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Why is my USB device asking for a CD when I attach it?

Question: I have purchased a USM Cruzor micro backup device. I have windows XP. I’m told I don’t need a driver but when I plug into my usb port the device all that occurs is the hardware wizard comes up asking me for a cd of disk I do not have. I then cancel the wizard but then the new hardware is not installed correctly or recognized. Can you please help?

Sony’s FAQ on the Micro Vault device was a little help, but it only really confirmed my suspicions: it’s obviously a driver issue, but more accurately, most likely a problem with the drivers installed in Windows XP. The real question is how to fix it.

I have some ideas to try…

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The MicroVault FAQ includes this little tidbit:

The MICRO VAULT is not automatically recognized in Windows 2000, Windows Me or Windows XP.
You may have intentionally not installed the operating systems standard drivers. Please download the necessary device drivers from the Microsoft web site.

I doubt you did anything intentional, but I’d certainly start looking at driver related issues as a result.

I would start by simply making sure that your copy of Windows XP is up to date, including SP2. Along with various bug fixes and security enhancements, Microsoft also uses these updates to improve the support for various devices, possibly including USB storage drives.

I might also be tempted to run a system file check to make sure that your operating system files have not been damaged for one reason or another.

Depending on the age of your computer, you might need a BIOS update. USB devices all require BIOS support, and older BIOS’s may not correctly support all devices. You’ll need to check with your computer manufacturer for that.

Past those two issues, we start looking at less likely causes, such as cabling problems, hardware problems, and some obscure driver related problems. Rather than run those down here, this Microsoft Knowledgebase Article: General USB troubleshooting in Windows XP would be the place to look next.

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6 comments on “Why is my USB device asking for a CD when I attach it?”

  1. this is my situation. I was given a Sony microvault USB, it says it is 4G but then I discovered it is a chinese fake. all the info I had in it was erased and it seems to have one of those trojan bugs. Anyway, I heard this device can be fixed but I dont know how. Is it true or should I put it on fire? Thanks for your help.

    Reply
  2. i have a problem with my usb. it is asking for a cd when i put it in, i hav tried all the things u suggested above but none have worked. i was wondering can u help me! it was working a few hours ago but i tried it again now and it suddenly stopped working and asked for a CD. I need the work which is saved on it!
    please help, thank-you

    Reply
  3. Hi,
    My EasyDisk USB2.0 (128MB) was working good before.

    Just now, something went wrong with it. Every time i plug it into the USB port, a message of “security device” is appearing and ask me to connect into internet to search for a update driver. I did that but It can not find the driver on the internet.

    Can anyone help me how i can make this USB work again ? what is wrong with it ?

    many thanks.
    Riya

    Reply
  4. I am not cerntain if this issue has been resolved. But if you are still having trouble with it.

    Running Windows XP and you Add Hardware Wizard pops up and it should give you 3 selections, Connect to the internet this time and everytime i connect a new device, connect this time only, and no not at this time.

    Select no not at this time and click next.

    Then it should ask youin the next window where to install the file from or where to include in the search.

    Manually select the file C:/WINDOWS.inf
    note: you may have to scroll down a long ways to find this file.

    This should resolve the issue because the .inf file is the location of all your hardware and driver mangement.

    However if this fails to resolve the issue you may try this:

    Right click on My Computer and select Manage.

    Go into your device manager and uninstall all your USB drivers.

    Reboot your computer and it will put a little pop up that sayd New Hardware Found.

    Follow the previous steps to manually select the location from which to install from by choosing the C:/WINDOWS.inf

    note:once this is done all USB hardware your computer has installed the drivers for previously will most likely be erased. However this does not affect the software.

    Now if that fails to resolve the issue than you should attemp to reinstall your Operating System or find a way to return your computer to Factory Default.

    Hope this was helpful.

    Reply
  5. —–BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE—–
    Hash: SHA1

    For the record, no way can I endorse the comments above.
    They’re factually inaccurate, for one thing. (There is no
    c:\windows.inf)

    There are what I’d call advanced techniques that do involve
    removing the drivers and rebooting such that Windows will
    auto-detect them, but those are steps that should be taken
    with care.

    Leo

    —–BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE—–
    Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (MingW32)

    iD8DBQFHgnsbCMEe9B/8oqERAq6wAJ9c9oShaYU9KCsDQeqlV2gNkogzOwCghv71
    dNuu7HEYabQSiFJoKmcuYq0=
    =LeEs
    —–END PGP SIGNATURE—–

    Reply
  6. hi,
    I have a system (hp), when i put in my flash drive in it, it says installing driver and after a while, it just shows blue screen and starts dumping memory. The last time i experienced this i just formated my system and that was all. It has occured again, what do you think i can do?

    Reply

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