Member Avatar for sirlink99

Hello.

I have just purchased a Lexar JumpDrive S50 32 gigs and I am having trouble accessing the USB. The USB shows up in the my computer window with a grayed out icon and when I double click it it states "Please insert a drive". The same statement is displayed when I try to format it. I am using a Windows 8 as my main computer, but I have tried it on a windows vista and windows 7.

So far I have tried updating the drivers (through device manager and through Lexar's website). I have also reinstalled the usb drivers. I have tried changing the drive letter assigned. I have also changing usb ports and wiggling the usb in hopes that it is just a contact problem. None of the above worked. What else may be causing this problems, and what are possible solutions?

Thank you for your help.

Edited by sirlink99
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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rubberman

Dani AI

Generated

Short, practical checklist before returning the stick.

As has already tried drivers and ports and as and hinted, this can be either a partition/metadata problem or a hardware-level failure where the controller enumerates but the flash chips don't respond. Do these checks in order so you can give useful info to Lexar or the shop if you need an RMA.

  1. Quick inspection in Windows
  • Open Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) and look for the Lexar device. Note the exact status: visible size, "Not Initialized", "Unallocated", "RAW", or "No Media"/0 bytes. "No Media" or 0 bytes usually means the USB controller is detected but the NAND isn't responding (likely hardware fault).
  • Use DiskPart to confirm (only to list info unless you accept data loss):
    diskpart
list disk
select disk N    # make SURE this is the Lexar device
detail disk

    If DiskPart shows the correct capacity but no partition, you can recreate one; if it shows 0 bytes or is missing, stop — it's hardware.

  1. Cross-check from Linux (good low-level visibility)
    Boot a Linux live USB and watch kernel messages while you plug the drive:
    lsusb
dmesg | tail -n 50    # plug/unplug the stick and watch for I/O errors
sudo fdisk -l

    If dmesg reports I/O errors, unable-to-read-capacity, or the device appears then disappears, that strongly points to failure of the flash or controller.

What to do next

  • If tests show "no media", 0 bytes, or repeated I/O errors: prepare for RMA/return. Collect evidence (Disk Management screenshot, diskpart output, and Linux dmesg lines) and contact Lexar or the seller.
  • If the drive appears with capacity but partitions are RAW, a partition repair/recovery tool can help — but avoid running destructive commands until you’ve backed up any recoverable data.
  • If data is critical, stop further writes and consider a professional recovery service.

This sequence gives a clear pass/fail result so you can avoid chasing software fixes when the stick has likely failed, and it supplies the exact diagnostic output vendors usually ask for.

Recommended Answers

All 6 Replies

Member Avatar for almostbob

format the drive ?
maybe, dunno

Member Avatar for sirlink99

I have tried formatting the drive, but since it detects that there is no usb drive inserted (it only detects that something is inserted) I can't. It gives me the please insert a USB Drive message when I try.

Member Avatar for Rik_

Seeing as it's new, get it replaced.

Member Avatar for sirlink99

That is what I will end up doing if I can't figure out what the problem is.

Any other suggestions?

Edited by sirlink99
Member Avatar for almostbob

possibly unrelated, possibly related
been playing with hardware
I get that error message and icons
when I plug in a card reader with no card.
or a microsd adaptor with no sdcard
the hardware seems unable to access its internal circuits
Its Dead I think

also there was a windows format driver for >4GB cards, for xp, I assumed vista & higher had exfat support built in
but may help

Edited by almostbob
Member Avatar for rubberman

Current Windows systems (7 & 8) sometimes seem to lose the ability to recognize USB drives. You can try to remove all of the USB devices from the Device Management control panel and then rebooting. That will re-install the devices, and it has worked for me an others that I have advised to do this with the same problem.

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