This just started a few months ago. I first noticed that Windows XP could not ready my USB Flash drives. When I insert the USB flash drive, the drive letter comes up in explorer, but when I click on it I’m asked if I want to format the drive. If I click ‘Yes’ it tries to format it, but it says it was unsuccessful. The USB drives work fine on every other computer I try.
With the DVD drive, again, it shows the drive letter and changes from DVD_RW drive to CD drive when I insert a disc. When I click on it, no files or folders appear in the explorer window. I don’t get any error message either. I can burn a DVD using Nero just fine. I can even boot from the DVD drive with my Windows XP CD.
I’ve uninstalled the USB hubs, the DVD drive and the IDE channels via the Device Manager and then let windows automatically detect them and re-install them… didn’t work.
I would like to just re-install Win XP but for some reason the Win XP boot CD can not see my SATA hard drives.