It’s one simple message but it can have several meanings: “Please insert a disk into Removable Disk.” The problem is you’ve already plugged your flash drive into the USB port, which suggests that there is some kind of error—that your system and storage device are not communicating properly. From a NAND flash memory chip error to a quick system fix, here’s what could be causing this message to pop up.
Reason 1: USB flash drive disk management
You could be working with duplicate drive letters, which your computer will not be able to recognize. Every removable storage device needs to be assigned a separate letter. Go ahead and right-click My Computer and select Manage to see whether your USB needs a new letter. From there, you can simply change the flash drive letter.
Reason 2: Flash drive in a safe mode
Your USB controller may not be loading the firmware, so it’s attempting to find a workaround through formatting, testing or driver reloading.
Reason 3: Flash drive needs formatting
If your USB flash drive’s properties show that there are 0MB, it may mean that the system can’t detect the size of the device. However, your data may not be lost and you could always try another computer. If using the flash drive is paramount to the data currently on it, trying formatting. This may or may not rectify the problem. If important data is on the drive and you can’t risk formatting, contact the manufacturer.
Reason 4: Flash drive has letter but no data
Your system may recognize that a USB device is plugged in and see that it has a letter, but the flash drive’s controller is not providing any data.
Short of letter reassignment, the root of the problem is likely at the NAND flash chip level. Low quality NAND chips are equipped with bad sectors and cheap controllers that are unable to correct the high rates of errors. Without better chips and error correction, bad sectors are made worse with multiple writes. As a result, you can lower your risk of faulty drives and “Please Insert Removable Disk” messages by using high quality, Grade A Tier 1 chips that are integrated into every flash drive from Premium USB.
Have you ever experienced the “Insert Removable Disk” for your USB flash drive? How was it fixed? We want to hear from you!