Removable drives appear at startup

[kumarkumar]

I have Windows XP SP2. Whenever I start/restart the computer 4 removable USB mass storage drives appear in "My Computer". I have to click in the taskbar "Safely Remove Hardware" icon to remove them.

This is annoying me. How do I stop this from happening??

(I don't have any USB device connected to my computer)

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Do you have a card reader atached to the machine?

[kumarkumar]

Nope nothing

[submix8c]

? I was under the impression that if any MSS-type hardware was "inserted" at any time that it's "required" to use the "safely remove" (in the Taskbar/Systray area) to "remove" them; just "unplugging them" don't do it (remains in the Device Manager)...

Or am I just dumb and missed the point? (could be...)

[Ponch]

Has it always done it since the day XP was installed? Is it a second hand PC or did you buy/install it yourself ?

[kumarkumar]

Its a new Acer Desktop Computer. It came preloaded with Vista. (I don't remember if the problem was there with Vista). I removed Vista and installed XP Pro the very first day. Since then I am seeing this peculiar nuisance.

The computer has 6 USB ports and nothing is ever plugged into them. (Why 4 appear........if it at all had to appear then 6 should appear......thats also mysterious)

[jaclaz]

As always when fiddling with the Registry, remember that you are on your own :

Open regedit and go to key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB

there should be a number, at least 4, entries like Vid_0000&Pid_0000 and inside each one or more entries like "152D203380B6"

Check them one by one and write down, for those that are identified as USB Mass Storage Device, which driver they use, something like:

{36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000}\0021

Then go to key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USBSTOR

you should see a number (4) of entries starting with "Disk&Ven" check if they have:

1) an "UpperFilter" entry, if it exists, delete it

2) to which driver they are linked, something like:

{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0004

Write down the above data.

Try going to Device Manager and DISABLE the USB Mass Storage Devices.

Reboot, see if in Device Manager the devices come back (with a red cross on them) and this time REMOVE them.

Open again Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000}

and

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

If there still are the "driver" entries you checked before, delete them.

jaclaz

[kumarkumar]

Thanks jaclaz.

I will look into it today and get back to you.

Kelsenellenelvian asked me

Do you have a card reader atached to the machine?

I am sorry to have overlooked it but I do have a card reader pre installed into the Desktop Computer. Its installed in the floppy drive slot. It has 4 input slots for 4 types of cards and also has an additional USB port.

In any case is that the root cause? If so what is the solution?

[jaclaz]

Thanks jaclaz.

I will look into it today and get back to you.

Kelsenellenelvian asked me

Do you have a card reader atached to the machine?

I am sorry to have overlooked it but I do have a card reader pre installed into the Desktop Computer. Its installed in the floppy drive slot. It has 4 input slots for 4 types of cards and also has an additional USB port.

In any case is that the root cause? If so what is the solution?

Well, that explains it all, most drivers do actually "assign" a device to (even unused) slots.

See this, as an example:

http://www.simpletech.com/support/guides/u...0-00049-002.pdf

ALL external (USB) card readers behave this way, SOME of the internal ones (those connected to USB) do that as well, think of it like a floppy, where the A: or B: letter is assigned notwithstanding the fact that the drive is empty.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT follow the advice in my previous post.

See if this:

http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html

can help you in managing the drive letters.

jaclaz

Edited January 2, 2008 by jaclaz

[Mijzelf]

In any case is that the root cause? If so what is the solution?

99.9% this is the root cause. Solutions:

1) Ignore it.

2) Unplug the cardreader.

3) Disable the cardreader in device management.

4) Use diskmanager to mount the drives on a directory instead of a disk letter.

[kumarkumar]

Thanks a lot jaclaz.

You made my day

I now understand the whole thing. You also made it so simple to understand

think of it like a floppy, where the A: or B: letter is assigned notwithstanding the fact that the drive is empty.

The Simpletech pdf file that you gave tells that the computer will show 4 removable drives instead of icons for cards if there is SP1 or before, but my computer has SP2. Was that specific to Simpletech card reader?

@Mijzelf

4) Use diskmanager to mount the drives on a directory instead of a disk letter.

How do I do that?

[Mijzelf]

link

[kumarkumar]

Thanks a lot Mijzelf

[kumarkumar]

I am facing one more problem......taking the liberty to post it here instead of a separate thread.

One fine day in Device Manager I started to have a question mark under "Other Devices" -> "PCI Device". The computer tells me to install the driver. I tried to do a automatic install but it failed to find the driver. I have no idea which PCI device needs a driver? I have only once card installed (a soundcard) in the MOBO and that too works perfectly.

How do I find it which device needs the driver?

I followed the "Device instance ID" in details of the driver and looked back in the registry for it and under it was able to see the following:-

Capabilities

CompatibleIDs

ConfigFlags

DeviceDesc

HardwareID

LocationInformation

It doesn't give me anything about the Vendor ID or Device ID

Edited January 2, 2008 by kumarkumar

[Mijzelf]

A lot of onboard devices are PCI devices too. Maybe System Information for Windows can tell you what this is.