Kingston Data Traveler 1 GB USB Flash Drive does not work anymore !

[CVMichael]

I got this memory stick:
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Trave.../dp/B000AV14M2

Today when I pluged it into my computer (at work) nothing hapened... it's as if I did not plug anything in...

Yesterday everything was fine... it worked with no problems... and today it's complectly dead !

Anyone knows what can i do about it ? (to get it to work again I mean...), or at least to make it temporarily work so I can save my data ?

[CVMichael]

Nevermind.... I arrived home not long ago, and checked if I have the files on my home computer, and I DO... thank god...

So, I don't need to make it work anymore, I'll just buy a new memory disk, and hopefully a better one this time...

[eranga262154]

If you can make it fine 1GB is much space in some cases, isn't it?.

[CVMichael]

If you can make it fine 1GB is much space in some cases, isn't it?.

Yes, it is... but how to make it work ? the computer does not even detect that I pluged it in...

[eranga262154]

Is it comes up with any driver CD. One of my friend got a 1GB flash drive with drivers. Even it is not detect until setup drivers.

[rory]

Try a different USB slot on the PC .. until it works.
If it still doesnt work, after all are tried, then its probably bad.
Dust can also keep it from working properly.

[eranga262154]

Oops I forget the simple thing. Thanks Rory. Best thing to do fist is check on another USB/PC. But I assume that those things already done by Michael.

[rory]

Oops I forget the simple thing. Thanks Rory. Best thing to do fist is check on another USB/PC. But I assume that those things already done by Michael.

You never know ..

I had a 60GB USB Drive given to me .. I tested it in my front USB ports ..
Didnt recognise it all all, though it seemed to get power from them /../
The same ports worked fine for my 128MB JumpDrive. I then tried one of the 2 sets on the back of the PC .. still no go.

Anyway, a month later I really needed the drive .. for backup, so i tried the USB ports on the back of the PC .. but this time the other set I didnt try before .. Bang it worked straight away .. I imagine it has something to do with the power .. Im sure my other ports are USB 2.0 also so has to be a power issue with the motherboard and how much the 60GB drive needs. Course my motherboard is like 4 years old in this particular PC. But perhaps the front USB ports on motherboards just dont put out enough power. Ive never really had a need to look into it in any depth yet.

Maybe the same with this one he has.
Though mine is a USB Hard drive in this case ..
And his looks like a basic USB jump drive ..

[eranga262154]

But, can you surely say that this is because of power issue. Do you follows any technical way to test it.

May be dust can do so.

[rory]

for my drive more than likely, as the same front ports i leave my USB jump drive, webcam, etc plugged into, work fine with them, but not with the drive.

But looking at his link, his seems to have a basic jump drive .. should work in any USB port

maybe just a bad USB port, or device itself, or if he is using the front USB ports, they might not even be connected to the motherboard .. which is pretty common.

My first jump drive died after only 3 months from it kicking around ..
since then my Lexar Rugged Jump drive has lasted forever it seems, through dust and rain and all .. :-)

[rory]

This is the type I have, except i have 128MB from a few years back ..
These last forever .. i mean in the rain etc .. the rubber cover is full of dust and stuff and the thing just keeps working LOL. I wouldnt buy any other myself.

http://www.amazon.com/Lexar-JumpDriv...073806&sr=1-31

[eranga262154]

maybe just a bad USB port, or device itself, or if he is using the front USB ports, they might not even be connected to the motherboard .. which is pretty common.

Ya, I feel this at the first day I'm using my USB flash drive. Then I used the back side USB ports unti wired the front ports.

But looking at his link, his seems to have a basic jump drive .. should work in any USB port

This is new thing for me. Thanks.

[rory]

This is new thing for me. Thanks.

Well, depends on his OS, XP should work fine though, even if it was not a USB 2.0 port it would normally still work.

Basically if he is using XP and it dosnt work in his PC on any USB port, nor another PC on any port, chuck it and buy a different one ..

[eranga262154]

Is there no any effect on the data tranfering speed?

[rory]

Is there no any effect on the data tranfering speed?

Sure, its slower ..

I get that alot though on older PCs i goto ..
Still fast enough ..

Oh yeah, sometimes it wont work though .. had that like twice ..
But it is recognized by Windows and you are told that.
switching USB ports generally did the trick.

[eranga262154]

switching USB ports generally did the trick.

Fine

[CVMichael]

Oops I forget the simple thing. Thanks Rory. Best thing to do fist is check on another USB/PC. But I assume that those things already done by Michael.

Yes, I tried it on 4 PCs, in the back USB ports, and front USB ports, and nothing !

I'm gonna buy this one today after work:
http://www.factorydirect.ca/catalog/...p?pcode=PE8000

[eranga262154]

If so it is better to go for a new one. But keep that your old one with you. May be in future it can be useful.

By the way your new drive specification is fine. But how about the warranty period. Are you going for a 1 year or 3 years.

[CVMichael]

I don't see any point to go for more warranty, for several reasons:

By the time it breaks (say a little after a year), I can get another memory stick with at least double the memory (in this case 8 times more...)

The warranty does not recover any data... and really... that is the most important thing... (I just have to be carefull to back up everything regularly)

If I go for more warranty, it means that I cannot loose the receipt... if I do, I loose the warranty (therefore the money I spent for the warranty)

And what if it does not break ? then what's the point of paying more monery ?

But then again... I think they actually build it in to break after a certain time.

So, in short... the 1 year warranty that it comes with, is good enough...

[litlewiki]

FYI,never rely on flash sticks/hdd for backing up data.Instead use an online file storage account to back up your docs etc.

At least i find it assuring.

[rory]

How is an online file Storage better .. what happens when their HDD's / PCs crash, their place burns down, or they simply go out of business .. plus then there is the privacy issue ..

if you mean uploading to your own website .. then yeah its just another form of backup .. not 100% though like anything else .. make multiple copies of CDs/DVDs with your data on it, and give them to various people to place in their fireproof safes, or use bank safety deposit boxes .. do this often ..

I agree though, dont just reply on a jump drive.
Might find the data missing one day ..

[rory]

But then again... I think they actually build it in to break after a certain time.

So, in short... the 1 year warranty that it comes with, is good enough...

No warranties down here ..
But the Lexar I have has lasted at least 3 years now. ..

[CVMichael]

How is an online file Storage better .. what happens when their HDD's / PCs crash, their place burns down, or they simply go out of business .. plus then there is the privacy issue ..

if you mean uploading to your own website .. then yeah its just another form of backup .. not 100% though like anything else .. make multiple copies of CDs/DVDs with your data on it, and give them to various people to place in their fireproof safes, or use bank safety deposit boxes .. do this often ..

I agree though, dont just reply on a jump drive.
Might find the data missing one day ..

I use this tool wich I find really useful:
http://www.truecrypt.org/
For example, on the 8 GBytes mem stick I just got, I made a 4 GB NTFS volume, that is password protected, where I put all my programming stuff.
This way, if I loose it, no one will have access to my stuff.
I also backup-ed the entire drive, and I will do that at least once a week. (That's what I used to do with my old memory stick)

So, if you want to put stuff in public places... this is the tool I would use.

[rory]

I use this tool wich I find really useful:
http://www.truecrypt.org/
For example, on the 8 GBytes mem stick I just got, I made a 4 GB NTFS volume, that is password protected, where I put all my programming stuff.
This way, if I loose it, no one will have access to my stuff.
I also backup-ed the entire drive, and I will do that at least once a week. (That's what I used to do with my old memory stick)

So, if you want to put stuff in public places... this is the tool I would use.

True, thanks.

Yeah I had my jump drive in the PC one day when i was formatting a hard drive, and when I went to partition the hard drive, (lack of sleep involved) I partitioned the USB drive by mistake .. needless to say lost everything ..

[litlewiki]

How is an online file Storage better .. what happens when their HDD's / PCs crash, their place burns down, or they simply go out of business .. plus then there is the privacy issue ..

Commercial online file storage sites have better backup systems in place than we have which is the main reason i rely on them.As far as privacy is concerned,i don't see it as a threat as long as they are not marked public.

[rory]

Commercial online file storage sites have better backup systems in place than we have which is the main reason i rely on them.As far as privacy is concerned,i don't see it as a threat as long as they are not marked public.

But are you really going to rely on them? Privacy .. its their computers, they can do what they like with your data once you "give" it to them.
Also, are you really going to upload Gigs of data over the internet?

[litlewiki]

I don't backup my songs and movies, so the question of gigs doesn't come.

I don't think they would bother to peek into each one of the thousands of customers they have.Just in case they were sensitive data,i would password zip them.

[rory]

I don't backup my songs and movies, so the question of gigs doesn't come.

I don't think they would bother to peek into each one of the thousands of customers they have.Just in case they were sensitive data,i would password zip them.

Ok .. just small stuff .. thats where a USB drive comes in handy, or better yet, DVDs .. for the bigger more permanent stuff. Yep I also upload small stuff to my web site ... as an extra back up .. though I dont depend on them 100% ofcourse. Being in the biz I know how physical security systems can be bypassed so easily.. Being a developer I imagine you realize how easy Zip password protection is to break.

Anyway, the main thing is to do what makes you happy ..

[litlewiki]

Fair enough.

[shahid]

the same problem with me today..i have checked it with diff pc but dammmm.

if u have any good solution plz tell me...there is no warranty for this.

[CVMichael]

the same problem with me today..i have checked it with diff pc but dammmm.

if u have any good solution plz tell me...there is no warranty for this.

Are you saying that your USB Memory Stick stopped working also ?

[kregg]

Have you tried the "Add New Hardware" wizard by any chance?

[eranga262154]

IThe warranty does not recover any data... and really... that is the most important thing... (I just have to be carefull to back up everything regularly)

So, in short... the 1 year warranty that it comes with, is good enough...

Obvious, right...

As you say warranty do not recover data. But most of the people worried to use anything as much as possible. Every people can't bye a new one on a simple effect. He/she has to try all the possibilities to make alive again. So the warranty make some sort of free feelings to the user.

[eranga262154]

How is an online file Storage better .. what happens when their HDD's / PCs crash, their place burns down, or they simply go out of business .. plus then there is the privacy issue ..

Correct

Online file storage is just like storage on another PC....

Same thing can be happened as on your PC.

[eranga262154]

I use this tool wich I find really useful:
http://www.truecrypt.org/
For example, on the 8 GBytes mem stick I just got, I made a 4 GB NTFS volume, that is password protected, where I put all my programming stuff.
This way, if I loose it, no one will have access to my stuff.
I also backup-ed the entire drive, and I will do that at least once a week. (That's what I used to do with my old memory stick)

So, if you want to put stuff in public places... this is the tool I would use.

This is a new one for me. By the way are your sure all the stuff are secure from the administrator there....

[rory]

This is a new one for me. By the way are your sure all the stuff are secure from the administrator there....

Here's another USB related item you may not have used yet, its pretty cool and actually does work well .. some minor issues with certain software but otherwise its great .. www.mojopac.com

[eranga262154]

the same problem with me today..i have checked it with diff pc but dammmm.

if u have any good solution plz tell me...there is no warranty for this.

Have you try with all the USB ports. I mean front as well as back ports. And also try with "Add New Hardware" as kregg said.