There are several possible reasons why your DataTraveler is not being detected in Windows.

1. The DataTraveler could be conflicting with a pre-assigned drive letter. To resolve this, do the following (do not do this for a "Privacy" drive that assigns two drive letters):
1. Insert the DataTraveler and right-click on My Computer, which is located on your desktop or under the Start button on the Task Bar.
2. Select "Manage."
3. Select “Disk Management” in the left window pane.
4. Locate the DataTraveler in the right window pane.
5. Right-click on the drive and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths”.
6. Click "Change" and select a new drive letter from the drop-down box. Then click "OK".
2. The DataTraveler may be conflicting with pre-installed software. Disable all applications running in the background prior to installation of the DataTraveler.
3. If you have never used the USB ports, make sure they are working and enabled via the BIOS. Refer to your system's manual for instructions on how to access the BIOS. The USB ports should also be enabled in Device Manager. To access Device Manger, right click My Computer and select "Properties". In the System Properties dialog box, click on the Hardware tab and then on the Device Manager button. Locate the Kingston DataTraveler, which is usually under "Hard disk controllers" or listed as "Other". Right-click on the device and select the "Enable" option.
4. Make sure you have the latest Windows Service Pack. Windows Service Packs contain fixes and updated drivers for USB devices. To find out if you have a Service Pack installed, right-click My Computer and select "Properties". The Windows version and Service Pack information is listed on the General tab under "System". If a Service Pack is not listed, you can download it from the Microsoft Website.
5. If you have a desktop computer, make sure the DataTraveler is inserted directly into one of the main USB ports on the back of the PC. Front ports, keyboard ports or USB hubs may not supply sufficient power for the high-speed DataTraveler to function properly.
6. If the DataTraveler shows up in Disk Manager but not My Computer (Computer in Windows Vista and 7) or Explorer and you have TweakUI installed, it may have modified the registry to make drives hidden. To resolve this, go to “TweakUI Properties” and configure it to display drives.
7. If you received a (Code 10) error and have more than one USB device inserted, remove the devices and insert the Kingston DataTraveler by itself. This error may indicate that your particular system cannot support more than one USB device at a time.
8. Make sure you have the latest BIOS and/or firmware installed on the computer. The BIOS/firmware can be downloaded from the computer manufacturer’s Website.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-02

If you have data on the DataTraveler that is important to you, we strongly recommend that you use one of the two possible means of data recovery (see below). Kingston does not offer data recovery services. For more information on our warranty policy, please visit http://www.kingston.com/company/warranty.asp

1. Contact a company that specialises in data recovery services, such as Driver Savers at www.drivesavers.com or Ontrack at www.ontrack.com or carry out a Google search for "data recovery".
2. Go to www.download.com, search for "data recovery" and download one of the many utilities for data recovery which are fairly simple to use. We suggest trying one of the free versions as they work just as well as the paid versions. However for this option to work, the computer must assign a drive letter to the device. Even so it is not guaranteed to work. If it does not, option 1 would be your best bet.

FAQ: KDT-012611-GEN-25

Because the DataTraveler is 32GB or larger, Windows 7 will not allow you to format it to FAT32. You will have to convert it using a Command Prompt. Click on Start>Run and type in CMD and click on the OK button. Type the following in the command prompt (see image). Replace F with the drive letter for your drive. Please take notice of the spaces in between.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-14

Unplug the other USB device, insert the DataTraveler drive and restart the system. After the DataTraveler is configured you should then be able to connect the other USB device.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-15

If you have a desktop computer, make sure the DataTraveler is inserted directly into one of the main USB ports. These USB ports are usually located in the back of the tower. If these ports are difficult to access, we recommend a 3ft USB extension cable.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-09

This DataTraveler requires two consecutive drive letters AFTER the last physical disk that appears before the 'gap' in drive letter assignments (see figure below). This does NOT pertain to network shares because they are specific to user profiles and not the system hardware profile itself, and thus appear available to the OS.

This means that Windows may assign the DataTraveler a drive letter that's already in use by a network share or Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path, causing a drive letter conflict. If this happens, please consult your administrator or help desk department for information on changing drive letter assignments in Windows Disk Management (administrator privileges required.)

In this example, the DataTraveler uses drive F:, which is the first available drive letter after drive E: (the last physical disk before the drive letter gap). Since letter G: is a network share and not part of the hardware profile, the DataTraveler may attempt to use it as its second drive letter, causing a conflict.

If there are no network shares on your system and the DataTraveler still won’t load, it is possible that a card reader, removable disk, or other previously-installed device is holding on to a drive-letter assignment and still causing a conflict.

Please note that Drive Letter Management, or DLM, has improved significantly in Windows XP SP3, Vista and 7, so you may not come across this issue, but if you are unable to resolve the conflict, please contact Kingston’s Technical Support Department for further assistance.

FAQ: KDT-011411-PRV-02

If you continue to have DataTraveler start up issues, you may need to disable or upgrade any third party hard disk encryption software. There are known compatibility issues with Guardian Edge Encryption Plus Hard Disk (EPHD) software and Kingston's secure USB drives. Please contact Guardian Edge for additional information.

FAQ: KDT-011411-PRV-01

We've seen this happen when security software blocks the user's ability to write to CDs/DVDs. Run gpedit.msc and go to Windows Settings>Security Settings>Local Policies>Security Options and make sure Devices: Restrict CD-ROM access to locally logged-on user only is set to disabled.

Also, too many entries for mounted devices in older computers can cause this problem. When all the entries cleared the drive should work again. To do this, go to start and type regedit in the search field. Make sure to back up your registry before making any changes. Here are instructions for backing up your registry.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-vista/Back-up-the-registry

In the directory list on the left side, find the entry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices. Remove all entries except for default (it won't let you anyway).

You can also look at Device Manager when the Data Traveler is connected to see if the drive comes up with any yellow exclamation marks. Uninstalling the device with the exclamation mark and scanning for new hardware sometimes will work as well. You may want to try this even if you do not see any yellow exclamation marks for this device. You will need to run the uninstall as the Admin to be able to perform this while logged-in as a non-Admin.

Also check the setting for your security programs (Norton, Symantec, etc).

FAQ: KDT-121311-PRV-03

FAQ: KDT-052212-PRV-04

To transfer files larger than 4GB, the DataTraveler must have a NTFS or exFAT file system. Unfortunately, the FAT32 file system is not capable of handling a single file larger than 4GB (to be exact, one byte less than 4GB). Follow the steps below to format the DataTraveler with an NTFS File system:

Warning, all data on the DataTraveler will be lost! Please back up the data on the DataTraveler before proceeding.

1. Locate My Computer (Computer in Vista and 7). Right-click on the Kingston drive and select Format.
2. Select NTFS or exFAT from the file system drop-down list.
3. Select Quick Format as the Format option and click Start.
   Note: If NTFS is not an available option, close the Format window and follow steps 4-9.
4. Right-click My Computer (Computer in Vista) and select Properties.
5. Select the Hardware tab and click Device Manager.
6. Expand Disk Drives and right-click on the Kingston drive. Select Properties.
7. Click on the Policies tab and select "Optimize for performance”.
8. Click OK.
9. Repeat steps 1-3.

Be aware that MacOS 10.6.5 will support full read and write access to exFAT formatted drives. MacOS still has read only access to NTFS formatted drives.

Some devices (MP3 players, digital photo frames, etc) will not read NTFS or exFAT file systems.

Also, Windows XP and Vista will require an update in order to access exFAT.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-05

You may have formatted the drive with an exFAT file system while using Windows 7. In order to resolve this, reformat the drive with the FAT32 or NTFS file system. You may also be able to update your operating system to be compatible with exFAT. However, be aware that some devices (MP3 players, digital photo frames, etc) will not read the exFAT file system.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-10

Some of the flash storage device’s listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and is not available for data storage. Therefore, you will not see the full capacity.

When a flash storage device is manufactured, steps are taken to ensure that the device operates reliably and permits the host device (computer, digital camera, PDA, etc.) to access the memory cells; i.e., to store and retrieve data on the flash storage device. These steps, loosely called "formatting", use some of the memory cells within the device and thus reduce the capacity available for data storage by the end user.

Formatting includes the following operations:

1. Testing each memory cell in the flash storage device.
2. Identifying all defective cells and taking steps to ensure that no data will be written to or read from a defective cell.
3. Reserving some cells to serve as "spares." Flash memory cells have a long but finite lifetime. Therefore, some cells are held in reserve to replace any memory cells that may fail over time.
4. Creating a File Allocation Table (FAT) or other directory. To enable flash storage devices to store and access customer files conveniently, a file management system must be created to allow any device or computer to identify the files stored in the flash storage device. The most common type of file management system for flash storage devices is the File Allocation Table (FAT), which is also used on hard drives.
5. Reserving some cells for use by the flash storage device’s controller, e.g., for storing firmware updates and other controller-specific information.
6. Where applicable, reserving some cells for special features. For example, the specification for Secure Digital (SD) cards requires reserved areas to support special copy protection and security features.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-06

This may be due to a power setting for your USB ports. Here are the steps to change this setting:

1. Click Start -> Control Panel.
2. Click Performance and the Maintenance link.
3. Click the System Control Panel link.
4. Click on the Hardware tab.
5. Click the Device Manager button.
6. Click the + in front of Universal Serial Bus controllers to expand this hardware category.
7. Right-click the USB Root Hub and select Properties.
8. Click the Power Management tab and deselect the box next to "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for each additional USB root hub listed.
10. Reboot the computer.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-13

To resolve this, make sure to insert the drive directly into the USB ports located on the computer. The USB ports found on the keyboard and some hubs may not supply sufficient power to operate the Kingston DataTraveler properly. Also, go to Finder>Preferences>Sidebar and ensure that CD, DVD and iPod and External Disks are selected.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-18

Windows assigns new drives to the next available physical drive. It will sometimes take the same drive letter as a network drive for this reason. This is a common problem with removable storage devices.

To resolve this go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management. Note the drives on the right window pane. See if the Kingston (x) is recognised. (x) denotes the drive letter that Windows assigned to the Data Traveler.

If the DataTraveler is using the same drive letter as one of the other drives, right-click the Kingston Drive letter and click on "Change Drive Letter and Paths".

In the next dialog box, click on the "Change" button and assign a drive letter that is not currently being used.

Note: Do not manually change drive letters if you have a "Privacy" DataTraveler that assigns two drive letters for the device.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-03

On Macs, you first have to empty the trash can in order to regain the space. You may have to plug the drive back in after emptying the trash.

If this does not work then the device should be completely reformatted. Please follow these instructions for formatting your Kingston device.

WARNING: Formatting will erase all your data so please make sure you have a copy before proceeding.

1. Go to Go > Applications > Utilities and Open Disk Utility.
2. Choose your drive from the left panel and then click Erase on the right.
3. Select a Volume Format. Choosing MS-DOS File System will allow the drive to work on the Mac and Windows operating systems. If used only in a Mac then select Mac OS Extended as the Volume Format.
4. Click Erase.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-04

This happens if the DataTraveler has been formatted with Microsoft Windows NTFS. To resolve, format the DataTraveler with Mac OS X using MS-DOS File System.

To format the DataTraveler with Mac OS 10.3.X, do the following:

1. Click on the "GO" option on the menu bar.
2. Double-click on "Utilities" (If you do not see Utilities, double-click on Applications and then double-click on the Utilities folder.)
3. Double-click on the "Disk Utility" icon.
4. On the Disk Utility Dialog box, click once on the Kingston DataTraveler active partition.
   Note: There will be two listings for the Data Traveler, the first one is the active partition and the second is the volume label.
5. Click the erase tab located on the right side of the screen.
6. Using the Volume Format drop-down, select "MS-DOS File System" from the list.
7. Click Erase.

Be aware MacOS 10.6.5 will support full read and write access to exFAT formatted drives. So formatting the drive using exFAT file system may also resolve this problem. MacOS still has read only access to NTFS formatted drives.

Some devices (MP3 players, digital photo frames, etc) will not read NTFS or exFAT file systems.

Also Windows XP and Vista will require an update in order to access exFAT.

For additional assistance using the Data Traveler, please visit http://www.kingston.com/support/howtodt/default.asp to view the DataTraveler "How To" videos.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-08

This is a limitation of the file system. In order to transfer more data to this unit, you will need to remove the current data on the drive and create folders on the drive to copy files to. Once this is done, you should be able to transfer more data to the DataTraveler.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-12

After formatting the DataTraveler in Mac OS X, the following symptoms may apply:

• The drive is not readable in Windows XP.
• While trying to format the drive in Windows, only 2GB is formatted. Additionally, two partitions are created.
• After adding data files onto the drive via Mac, Windows cannot see the data.

This is most likely a result of using the GUID partition table, which is the default partition table for Intel-based Macs. The GUID partition table is only supported in Windows Vista. Windows 7 and Windows XP do not support this file system. To resolve, you must erase the drive via Mac OS X with the appropriate options selected. Follow the steps below to erase your drive properly with Mac OS X.

• Access Disk Utility
• Highlight the disk and select the "Partition" tab
• Set the volume scheme to "1 Partition"
• Change the format to "MS-DOS (FAT)"
• Click the "Options" button near the bottom of the screen and select the “Master Boot Record” partition table.
• Click "Apply" to save the changes and reformat the drive

After the format is complete, verify that the disk is now using MBR by looking at the "Partition Map Scheme" in the lower right corner of the Disk Utility window. It should now display "Master Boot Record".

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-16

Follow the steps below to format the DataTraveler with an NTFS File system using a Windows PC.

Note: Admin rights are required.

1. Remove all other external flash devices from your computer.
2. Right-click My Computer (Computer in Vista) and select Properties.
   Note: If User Account Control is enabled in Windows Vista, an alert will display. Click Continue to proceed.
3. From the right side window, double-click Storage and then double-click Disk Management.
4. From the right side window, right-click the Kingston (Removable) drive and select Format.
   Note: You may receive a warning: "This is the active partition on this disk. All data on the partition will be lost. Are you sure you want to format this partition?" Click Yes to proceed.
5. In the Format window, select the “NTFS” file system and select the box next to “Perform a quick format”. Click OK.
6. Click OK on the Format Warning window.

The Kingston (Removable) drive window will display "Formatting" while the drive is being formatted. Once the format is complete, the status will revert to "Healthy".

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-17

This is a problem related to copying directories (created with Finder) from and then back to a USB storage device configured with an MS-DOS/FAT file system. Until Apple releases an update addressing this issue, the following is a safe solution.

1. Launch Terminal via Applications > Utilities and type the following command, making sure to include a space at the end:
   
   dot_clean
2. Select the folder generating “Error code-36". Drag and drop the folder directly into the Terminal window.
3. The path to the folder in question should appear at the end of the Terminal command. For example, it may look like:
   
   dot_clean /Users/UserName/Desktop/Test_Folder
4. Press Enter/Return to run the command. It may appear as if nothing has happened. However, you should now be able to transfer the folder to the USB storage device without experiencing an error.
5. Repeat the process as needed for additional folders.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-20

Unfortunately none of Kingston DataTravelers are supported in Windows ME.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-21

There are several possible reasons why your DataTraveler is not installing on Windows Vista.

1. If the “Add New Hardware” wizard is searching for a device driver, point it to Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository and enable “Include subfolders” in the Browse window. If this fails, point to one of the subfolders within FileRepository:
   
   FileRepository\usbstor.inf_...
   FileRepository\disk.inf_...
   FileRepository\volume.inf_...
   FileRepository\wpdfs.inf_...
2. If the FileRepository location does not work, point to the following location: Windows\System32\Spool\Drivers and enable “Include subfolders” in the Browse window.
3. Microsoft has released a hotfix for USB devices that Vista is unable to detect automatically.Click on the following link or copy and paste to your web browser for details: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940199/en-us
4. If the hotfix does not work, the usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files may be missing or corrupted.
1. Insert the DataTraveler, if you receive a “Found New Hardware” dialog box, click Cancel and unplug the DataTraveler.
2. Go to (C:)>;Windows>inf to confirm that the usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files are present. If missing, they may have been corrupt or deleted during Vista installation/ upgrade and therefore will not load. If the usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files are missing, do the following:
   
   
1. Locate the latest usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files from Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\usbstor.inf
   
   Note: There may be multiple usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files. Choose the most recently created file. To do this, sort the files by date.
2. Copy the usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files to Windows>inf.
3. Reinsert the DataTraveler.
   
   If the above instructions did not work, and/or the usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf exist in Windows\Inf, remove the drive, reinsert it and wait for the Found New Hardware dialog box. Select "Locate and install driver software (recommended)". Click on the Continue button for permission. Select "Don't search online". Select "I don't have disc, show me other instructions". Select "My computer for driver software (advanced)". Browse the following locations to search for a driver (enable "Include subfolders" in the Browse window):

a) Windows\Inf
c) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\
d) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\usbstor.inf_...
e) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\disk.inf_...
f) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\volume.inf_...
g) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\wpdfs.inf_...
h) Windows\System32\Spool\Drivers

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-19

Change Legacy USB support in the BIOS to Disabled (or the opposite of what it is set at currently).

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-23

In order to resolve this, you will need to edit the Registry. If you are not careful you could cause serious damage to the computer. Click on your Start button and then go to Run. Type in the word, "regedit", and click OK. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\IOS and find the word "noide" in the right pane. Delete this entry, save the changes and then reboot the system.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-24

ReadyBoost is a Windows Vista and Windows 7 feature which has the ability to use USB flash drive storage space to improve system performance. The DataTraveler does not support Windows ReadyBoost.

FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-11

This usually is caused by a program that re-partitions the drive to a smaller capacity it can use. The native Windows format utility is usually not able to restore the capacity. We suggest you search online for a third party format utility.

FAQ: KTD-012711-GEN-26

If you have determined that you were sold a counterfeit product, please visit our counterfeit reporting site at www.kingston.com/company/counterfeit.asp.

To determine if your product is counterfeit, please contact our technical support department.

The only way to guarantee the authenticity of a Kingston product is to purchase it via a reputable partner. For a listing of some of these, please visit www.kingston.com/wheretobuy/.