Windows Explorer does not show USB Portable Drive

[Corinne]

Have a billionton usb portable drive, running two machines both with xp.
After plugging in the drive, it is detected and the software installed
automatically. When opening windows explorer the drive is not shown. have
checked device manager and there are no conflicts. Have looked on MS help,
no joy. The manufacturers support site doesn't provide any help either.
Have a laptop with windows 2000 server and it works fine on that.

[Jim Macklin]

Have you tried "map network drive?"


"Corinne" > wrote in message
...
| Have a billionton usb portable drive, running two machines
both with xp.
| After plugging in the drive, it is detected and the
software installed
| automatically. When opening windows explorer the drive is
not shown. have
| checked device manager and there are no conflicts. Have
looked on MS help,
| no joy. The manufacturers support site doesn't provide
any help either.
| Have a laptop with windows 2000 server and it works fine
on that.
|
|

[Corinne]

Went to tools, map network drive, clicked browse, when I try to map a
network drive the drive doesn't appear in the list of drives to select from.
Is there another way to refer to the drives path if I can't see it.


"Jim Macklin" > wrote in message
...
> Have you tried "map network drive?"
>
>
> "Corinne" > wrote in message
> ...
> | Have a billionton usb portable drive, running two machines
> both with xp.
> | After plugging in the drive, it is detected and the
> software installed
> | automatically. When opening windows explorer the drive is
> not shown. have
> | checked device manager and there are no conflicts. Have
> looked on MS help,
> | no joy. The manufacturers support site doesn't provide
> any help either.
> | Have a laptop with windows 2000 server and it works fine
> on that.
> |
> |
>
>

[Ron]

Corinne...I regret that I cannot assist you with this, but I CAN offer one
small tidbit of info;
the USB drive is not a network drive, any more than a mouse or a webcam or a
k/b is a networked drive. Instead it is merely another peripheral. That
said, I wonder if it needs to be 'initialized' in Disk Management (?) In
any case, I would be grateful to learn the solution to this issue. So...

Please post a follow-up.
Ron

[Corinne]

Ron,
We can see the device in disk manager in windows XP and it is showing as
idle.

Can't see any options to intialise the drive.


"Ron" > wrote in message
...
> Corinne...I regret that I cannot assist you with this, but I CAN offer one
> small tidbit of info;
> the USB drive is not a network drive, any more than a mouse or a webcam or
a
> k/b is a networked drive. Instead it is merely another peripheral. That
> said, I wonder if it needs to be 'initialized' in Disk Management (?) In
> any case, I would be grateful to learn the solution to this issue. So...
>
> Please post a follow-up.
> Ron
>
>
>

[Ron]

Hmm. Well, the only other thing I can think of is; are there any other
devices plugged into the USB ports? (i.e., do you KNOW that the USB port is
working?)

Other than that, I guess we'll have to wait for someone who is more
eXPerienced with USB drives than I am. Sorry.
Ron

[Corinne]

Thanks Ron,

The usb ports are all working fine.

"Ron" > wrote in message
...
> Hmm. Well, the only other thing I can think of is; are there any other
> devices plugged into the USB ports? (i.e., do you KNOW that the USB port
is
> working?)
>
> Other than that, I guess we'll have to wait for someone who is more
> eXPerienced with USB drives than I am. Sorry.
> Ron
>
>

[Jim Macklin]

Is it formatted? My previous suggestion about "map disk
drive" was just a guess.


"Corinne" > wrote in message
...
| Ron,
| We can see the device in disk manager in windows XP and it
is showing as
| idle.
|
| Can't see any options to intialise the drive.
|
|
| "Ron" > wrote in message
| ...
| > Corinne...I regret that I cannot assist you with this,
but I CAN offer one
| > small tidbit of info;
| > the USB drive is not a network drive, any more than a
mouse or a webcam or
| a
| > k/b is a networked drive. Instead it is merely another
peripheral. That
| > said, I wonder if it needs to be 'initialized' in Disk
Management (?) In
| > any case, I would be grateful to learn the solution to
this issue. So...
| >
| > Please post a follow-up.
| > Ron
| >
| >
| >
|
|

[Corinne]

Jim,

I am guessing it must be formatted as I can see it from my windows 2000 lap
top but not on either of the xp machines.


"Jim Macklin" > wrote in message
...
> Is it formatted? My previous suggestion about "map disk
> drive" was just a guess.
>
>
> "Corinne" > wrote in message
> ...
> | Ron,
> | We can see the device in disk manager in windows XP and it
> is showing as
> | idle.
> |
> | Can't see any options to intialise the drive.
> |
> |
> | "Ron" > wrote in message
> | ...
> | > Corinne...I regret that I cannot assist you with this,
> but I CAN offer one
> | > small tidbit of info;
> | > the USB drive is not a network drive, any more than a
> mouse or a webcam or
> | a
> | > k/b is a networked drive. Instead it is merely another
> peripheral. That
> | > said, I wonder if it needs to be 'initialized' in Disk
> Management (?) In
> | > any case, I would be grateful to learn the solution to
> this issue. So...
> | >
> | > Please post a follow-up.
> | > Ron
> | >
> | >
> | >
> |
> |
>
>

[Corinne]

Ron,

I have cracked it! I have my two machines on a small network and I have a
number of mapped network drives. I moved one of them from its original
drive letter of "f" to come after other mapped drives thus freeing up "f".
As soon as I plugged the portable drive into the usb port it appeared in
explorer as "f". So it looks like these devices have be on the first
available drive letter after all of the installed hardware, i.e. hard disks,
CDs etc. I also have a compact flash card reader that was giving me the
same problem. That is also now working.

Cheers.

"Corinne" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks Ron,
>
> The usb ports are all working fine.
>
> "Ron" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hmm. Well, the only other thing I can think of is; are there any other
> > devices plugged into the USB ports? (i.e., do you KNOW that the USB
port
> is
> > working?)
> >
> > Other than that, I guess we'll have to wait for someone who is more
> > eXPerienced with USB drives than I am. Sorry.
> > Ron
> >
> >
>
>

[Corinne]

Jim

I have cracked it! I have my two machines on a small network and I have a
number of mapped network drives. I moved one of them from its original
drive letter of "f" to come after other mapped drives thus freeing up "f".
As soon as I plugged the portable drive into the usb port it appeared in
explorer as "f". So it looks like these devices have be on the first
available drive letter after all of the installed hardware, i.e. hard disks,
CDs etc. I also have a compact flash card reader that was giving me the
same problem. That is also now working.

Cheers

"Corinne" > wrote in message
...
> Jim,
>
> I am guessing it must be formatted as I can see it from my windows 2000
lap
> top but not on either of the xp machines.
>
>
> "Jim Macklin" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Is it formatted? My previous suggestion about "map disk
> > drive" was just a guess.
> >
> >
> > "Corinne" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > | Ron,
> > | We can see the device in disk manager in windows XP and it
> > is showing as
> > | idle.
> > |
> > | Can't see any options to intialise the drive.
> > |
> > |
> > | "Ron" > wrote in message
> > | ...
> > | > Corinne...I regret that I cannot assist you with this,
> > but I CAN offer one
> > | > small tidbit of info;
> > | > the USB drive is not a network drive, any more than a
> > mouse or a webcam or
> > | a
> > | > k/b is a networked drive. Instead it is merely another
> > peripheral. That
> > | > said, I wonder if it needs to be 'initialized' in Disk
> > Management (?) In
> > | > any case, I would be grateful to learn the solution to
> > this issue. So...
> > | >
> > | > Please post a follow-up.
> > | > Ron
> > | >
> > | >
> > | >
> > |
> > |
> >
> >
>
>

[Ron]

Nice work, C. And thanks for following up.
Ron

P.S. It would appear that you didn't map your networked drives beginning
with "Z" and working backwards thru the alphabet. Is that correct? Any
particular reason? Just wondering.