Flash Drive Problem

I have a PNY 512 mb USB 2.0 flash drive has has been working great for a couple of months.

I am building a system using an Epox P4MKI-P mb and XPSP1. The mb has 4 USB ports on the back(on mb) and 2 on the front of the case. Before hooking up the 2 ports on the front, I used the flash drive and the back ports to load software,etc.It worked fine.

When I hooked up the cables to the front ports and plugged in the flash drive to the front to check, nothing happened. I thought that maybe I didn't have the cables hooked up properly but now nothing happens when I hook up to the back ports or to another computer where it has always worked fine before.

How could plugging in to a USB port not working( or even hooked up backwards) damage my flash drive? And more importantly, is there any way to salvage the flash drive or did I kill it completely? It is not recognized when plugged into any functioning USB port now, just sits there,nothing,nada !

Sorry to be so long winded with the question and thanks for any help. I really need it.

golfman

 

Golfman, I found this on the pny site. Assuming you're running XP, and assuming that your usb ports work with other usb devices, this is their suggestion:

My Windows ME / 2000 / XP cannot detect my device, what can I do?
Since there is no driver required for these operating systems, the device uses the built-in driver (USB Mass Storage Class Driver) from these operating systems. If your operating system cannot find the device, then it is possible that the built-in driver files were missing or corrupted; please try to recover these files from other computer or from the original Windows operating system CD. You should also verify you system OS has the most up-to-date service packs. Should you still having problem, please try removing and re-installing the device though Device Manager or contact our technical support center. ​

If you're using Win 98, there is usually a repair file that comes with the driver set which is basically a reformatting function for the flashstick, I've had to use that a lot with one of my flashsticks when I was using a 98 machine.

Since your device is only a couple months old I would imagine you could get an RMA and have it replaced. We use a lot of flashsticks in our business, and PNY has put out one of the more reliable products I've seen in this class. I was sadly disappointed with the tech support interface on this company's website -- very obtuse, just a bunch of FAQs.

There is an email support request at this address Give it a shot and see if you qualify for an RMA.

Good luck.

- maureen