LKBEN10581: No driveletter in Windows Explorer for USB device although accessible throuth other applications

Symptom

In Windows Explorer a correctly configured USB device is not visible (no driveletter)

Cause

Adobe File Manager service tries to manage every USB device himself...

Solution

This phenomenon happens, if Adobe Acrobat Elements or even Photoshop is installed with a (windows-) service called "Adobe File Manager" or similar.

You don't get any driveletter for USB devices as sticks, cardreaders or cameras in Windows Explorer, although they are configured correctly in device manager and can be accessed in a command shell (as long as you KNOW the driveletter...) or in a "save as..." context of an application as for instance MS Word.

Assigning new driveletters in device manager (as helpful by conflicts with other driveletters of network-drives), doesn't help.

Check windows services ("services.msc" in "run..." or CMD) for Adobe services like "Adobe File Manager" or similar (possibly some service starting with "photo...").

If this helps, deactivate the according service (if you need it in your Adobe application, you can start it manually again). The Adobe applications (for instance Acrobat Elements 2.0, 3.0) seem to be quite sure, every attached USB Storage MUST BE a camera and therefore the application is OBLIGED to handle it. To make sure nobody else messes with this device, the according "File Manager" service hides it from its owner in Windows Explorer...

Disclaimer:

About the Author

Author: Wim Peeters - Keskon GmbH & Co. KG

Wim Peeters is electronics engineer with an additional master in IT and over 30 years of experience, including time spent in support, development, consulting, training and database administration. Wim has worked with SQL Server since version 6.5. He has developed in C/C++, Java and C# on Windows and Linux. He writes knowledge base articles to solve IT problems and publishes them on the Lubby Knowledge Platform.