Newer Flash Drives' Compatibility On Windows Xp

Last week I tried out this new PNY Flash Drive that specified it was compatible with Windows XP. It didn't work. It wouldn't get recognized. I got a message that I probably needed to install a Driver for unknown "New Hardware." I just went back to the store and returned it since I had never had any problems with PNY Flash Drives working on my Windows XP computer. I figured maybe it was just defective.

Today I tried out a new SanDisk Cruzer Glide that specifies that it too is compatible with Windows XP. This particular one also specifies that it is USB 2.0 / 3.0 compatible. Just like the PNY Flash Drive from last week, this SanDisk Cruzer Glide Flash Drive also did not work, did not get recognized and I was informed that I needed to install a Driver for unknown New Hardware.

I currently have 3 SanDisk Cruzer Glide Flash Drives that I've been using for quite a while without any problems.

So what's the deal with these 2 recent NEW Flash Drives not being recognized and not working with my Windows XP when they specify that they ARE Windows XP compatible?

I tried going through the process of letting Windows search for the necessary Driver. However, I was informed that the Driver that was found had not passed the "Windows Logo" test or something along those lines and was NOT recommended that I install that Driver from who knows what source.

So where can I get the necessary Driver(s) to allow NEWER Flash Drives that claim to be Windows XP compatible to work on my Windows XP? Or what do I need to do? I do not have the Windows Install CD. This is a 3rd hand computer.

 

It may not be the brand of USB drive that is the problem....it may be the megabyte or gigabyte size of the flash drive.

I've run into this on PC's that are getting kind of OLD, and are running XP. Seems like either the motherboard or XP can only read a drive up to a certain size and nothing larger.
In one case, a friend had two computers....one running XP and the other running Windows 7 (a much newer PC) and they had a new SD Flash Memory Card for a camera. I think it may have been a 32GB card, and the XP computer would not read it but the W-7 computer would.

So before you go crazy, see if you can try your new FD in a newer computer, like with W-7 or newer. Or, just use a smaller Flash Drive.

That's just one of the little difugalties we're running into with the older XP machines. Computer science has just passed them up.

Just a thought.

 

Did you not even let XP even search for a driver?
I would have.

 

@plodr: Upon looking at your 1st link, it looked like it had potential. I was envisioning it working. It just had that just the ticket look to it. Unfortunately, after I tried it 3 or 4 times, it still didn't work. Aww MAN! Grrrrrr!

@the mekanic: Why am I still using XP? Because it still very much works for what I need to do. I'm not high maintenance. I don't need to have the absolute latest of whatever just for the sake of having it ... while not using 70% of whatever new bells & whistles it might have.

As for the Security Scare Tactics that might be tossed around? From what I see on different Tech Support Forums, tons of people with way more state of the art computers, Win7, Win 8 and Win 10 and multi-ultra levels of Security Apps than me are constantly getting infected more than my computer ever does. Along with my Windows XP, I just have the latest avast Free version and perform periodic / frequent On Demand scans with MBAM, SAS and Dr. WebCureit ... and my computer never gets infected. I pretty much operate by the adage, the idea that --- The weakest link in ANY computer's security is the Computer Operator. I've found this to be true. Before this 3rd hand computer was given to me back in 2013 ... under the hands of my brother-in-law and his 2 daughters, this used to be a perpetually infected mess of a computer that I had to clean about twice a month whenever I went to go use their high speed Internet. Now under my hands, it doesn't get infected. So, I must be doing something right.

@The Shadow: I knew it couldn't be something like the Size / Capacity of the 2 failing Flash Drives in question because they were both 16 Gig, the same size as two of my 3 currently working Cruzer Glide Flash Drives.

@MaxTurner: As I said in my original comment, I did originally attempt to allow Windows to search for the necessary Driver(s). However, the WARNING message I received was somewhat ominous, from my POV anyway. That's why I aborted that idea at that time. Since I don't happen to have the Windows XP Restore CD, I didn't want to risk FUBARing my computer.

That said, a while ago, with plenty of trepidation, I created a System Restore Point, GULPED, threw caution to the wind ... threw the dice and very nervously let Windows install I believe 3 Drivers that it found. That appears to have done the trick! YES! My new Cruzer Glide Flash Drive was now recognized. Now I'll install all my PortableApps.com Apps and save all my stuff and make sure everything works.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. What counts is that bottom line, one way or another, the problem eventually was resolved.

 

BTW I use a 16 GB flash drive in Windows XP.
But, when it was formatted with NTFS, Windows XP was not happy.
Stay with FAT32 when using Windows XP.

FYI I use Toshiba flash drives.

 

Good advice.

 

@Eldon: I've always just used the Quick Format from the Right Click option for formatting my Flash Drives and they have always been formatted with FAT32.

@plodr: I don't remotely remember what those 3 Drivers downloaded and installed were. But, if you can tell me how and where I can find them on my Windows XP, I'll give it a shot at checking to see what they are.

 

I also like WindowsXP very much. Presently running Win7 though.

"Since I don't happen to have the Windows XP Restore CD, I didn't want to risk FUBARing my computer."

Might I suggest that you purchase an external HD and use Macrium Reflect http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/macrium_reflect_free_edition.html to make a backup of your current computer state.

 

Well, since we were already speaking of Flash Drives and you brought up Macrium Reflect, Booboo ... would you say that for a FACT --- Macrium Reflect won't work from a Flash Drive?

Back when this very computer was still my brother-in-law's computer, I did at one time actually get at image of its HD with Macrium Reflect and saved it onto my Flash Drive. But, when I asked on two different forums whether that file that I had saved of the supposed image WOULD actually work from my Flash Drive to restore that HD if one day it came down to that, I got conflicting answers. Someone said that it wouldn't work from a Flash Drive, that the HD image HAD to be saved on an External HD. Another person said that sure, it WOULD work from my Flash Drive. Who is right?

 

Macrium Reflect would probably work from a flash drive but I guess that would depend on how much needs to be backed up. An external HD would have enough space to backup numerous drives, numerous times. That way you could backup your drive today and next month and the next month and so on. We all have programs that we eliminate for one reason or another and this way you would always have a current backup of your HD.

My latest current backup on my external drive is 32.9 GB. I have a lot of needed programs.

 

That time that I made an HD image of this computer when it was my brother-in-law's, I believe I recall the file size was only a little over 6 Gig. Now that it's my computer, it would almost assuredly be a little bit more than that, but not by much ... certainly not around the 32 Gig range.

Anyway, thanks for the info, Booboo.

 

I didn't know how to find the history of my updates, so I did some Googling. What I came up with was to go into the Add / Remove Programs area and click on Show updates. I did that and did see some updates that have been installed since back in 2014 and 2015, but nothing in 2016, much less the Drivers from the other day. Any other idea how and where I can possibly find those Drivers?

 

Okay, I'll be checking this thread. The Flash Drive has been working fine, including the various PortableApps.com Apps that I've used so far. Like you, though, I don't feel comfortable at all letting Windows just blindly find and install Drivers. I certainly don't want to remotely make that a habit.

That's why even though out of curiosity some time back I installed Slim Driver and Driver Max or whatever those certain two Driver-finding Apps are named so as to somewhat check them out, I never did actually pull the trigger as far as actually letting them install the supposed newer Drivers that they found. I just felt too uneasy. Before trying out those 2 Apps, I had assumed that whatever Drivers they would find would be guaranteed to be genuine, official and SAFE. Once I figured out that it was really more of a Computer User Beware / Use at your own risk type of deal, I aborted that experiment.

 

Alrighty then, I went and checked inside that system32\drivers folder. I selected the Arrange Icons by Modified View option.

Verdict? Well, as far as seeing what was installed / modified on or around March 8th? I can really only see on the left pane that that "drivers" folder was modified on "March 9, 2016." As far as the file Icons themselves, when I hover on them I get the date they were created ... not the date they were installed.

Ahhh, but maybe this was possibly not all for naught. In their arranged by modified layout, I checked out the file Icons starting from the bottom of the drivers folder window in reverse order. Out of the first 12 files down there, 9 were avast drivers and 3 were MBAM drivers. That makes sense. The next one was some ndproxy driver by Microsoft. I don't know the significance of that one.

But ... then the next 3 drivers do have to do with the USB.
usbport --- Description: USB 1.1 & 2.0 Port Driver --- by Microsoft
usbccgp --- Description: USB Common Class Generic Parent Driver --- by Microsoft
usbd --- Description: Universal Serial Bus Driver --- by Microsoft

Actually, the next 2 drivers after those were also USB drivers.
usbvideo --- Description: USB Video Class Driver --- by Microsoft
irbus --- Description: USB Consumer IR Driver for eHome ---by Microsoft

I don't know, plodr. Maybe it was those first 3 drivers that were installed the other day. Like I said, hovering on them only tells me when they were created, not when they were installed. I would have thought that the drivers would have had either "SanDisk" or "Cruzer Glide" in the file name or in the file description given that after their installation, for a few seconds I distinctly saw one or two "SanDisk" Icons before that window disappeared.

 

I guess IF those first 3 USB drivers WERE the ones installed the other day, at least it's a little bit comforting that they were from Microsoft and not from some arcane, quite possibly nefarious source. Not that Microsoft isn't often considered nefarious. But, at least it's not arcane.

Anyway, thanks for the tips on this and that, plodr.