For anyone else having problems with their USB memory drive not being recognised by Windows XP, here are a couple of suggestions that might just resurrect the missing drive letter.

The first common problem is that the USB device is trying to use a drive letter that is already allocated.

To check this go to ‘Disk Management’:

• Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Disk Management

or

• Start -> Run -> Open diskmgmt.msc

Your USB drive should be listed as a removable device. If the drive letter is not assigned or is the same as an existing device then right-click over the disk, “Change Drive Letter and Paths…” and then change the drive letter.

If the drive still doesn’t appear in the “My Computer” folder, this more complicated solution from Microsoft’s Knowledge Base could well fix the problem (it did for me anyway).

“A computer that is running Windows XP cannot detect a USB thumb drive, an Apple iPod, or an external hard disk drive” – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925196

You attach a USB-based device to a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP. Then, you try to scan for hardware devices. However, the computer may not detect the attached device, and you may not see the device in the My Computer folder.

loadTOCNode(1, \\’symptoms\\’);In my case I deleted both the LowerFilters and UpperFilters registry values from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} registry subkey, rebooted my PC and the USB memory drive appeared!

When I was growing up there were few environmental issues to keep us awake at night. Probably the first I remember was the hole in the ozone layer which caused aerosols to disappear from the shelves almost overnight.

The plight of Africans was the main weapon for guilt-mongers in the 80’s. “There are millions of starving Africans you know” if you didn’t finish your meal. “Send it to then then!” was the usual droll response.

Nowadays our children are growing up in a depressing government and celebrity endorsed culture of fear and guilt. No matter how hard we try to reduce our impact on the frail environment, nothing is ever good enough to save the planet.

I diligently sort our refuse into recycling bins, I have swapped out as many light bulbs as I can to the low energy equivalent, I disconnect mobile chargers when not in use, switch off electrical equipment rather than leaving them in standby mode, we use energy saving appliances and try to buy local produce. But whatever I do, there is always something else that I am made to feel ashamed for. Now just turning lights on is a crime against the earth!

I am so tired of constantly being told that my efforts are inadequate and being bullied into feeling guilty. There is only so far you can keep belittling my contribution before I just rebel altogether and resign myself to eco-apathy. So from now on I don’t give a stuff. Compared to the output of the U.S. and China my carbon footprint is insignificant. In reality it doesn’t matter if I bother at all.

So it’s on with the bright lights, the central heating thermostat is back up, we’ll do our washing at 60 degrees and I’ll drive wherever I like. Thank you for all the advise and forebodings of a bleak future, but it will fall on deaf ears from now on.