[Archived] Help - new USB stick won't work

[EwoodDawn]

So I bought a shiny new USB stick to help me transfer stuff for a new job that I've bagged. I insert it into my PC, it says, 'You need to format the disk in E drive before you can use it.' Then it asks me if I want to format it, I click yes (Format disk) and it tells me, 'Windows can't format E. Check to see that the disk is not read-only, and then try again...'

Please can anyone help as I haven't a scooby what to do with this and I need to get my files shifted pronto?

Thanks, Dawn

[Stuart]

In my experience a new USB stick shouldn't need formatting.

Try a different USB port. What message do you get first?

Can you see the stick in Windows Explorer? If you right click on the drive what options do you get? Can you reformat from one of those options?

I usually find a bit of googling helps in these situations.

[EwoodDawn]

Tried lots of different ports. Tried lots of ways of formatting and nothing worked so sacked it off as a bad job. I acutally bought two of the buggers and have just put the other one in and guess what? That begger works fine. So I've wasted my and your time on a ruddy faulty stick. Magic. Sorry and thanks anyway, Stuart.

[bob fleming]

This is what happens when you buy five for a quid off a shifty looking bloke at the bottom of the spiral in town.

[Amo]

See if any of these posts help:

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f149/cant-format-my-usb-drive-576375.html