see if it may be showing up as a hard drive. If so right click on the drive in the lower part of disk management and change the drive letter to M or later and see if it finds the proper drive type.

I've had the same problem with my laptop, an IBM T40. I discovered, quite by accident, that it was considering it to be a "Portable Media Device". Go to Control Panel, click on "Portable Media Devices" and see if it is there.

Thanks to you all for your time.

1. Misterdog : I can't find "Portable Media Devices" in the Control Panel.

2. Crizz44: I FIND it as per your guidance.
In the "Disk Management" it shows the Basic Disk (the PC HD) under the name 'Disk 0' with its three partitions (C, D, and E)
and the USB device under 'SWISSMEMORY' but with its 'Layout' as Partition and 'Status' Healthy (active).
The issue is that at the lower side of the 'Computer Management' window (where the graphical divisions of the every disc are presented)
I can see :
- Dick 0 : Basic - Online /with the three blocs (one for each partition i.e. C, D, E) and with a dark blue line above the C partition
bloc which means 'Primary Partition' and light blue line above the D and E partitions which means 'Logical Drives'
- Disk 1: Removable - Online / with one bloc 'SWISSMEMORY' but there is a blue dark line above this bloc (similar to the C partition)
which means 'Primary Partition' .
I right clicked on 'Disc1' then on 'Change Drive Letter and Path...' to add a letter. It added the letter H (letters F and G are already
assigned to CDROM and DVD).
I right clicked again on 'Disc1' then on 'Change Drive Letter and Path...' It shows the letter H
Clicking on the tab 'ADD' it shows the button with 'Mount in the following NTFS folder', then cliking on the tab 'Browse' it shows the
three partitions of dick 0 (C, D, E). i.e. I have to "insert" this device to one of the existing partitions?

- I right clicked on the bloc ''SWISSMEMORY (H:)' then on 'Open and I got the content (list) of the USB device , but the
Address bloc was empty.
I clicked on the icon 'UP' to check to which tree folder this open one (i.e. the usb) belong and it shows 'My Computer'
I clicked on the icon 'Back' its shows all the content of the USB device.

Conclusion:
- Now I can open the USB files thru 'Disk Management' then right clicking on the bloc representing the removable disk and
on 'Open' (as detailed above)
- The device does not appear in 'My Computer' even though it seems that drive H is under My Computer tree folder
- Where this drive H hides? How to make it appeared separately under 'My computer' same as for the other drives ?

have you ever had any mounting software installed(drive emulation) that might be interfering with windows mounting the usb drive?

what file system is the drive using?

I know it doesn't sound necessary, but just try a letter like R, further away from the drive letters you have. My does show in my computer. I will need to look at this a little more to be sure I understand. But could you try to make it something like R or S. There is an arrow down button that allows you to chose your own drive letter.

This post has been edited by Crizz44: 15 September 2007 - 08:40 PM