Member Avatar for chewedpup

I recently had to get a new hard drive - now when I put my SanDisk 2.0 GB memory card into the slot to look at photos, every single time, my computer freezes up. I am running XP home edition - and this never was a problem before I got the new hard drive. I have used the same XP installation disk that came with my computer (Toshiba Satellite M45) and all other programs seem to work OK - do I need some kind of new driver? I can't figure it out - but the minute I put the card into the slot, bam.... computer frozen. Any ideas anyone?
Thanks

  • 2 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 123 Views
  • 19 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Salem

Dani AI

Generated

A short, practical troubleshooting note for based on the thread and 's suggestion.

The fact that the same cards work elsewhere but every card freezes this Toshiba after the new hard drive points to a problem local to the laptop: missing or wrong card-reader / chipset / USB drivers after the reinstall, a Windows Explorer/AutoPlay or antivirus interaction, or a hardware/connection fault (internal reader ribbon or board). Checking Device Manager is the right first step but it helps to follow a targeted checklist.

  • Inspect Device Manager (show hidden devices). Look under Universal Serial Bus controllers, Other devices and Disk drives. For any unknown item, open Properties -> Details -> Hardware Ids and note the VEN and DEV strings to identify the vendor.
  • Reinstall drivers in this order: chipset/SATA controller, USB host controllers, then the card-reader driver (use Toshiba Satellite M45 drivers or the reader vendor such as Realtek/Ricoh/O2Micro if identified). Uninstall the problematic device(s) and reboot so Windows redetects hardware.
  • Disable AutoPlay and temporarily disable third-party antivirus/real-time scanning to rule out software hangs. Test by inserting a card without Explorer auto-preview (Safe Mode or with AutoPlay off).
  • Check Event Viewer (System) for errors at the freeze time. Check BIOS settings for onboard card reader/USB options and consider a BIOS update only from Toshiba after backing up data.
  • If software fixes fail, inspect the physical connection: the internal reader often plugs to the motherboard via a small cable that can be loose or shorted after hardware work. An external USB card reader is a safe workaround.

Cautions: avoid drivers from untrusted sites, create a restore point before driver or BIOS changes, and seek repair help if not comfortable opening the laptop. If Device Manager shows specific hardware IDs, those strings make it straightforward to find the exact vendor driver.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for Salem

Have you tried other memory cards in your PC?
Have you tried your memory card in another PC?

Member Avatar for chewedpup

My memory card works fine in other computers. Their memory cards freeze my computer too. So it's definitely this computer that's causing a problem.

Member Avatar for Salem

If you go into the device manager, is the USB subsystem working properly, or does it have any yellow warning triangles.

Could be a driver problem as you say.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.