Erratic USB flash drive

[BobArch2]

Background

I ordered and received a new Dell XPS desktop running Win11 to replace a 13+ year old DIY desktop that could not be updated to Win11 due to hardware issues. No TPM and a 2nd Gen Intel CPU. After deactivating apps on the old system and installing them on the new desktop, I bought a couple of Kingston 256gb flash drives to use in transferring personal files.

Issues

While transferring files from the old system to the flash drives, my wireless Logitech track ball mouse started to freeze. It never froze when using 128gb flash drives. After a couple of minutes the trackball mouse would become active and later would freeze again. All drivers appeared to be current.

Then when using the 256gb flash drive on the new system, using a wireless Logitech standard mouse, the freezing started again. But after a couple of minutes it was OK, but would freeze again moments later. I was eventually able to complete the transferring of files successively.

The question becomes: “Any thoughts as to what might be causing the freezing action?”

Drivers on both systems appear to be current. Using two different mice. And two different desktops running two different versions of Windows. I have only tried one of the flash drives so it is possible it might be defective.

Searching the Internet has not resulted in any suggestions.

Any help, comments or suggestions would be welcomed.

[HansV]

Have you tried different USB ports?

[BobArch2]

Have you tried different USB ports?

No, I had not tried different USB ports.

On the old system I used a USB 3.0 port. I will try another USB 3.0 port on the old system.

On the new system I used a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port. I will try another USB 3.2 Gen 1 port.

The Kingston 256gb USB Flash Drive indicates it is 3.2 Gen 1 compatible.

Stay tuned…. and thanks for the comment.

P.S. If the issue persists, I’ll try a USB 2.0 port on the old system. I think the new Dell also has a couple of USB 2.0 ports. The transfer rate would be slower, but it might rule out some possibilities .

[BobH]

SSD drives are relatively inexpensive and can be place inside external mounts that connect via USB. They can become valuable alternative storage devices especially for backups. If you problems persist with flash drives, you might consider SSD drives. I did this to solve a similar issue some time ago.

Another advantage is that you can create 2 separate and distinct systems using 2 SSDs if both are complete and bootable. It requires some attention to detail to keep them synchronized.

[BobArch2]

Have you tried different USB ports?

No, I had not tried different USB ports.

First off, sorry for the delay…

Transferring personal files, installing and testing apps on the new system while keeping up with daily tasks sure can be time consuming!

I am very close to start using the new system on an ongoing basis while retiring the old.

I now believe I have a faulty Kingston 256GB USB Flash drive. After trying it on both old (13+ year old Win10 system) and new Dell XPS 8960 running Windows 11 v24H2, using various USB ports, the mouse issues continued. Today, I found a 256GB Sandisk USB Flash drive in my spare parts inventory. I transferred files from my old system to the Sandisk and was able to copy the files to the Dell without any issues.

I did try contacting Kingston support and have yet to hear back.

As said in my original post I had bought a couple of Kingston 256GB Flash drives. I have not tried the second Kingston flash drive because I did not want to open up the packaging in case I decided to return the items. I will continue waiting to hear back from Kingston before taking any “return” action.

I’ll give Kingston a few more days to respond. If I do not hear from them I will return the units for a refund.

[HansV]

Thanks for the update!

[BobArch2]

SSD drives are relatively inexpensive and can be place inside external mounts that connect via USB. They can become valuable alternative storage devices especially for backups. If you problems persist with flash drives, you might consider SSD drives. I did this to solve a similar issue some time ago.

Another advantage is that you can create 2 separate and distinct systems using 2 SSDs if both are complete and bootable. It requires some attention to detail to keep them synchronized.

Good afternoon Bob,

As seen in the post above I now have some positive results.

My new Dell does have a 512GB SSD as the System drive with a 2TB HDD for personal files. I also bought a 6TB WD MyBook external USB drive for backups.

Your comments provide sound advice and I will file them away for any future upgrades.

Time to sit back and get a chilled “white” glass of my favourite wine.

[BobArch2]

Further research showed that there are issues when a USB 3x device is connected to a USB 3x port when a wireless receiver like the Logitech Unifying Receiver is attached. The Frequency of USB 3.x caused interference with the Logitech's 2.4Ghz band. There were a few reports on the internet of the issue.

The end solution was that I bought a 4 port USB 3.2 Hub with a 4' USB cable. Two of the features that helped were that the USB 3.2 Hub matched the USB 3.2 ports on the Dell AND the 4' cable connector allowed moving the Hub away from the Logitech Unifying receiver thus eliminating frequency issues that caused the initial erratic behaviour.

I used the Kingston 256GB USB 3.2 flash drive on my old system connected to the new Hub and transferred 11.1GB of 9,349 files/981 folders from the HDD on the old system. The initial estimate for the transfer was 25 minutes. It took 20 minutes without a single hitch.

I then transferred the Hub to the new Dell and was able to transfer the files, which took 2 minutes 45 seconds! The Hub is supposed to be capable of 10GB speeds. Not what I witnessed but satisfied my needs.

So, I do not have to return my recent purchase of the 2 x 256GB Kingston USB flash drives and I have 4 new USB 3.2 ports on my Dell.