USB Flash Drives

[jont]

After backing up each night onto a USB Flash drive I hit the "safely remove hardware" icon in the task bar.... this allows the USB to be safely disconnected.

However, this also forces the drive name eg: "K" to be disconnected and then is unavailable again when plugging the USB drive back in again .. the drive moves on to "L"..ad infinitum... this is a pain in the bum as the synchronisation software is looking for "K" and it is not found!

Any ideas on how to stop the shift in drive name?

[RuralWeb]

I use a usb flash drive quite alot but do not have any software controling the instalation, I just plug it in and out whenever. I always thought that this was the way they were supposed to work?

Try turning off the sync software and you should be able to plug in and out as required. The only slight problem I have found is that some cheaper ones are not able to link with the pc correctly and so they need to be plugged into the same usb socket each time.

[pinbrook]

I must admit I do the same as Malc, just shove the drive in the usb, copy to it using explorer and take it out.

[jont]

Thanks guys - have come to the same conclusion to just wait till the light stops and take it out .... I am still following the old routine to prevent losing data but think the technology has moved on enough now for making stopping the device redundant.

Will simply re-boot and reset the drive addresses

[Duncan Rounding]

I think it's windows that's moved on in the way the write caching works. However I have corrupted a couple sticks in the past and as a result I always safely disconnect the drive.
So long as I always use the same USB port then I always get the same drive letter. (For this to work I think the drive has to be seen as a name not just 'removeable drive' but not sure). I don't know why your drive letter should keep changing - seems odd that.

[RuralWeb]

So long as I always use the same USB port

I think this is the key to getting them to work correctly - there is a very good reason for this but I cannot remember.

[jont]

If I am using drive H and then disconnect the drive .... the next time I plug the USB back in again (same slot or any free slot) the drive changes to I .... then to J, K, L etc ...... disconnecting the flash seems to remove the drive totally from the system until next re-boot when they are reset again.

I will try mapping the drive as Duncan suggests to see if that resolves.

[Duncan Rounding]

How are you disconnecting - are you referring to 'Safely Remove Hardware'?
in which case I#m even more confused.

Do you have any automated tasks associated with the drive? - you mentioned synchronization software. If so have you could try removing/disabling anything that would want to 'keep' the drive alive as it were.

[pinbrook]

If I am using drive H and then disconnect the drive .... the next time I plug the USB back in again (same slot or any free slot) the drive changes to I

if you use H in your syncronisation software you will have to use the same slot each time. Although you will have to sort out why it keeps changing letter.

If you use any free slot I would expect the drive letter to change. I discovered this when plugging in an external HD (with a name) and using "Second Copy" to back up to it.

[jont]

How are you disconnecting - are you referring to 'Safely Remove Hardware'?

Yes .. also tried just using "eject" from windows explorer but to much the same effect

if you use H in your syncronisation software you will have to use the same slot each time

Using the same slot each time to no avail ... a new drive name is being allocated each time.

May be something to do with the new monitor with it's USB ports (although have tried using the old port and the ports on the monitor but to the same effect) .... the only think I can think of (everything else has stayed the same) is I have been turning the monitor off at night (pc stays running) over the past few days .. wonder if turning off the monitor with its USB ports is causing the error

[RuralWeb]

What OS are you using? it may be to do with that.

[jont]

XP Pro SP2

[RuralWeb]

Same as me, so I dont think thats the problem. It must be the sync software.

[jont]

The same happens without the sync software - that is a stand alone program that just has the source and destination drives / folders specified. With the sync software closed the same still happens

[Duncan Rounding]

Odd isn't it - be interesting to try another stick. I've tried with the two sticks and also the extrernal HDD that I have and they all keep the same letter even when connected to my monitor hub, which like you, I always switch off (but leave PC on)
I don't know if it will make a difference but when you have your stick connected have you tried manually changing the drive letter and naming the drive. I've done that with all my memory devices so that each will always have it's own drive letter regardless of where I plug them in. I think it must something to do with some of the types of memory sticks.