Connecting a USB drive on a Public Computer

So, you want to use a portable USB drive on a campus computer. You insert the drive and open up Windows Explorer looking for your device. But there’s a problem . . . it’s not there.

Well, this is not the place to look. Instead, return to the desktop and move your mouse to the very top of the screen. A small menu should drop down that looks something like this:

Select “Connect USB Drive” to see a list of connectable USB drives. Then, select either your USB drive or the “Autoconnect USB Devices” option and wait a few seconds.

An autoconnect pop-up may appear asking what action you would like to take with your USB device (i.e. open folder to view files) and you can access the USB drive from here. Even without the pop-up, the USB drive should now appear under the “Devices with Removable Storage” heading of Windows Explorer (the first place we looked).

If you have any other questions or concerns you can always consult the Library Service Desk or contact the Reference Department at x4051.