Microsoft KB Archive/925196

= A computer that is running Windows XP cannot detect a USB thumb drive, an Apple iPod, or an external hard disk drive =

Article ID: 925196

Article Last Modified on 11/9/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

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SYMPTOMS
You attach a USB-based device to a computer that is running Windows XP. Then, you try to scan for hardware devices. However, the computer may not detect the attached device, and you may not see the device in the My Computer folder.

You may experience this problem when you are using one or more of the following devices:
 * USB thumb drive
 * Apple iPod
 * External hard disk drive

Additionally, you may not see the iPod in the iTunes application.



CAUSE
This problem may occur if there are corrupted or incorrect keys in the registry.

Note There may be other reasons that a USB device is not detected. For related Microsoft Knowledge Base articles, see the &quot;Similar problems and solutions&quot; section.



RESOLUTION
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows XP and Windows Vista

To resolve this problem, delete the UpperFilters registry value and the LowerFilters registry value. These values may cause access problems. To do this, follow these steps:  Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK. Locate and then click the UpperFilters registry value. This value is located in the following registry subkey:

 On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.

Note If you receive an error when you try to delete the registry subkey, you may not have correct permissions to edit the subkey. For more information about how to set or to change registry editing permissions, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310426 How to set or change registry editing permissions in Windows XP or in Windows Server 2003

 Locate and then click the LowerFilters registry value. This value is located in the following registry subkey:

 On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.

Note If you receive an error when you try to delete the registry subkey, you may not have correct permissions to edit the subkey. For more information about how to set or to change registry editing permissions, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310426 How to set or change registry editing permissions in Windows XP or in Windows Server 2003

 Exit Registry Editor. Restart the computer.</li></ol>

Note If you remove both registry values and you lose functionality in a particular program such as CD recording software, you may have to reinstall that software. If this problem occurs again, contact the software vendor for help.

For information about how to contact Apple Computer, Inc., click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and software vendor contact information, A-K

60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P

60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z

Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

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SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
For more information about USB devices that are not detected, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

892050 A USB device that is connected to a USB 2.0 hub is not detected in Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, or Windows Server 2003 x64 versions

For more information about the error message &quot;The camera device is not correctly recognized&quot;, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

911737 Error message that is similar to the following when you start a program that accesses a USB 2.0 camera device: &quot;The camera device is not correctly recognized&quot;

For more information about USB mouse devices that are not detected, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

893711 A USB mouse that is connected to a USB 2.0 hub is not detected by Windows XP

For more information about how to troubleshoot unknown devices, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

314464 How to troubleshoot unknown devices that are listed in Device Manager in Windows

For more information about the error message &quot;USB device not recognized&quot;, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

318773 You receive a &quot;USB Device Not Recognized&quot; error message when you resume your computer from suspend or hibernation

For more information about reconnected USB devices that are not detected, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

920875 USB devices that are disconnected and then reconnected to a USB hub may not be detected on a Windows XP-based computer

For more information about missing devices, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

812489 The floppy disk drive is missing from the My Computer folder

314060 You can no longer access the CD drive or the DVD drive, or you receive an error message after you remove a CD recording program or a DVD recording program in Windows XP: &quot;error code 31&quot;

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MORE INFORMATION
The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.

Keywords: kbresolve kbhardware kbtshoot kbprb KB925196

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