USB error There is no media in the specified device

Are you experiencing “There is no media in the specified device” error when trying to format your USB drive? Many users have complained of getting this error while formatting their USB drive using Windows built-in Diskpart or the Format UI tool.

One of the affected users says:

I have a Kingston USB drive that seems does not working well so I decide to reformat it completely. Run Diskpart as administrator and input these commands: list disk > select disk 1 (where 1 is my Kingston drive) > clean. And I got this error: Virtual Disk Service error, There is no media in the device. It does not allow me to run format command as well. What should I do to get rid of this issue?

Another user commented:

I tried to reformat my USB drive with HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, but it says that there is no media in the specified device. It doesn’t even display total size and the free size of the USB. Then, I tried two other software that could reformat USB but the other one couldn’t even see the USB and the other one couldn’t reformat it. What do I do now?

If you are one of the affected users getting the same error, this guide is for you. In this post, we are going to show you fixes that will help you get rid of the “There is no media in the specified device” error. Several affected users were able to fix the error using these solutions. And, they might work for you as well. So, let us check out the solutions.

What causes the There is no media in the specified device error?

Here are the potential causes of the There is no media in the specified device error:

• It can be caused due to some temporary glitches like too many USB drivers connected to your PC, USB port, etc.
• The problem might also be caused by out-of-date, corrupted, or faulty USB drivers. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can try updating or reinstalling the USB device driver to fix the error.
• It could also be caused due to bad sectors or file system errors. So, you can try running the Windows built-in disk error-checking tool or the CHKDSK command to fix the file system errors on your USB drive.
• A damaged Master Boot Record (MBR) can be another reason for the “There is no media in the specified device” error. Hence, you can try repairing MBR using Windows built-in tool to fix the error.

Now that you know the scenarios that might trigger the error at hand, you can try a suitable fix to resolve the error.

USB error: There is no media in the specified device

Here is how to fix the USB error – There is no media in the specified device on your Windows 11/10 computer:

1. Try some basic troubleshooting methods.
2. Update or Reinstall USB Device Driver.
3. Rebuild MBR.
4. Run Windows built-in disk error-checking tool.
5. Run the CHKDSK command to fix the file system errors.

1] Try some basic troubleshooting methods

Before getting into advanced troubleshooting methods, try some generic fixes. You can try checking your USB with another computer and see if you still get the same error or not. Also, try connecting your USB to some other USB port and see if it works for you. If there are multiple other USB drivers connected to your system, try unplugging them.

If the error persists, you can try the advanced fixes that we have discussed below.

2] Update or Reinstall USB Device Driver

You can try updating your USB device driver and see if it works or not. For some users, this method was able to fix the error and might just work for you as well. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Firstly, press Windows+X and then select Device Manager to open the app.
2. Now, expand the Disk drives drop-down menu option.
3. Next, right-click on your USB device and press the Update driver option.
4. After that, follow the prompted instructions to update the driver. Windows will now attempt to update your USB driver.
5. Once done, try reconnecting your USB and see if the error is gone or not.

If updating the driver doesn’t help, try uninstalling the USB device driver and then reinstalling it. This might fix the error for you.

Read: Diskpart Virtual Disk Service error, The specified disk is not convertible.

3] Rebuild MBR

This error could result from a damaged Master Boot Record (MBR). Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can repair or rebuild MBR using Windows inbuilt feature. When the process is complete, check whether or not the error is resolved. If the error is still not fixed, you can try the next potential fix to resolve it.

4] Run Windows built-in disk error-checking tool

There is no media in the specified device error might occur if there are file system errors, bad sectors, or storage media corruption on your USB driver. Hence if the scenario is applicable, you can try fixing the file system errors using the Windows built-in disk error-checking tool. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Firstly, open Windows Explorer using the Windows+E hotkey and then right-click on the problematic USB drive showing the error.
2. Now, click on the Properties option from the appeared context menu.
3. Next, move to the Tools tab and press the Check button.
4. Next, checkmark the Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors options and click on the Start button. Or, follow whatever instructions you are prompted.
5. Once all the logical errors, bad sectors, or any other file system errors are fixed on the USB drive, check if the error is resolved.

If the error persists, go ahead and try the next potential fix.

See: Diskpart error, The device does not recognize the command.

5] Run the CHKDSK command to fix the file system errors

If the above fix is unable to repair disk errors, you can try running the command-line tool called Check Disk Utility (CHKDSK). You just need to enter a specific command to fix disk errors if there are any. Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Firstly, plug your USB drive into your PC.
2. Now, launch the Command Prompt, and type the below command in CMD:

   chkdsk G: /f /r /x

   In the above command, in place of the G letter, write your USB drive/pen drive/SD card drive letter.

3. After typing the command, press the Enter button to execute the command. It will now check for all possible file system errors on your USB drive and try to fix them.
4. Once the process is done, you can reboot your computer and check if the “There is no media in the specified device” error is resolved or not.

I hope this helped.

Read: A device which does not exist was specified Disk error

How do you fix There is no media in the specified device?

If you are getting the USB error There is no media in the specified device, you can try connecting the USB device to another USB port and see if it works. If that doesn’t work, try updating the USB device driver or reinstalling the driver. Apart from that, you can repair MBR, fix the logical file system errors, or run the CHKDSK command to fix the error. We have mentioned these fixes in detail above.

Read:

• Diskpart Virtual Disk Service Error, The volume size is too big
• Diskpart has encountered an error, The media is write protected.

How can I fix my external hard drive without media?

If your USB drive is showing 0 bytes or no media, you can try removing extra USB drives if there are any. Apart from that, you need to make sure that the data is not hidden. You can also try fixing file system errors and repairing bad sectors on your USB drive using the CHKDSK command. Besides that, fix Master Boot Record (MBR) for the problematic USB flash drive or create a partition in Disk Management. If that doesn’t help, try formatting the 0 bytes USB drive.

That’s it! Hope, this guide helps you fix the “There is no media in the specified device” error.

Now read: Can’t format USB Drive in Windows 11.