USB drive shows up on computer but I can't access the drive

Question

Hello

My USB shows up on my computer but doesn't seem to have any files on it. When I try to add files, it comes up with the error message that the drive is not available. I have tried the solution with the partition and Disk Management but the USB shows up as healthy and functioning correctly. 

I would be grateful if someone could offer a solution as a matter of urgency.

Answer 1

Hi Dominic, I'm Graeme, an independent adviser here to help.

If you don't have any files you need on the drive, you can try reformatting it, which may fix the issue. This will remove all files that may be currently on the drive.

• Right-click the drive, then choose Format.
• Click on Quick Format, and after a few seconds the drive will be ready to use.

This should fix the issue, but if it doesn't, or you have important files on the drive, you might need to try plugging the drive into another PC to see if it works there.

Let me know how you go! Thanks!

Answer 2

Hi Dominic,

is this hard drive or solid-state flash?

Please show the picture of Disk management.

If this is a hard drive please check it SMART using third-party utility such as CrystalDiskInfo.

Answer 3

Hi Graeme

I've tried my USB on other computers and it still has the same problem. Also, I've just to format the USB and after a few minutes of processing Windows showed the message 'Windows is unable to format the USB.'

Answer 4

If that's the case, it's possible the drive has been damaged or is faulty, so you might want to follow up potential data recovery options if the data contained on the drive is important. There are third-party data recovery apps that you could use to try to recover the files.

Let me know if you need more information!

Answer 5

Hi, I'm having trouble uploading a picture for some reason. It is a USB- I don't know if it is a hard drive or something else. It's just a standard memory stick.