Troubles with Memory Stick

[ArDee]

Hopefully somebody can help?

I'm having trouble with a USB memory stick.

It's worked correctly in the past but, today when I plug it into the computer it is not assigned a drive letter on windows explorer so I can't access the files. Been through the device trouble shooting and it all says it's working OK. The "Safely Remove Hardware" icon on the command line recognises that the memory stick as a “Mass Storage Device” and will disconnect it, although there’s no assigned a drive letter against the “Mass Storage Device”.

When I plug other memory sticks into the computer they work normally being assigned a drive letter and when this memory stick is plugged into other computers it works normally getting a drive letter assigned.

What have I done wrong? And how do I cure it?

 

[Smokin Joe]

It's fecked.

They don't last forever.

 

[Davidc]

I've had this problem, it seems to be that the computer OS knows it has assigned the drive letter to something else as well (even though that's gone) and just doesn't sort things out properly. This is what I've had to do - can't guarantee it'll work on yours but it may.

Assuming you're running windows XP:

Right click on 'my computer'

Chose 'manage'

Then 'disk Management' in the left hand pane.

Somewhere in the right hand pane you should find your stick.

Right Click on it

Chose 'Change Drive Letter and Paths'

Ignore all the dire warnings of impending doom and change it to drive X or any other letter not in use.

Once assigned the drive letter X (or whatever) the stick will always appear as drive X on that computer.

As Smokin' Joe has pointed out, flash devices wear out so could be that, but if you can't get to it on your computer its still worth trying someone elses to see if you can get your data back.

 

[ian turner]

Right click computer, select manage.
Then select the Disk management section and look for the device in the list in the lower half of the screen as one without an assigned drive letter and of the right size. Then try right clicking and see if it offers the option to assign a drive letter

 

[ArDee]

Thanks Davidc and Ian worked a treat , this time at least, but I think I'll move the data to a newer stick.

I've had this one a while and I thought like Smokin Joe said, I thought that it had shuffled of this mortal coil to return to the electronic either in the sky , I’ll replace it before it really happens and I loose everthing .