Weird USB problem: XP doesn't automatically install drivers

[Nezumiiro]

Okay, so I help the computer tech at my school, and we've been having a weird problem with USB devices that neither of us can figure out.

For some reason, when the USB flash drive is plugged in (in our case, a Kingston Datatraveler 2.0), nothing happens. So, we checked disk management, nothing appeared to be out of order, then we checked Device manager.

here's the gist of it:

1. I plug the USB device in, the little sound plays that says something is plugged in, and then nothing happens.
2. I go to device manager and the Kingston Datatraveler 2.0 thing has a yellow exclamation point next to it. I right click and hit "update drivers". All is well, but I notice that the generic USB also has a yellow exclamation point. I update the drivers, all is well.
3. I open up a brand-new Kingston Datatraveler 2.0 and plug it in. It's as if I didn't do the above steps, and I have to repeat them.

This happens on some of the computers in a lab at the school, while the other computers recognize all USB devices, no problem. They are all brand-new, out-of-the-box computers, same hardware, same everything, down to the keyboard and mouse.

Some things to note:
1. Once one flash drive is installed and ready, it'll work in ALL computers in the lab. So I'm thinking, does the drive store some random file or something that is hidden? (I did view hidden files, nothing there)
2. XP can find the drivers fine, it just doesn't do it automatically, and it seems to be exclusive to the flash drive that's plugged in at the time.

My brain hurts even typing this problem up. Hopefully there's a solution out there.

I tried repairing XP, no luck.

The computers run Windows XP pro SP2, and they're Dell Optiplex 745s (or 740, my memory is failing me at the moment)

thanks in advance for any help you can provide. I know I'm new here but this place looked pretty helpful.

 

[Tmagic650]

This could be a power supply issue. Maybe some of the "new" problem systems have marginal power supplies

 

[puskarj]

See other post for possible fix

Just posted this today in another thread.....

check topic7531.html it won't let me post a URL, this is the same forum, just a different thread, look for posts on the same day....

hope it helps. I'm also working in a school environment!!!


John

 

[ACCPresident]

Good Morning Nezumiiro,

This is a footnote FYI for ya. I believe this is an issue that pretains to Dell systems on a random, large scale. I have heard from other users having the same issue with Dell machines, including my wife's computer at work. We use 1GB flash drives ourselves (brand excapes me, Not Kingston though) and we have the same issue, only worse. When we plug our jump drives in her system, in order for them to be read, we have to reboot the system completely before the drive will function properly, yet the same jump drives work fine on our systems AND other clients systems that aren't Dell. And yes, these machines are running Windows XP versions W/ SP2, so OS isn't the problem.

It sounds to me you are beating your heads on a wall that is going to give you a major migraine... LOL...

 

[Tedster]

perhaps you do not have administrator rights?

 

[Nezumiiro]

Thanks puskarj , I'll try what you suggested in your post. If it works, then thank you so much. However, it sucks that it would do this for brand-new computers oh well.

if it doesn't work, then it's Dell, like ACCPresident said. We haven't had the chance to re-image the computer with a working image b/c we're waiting for some software, but oh well. Maybe I'll poke around the Dell website a bit.