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USB Flash Drive doesn't show up on Desktop anymore...

Cralfinsam

Cralfinsam

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 25, 2010
19
4
Boston
I just got a new flash drive and it worked fine on my iMac yesterday, and now suddenly it no longer appears on the Desktop or anywhere else on the computer that I can find. But when I pulled it out of the USB drive, it said the device was not removed properly, so it must have recognized something was connected.

How do I access the USB drive? Why is it no longer showing up on the Desktop? I tried plugging it into different USB ports, I restarted the computer, nothing works!
 
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Does it show up in Disk Utility? (Spotlight will find it, if you don't know what I mean.)

Have you checked Finder > Preferences > General > Show these items on the Desktop and Finder > Preferences > Sidebar > Devices?
 
spinnerlys said:
Does it show up in Disk Utility? (Spotlight will find it, if you don't know what I mean.)

Have you checked Finder > Preferences > General > Show these items on the Desktop and Finder > Preferences > Sidebar > Devices?
Click to expand...

I found it in Disk Utility. What do I do from there to open it?
 
picture1yg.png


Then it is mounted. Click the Finder Sidebar Preferences > removable media until it looks like this. It should then show up in the Sidebar. If not, just click on your Macintosh HD icon in the Sidebar and press CMD+ArrowUp to see all connected devices.

1ovkf7.png
 
Okay, I have a few problems here. I clicked next to removable media until it changed to a check mark like you said. The flash drive still did not show up in the sidebar and when I open the sidebar preferences back up, removable media never stays checked.

I tried Command -> Up and it only shows "Macintosh HD" and "Network".

I also took another screenshot from Disk Utility. At the bottom of the window, it says S.M.A.R.T. Status: Not Supported. Does that have to do with the problem?

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/6139/picture1oms.png

I just don't understand what changed from yesterday, when the flash drive worked fine, to today...
 
Cralfinsam said:
I also took another screenshot from Disk Utility. At the bottom of the window, it says S.M.A.R.T. Status: Not Supported. Does that have to do with the problem?

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/6139/picture1oms.png

I just don't understand what changed from yesterday when the flash drive worked fine, to today...
Click to expand...

S.M.A.R.T. status is not supported via USB. Nothing to worry about.

I don't promise it might solve the issue, but sometimes the following can help: [URL="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US";]Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)[/URL]
 
Thanks, I might try that.

Another completely unrelated thing that's bugging me is that no window pops up when I go to Apple -> Shut Down. The only way I can shut down my computer is by holding down the button in the back. In the Console logs it says:

"Console[1229] could not find associated NSMenu for -21629 (item:17)"

Any idea what that is all about?
 
Cralfinsam said:
Thanks, I might try that.

Another completely unrelated thing that's bugging me is that no window pops up when I go to Apple -> Shut Down. The only way I can shut down my computer is by holding down the button in the back. In the Console logs it says:

"Console[1229] could not find associated NSMenu for -21629 (item:17)"

Any idea what that is all about?
Click to expand...

Have you bought the Mac new or used? Did it came with Mac OS X 10.4.x or was Mac OS X 10.3 installed on it or an even older version or Mac OS X?

Did you try to repair permissions via Disk Utility? Can you perform an Erase and Install or an Archive and Install?
 
spinnerlys said:
Have you bought the Mac new or used? Did it came with Mac OS X 10.4.x or was Mac OS X 10.3 installed on it or an even older version or Mac OS X?

Did you try to repair permissions via Disk Utility? Can you perform an Erase and Install or an Archive and Install?
Click to expand...

I bought it new with 10.4. I tried Repair Permissions and nothing changed. I don't have the install disc to do the other thing.
 
Cralfinsam said:
I bought it new with 10.4. I tried Repair Permissions and nothing changed. I don't have the install disc to do the other thing.
Click to expand...

You can get replacement Restore DVDs from Apple for 15 to 30 to 50 € (more like 20€, but read all those prices). Or you can buy the Snow Leopard Upgrade DVD or Mac Box Set if you need iLife and iWork, if you have an Intel iMac of course.

Other than that, you could enable Finder to show hidden files, then go to the Volumes folder and open the USB stick via that.
 
spinnerlys said:
You can get replacement Restore DVDs from Apple for 15 to 30 to 50 € (more like 20€, but read all those prices). Or you can buy the Snow Leopard Upgrade DVD or Mac Box Set if you need iLife and iWork, if you have an Intel iMac of course.

Other than that, you could enable Finder to show hidden files, then go to the Volumes folder and open the USB stick via that.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much. I can access the flash drive by showing hidden folders.
 
Unless you intend to use the flashdrive with PCs running Windows, I would suggest that you re-initialize it to Mac format, and dump the "master boot record" partition scheme and replace it with either "GUID" or "Apple Partition Map" if available.

You can turn "Journaling" off, as well.

Also, you probably don't need to install the drivers for Mac OS 9 at all, unless there is a chance that SOMEwhere you will encounter a Mac still running OS 9.
 
Hold up. If your Finder Preferences don't keep that checkbox checked, there's probably a much simpler solution.

Go to ~/Library/Preferences/ and delete com.apple.Finder.plist. (~ stands for your Home Folder, if you're not familiar with the designation).

Logout, and then back in (or restart).

Go back and check the checkbox again, if needed.

jW
 
Hi all! i have a similar problem to Cralfinsam in that I have a flash drive that was working and now no longer shows up on my desktop. It says that the falsh drive is not readable my my computer. The disk utility shows that the flash drive is not mounted and the mount button is greyed out. Can anyone help?
 
Binita Agrawal said:
Hi all! i have a similar problem to Cralfinsam in that I have a flash drive that was working and now no longer shows up on my desktop. It says that the falsh drive is not readable my my computer. The disk utility shows that the flash drive is not mounted and the mount button is greyed out. Can anyone help?
Click to expand...

Yea unplug the USB stick and do a Reset Your PRAM and after it boots backup try it again.
 
Last edited:
spinnerlys said:
Does it show up in Disk Utility? (Spotlight will find it, if you don't know what I mean.)

Have you checked Finder > Preferences > General > Show these items on the Desktop and Finder > Preferences > Sidebar > Devices?
Click to expand...

I have the same problem but i doesn't show up on disk utility it doesn't show up on windows either.

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO FIX IT?
 
Shouting will not get a better or quicker answer.

Please share output from the following commands:

diskutil list

diskutil cs list

mount
 
If the USB flash drive was inserted at the time that you ran those terminal commands, then the flash drive is likely dead.
Have you tried other flash drives?

If other flash drives work, and appear correctly, discard that bad flash drive. No use beating yourself up trying to get a dead device to work.
 
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