Windows 10: Windows 11 not recognizing flash drives

Windows 11 is not recognizing flash drives in either USB port of my HP Elitebook. The USB ports recognize mice and an external Seagate drive. The flash drives work in another computer running Windows 11, so it isn't the flash drives being damaged - it is definitely that they are not communicating correctly with this computer. I've updated the USB drivers with the Device Manager. Everything seems to be up to date. Help.

:)

 

SANDISK USB flash drive not recognized in Windows 11

I believe the problem is that Windows 11 will not recognize a USB 2 flash drive. There is no problem with USB3 drive. Apparently there is a way to program Win11 to recognize USB2 drives. I was told this by a MS tech person. He was aware of the problem but I don’t know why MS has not fixed Windows 11 to recognize USB2 flash drives.

Carl

 

USB Flash drive not seen on Laptop running Windows 11

Hi,EliBiek

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.



I'm sorry to hear that neither Windows 11 laptops nor Android phones recognize USB flash drives. Here are some steps you can take to try to retrieve data from a potentially damaged or corrupted USB flash drive:



1.Check the USB connection: Make sure the USB port you are using is working properly. Try connecting the USB flash drive to a different USB port on our laptop.



2.Using a different computer: Try connecting the USB flash drive to another computer to see if it is recognized. This will help determine if the problem is with the USB drive itself or the laptop.



3.Check Disk Management (Windows):

• Press Windows Key + X and select Disk Management.
  
• Look for the USB flash drive in the list of drives. If it appears but does not have a drive letter assigned, you may need to assign a drive letter to access it.
  

If none of these steps help to retrieve data from the USB flash drive and the data on the USB flash drive is critical, it is advisable to stop trying to access it further to prevent any further damage. Recovering data from a physically damaged drive is very complicated and you may consider seeking the help of a professional data recovery service. They have specialized tools and expertise to recover data from damaged storage devices.

Best Regards

Martin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

SANDISK USB flash drive not recognized in Windows 11

I have MS Surface Book 2 and Surface Studio 2 under Windows 11.

All USB 2 flash drives are not recognized BUT USB 3 are recognized without a problem.

Just an FYI.

I spoke with an MS rep at Best Buy. He was aware of the problem. He told me that you have to enter a code to get the USB 2 to be recognized.

My simpler solution:

1) using Windows 10 on another computer, copy anything on USB 2 drive

2) d/l items to USB 3 flash drive

3) toss the USB 2 flash drives