Flash drives have become extremely popular lately. This is explained not only by their compactness and ease of transportation, but also by the annually increasing available volumes for storing information. At the same time, very often, users are faced with the fact that for some reason the computer does not read the USB flash drive or cannot detect mobile memory cards used through adapters or specialized ports.
Further, the material will consider the reasons why such a nuisance can occur, as well as how to fix it.
Media failure
Quite often, when the computer does not see the USB flash drive, you should pay attention to the storage device itself. Sometimes the reasons that provoked the breakdown can be:
- Hardware faults. In other words, a malfunction occurred inside the flash card itself, requiring intervention or a replacement of the device itself.
- Why does the computer not read the flash drive? Perhaps the joint between the board and the connector itself, with which the device is connected to the computer, was damaged. He could bend and begin to move away from the general structure.
- The map has worked too much time. As a standard, such storage media can work for more than two years. Nevertheless, the duration of operation quite often depends on the quality of the assembly and the manufacturer. The most common system: the higher the price, the longer the life of the device.
We turn to the first answer to the question of why the computer does not see the micro-USB stick via the adapter and what to do in this case.
What to do in such a situation?
In a situation where the computer for some reason does not read the USB flash drive in the USB port and the device itself does not show "signs of life", the easiest way is to replace the drive. However, before that, it is recommended to perform a simple set of verification actions that will help make the right decision. Here is a list of them:
- If the drive is equipped with light indicators, then when connecting to a computer, pay attention to how they work. In a normal situation, the light will “blink” regularly. In case of problems, it will either flash intermittently and quickly, or completely stop working. Then the media needs repair.
- If after the above step the question of why the computer does not read the USB flash drive is still relevant, try connecting it to another device. For example, to a laptop (if any). If the problem is with the card itself, then the other computer will also not see the connected drive.
- Inspect the media for physical damage. Try moving the connector carefully to make sure it is stable and not loose.
- Try using a different drive on the same computer. If it is located by the device without problems, then most likely you need to replace the USB flash drive.
Let us examine the following situation in which the computer for some reason does not see the SD card through the adapter or cannot detect the USB drive.
Port problems and solutions
Another fairly common reason that can cause a problem with the computer detecting drives. Quite often, the reasons may be as follows:
- The pins of the connector used are damaged. As a result of this, the computer simply does not see the devices and media that connect to it. This applies to both standard flash cards and mobile drives that use a special adapter and the corresponding connector, which is always on the case, and not on the motherboard.
- You might be using front ports that are built into the chassis. Quite often, they simply do not get enough nutrition. In this regard, their work is very unstable.
- The panel with ports in the case is not connected to a power source, and therefore the connectors are simply inactive. In this regard, the detection of a USB flash drive by a computer is also impossible.
- Also, the problem may be that the ports were disabled by software. That is, through the BIOS program.
Next, consider the problem of why the computer does not read the USB flash drive, and what to do in the situation with ports.
Connecting the front panel to the system
There are two ways to solve the problem. If you do not want to spend time working inside the computer and are afraid to disassemble it, then you can simply use the ports on the motherboard (of course, if the flash drive is working). The second option is complex and requires some computer assembly skills. His instructions are presented below:
- turn off the computer and disconnect it from the power system;
- remove the housing cover, which is located opposite the wall with the motherboard;
- Now find inside the cable that will go from the front panel with connectors;
- then connect it to the corresponding port on the motherboard (their connectors match, as a result of which it will be easy to find the last one).
Attention! If you are not confident in your own abilities, then it is better not to try to perform this procedure yourself. In the event that you incorrectly connect the wire, you will burn the contacts of not only the front panel, but also the contacts on the motherboard.
How to make a software connector?
Another answer to the question of why the computer does not see the micro SD flash drive through the Windows 7 adapter is to disable the front ports through the BIOS program. You can solve the problem in the following way:
- Find out which of the keys is responsible for running this program on your computer. Most often it will be either Del or F12.
- Turn off the computer and then turn it on again. As soon as the download starts, constantly press the desired key until the BIOS starts.
- After going to its menu, you need to find the section called Advanced Settings and from it proceed to the subsection named USB Configuration.
- Continuing to answer the question why the computer does not see the SD card through the adapter, you need to find the line with the signature "USB Controller".
- To gain access to the operation of the connectors, you need to make sure that the signature "Enabled" is opposite it.
- If it was in the opposite state, then switch it to the specified one and press the F10 key. After that, all settings will be saved and the computer will restart the system.
After that, disabled ports should resume work.
We will examine further why the computer does not read the flash drive, and what to do to correct what happened.
Contact clogging
This problem is relevant both for conventional USB drives and for adapters that are used to connect mobile SD cards to a computer (we are talking about adapters that mimic a standard USB port). Contamination can occur due to the transfer of media in your pocket or simply due to the collection of dust that accumulates around. To check whether contamination can be the answer to the question why the computer does not read the micro-USB flash drive through the adapter, a number of steps must be taken.
Contact Cleansing
When performing this procedure, you must be extremely careful not to use sharp metal objects. Nevertheless, the instruction is quite simple:
- using a cotton swab or a match wrapped in cotton wool (as an option - from the cosmetic disk), carefully remove all dirt from the contacts;
- after that take a new clean tool;
- treat it with alcohol and wipe the media contacts.
As a result of these actions, you will not only free them from debris that impedes stable operation, but also protect them from oxidation.
Let's move on to the next reason why the computer does not see the micro-USB stick via the adapter and what needs to be done to fix the problem.
Virus infection of the carrier
At the moment, infecting a flash drive with various malicious software is quite common. You can catch such an infection in the following ways:
- upload a file containing malicious code to the media;
- visit unverified sites with a USB flash drive connected to a computer;
- interact with an infected device.
You can find out about infection by reporting that a removable medium was not found, although the USB flash drive behaves quite stably.
We will examine further how to correct this situation.
How to clean the drive from viruses?
Before you begin to "improve" the flash card, you should do a computer check. To do this, you need the following:
- install any anti-virus software on your device and conduct a full diagnosis of the operating system;
- after that, connect the USB flash drive to the computer;
- open the search bar and enter the phrase "Show hidden files and folders." This is necessary in order to detect an infected file and then delete it later;
- as soon as the necessary icon appears, click on it with the left mouse button;
- after opening the "Folder Options" program, uncheck the box "Hide protected system files" and set the marker opposite "Show hidden files, folders and drives";
- Be sure to press the key to apply the changes and confirm the actions;
- Now go to the "My Computer" program and open the folder of the drive you want to clean, and delete the file named "Autorun" from there;
- After that, check the drive using antivirus.
This procedure should solve the question of why the computer does not read the USB flash drive.
Driver issues
Problems associated with drivers quite often are the causes of many failures in the operation of connected devices. The essence of the problem is:
- using an outdated version of the driver that is not able to ensure stable operation of the device;
- the drivers were installed with an error, and therefore the device cannot function as it should;
- there are no drivers for the media at all; in this regard, the computer cannot interact with it as it should.
Let us consider further simple ways to answer the question of why the computer does not see the microSD flash drive through the adapter because of the drivers.
Solving driver problems
An interesting fact is that correcting the state of drivers quite often solves a large number of problems related to the operation of connected devices and the stability of the operating system as a whole. Therefore, it should help in the current situation. To do this, you need the following:
- connect the necessary drive to the computer;
- in the search bar, enter the name "Device Manager";
- after the required window opens, open the tab labeled "USB controllers";
- if you have only one flash drive connected, then in the list that opens, there will be a line with the inscription "Storage device";
- right-click on it, thus opening the parameter submenu;
- from the list, select the line "Delete". As a result of this, you will remove the drivers that are installed on the system now and are not functioning quite stably;
- after the removal procedure is completed, remove the drive from the port and reconnect. Now the operating system will start the process of automatically searching for drivers for a new device.
Name and section problem
Another reason why the computer does not read the USB flash drive from the camera or any other removable storage medium. Quite often, it can happen that the operating system automatically assigns a letter to a new device under which it should be displayed in Explorer. Or, the letter has already been assigned to another device, in connection with which there is a conflict of media addresses. To resolve this situation, you must force the partition to a letter. For this:
- launch the Run program window using the key combination “Win” and “R”;
- after starting the window, enter the following inscription in the line: "diskmgmt.msc" - and press the enter key. After that, the program for managing drives and disks will open;
- Then you need to perform the definition of a flash drive. To do this, simply pull it out and reinsert it into the slot. Immediately after that, the desired section will be displayed;
- then right-click on it and in the list that appears, select the line "Change letter";
- in a new window you need to click on the change button and confirm your actions;
- then a new window will open. Here you need to select any letter that will be assigned to the medium. Click OK.
Summary
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why the computer does not read the USB flash drive (USB flash drive). And in this material only a part of them is indicated. So it is likely that if none of the above points corrected the situation, then most likely the problem may lie in the medium itself, and the best solution would be to take it to a service center.