Why does a Flash Thumbdrive sometimes require install?

[vich]

This is the 2nd time I've had to install the accompanying software onto the machine in order to use a thumbdrive. Both were with 1GB units.

This is a problem (or blessing) at sites that don't give users Administrator rights.

Anyone know why this sometimes happens?

Today an odd thing happened after I installed the software. The drive was still not visible. Windows 2000 Pro, latest service pack. 2 year old custom built machine. The USB did recognize it in order to install the software, but it's not presenting the drive in Explorer (nor DOS window as the E or F drive).

I did not try the thumbdrive on another machine so maybe it's simply bad, but is there something else I need to know?

Ideas?

Thanks!

[BartusCompater]

Sometimes the jump drives have their own little program that does random things like let you eject the drive (for people who don't know how to do it normally). Sometimes there are hidden files in there that run the software that you can delete to make it so that the application doesnt run, but I don't suggest you go around deleting things.

[Sylvander]

1. Check whether it shows in "Device Manager". [Start->Run->Open->devmgmt.msc]
If it does...

2. See if it shows in "Disk Management". [Start->Run->Open->diskmgmt.msc]
It may need to be "Initialised" [partitioned & formatted]

3. I've messed up [and recovered] my Flash Drive a couple of times now.
[My problem caused by scanning the drive using MS Scandisk run from an EBCD with USB for DOS driver added, and the scan froze just before completion, and I was forced to switch off the PC]
When that happened the drive could no longer be seen within my Windows 2000Pro environment.
Managed to see and reformat [and therefore recover the use of] the [FAT16 1 GB] drive using a DOS bootable floppy with USB for DOS driver added.
Was later successful in scanning with "MS Scandisk" run from a DOS floppy after loading DOS from a prior floppy that included USB for DOS drivers.
Also able to view the low-level drive contents by running an old copy of "Norton Disk Editor" [DE.exe] from a floppy.
Got DE.exe off the EBCD [from the fileset used to compile the iso] and copied it to the floppy along with a mouse.com driver.

4. "This is the 2nd time I've had to install the accompanying software onto the machine in order to use a thumbdrive"
What's the function of this software?
Is it automatically compressing all data about to be put on the drive to get more onto it?