Wondering why your USB get no media error and showing 0 bytes in Diskpart or Disk Management? Find causes for that error and learn to get USB no media fixed in Windows 7, 10, or 11.
By
Dervish
/ Last Updated March 7, 2022
“I had a problem with my PNY USB flash drive. When I plug it in Windows 7 and click on it, an error message prompts saying: Please insert a disk into drive X. Windows Disk Management and DiskPart report No Media with 0 bytes, also 0 free space. I cannot partition or format the USB drive. If attempting to format the drive returns the warning again: There is no disk in drive X. Insert a disk, and then try again. What can I do to make this flash drive usable? Here is a snapshot of Diskpart showing 0 free space. Any advice will be appreciated.”
That is a common problem blows out on USB flash drive, SD card, memory card and pen drive and so on. Why would that happen?
In general, there are several main reasons for USB flash drive No Media error in Diskpart or Disk Management.
Hidden files. Files are still there but set as hidden due to unknown reasons.
No recognized partition on the USB drive.
Remove the USB drive without ejecting or safely removing it. That behavior may damage stored files on the drive, so does to the MBR or PBR of the device.
Insufficient power supply to the flash from USB port. Overloading USB ports like inserting multiple USB drives simultaneously, or use tortured USB cable may result in the USB showing 0 bytes and No Media.
Virus infection. The files on the USB drive may be damaged by computer virus.
Failing flash drive, usually NAND flash failing. No Media error happens also when the flash memory controller cannot communicate with the NAND flash memory on the drive. As a result, Windows will treat the drive as an empty disk drive.
After knowing the reasons for USB No Media phenomenon, it is more important to learn how to get USB No Media fixed in a quick way.
It is not suggested to format the drive when you see the prompting dialogue because that will delete all data on that drive. However, don’t worry it has been formatted. If you haven’t written any data to that drive, you can recover lost partition on USB drive later.
Before taking any further step, it is suggested to reinstall USB driver first. Keep the USB drive connected. And then go to My Computer/Manage/USB Controller/USB Mass Storage/Uninstall. Next, remove the USB drive, re-plug in and then the driver will be reinstalled.
However, if the USB port is overloading or bad USB cable, unplug other external storage or use a different cable; If the flash drive is failing, you need to turn to a good one; If there is no recognized partition on the USB stick, create a new partition in Disk Management;
For other causes, let’s get to know their solutions one by one.
1. Press Win + R to open Run. Input cmd and press Enter. Run as administrator.
2. At the prompt, enter this command attrib –h –r –s /s /d f:\*.*(replace f: with the drive letter of your USB drive) and press Enter.
Now, check if there are any files on the drive.
If the USB drive is infected by virus, try this way to repair it.
1. Open Windows File Explorer, right click the partition of USB drive and approach toProperties > Tool > Check/Check now.
2. Check both options in the pop-out window and click on Start.
Tips: You can run disk checking in Command Prompt as well. For specific steps, refer to check and fix errors in Windows.
If the Master Boot Record (MBR) is damaged, you can rebuild it in this way. AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is free partition manager that allows you to fix MBR for USB drive, external hard drive and internal system disk in graphical user interface. All steps are easy to follow. It is tiny due to no bundled software. Download to have a try.
1. Connect the USB drive to your computer. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant.
2. Right click the USB drive and select Rebuild MBR.
3. Choose the proper MBR type for your operating system in this window.
4. Click Apply and then Proceed to commit the operations.
Tips:
This method also applies to SD card 0 bytes repairing and memory card 0 bytes repairing.
If you get a corrupted MBR on system disk, you can fix MBR for Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows 11.
The advanced version, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, embeds with more powerful features such as change partition type ID, change Serial Number, and command line operations. Upgrade to learn more.
If you are facing USB drive No Media 0 bytes on SanDisk brand, it is suggested to download U3 Launchpad Installer software on Internet Explorer (it must be Internet Explorer). That software is able to restore SanDisk USB or SD card to its factory settings. Another point of view to get USB No Media repaired.
When you get into the trouble USB shows No Media and 0 bytes in Windows 7/8/10, you can fix it in different ways. Find the one that is most suitable for your situation.
Aforementioned AOMEI Partition Assistant can help you in solving many other practical issues. For example, you can format USB to exFAT file system. Besides, you can realize BYOD by making SanDisk USB bootable. Download to experience more.
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