Macbook - USB slot problem

Hi
I have a Macbook and currently my USB memory stick does not show in the Finder.
For the last couple of weeks it would only show the stick in the Finder after bootup - once I removed it and put it back in the slot it would not show. I would have to reboot to get the stick to show.
Now even on reboot the stick doesnt show. I tried reformatting the stick on a PC and tried using a brand new stick but that doesnt show either.
If I plug my ITouch into the same USB slot it shows ok.

Any ideas how to fix this?

Thanks

You didn't say which MacBook you have but it should have more than one USB port. When you say memory stick, I assume you mean a USB flash drive or "thumb drive". Did you try inserting them in another port? And can they be "seen" from Disk Utility?

sanjeeva said:

Hi
once I removed it and put it back in the slot it would not show. I would have to reboot to get the stick to show.

Any ideas how to fix this?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Are you ejecting it properly. It sounds to me as if you are just pulling it out without ejecting it correctly, which is probably the reason you can see it after you reboot the machine .

Yes it is a thumb drive.
I am ejecting it properly.
I have tried using both ports - neither work once I have ejected it once.
I rebooted using command+option +p+r and it was able to see the thumb drive again, but once I ejected I had to reboot again in order for the macbook to see the thumb drive.

There is never a problem with Iphone or ITouch - they can always be seen, even on the same USB port.

Sounds like the drive is flakey. I would reformat it and see if that helps. I recommend it be formatted FAT32 unless you use it exclusively with Macs.