USB FLash Drive loading on admin account but not on user accounts

[Yoshimoto]

Hello, hope this is the right forum.

I have a windows 2003 domain all the computers (though different models) as all running windows XP pro.

My problem is with a few computers that where i can use a flash drive on my admin account, but when i have one of my users try with their login, the pen drive doesn't show up.
Now the users can go to other computers on the network and it works fine.

any ideas on what is the cause of this problem? or how to solve it?

 

[vacunita]

Is there anything limiting the installation of new hardware in the machines with the problem. It might be that there's a lock on installing drivers there so it can;t install the thumb drive.

does it show up in Hardware Management? Are the USB ports disabled for those profiles?

----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[Yoshimoto]

well users don't have access to hardware management, or my computer for that matter. Shows up fine on my login.
But on their i do get the icon for safely removing it but they don't have access to it.

Everyone uses the same mandatory profile and she can use it on any other computer but her own.

Could be a local permission problem?
is so any ideas on how to fix it?

 

[vacunita]

Interesting so ts probably not a Group Policy. But something local.

I would take a look at the permissions assigned to non admin users on the machine, maybe there's something there.

This link might also provide some help:
Windows Requires Administrator Rights to Install USB Flash Drives


----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[JimInKS]

I have found that Windows seems to like to map a flash drive to the same driver letter as a network share. For instance, if you have a C and D drive and a network share as E, the flash drive might be "invisible" until you remove the E share. Then the flash drive will appear as E.

I would start by removing all the network shares on one of these machines and see if the flash drive is being mapped to an already used drive letter. You can then tell windows to use a different drive letter for the flash drive and remap the network drives and all should be good. But only for THAT flash drive.

I think that Windows, for some reason, will make the flash drive the next available LOCAL drive letter. If it conflicts with a network share, then the network drive wins. Have had this happen countless times on our network.

 

[Yoshimoto]

i'll try the local permissions,

can't be the mapped drives the only ones they have a v: and s:

 

[Yoshimoto]

No dice Vacunita,

Oh well reimage looks like my only option BOOOO.

 

[PRPhx]

Have you tried to disable and unistall the USB hub through device manager? Then start in safe mode and scan for hardware changes. It might work.

I had a similiar problem with a USB based webcam. The machine absolutely refused to work. The pc more than met the required specs for the cam. Ended up buying a different brand and it works fine.

I eneded up in an internet chat with the pc's tech support. In fact went through the conversation about 3 times, always the same non-sense.

 

[vacunita]

If it were a driver issue, it would be in all profiles not just some users. Which mean the administrator users would also have problems installing.

This seems to me like something is stopping the correct installation of the device for users with non admin privileges in that machine. Some local setting we have failed to notice.

go top Start-> Run and type in gpedit.msc

Then go into Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Option

Look for:
Devices: Allowed Format and eject Removable media. Make sure its set to Administrators and Interactive Users or Power users.

Also look for: Unsigned Driver Installation Behavior. Set it to Warn but Allow Installation or Silently Succeed.

Hopeful,y one of those should do the trick.






----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.