USB not showing up - 'The device is not ready'

Hi Lawrence,

The error 'The device is not ready' is caused by an empty or not formatted drive, or that the USB device has experienced a hardware failure. For us to isolate the issue about using your USB device, kindly respond to the questions below:

1. Does the issue persist when you connect a different USB to the same USB slot?
2. Are you able to access the drive when you connect it another computer?
3. Have you tried formatting the drive once more?
4. When the drive is connected to your computer, are you able to see it in Device Manager? If yes, kindly check the Device status of the device when you right-click it and select Properties and post back the status.

We look forward to your response.

Hello, thanks for your quick response :)

1) I am able to see, access and use other USBs in the same USB slot.

2) I don't have another computer to connect it to, but I connected the USB in quesiton to my TV, and it didn't show.

3) I cannot format the drive, as I cannot select it in my computer and there is no option to do so in Disk Management. 

4) I am able to see it in device manager. It says 'This device is working properly.'

We appreciate the information you have provided, Lawrence. If the disk doesn't appear in File Explorer but is listed in Disk Management as Not Initialized, it could be due to the drive not having a valid disk signature. Meaning that it may have never been initialized and formatted, or that the drive formatting has become corrupted.

May we know if it is listed as Offline in Disk Management? Kindly see the screenshot as reference.

If it is listed as Offline, kindly right-click it and select Online.

If it is already Online and has a primary partition, it means that it is healthy. However, if it doesn't have a drive letter, kindly add a drive letter for it. Here's how:

1. In Disk Management, right-click the disk for which you want to change the drive letter, then select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
2. To change the drive letter, select Change.
3. Select the new drive letter, select OK, and then select Yes when prompted about how programs that rely on the drive letter might not run correctly.

However, if it doesn't have a file system and the disk is empty, right-click the partition and select Format.

If the above steps doesn't help, do not hesitate to post back to us.

Hi blackjack3,

I have the same questions as David Haz on his previous post. Have you tried using the affected flash drive on different USB port? How about on different computer? When the drive is connected to your computer, are you able to see it in Device Manager? If yes, kindly check the Device status of the device when you right-click it and select Properties and post back the status.

We're looking forward to your response.