How to Fix USB flash drive not working Windows 10/7?
Hi, I was advised by a Dell technician a while ago that it is recommended to download the latest device drivers from the Dell Support site to a USB stick before doing a clean installation of Windows 8.1. Should I download the drivers to my hard drive (c: drive) and then copy and paste them over t. Plug the drive in any available USB port. Wait a few moments while the computer automatically sets the drive up to be accessed. If the flash drive has been formatted using the NTFS filesystem, then it will not be recognized in Mac OS X. The flash drive must be formatted in the FAT32 filesystem. With Windows 10 you can install apps to a separate drive, such as an SD card or USB Flash drive. Here's how to install or move Windows apps to a different drive.
Unplug the USB stick from the current port and computer, and try plugging into a different computer and/or USB port. If it works on the new USB port or computer, the USB port may be damaged or dead, or the computer itself may have a problem. And you can use EaseUS Data Recovery to recover data. Check if the port is clean, dust-free, and firm.
With a portable USB memory stick and flash drive, we can transfer work documents, school papers, multimedia files easily from PC or between USB drives in order to keep them as a backup or just be able to access the files everywhere. Only when the USB flash drive is not working, we find ourselves in trouble.
Symptoms of USB Flash Drive Not Working on Windows 10/7
When a USB stick is not working, the situations vary. The commonest cases are:
- 'USB device not recognized' keeps popping up and USB flash drive is not working
- USB Pen drive is detected but not showing up in My Computer
- You receive the notification 'Please insert a disk into removable disk (your USB flash drive)'
- You receive the notification 'The disk (your USB) is write-protected'
- You receive the notification 'USB stick needs to be formatted before you can use it'
Fix USB Flash Drive Not Working on Windows 10/7 Without Losing Data
The USB not working issues mentioned above are the most frequent ones people may encounter. To fix the specific USB errors, just click the link we left where the relevant solution has been provided.
In addition, it's necessary to learn the general troubleshooting methods in the following which show you what to do if USB flash drive is not working on Windows 10 or Windows 7.
First. Recover data when a USB flash drive is not working
Always give priority to your precious data in USB flash drive that is not working anymore. As long as Windows still detects the drive, you can download EaseUS hard drive recovery software to rescue your documents & large size multimedia files. Since there is the possibility of losing data during the fixes, it's highly recommended to recover data from your problematic USB in advance.
It only takes three steps to recover data from a USB flash drive that is not working with EaseUS recovery software. How do i make a screenshot of my computer screen.
Step 1. Select a location and start scanning.
Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, hover on the location(hard drive partition, external HDD, Card devices) where you lost data, then click 'Scan'.
Step 2. Preview and select the files.
Wait until the scanning completes. If you need to double-click the item to preview the file, then select the data you attempt to recover.
Step 3. Recover lost data.
Click 'Recover', choose a location to save the recovered data, then click 'OK'. You should store the data in another place instead of the original one.
Second. Fix a USB flash drive that is not working (in three ways)
There are three options available for you.
Method 1. Try a different USB port or PC
Inserting the USB stick into another USB port on your PC or connect it to another PC to exclude that the causes is not from the USB flash drive itself.
Method 2. Update USB driver
There's another chance that your USB flash drive has no problem, and the error is caused by an outdated driver in your PC.
Step 1. To check for a new driver, go to Computer, right click on your USB's icon and click on 'Properties'.
Step 2. Go to the Hardware tab and find 'General USB Flash Disk USB Device'. Select it and click the'Properties' button below.
Step 3. In the next pop-up, click the 'Change settings' button.
Step 4. When a new pop-up appears, go to the 'Driver' tab and click the 'Update Driver' button.
Step 5. Next, select the first option 'Search automatically for updated driver software'and follow the instructions.
Method 3. Check & repair USB drive partition error
When your USB flash drive is corrupted, damaged or there are bad sectors on it, your USB flash drive will not work properly for sure. If your USB flash drive is corrupted or damaged, you can follow the steps below to repair your disk using the free partition manager - EaseUS Partition Master. If there are bad sectors on your USB, learn how to repair bad sectors here.
Step 1. Insert your USB flash drive into your computer and launch EaseUS Partition Master. Right-click the partition on your storage device and choose 'Check File System'.
Step 2.In the new window, keep the option 'Try to fix the errors if found' selected and click 'Start'.
Step 3.Then EaseUS Partition Master will automatically check and repair the file system error on your USB. When it has done, click 'Finish' to end the whole process.
Method 4. Format the USB stick that is not working
Another effective way to fix the file system errors on your USB flash drive is to format it directly. By doing so, you assign a new file system to your storage device and it will be usable again. You can take the last measure to fix the USB flash drive that is not working problem by formatting the drive and use it as new.
Step 1. Open EaseUS Partition Master. Find your USB flash drive and right-click the partition you want to format and choose 'Format'.
Step 2.Set a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3), and cluster size to the selected partition, then click 'OK'.
Step 3.Click 'OK' on the pop-up window to continue.
Step 4.Click the 'Execute Operation' button on the toolbar, then click 'Apply' to start formatting your USB drive.
The bottom line
When a USB flash drive is not working correctly, it could be quite annoying. However, if the device can still be detected by your computer, you should feel relieved since that means the files on it can be rescued with the help of data recovery software.
With the files kept safe somewhere else, you can continue fixing the not working error without worrying about any data loss. In addition to checking whether the problem is caused by other devices, it is useful to fix a USB that is not working by repairing the file system errors or formatting. I hope the issue with your USB can be successfully solved with the solutions provided here.
FAQs About USB Flash Drive Not Working
For those who have more questions about USB flash drive, you may follow and check answers below each question.
1. How can I repair my USB flash drive?
Basically, there are three ways that you can apply to repair your USB flash drive.
- Method 1. Canning and Repairing with Windows chkdsk.
- Method 2. Run Windows disk error checking.
- Method 3. Formatting USB to FAT32
Both Method 1 and Method 2 are able to repair errors on your disk from the command line. Formatting can reset your USB flash drive file system. Afterward, with EaseUS data recovery software, you can get your data back from a failed pen drive without losing files. You may refer to USB flash drive repair tool for help.
2. Why is my USB flash drive not showing up?
If a driver is missing, out of date, or corrupted, your computer won't be able to load or access to your drive. Thus, your computer may not be able to recognize it.
Usually, the reasons for USB flash drive not showing are: 1). USB driver issues; 2). Drive letter conflicts; 3). File system errors.
And you can try to update USB drivers, change USB drive letter or reset the file system to fix this issue. For more details, refer to USB Not Showing Up in Windows 10/8/7.
3. Why does my flash drive not work?
Be it similar to the USB flash drive not showing issue, when a USB flash drive contains errors, corrupted file system, outdated USB drivers, or even losing drive letter, it all may not work on a computer.
You can try any method as shown on this page in the main content to make your flash drive work again:
- 1). Check flash drive connection, change USB port or PC.
- 2). Update flash drive drivers.
- 3). Check and repair flash drive errors.
- 4). Format and reset flash drive file system.
Summary :
Do you know the usage of a flash drive? This article will tell you how to use a USB flash drive on Windows 10 to store data, recover files, kill virus, install operating system, and update firmware.
Quick Navigation :
What Is a Flash Drive?
A flash drive, namely USB flash drive, is also known as pen drive, thumb drive, and jump drive. It is a small portable storage device which usually connects to a computer through USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface and stores data through flash memory.
Further Reading:
Universal Serial Bus: It is a serial bus standard that aims to guide the manufacturer to produce interfaces connecting computer systems to external devices. In addition, USB standard also defines the data transfer rate.
Flash Memory: It is a semiconductor memory chip that won't lose information when powered off. It is mainly divided into NAND type and NOR type. The NOR type is suitable to serve as computer system memory and the NAND type is the core memory of all USB flash drives and the memory card of various digital devices.
Furthermore, flash memory has the advantages of small size, low power consumption, and strong physical damage resistance.
The USB flash drive has advantages of compact design, relatively large storage capacity, low price, strong seismic performance, strong moisture and magnetic resistance, and reliable performance. In addition, it realizes plug and can play function and hot plug function.
USB flash drive can help you do a lot of things. This article mainly tells you how to use a flash drive on computer. However, USB flash drive can also work on phone. Please click 4 Cool USB Flash Drive Hacks to know the details.
Common Usage: Transport and Store Data
When you get a USB flash drive, you may know how to connect it to your computer. You should find a USB port and insert the USB flash drive into the port. Then, it will be displayed on Desktop or in File Explorer.
A common usage of a USB flash drive is to transport and store data. You can transfer the data on computer into USB flash drive through copy and paste feature and then transport it safely to another place for use. This usage is widely adopted especially in transporting data of large size.
Besides, due to the strong physical damage resistance advantage that USB flash drive has, it is always used for secure stored data. Some people like to use it to back up important data just in case data stored on computer is lost.
Here is a tutorial on how to use a flash drive on Windows 10 to store data.
Step 1: Copy/Cut the file you want to transfer.
- Open File Explorer and Find the file.
- Right click on it and choose Copy/Cut.
Step 2: Paste the file to USB flash drive.
- Open USB flash drive.
- Right click on blank place and choose Paste.
How To Load A Flash Drive Contents To Computer
If the file is saved on Desktop, you can drag it to USB flash drive to complete copy process.
Common Usage: USB Management
Usually, most flash drives are preformatted with FAT32 system, which means that the USB flash drive only supports a single file smaller than 4 GB. So, you may fail when you store large files on USB flash drive.
But fortunately, MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you solve these problems.
Method 1: Format USB Flash Drive If It Is Empty.
Note: All the data on the flash drive will be deleted. Please back up data in advance.
Step 1: Activate Format feature.
- Download MiniTool Partition Wizard and launch it to get its main interface.
- Right click a partition on USB flash drive and choose Format.
Step 2: Choose a file system and click OK on the pop-up window.
Tip: You can choose NTFS file system if your computer is installed with Windows operating system.
Step 3: Click Apply button.
Surely, you can also format partition in Disk Management or File Explorer.
Method 2: Convert FAT to NTFS.
Tip: This method can convert a partition from FAT32 to NTFS directly. Besides, it will also retain original data so that you don't need to back up data in advance.
Here is the tutorial.
Step 1: Activate Convert FAT to NTFS feature.
- Download MiniTool Partition Wizard.
- Right click a partition on USB flash drive and choose Convert FAT to NTFS.
Step 2: Click Start button on the pop-up window to perform converting process.
Step 3: Click Close after the converting process is finished.
Similarly, there are other features to manage USB flash drive. For example: delete partition, split partition, merge partition, etc.
Advanced Usage: Create a USB Data Recovery Tool
The above usages to USB flash drive are very basic. The USB flash drive can also help you recover data, kill virus, install OS, update firmware, and many more. In this section, this tutorial will show you how to use a flash drive to create a USB data recovery tool and then use it to recover data step by step when your computer can't boot up. But first, you need the help from a third-party data recovery software like MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Here is a tutorial on how to use a thumb drive to create a USB data recovery tool.
Note: The USB flash drive will be formatted. Please back up the data on it in advance.
Step 1: Activate Bootable Media feature to make a bootable data recovery flash drive.
- Plug the USB flash drive on a normal running computer.
- Buy MiniTool Partition Wizard and launch it on the normal running computer.
- Click Bootable Media on the toolbar.
Step 2: Follow the wizrd to complete a bootable disk.
- Click WinPE-based media with MiniTool plug-in.
- Choose USB Flash Disk to burn the mtboot.iso file into the USB flash drive directly.
Finally, the USB data recovery tool is completed and you can use it to recover data.
Here is a tutorial on how to use a USB flash drive to recover data when the computer can't boot.
Step 1: Set Firmware to make the problematic computer boot from the bootable disk.
- Plug the USB flash drive into the problematic computer.
- Follow the wizard to enter BIOS.
- Set Removable Devices at the first place of boot sequence. And then boot computer.
Step 2: Activate Data Recovery feature.
- Wait a few seconds until MiniTool Partition Wizard opens automatically.
- Click Partition & Disk Management to get its main interface.
- Click Data Recovery.
How to use sketch on windows. Step 3: Choose a partition or a disk and then click Scan.
Tip: You can limit scanning range by selecting file systems and file types in Settings.
Step 4: Find the files you want to recover with built-in tools.
- Path: You can find files according to their paths.
- Type: You can find files according to their file types.
- Show Lost Files: You can find lost files in this place.
- Find: You can find files by typing continuous part of their file names.
- Filter: You can find files through narrowing down the files range according to filename/extension, file size, creation/modification date, etc.
- Preview: This feature allows you to preview the files that don't exceed 100 MB before the data is saved. Besides, it supports 70 file types.
- Export Scan Result: This feature allows you to export the scan result file. Then you can continue data recovery later without a second time scan by loading this file through Recovery Result - Load Manually feature.
Step 5: Select files and then Save them into a safe position.
Advanced Usage: Create an Operating System Installation Media
You might know that you can install Windows 10 with the help of a USB flash drive. But you might not know the detailed steps. You can then read the following paragraphs to know how to use a flash drive to create an operating system installation media and then install Windows.
Here is a tutorial on how to use a flash drive to create an operating system installation media.
Note: The files on the USB flash drive will be deleted, please back up them in advance.
Step 1: Create Windows 10 installation media on a normal running computer.
- Click here to download media creation tool program.
- Run the media creation tool and click Accept.
- Choose Create installation media for another PC.
- Click Next.
Step 2: Set specific parameters and choose media type.
- Select language, Windows edition and architecture. You can adopt the recommended option or make your own choice. Then, click Next.
- Choose USB flash drive and click Next.
Step 3: Choose a USB flash drive and click Next again.
Then, please wait until the installation media is completed. Finally, you can plug the installation flash drive to another computer and perform installation process.
Here is a tutorial on how to use a flash drive to install Windows.
Step 1: Plug the installation flash drive into the computer and the computer will boot from it. If not, please set Firmware to make the computer boot from it.
Step 2: Install Windows.
- Confirm language to install, time and currency format, as well as keyboard or input method.
- Click Next.
Step 3: Choose installation options.
- Click Install now.
- Read and do as required in Activate Windows Then click Next.
- Check I accept the license terms and click Next.
- Choose upgrade option or custom installation option after reading the differences.
How To Load A Flash Drive On Imac
Then, follow the wizard to complete the remaining installation process. You can click Install Windows 10 on a New Hard Drive to know more details.
Advanced Usage: Bootable Antivirus Disk
When your computer can't boot after virus attack, you can also use a bootable antivirus flash drive to attempt killing the virus on your computer. Most antivirus software can make a bootable flash drive, and you can get the detailed steps on their websites. Then, you can boot the computer from the bootable antivirus flash drive to run antivirus scan.
Advanced Usage: Update Firmware
When existing bugs and some hardware incompatibility issues happen, you can update firmware to solve them. This is also a method to improve computer stability.
Step 1: Check current BIOS version.
- Press 'Windows + R' keys.
- Enter 'msconfig' in Run box and click OK button to open System Configuration.
- Skip to Tools
- Highlight System Information and click Launch.
- Then, remember BIOS Version/Date
Step 2: Download correct new BIOS version into USB flash drive.
Step 3: Plug in the USB flash drive and enter BIOS to update firmware.
Bottom Line
Is this article helpful? We need your feedback. If you ever have problems when recovering data with USB flash with or when installing Windows with flash drive, please leave a comment below to describe your problem. We will reply after reading your comment. And of course, you can also email [email protected] for help.
How to Use a Flash Drive FAQ
A flash drive is a small portable storage device which usually connects to a computer through USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface and stores data through flash memory.
It has advantages of compact design, relatively large storage capacity, low price, strong seismic performance, strong moisture and magnetic resistance, and reliable performance. In addition, it realizes plug and can play function and hot plug function.
Use Cut/Copy and Paste feature. Or you can drag files to a flash drive directly. Of course, you can also put files on a flash drive through third-party software.