[bongahead]

When I plug it in it is detected but says that the "device is not working properly" and then when I see it in the Device Manager it says "Unknown Device".It also says in the Device Status in the Properties box "No drivers are installed for this device. "I tried updating the driver from the option when you right-click on it but it says no device drivers could be found other than the one already there.Oh, and I tried the troubleshooter for USB.I have Microsoft Windows XP Professional,and the USB flash drive is Sony (256 Megabytes storage).I've used it before and it was working, but I don't know what's the problem now. Thank you for any help.

[alex]

The drivers corrupt.

Windows is saying "unknown device" because even though xp is touted as plug and play, a lot of 3rd party peripherals arn't recognised because the generic drivers contained within won't 'run' them.

uninstall the driver through SYSTEM within CONTROL PANEL.

reboot and reinstall, but check the item's instructions to confirm whether or not you need to attach the drive to the computer first or not.

[deanally2001]

Its probably knackered !! I had the same issue with mine and binned it, they are soooo cheap to buy, You can use an mp3 player as long as it is classed as a 'Mass storage device' with these you dont need to install software, they just plug and play, and your pc will recognise it instantly, The place I work, they sell these for £7.99 ... and 1gb for £12.99 (use http://www.xe.com/ucc/ to convert if you need to)

[Felix V]

one thing you should try doing is > going to the manufacturer site online and going to their driver section and downloading it.

[tomPlay]

Try reinstalling the USB flash.Go to "Control Panel" then go to "Add/Remove Hardware"There you can let the computer install the USB flash.If there's still a problem using the flash you're just better off getting a new one!

[SpaceCowboy]

I would go into Device Manager (Right click My Computer, Manage) and remove the instance of the Sony usb device.unplug the usb unitrebootplug in the device. It should reinstall and work.

[Zoivic]

Have you tried putting it in another port? Try to put a new flash drive. If it work then you know your original flash drive is no good.