help. USB drive isn't assigned a drive letter.

[Lazzer408]

Any usb flash drive I plug into my computer isn't assigned a drive letter. The physical drive shows in the "safely remove hardware" but it doesnt show up in disk management. I have tried to populate the volume thru the safely remove hardware properties window and it does pop up in the list but it doesn't stay there. This isn't a format or assign a letter problem. It's more complicated then that. Maybe one of the services needed for usb drive management was disabled? Suggestions needed. btw external usb harddrives work fine.

[Random Murderer]

try it in another usb port. ive had the same problem on my new mobo :banghead:

[Pinchy]

try the USB in a whole different computer

[lemonadesoda]

1./ It could be a security setting. Are you admin of the machine?

2./ It could be disabled by some software. Have you been running start-up accelerators?

[Alec§taar]

Is your "Shell Hardware Detection" service up & running?

(Just on a guess here on that account...)

If not, start it using services.msc...

Once it is started, try devmgmt.msc, & see if doing a scan for new hardware, via right-click on the topmost item in the devices tree (your computer name should be @ the top), once your USB device was inserted...

APK

[Lazzer408]

Is your "Shell Hardware Detection" service up & running?

(Just on a guess here on that account...)

If not, start it using services.msc...

Once it is started, try devmgmt.msc, & see if doing a scan for new hardware, via right-click on the topmost item in the devices tree (your computer name should be @ the top), once your USB device was inserted...

APK

Yes shell hardware detection is enabled. Get this... now my main 3 harddrives have no drive letters under disk management. I can assign them one but it doesnt remember. In my computer I have c: d: e: f: g:. C: is the boot raid-0, D: and E: are CD and DVD-r drives, F: and G: are used for user storage. Any ideas?

[Alec§taar]

Yes shell hardware detection is enabled. Get this... now my main 3 harddrives have no drive letters under disk management. I can assign them one but it doesnt remember. In my computer I have c: d: e: f: g:. C: is the boot raid-0, D: and E: are CD and DVD-r drives, F: and G: are used for user storage. Any ideas?

Not really, from myself @ this point... you've got me on this one!

:(

APK

[cjoyce1980]

maybe your USB drive is trying to assign a drive letter that is already taken.

goto

start > control panel > administrative tools > computer manager > disk manager

find your USB drive and assign is a drive letter

[Lazzer408]

Not really, from myself @ this point... you've got me on this one!

:(

APK

I've read places that a driver from Daemon Tools can cause this but I don't have that installed. (sptd.sys). It's always something with this damn computer ever since I started using WD harddrives again. I have all sorts of goofy errors and write fails and whatnot in my event viewer and now drive letters are missing. :banghead: Back to Seagate on the next build that's for sure. If I figure it out I'll post the solution. Alot of people have this problem with USB devices including myself.

[Alec§taar]

It's always something with this damn computer ever since I started using WD harddrives again. I have all sorts of goofy errors and write fails and whatnot in my event viewer and now drive letters are missing. :banghead: Back to Seagate on the next build that's for sure. If I figure it out I'll post the solution. Alot of people have this problem with USB devices including myself.

That's odd!

I must be the only person on this forums, to NEVER have problems w/ WD disks!

I use Raptors here, & I have every one of them since they released the 36gb units, & then I obtained a 74gb unit, & now 2 150gb units (w/ the see-thru window ontop).

They've been pretty good to me.

I also run them side-by-side (albeit, not on the Promise caching controller where I keep the WD raptors) w/ 2 other disks (samsung units - got an UNBELIEVEABLE PRICE ON BOTH) of 160 ($40) & 250gb ($60) size, riding on the onboard Silicon Image RAID controller here.

APK

P.S.=> I think cjoyce has the right idea, to manually sit there & reassign drive letters using diskmgmt.msc, but I would find it odd to find out that YOU haven't tried that very thing several times... apk