HP C450W, S100, V120W Frequently Asked Questions Manual

General HP USB Flash Drive USB FAQs

1. Do I need drivers for my HP USB Flash Drive?

Answer: No, if you use the drive with Windows™ Vista, Windows™ XP, Windows™

XP64, Windows Server™ 2003, Windows™ Me, or Windows™ 2000.

If you intend to use the drive with Windows™ 98SE you will need to visit

www.hp.com/support and download and install the appropriate driver. However, not all HP

USB Flash Drives will offer driver support for these older operating systems.

2. Will the HP USB Flash Drive work in Linux?

Answer: Most of popular releases of Linux 2.4 and above do support the HP USB Flash

Drive, however, you will need to verify with your Linux manufacture if you
experience any issues.

3. How do I copy information to the HP USB Flash Drive?

Answer: Once the drive has been connected and initialized by the operating system, you

should have an additional drive letter (Windows) available. Your HP USB Flash
drive will operate in the same manner as an additional hard disk drive or a floppy
drive.

4. Do I need special software to use my HP USB Flash Drive?

Answer: No.

5. In Windows™, I copied data to the HP USB Flash drive, but when I removed the drive and
connected to another system, the data is gone. Why?

Answer: You may have removed the drive before the HP USB Flash drive file system was

updated. The best way to prevent this experience would be to properly “eject” the
drive from the system Operating System. Below is the normal process to properly
disconnect your HP USB Flash drive in Windows:

i. Move your cursor to and click on the icon in the lower right hand side of your

system. See image below:

ii. Select the appropriate drive letter from the list and click on it.

iii. You should see a message indicating it is safe to remove the USB flash drive.

Once you see this, simply disconnect it from the PC/Laptop.

6. Why do I see the message in Windows™ XP “This device can perform faster” when I plug­in my flash drive?:

Answer: You are connecting to a slower (USB 1.1) port or HUB. The Flash drive will work,

but the transfer speeds will be significantly slo wer.

It is also possible that the hardware drivers for the USB 2.0 capable adapter may
not be loaded correctly. Check with your system or adapter manufacture for
additional assistance.

7. My HP USB Flash drive does not show up in my Windows™ explorer after I connect it,
why?

Answer: If you have connected the USB Flash drive to an external USB HUB, this may be

the issue. Try unplugging the USB Flash drive from the HUB and reconnecting
directly to th e native PC/Laptop USB port.

or,

Your registry may have an inva lid key. Follow the following process to verify and
correct the issue:

Step 1: Disconnect the HP USB Flash Drive. Open the registry editor by going to Start then

Run and type regedit in the window as shown in the image below. Click on the OK

button.

Step 2: Navigate the following registry path as shown in the image below:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE » SYSTEM » CurrentControlSet » Enum » USB

Step 3: If you see a Vid0000&Pid_0000 folder key, you should delete this (see image below)

To accomplish this, it may be necessary to assign permissions (see image below): Right

click on the folder you want to delete and select Permissions from the menu. This will
open the Security menu for this folder.

Click on Full Control and Apply the change. This will grant you the permission
necessary to delete this folder key. Delete the folder key.

Step 4: Close all programs and restart Windows. Once the system has restarted, connect the USB

flash drive.

8. Can I format the HP USB Flash drive?

Answer: Yes. The drive can be formatted, however, remember that formatting this drive

will erase all data currently on the unit.