how to determine the contents of a flash drive that the system does not recognize

I went to Device Manager in Control Panel then Portable Devices. The device is not listed there. Other USB devices are listed there.

Thanks.

I have a flash drive whose content I don't know. When I insert the device into a usb port, I hear the familiar sound that Windows makes when you connect a new device to the system. But in this case, the device does not show up in Windows Explorer nor in control panel Disk Management. 

Is there a way to determine whether the device is defective and, if it isn't, to determine whether it contains data?

Thanks.

Plug it in and wait for the familiar sound.

It can sometimes take quite a period of time ( seconds or minutes ) to load especially if there is a lot of data on it before it shows on the Desktop or My Computer.

Also check in Device Manager that it shows up in there.

Type Device in the Start Run Menu > select Device Manager and open > plug in USB Flash Drive > wait for a few seconds and click on Disk Drives and Portable Devices which should show that it is .

You can also re-scan the Device Manager with the action button called Scan For Hardware Changes.

If there is a problem there should be a yellow circle with a black asterisks in it denoting a problem.

Let us know if it finds anything.

1. What kind of a flash drive is this?
2. What device has it been in before?
3. Does it still work in that device?
4. How old is this flash device?
5. Capacity of this device?

I'm unable to answer any of those questions., as Windows is unable to access the device. I will try the device in some other computer. That should help me decide whether to scrap the device.

I propose that we close this discussion. 

Thanks.

1. What kind of a flash drive is this?
2. What device has it been in before?
3. Does it still work in that device?
4. How old is this flash device?
5. Capacity of this device?

You say that you don't know the content of this flash drive.  Do you know if it was previously used and if so, with what operating system?  For example, was it used by someone with a Mac?

Have you tried connecting the USB to a different USB port on your computer?  What result?

Have you tried connecting the USB flash drive to a different computer?  What result?

Have you tried connecting a different USB flash drive to your computer?  What result?

In Device Manager ...

1.  Are there ANY items in Device Manager that show a warning icon (yellow triangle with exclamation point)?  If so, please list the complete name(s) of such items.

2.  Is there an "Other devices" category in Device Manager?  If so, expand this category and list all of the items in it.

3.  Expand the "Universal Serial Bus controllers" category.  Are there any items here that either show a warning icon or are labeled "unknown" or something similar?