The BIOS does not see the USB flash drive. Computer Tips for Regular Users

It happens that the BIOS does not see a bootable USB flash drive. This can happen on any personal computer with absolutely any operating system, be it Windows XP, the "seven" or the "eight". What can I do if the BIOS does not see the USB flash drive? This is a very popular question among all users. In addition, with such a problem, at least once in life, faced any owner of a personal computer or laptop. Some in this situation immediately turn to the service centers. And some even go to the store, where they bought a flash drive, with indignations and complaints that it does not work.

Of course, it can be that the whole thing is in a faulty device. But sometimes BOIS does not see a USB flash drive for a number of other reasons. And even if everything was normal before, the problems that have arisen now can be caused by various faults that simply "accumulated" in the system. Or the flash drive may not be enough for the power of your system unit. Or ... Below you will find the most popular reasons, because of which there are troubles with the definition of USB flash drives and other USB-devices, as well as ways to eliminate these problems.

Why does not the BIOS recognize removable media?

When you connect an external drive or device via a USB port, it automatically detects, and Device Manager reports that a new media is connected. In some cases, it also asks you to install drivers or updates. But sometimes the BIOS does not see a bootable flash drive or can not synchronize its work. What to do in this case? There are several most likely reasons for the appearance and options for solving this trouble.

USB controller: setup

The BIOS is part of the operating system, in which there are problems with the USB flash drive in most cases. Where exactly is the problem? The most obvious reason why the USB flash drive is not detected by the BIOS is that the USB controller is not working correctly or is simply turned off. How to cope with the problem? Enable it! For this, in the Award BIOS section, find the Integrated Peripherals subsection, and then go to the second menu item - Advinced (where the advanced BIOS settings will be). Then we find the USB Configuration category, go into it, press Enter and pay attention to the inscription that appears opposite the USB parameters. There you can see Disabled and Enabled. If the controller is in the disconnected state, then you need to turn it on using the direction buttons. To save the changed parameters, press F10.

If the controller is connected, but the BIOS does not see the USB flash drive, you can try it on another port of the system unit. Perhaps this is defective or incorrectly configured, which hinders its functioning.

Sometimes none of the ports can determine the USB flash drive. In this case, it makes sense to update the drivers of the USB controller itself. Especially often this problem occurs after the operating system is reinstalled or rolled back, when some of the required data may be lost or the parameters are reset to "default". Therefore, reloading all the latest versions of drivers can solve the problem with the USB flash drive.

Compatibility issues

The vast majority of modern peripherals support only USB 2.0 versions. Which, of course, will not be recognized on computers whose interface is configured for 1.1. In this case, to solve the problem, you just need to install the auxiliary software, which, as a rule, always comes bundled with the device - on one disk with drivers or separately. Sometimes the necessary applications can be downloaded from the official websites of manufacturers of USB-drives.

The system file INFCACHE.1 is the root of all evils

If you have tried all of the above methods, but the problem has not disappeared, then you can try another, but already a cardinal method. Simply delete the INFCACHE.1 system file from your computer. You can find it in the WINDOWS root directory, on the hard disk C or on where your operating system is installed. The full path to this file looks like this: WINDOWS: system32DriveStore. You can also find it through a search or by using the command line. If, after deleting this file, the problem disappeared, then all problems were related to cache memory corruption. The next time you turn on your computer, the INFCACHE.1 file restores itself.

And yet it's the BIOS?

The instructions for setting up this part of the system software will help to cope with the problems with the USB flash drive in some cases. For example, if, as mentioned above, the problem is in the disconnected USB controller. Proper BIOS setup is a simple matter, but important. To cope with this can be almost any user, even with little experience working with a personal computer.

So, in order to get into the parameters, you need to press the F2 key (in some cases, DELETE) at the time the BIOS system boots. Next you need to go to the Advanced tab, where you can manage advanced features, select the Integrated Peripherals section and press Enter. Having performed these simple manipulations, you can see if the controller is working, as well as other means that affect the functioning of the ports and automatically detect the connected USB devices.

The BIOS does not see any other devices connected through the port

If the computer can not detect not only a USB flash drive, but also other external media and devices connected via USB (for example, a printer, speakers, camera or phone), then this case requires special and radical measures.

Remove the cover (protective side plates) from the computer. As a rule, they are either bolted to the body, or fastened to the "bolt", then connect the USB flash drive or other device directly to the USB port on the motherboard. In most cases this can be enough for the BIOS to see the device. But if this does not happen, you can try installing a package of appropriate drivers for correct operation and eliminating incompatibility problems. If this does not help, there is still a way out!

Other reasons why the BIOS does not see the USB flash drive and other USB devices

Often happens that a computer is connected to a lot of different devices that require a lot of energy. For example, a scanner or a powerful sound system. And already these two connected devices can be enough to cause a power shortage when connecting even such an economical carrier as a USB flash drive. What can I say about trying to connect to the computer and also a camera to reset or view photos on the big screen. In this case, the BIOS does not see the USB flash drive (or other device) due to the too low level of power that can be expended on this port. In other words, the device may need more power than a USB connector can provide. As a result, he simply does not have enough power to turn on and operate.

In order to exclude such a problem, it is necessary to find out the power consumption of the USB controller of your personal computer. You can specify this in the "Device Manager" on the "Properties" tab in the "Power" column. USB devices version 2.0 need, as a rule, 500 mA, and more new devices version 3.0 are consumed already 900 mA. Proceeding from this, it can be assumed that sometimes to connect some device first you need to disable one or even several previously connected, but unused devices at the moment. If you charge your phone or player from the computer, and the USB flash drive is not detected in parallel with this, then you should try disconnecting the charging cord for a while. In 90% of cases this will be enough for the BIOS to see the device being connected.

And maybe the flash drive is to blame?

Have you tried everything, but nothing helps? Then there is the possibility that the matter is in the device itself. You can read about your flash drive reviews. The BIOS may not be the reason that it is not detected if you get a device with a factory fault, for example. It is also possible that this model requires some special manipulation or the presence of USB-HUB'a for correct operation. There can be many options, so all existing ways of determining the problem should be studied.

Conclusion

If the problem definition, because of which the BIOS does not see the USB flash drive, and its solution has not been successful, then, of course, it is worth contacting the service center. But before that, simply turn off the power management function of the USB controller on the operating system side. To do this, go to the "Device Manager", find the "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" tab, select the "Root USB Hub" subsection and double-click the "Power Management" window, remove the corresponding checkbox and click "OK" to save the changes. And repeat this procedure for each USB hub. Perhaps this is what will save you from going to the service center.