USB flash drive help please

[Systreg]

I bought this new flash drive yesterday:

Integral 360 16GB USB Flash Drive
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/9295335/Trail/searchtext>FLASH+DRIVE.htm

Just went to use it and noticed the end bit that plugs in to the laptop USB port wont go in, it's a different shaped end part to my previous USB drive that looks like this example below:

So the question is, what have I bought and how do I use it as there is nowhere for it to plug in to? , it's called a flash drive the same as my other one, so assumed it would be the same thing, apparently not, so why are they called USB flash drives if it doesn't fit my USB port.

 

[jimm]

The gold contacts on the top one are like the orange bits on the bottom one. The basically dont have the outer part but do fit. You may have it upside down?

 

[boxfish]

I have one of the older models, a rubber 1gb version.

Whereas your previous model has the connector surrounded by a metal protective rectangular 'sheath' (as is the normal way), the new one just has the connector that needs sliding into the usb port.

If you hold them both side by side you will see which bit is the same and then be able to work out how it should be inserted.

 

[Systreg]

Ok, thanks for the replies.

I got it to go in the USB port, had to force it a bit as it felt tight, like putting a square peg in a round hole, that's why I initially though it was the wrong end fitting.

Anyway, now another problem, as soon as I plugged it in, a red light flashed a few times on the USB drive, then a pop up appeared saying it was installing drivers, then my screen went black for a second or two, came back to desktop, went black again and stayed black, had to shut the laptop down by the off button.

Turned it back on, blue screen of death and chkdsk running etc, then wouldn't get to the Windows login screen, finally got to start in safe mode and then shut it down normally, restarted it again and it started normally, put the USB drive in again, red light on it flashed, went to my document to see if it would save something.

On the old flash drive, all I have to do is right click on a document and it has send to drive G the USB flash drive, but nothing is showing for this new flash drive, checked the control panel and can't see any drivers listed for it, and no new ones are installing when I plug the new flash drive in, ffs.

 

[AssetDomains]

It should have just pushed in easily sounds like you may have buggered that port gently try it in another port preferably on the other side of the laptop if you have one

 

[Systreg]

A little history as it may be affecting what's happening when installing this new flash drive drivers.

I've been having problems with this laptop since December 2010 when it was only 3 months old and the graphics started going weird, since then, whenever I start the computer and get to the desktop, it starts installing 2 Radeon drivers, so I have to quickly go to the Device Manager >> Display Adapters and change these 2 drivers that it installs:

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 (I have to uninstall this one)

Then I have to right click the AMD M880G with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 driver and choose update driver, and change it to Standard VGA Graphics Adapter

If I don't to that, I get thousands of small multi coloured squares all over my screen, then it freezes straight away, but when changed to Standard VGA Graphica Adapter the computer acts fine all day and night.

@newpbc

I just tried the new flash drive in another USB port and it started installing the driver, and again, the screen went black, came back to desktop, but it was covered in thousands of coloured squres like it does if I don't change the drivers as described above each day, the screen went black again and laptop froze.

So it looks like this flash drive driver is doing something that the laptop doesn't like, but the old flash drive works fine, I don't get it, fkin computers

 

[Systreg]

My last post was done in safe mode with networking, just shut down and restarted, inserted the flash drive, the red light on it flashes, but no drivers being installed for it and no way to send documents to the drive, waste of fecking time and money grrrrrr

 

[Systreg]

Hoorahhhhh, got it working

I couldn't find the drivers for this flash drive in the control panel, so had a look in Device manager >> Disk Drives and saw Integral 360 Grey USB Device

Tried to update it but it said I had the latest driver, so I deleted it and put the flash drive in the USB slot again, then it worked perfectly, all site files, WP themes etc now saved