Member Avatar for metallica

hello all,

i am facing this very annoying problem with my OS.

My Win XP Prof SP1 does not detect USB mass storage devices.

but on the other hand i have a usb mouse,scanner,printer all working good... so i know that the usb slots are all proper.

todayi tried connecting a 128Mb transcend flash drive, but windows failed to recoginse it.

jus for the records i hav a intel 845wn motherboard, jus in case if this information is needed.

any tricks, suggestions, advices would be highly appreciated.

regards,
MetallicA

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Bob_180_Bob

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reported Windows XP Professional (SP1) on an Intel 845WN system that enumerates HID devices (mouse, scanner, printer) but fails to mount USB mass‑storage. Several replies here touched on Device Manager and power‑cycling; the following adds a few targeted checks and safe remediation steps that go a bit deeper without repeating earlier suggestions.

Check whether the drive is being seen by the disk subsystem even when it has no drive letter: open My Computer -> Manage -> Disk Management and look for a removable disk or unallocated partition. If the device is present but unlettered, assign a drive letter. If the device is absent here as well, the problem is at installation/enumeration level rather than simple letter assignment.

Verify the USB‑mass‑storage driver files and service state. Confirm that C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\usbstor.sys and C:\Windows\inf\usbstor.inf exist. In the registry (back up first), check HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor\Start — a value of 3 enables the driver; 4 disables it. If files are missing or corrupted, restore them from the XP installation media or a matching working system, or run the System File Checker (sfc /scannow) with the original CD.

Look at firmware and platform drivers next: outdated chipset or USB host‑controller drivers (and old BIOS settings for USB controller/legacy support) can prevent proper mass‑storage enumeration on older boards like the 845 series. Updating the motherboard chipset drivers and, if needed, the BIOS (with care) often resolves class/device‑recognition bugs. Also consider machine policies or third‑party endpoint/security software that blocks removable storage.

Finally, consult Event Viewer for USB errors and, if available, boot a Linux live CD/USB to see whether the device enumerates there (hardware vs Windows configuration). These checks help distinguish a Windows configuration/driver issue from a hardware fault or device incompatibility; they complement ’s and ’s observations and focus next steps on driver files, registry state, BIOS/chipset, and policies rather than simple replugging.

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Member Avatar for didric

I've been having the same problems with my Lacie Disk and now with a USB Synthesiser. It's driving me mad. I just read of some usb detection software but I don't know where to get it. Maybe somebode here has a clue?

Didric:-|

Member Avatar for plastered

By not recognizing you mean nothing pops up when you connect the device. Sometimes the drives are recognized but the driver signing compatibility issue comes in the picture.

You could try another flash drive or a diff USB product. I know you said the ports are functional. But whats the harm in checking.

Have the device manager open when you connect the device.
Check if there are any conflicts if yes then update. If no then you might have to uninstall and reinstall the USB drivers.

Member Avatar for tgl

A lot of times when you have a seemingly unsolvable problem with XP not recognizing mass stage devices, especially if an unknown phantom devise pops up in device manager, yet the mouse and keyboard have no problem…don’t bother running windows repair, which wont work in these cases, it can often be miraculously fixed!

If you haven’t tried this yet… now’s the time. Unplug all un-recognized usb devices, then unplug the power cord.. let stand over-night; then plug in power and boot up fully then reattach devices.

..Good Luck!

~tgl

Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

The last two posts are for a thread that was last used on May 4th, 2006,
If it is not fixed now it never will be.....

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