(11 Ways) How To Fix Please Insert A Disk Into USB Drive Without Losing Data?

If you are on this webpage then it is possible that you are facing with USB drive error “Please insert a disk into USB drive or removable disk”. Or you might be looking for an easy solution on how to fix USB drive error “Please insert a disk into removable disk no media” and recover data from it by using Hard drive Recovery Tool.

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Well, in this helpful blog you will learn a few solutions that will help you to solve the USB flash drive error effectively.

You can fix please insert a disk into USB drive without losing data by changing the drive letter of USB, cooling the drive, or formatting it.

About USB Drive “Please Insert A Disk Into Removable Disk” Error

When you connect the USB to your PC, it displays up as a drive, but when you proceed further to open it, it displays an error with a popup message “please insert a disk into USB drive no media”.

Many people try to format or partition the USB, but both options do not work at all. Further, when you check the properties it shows up both “free space’ and ‘used’ space’ as 0 bytes.

A user might get this error in different messages such as:

  • “Please insert a disk into removable disk no media”
  • “USB drive please insert disk error”
  • “Please insert a disk into removable disk memory card”
  • “flash drive insert disk error”

Now, you might be thinking what are the reasons that are responsible for this error? Well, below find out.

How To Fix Please Insert A Disk Into USB Drive Without Losing Data?

Well, there are several methods available that you can try to fix USB Drive ErrorPlease Insert Disk Into Removable Disk” error. You can try these easy ways before you opt to spend some penny on purchasing any tool to fix this issue and recover data from it.

So, just try the methods mentioned here first and fix the “insert disk into USB drive” issue with ease and recover lost data from USB drive.

Solution #1: Insert Removable USB Drive Before Windows Start

Insert the USB drive before starting the windows. Make sure that the USB drive is not set as the priority boot device. It has been seen sometimes that due to USB, windows hang a bit during logging on.

If it happens with you as well then remove your USB immediately and insert it again when the Windows starts.

Solution #2: Change The Drive Letter Name

Use the Disk Management to change the drive letter and thus will assign a new drive letter so as to avoid overwriting. The steps are as follows:

  • Press Windows key + R to open “Run
  • Now type “msc” and press Enter.
  • You will now see the names of all the drives. Select your USB drive there.
  • Right-click on the USB drive and click on “Change Drive Letter and Paths” and assign a new drive name to your USB drive.

Now close the setting and check if you are able to use the USB.

Source Link for Solution 2 & 3: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-hardware/usb-please-insert-disk-into-removable-disk/5ec892a8-c5e5-4200-9900-1520ec942887

Solution #3: Try Cooling and Heating the USB Drive

Plug your USB to a PC and with the help of a hairdryer try to heat up the USB. Just wait for 1-2 minutes and then remove and plug the USB several times and see you can access the files stored in it.

If it does not work, then try to cool the USB and again unplug and plug it for some time and check your USB is working or not. If it is working then immediately start to copy the files because it might stop working immediately.

Note: This is not a 100% solution, but it works in a few cases.

Solution #4: Update the Windows Drivers

Make sure that your PC drivers are up-to-date. The Windows 10 driver updates are automatically downloaded & installed via Windows Update. For this, go to the Settings >> tap on check for the updates.

check-for-windows-updates

 

Solution #5: Scan for the Hardware Changes

This is another useful method to tackle the situation. Yes, Your Windows PC can effectively scan for the hardware changes. Afterward, it might detect a connected USB drive.

  • At first, go to a Search box >> type the Device Manager>> hit enter.
  • Under Device Manager, tap on computer image so that it’s highlighted.
  • Tap on Action >> click on Scan for the hardware changes.

Scan for the hardware changes

  • Now, check if your USB drive is working.

Solution #6: Re-install Drivers

Most of the time, corrupted USB drivers could also lead to please insert disk into USB drive. In such a situation, try to reinstall USB drivers through Device Manager.

  • Firstly, right-click on a My Computer or This PC.
  • Then tap on Manage >> Device Manager

select Device Manager

  • At this time, double-tap on an Universal Serial Bus controllers option.

device manager

  • Here, you’ll get multiple options. Just right-click on a USB driver & choose Uninstall the device.
  • Lastly, restart your PC.

Now, USB drivers get automatically installed by the Windows. Check if the issue is solved or not.

Solution #7: Repair USB Drive With ‘Please Insert a Disk Into Removable Disk’ By Formatting

You can use Disk Management utility to format and repair USB disk with ‘please insert a disk into removable disk’ error in Windows 10/8/7.

Here follow the steps:

  • First, connect your removable USB drive to your Windows computer.
  • On Your PC, click Start and then right-click on “This PC/My Computer” and then select “Manage”.
  • On the left side, click on “Disk Management”.
  • Now right click on the removable USB drive and click on the “Format” option.

how to format USB flash drive

  • Perform a quick format.

Quick Format Hard Drive

Wait for the format process to get complete.

Note: You may get the following errors:

In that case, you have to first to fix those issues before formatting.

Once the process gets completed you will now be able to access your USB drive without any problem.

Solution #8: Run Antivirus Virus Scan

antivirus

Virus/malware infection can result in USB drive malfunctioning. Therefore, you need to run the virus scan for a USB device in order to remove virus/malware & repair the drive.

Solution #9: How To Fix Please Insert A Disk Into USB Drive Without Losing Data Using Diskpart?

Well, diskpart is a command line that is mainly used to troubleshoot removable disk & drive errors. So, here I would also recommend you to use the diskpart by following the below steps:

  • In the Search box, you have to type cmd.
  • Next, open the Command Prompt >> select the Run as an Administrator.
  • Now, type the below commands one after another and hit enter:
    Diskpart
    list disk
    select the disk N
    (where N is a USB drive number, present in a table given in the CMD window)
    clean

      Here, create the partition primary

       active

       Choose the partition X (where X is a number of the partition)

       Format fs=fat32

  • A selected USB device is totally cleaned & new partition gets created.
  • Just close a command window.
  • Afterward, restart the computer.

Solution #10: Use Manufacturer’s Repair Utility

There are USB manufacturer websites that offer their own repair utilities that can help you to fix this error or other known USB issues and problems.

For example, Transcend and HP offer such utilities. These utilities make use of internet connection and the manufacturer’s proprietary algorithm to fix problems. You will get help from the manufacturer companies and they will guide you with the repair or recovery process.

Recover Data After Fixing ‘Please Insert A Disk Into Removable Disk’ Error (Recommended)

USB Drive Data Recovery Tool is the perfect software that is designed to restore multimedia files such as photos, videos and audio files from corrupted, faulty, damaged,  formatted hard drives and USB drives.

This software comes with an advanced algorithm that deeply scans and rescue files lost due to accidental deletion, virus infection, formatting, corruption, physical damage of USB drives, memory cards, hard drives, external drive.

It has the capability to restore almost all popular file formats of images, videos and please insert a disk into removable disk audio files, and can easily scan devices that have a storage capacity of 2TB.

So, download and install USB Flash Drive Data Recovery tool for Windows/Mac and recover multimedia files from USB drive that is throwing an error message “please insert disk into USB drive” error.

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* Free version of the program only scans and previews recoverable items.

Below find out step by step guide on how to recover multimedia files from USB drive using the software.

Reasons Responsible For USB Drive Error “Please Insert The Disk Into Removable Disk”

It is important to know the causes behind this error and take precautions as there is saying “precautions is better than cure”, so that you can protect your USB drives in the future from falling into such errors again. The primary reasons behind this error are:

  • The drive attempts to get a drive letter which is already reserved or assigned
  • Your PC controller is not able to load the USB manufacturer’s firmware and thereby you get this error message and under the Device Manager the USB drive shows up with the confusing name.
  • Windows (10, 8, 7, XP, VISTA) not able to increase the drive and hence you get the error message: drive letter with NO Media
  • Or your USB drive might have corrupted due to various factors

So, these are the primary reasons that are responsible for this error message.

Now, you will be thinking about how to recover files from the raw USB drive once you get “please insert a disk into USB drive windows 10 error“. Below find out the solutions by yourself.

What Happens When “Please Insert a Disk Into Removable Disk” Error Occurs?

Sometimes, removable disk such as USB flash drive, memory card or pen drive does not work on Windows or Mac. It throws the above-mentioned error message ‘please insert a disk into removable disk’.

But do you know what happens when you get this error message? Well, below find out what happens:

  • Clicking on removable disks such as flash drive, memory card or pen drive to open it, then Windows throw error ‘please insert a disk into removable disk’.
  • You may see that a USB drive was assigned with a different name under disk drives in Device Manager.
  • When you check its properties then it shows 0 bytes used and 0 bytes available.
  • When you try to format USB drive, then it displays “Windows was unable to complete the format”.

Tips To Remember: When You Encounter “Please Insert Disk Into Removable Disk” Error

  • When you repair the USB flash drive, then all data get erased, hence it is advised that you first restore data after fixing the “Please insert the disk into removable disk” error.
  • Data are not overwritten before you perform data recovery, hence it is easy to retrieve multimedia files using a recovery tool.
  • If you overwrite the existing data on the drive before performing data recovery, then your files can’t be recovered.
  • It is also suggested that you must handle your USB drive with care and protect it from any type of virus/malware infection.

Final Words

After reading this blog, you have possibly understood that what is USB drive error “Please Insert Disk into Removable Disk” and what you can do to fix and recover multimedia files from USB drive.

Suppose, if you have encountered such situations, it is always suggested that you must keep backup of your important multimedia files even if they are stored on portable devices.

Corrupted/Faulty USB drives can always be replaced or fixed, but losing important photos and media will never come back. Hence, it is recommended that you must keep a backup of the essential files or try to use the USB Drive Data Recovery tool to deal with such a situation immediately.

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