Can't Acces Portable Media

  • Thread starter Thread starter Richard John
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Richard John

Using a Gateway Notebook - can't see my Portable Media 1 Gig Flash
Memory in My Computer when plug in. This happened before but cleared
up. The problem happened when plugged two Flash Mem in USB same time to
transfer data. I can only see the device in Control Panel under
Portable Media Devices but access is limited. What drivers are bad or
what can I do? Thanks
Richard
 
You may be overloading the power requirements of the USB Root Hub.
Also having two Flash modules inserted at the same time can saturate the
USB channel. (Available Bandwidth)
With both inserted, use Device Manager, Universal Serial Bus category
and check your "Enhanced Controller", Advanced (TAB) note the % of
bandwidth used. Then check each Root Hub, Power (TAB) and note
the total mA (Milliamp) used. (500 mA Cap/Limit)
 
R. McCarty said:
You may be overloading the power requirements of the USB Root Hub.
Also having two Flash modules inserted at the same time can saturate the
USB channel. (Available Bandwidth)
With both inserted, use Device Manager, Universal Serial Bus category
and check your "Enhanced Controller", Advanced (TAB) note the % of
bandwidth used. Then check each Root Hub, Power (TAB) and note
the total mA (Milliamp) used. (500 mA Cap/Limit)
Click to expand...
I created the problem weeks ago and still cannot see my pen drives (2).
It does, however, see my son's drive when it is inserted. it also sees
my Konica camera - it just refuses to acknowledge my two pen drives
although both appear in the Control Panel but not in My Computer. Is
there a driver that possibly needs to be updated?
 
R. McCarty said:
You may be overloading the power requirements of the USB Root Hub.
Also having two Flash modules inserted at the same time can saturate the
USB channel. (Available Bandwidth)
With both inserted, use Device Manager, Universal Serial Bus category
and check your "Enhanced Controller", Advanced (TAB) note the % of
bandwidth used. Then check each Root Hub, Power (TAB) and note
the total mA (Milliamp) used. (500 mA Cap/Limit)
Click to expand...
Gateway sent me a message and advised that I use Safe Mode and delete
the USB controllers. I did that and restarted and the drivers
re-installed themselves. Now I see my Mighty Drive 512M pen drive both
in Control Panel and My Computer under Devices With Removable Storage.
My second pen drive a 1G SanDisk appears in Control Panel (Portable
Media Devices) but does not appear in My Computer - I don't understand
why it would appear in one place and not the other. Thanks for any help.
Richard
 
That's symptomatic of powering issues. I've seen numerous devices
on USB channels appear in Device Manager - yet not in My Computer
(Windows Explorer). In almost every case it was because of the mA
draw on the USB channel. Apparently, XP enumerates (Detects) the
device but cannot actually access it for use and that may account for
why you don't see it in Explorer.
For example: (My two Thumb Flash Drives Draw)
1.) LG 1-Gigabyte Flash draws 200 mA
2.) SanDisk MiniCruzer 256 Meg also draws 200 mA
 
R. McCarty said:
That's symptomatic of powering issues. I've seen numerous devices
on USB channels appear in Device Manager - yet not in My Computer
(Windows Explorer). In almost every case it was because of the mA
draw on the USB channel. Apparently, XP enumerates (Detects) the
device but cannot actually access it for use and that may account for
why you don't see it in Explorer.
For example: (My two Thumb Flash Drives Draw)
1.) LG 1-Gigabyte Flash draws 200 mA
2.) SanDisk MiniCruzer 256 Meg also draws 200 mA
Click to expand...
My SanDisk is a MicroCruzer 1Gig. Oddly enough It does not appear in My
computer but I can access it in Control Panel. The problem, it appears,
is that someting is telling the Computer not to display in My Computer.
I only tried the two pen drive thing twice and now realize that is what
caused the problem but whatever happened the problem persists, at least
by re-installing the drivers I am only missing one of them.....?
 
Go to DiskMgmt.Msc and give it a new Drive Letter - use a
Mid-Alphabet letter such as M or N.
 
R. McCarty said:
Go to DiskMgmt.Msc and give it a new Drive Letter - use a
Mid-Alphabet letter such as M or N.
Click to expand...
H E Y - You just pointed me in the right direction. originally I hung
the thing up by plugging two drives in at once. Once I re-installed the
drivers I was seeing only one pen drive - then you came along. I
inserted the two drives and noticed that the MightyDrive was assigned
Drive Letter H and the SanDisk was assigned Letter G. Using Tweak-UI I
found that the Letter G was not ticked so it wasn't showing up - SHEESH.
Thanks for your help. I think that I will send a message to the Gateway
Dude and tell him - That should smarten him up - don't you think....!
 
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