Lost Hardware remove thingy in taskbar

I have recently purchased a 6 in 1 Dazzle reader (for CompactFlash and Memory Stick). I am having problems downloading images from the CF to my local drive. It works for a few minutes and then I get an error message about an individual file. Then when I try it again it tells me that the CF is not formatted and asks me would I like to format it.

If I "eject" the CF card and put it back in the camera I see all the images so there's no problem with the card.

My problem is (specific to this board), I seem to no longer have the little icon in my Taskbar which allows me to safely remove hardware (USB) which I have always used when disconnecting a dedicated MemoryStick reader (also USB).

Can someone tell me how to get this functionality/icon back?

Thanks!

 

Welcome to Windows BBS!

Does the reader come with drivers? If so, it would be worth reinstalling them to see if it cures the problem.

If you can borrow a USB zip drive or external hard drive, plug it in and see if the icon shows up. If it does, the problem is specific to the 6-in-1. If it doesn't, it would suggest a system hiccup. In that case, since you have Me, if System Restore is activated (it is by default), check to see if you have a restore point before the problem started.

Further info on restore:

Windows Me System Restore

 

Thanks. i'll give all a try.