Trouble with USB-Sticks

The main difference between version 6 and v9, v12 is that files, services... of Windows Hotplug are always added in Version 6.
In versions 9 or 12, it is a choice between HotSwap, MyUSBEjector and Windows.

Related to  your tests, it seems that Windows Hotplug seems necessary.
Can you try, the above version (v13 beta), the Windows HotPlug components is in a choice apart.
If enabled, you should have similar behavior to the hotplug script version 6.

And if you can do a test with MountStorPE.

Forget about Stick C!
I discovered, with the help of steve6375, that it is a non standard stick.

and what is Stick C ?! what is non standart !

Also,

Add your Stick A B C harware info, better with manufacturer link on post 1,
Who knows one may have same stick, or maybe useful info later...

I begin to feel I saw a quite temporary mirage yesterday, as usual...

and what is Stick C ?! what is non standart !

I explained that above.
It is a stick, which appears not as one device but as two. Hence two times drivers need to be installed, which, without properly working PnP, requires to plugin the stick twice.

Add your Stick A B C harware info, better with manufacturer link on post 1,
Who knows one may have same stick, or maybe useful info later...

Stick A is a SanDisk Cruzer Extreme with U3, VID=0781 PID=540e
Stick B is a Imation Swivel VID=0718 PID=054d
Stick C is a RiData VID=0117 PID=0117

The problem seems to be connected to the wim compression for some reason.
If i switch from maximum compression to normal - the wim increases in size by 10%, but builds with Hotplug12.script start to work flawlessly as well.
Did so far 6 reboots and all worked perfectly.

Any guesses why?


Builds without Hotplug.script though do not work well at all.
- stick not shown in hotplug menu
- explorer view not refreshed
- no autostart window pops up

anshad, i really like to know, how hotplug without the hotplug.script can work for you.

Builds without Hotplug.script though do not work well at all.
...
anshad, i really like to know, how hotplug without the hotplug.script can work for you.

I think we would have, many posts and topics on that, if for most of us it does not worked 
With or without this script. Disagree !

Sounds logical.

On the other hand, there were appearantly no reports of problems in regard to USB-WiFi-Dongles. Yet some drivers were clearly missing

My Win7PE is a bit old and in that USB drives works without any problems. I do have the latest Win7PE SE with version 0.9 hotplug script and i will test it today. What option i should choose?. "Hotplug" or  " Windows"?. I guess choosing Hotplug will replace windows default hotplug function with "hotswap.exe"

I think, we may have found the point, why nobody but me reported issues.

Hutplug = Windows native tool
HotSwap! = 3rd party tool
MountStorPE = 3rd party tool
MyUSBEjector = 3rd party tool

btw. My conclusion about the compression causing the problems, was unfortunately proven wrong.
I did a build last evening, changed nothing, but added a few apps and USB-Hotplug was off again!

There seems to be some timing issue here.
Any suggestions on how to find the problem?

I tested latest Win7PE SE package. First i build a standard project with micro explorer as shell and hotplug script unchecked. USB pendrives are working fine in that build. Tested and verified on three systems with different chipsets. Then i build another one with hotplug script "Windows" box ticked. I didn't noticed any difference between two. USB safe remove function is not available on both so including "myUSB ejecter" is always good. Also right click and eject works fine in both builds.
Other hardware related scripts enabled in my builds are "hardwarepnp" and "USB 3".
So if i am not mistaken one can use USB pendrives without hotplug script. USB ejector or hotswap can be used optionally to safe remove the media.

It is a good test and a good summary 

And we're making progress.
Finally it is clear, why i'm the only one reporting issues.
Everybodyelse seems to think, bugs are normal and workarounds the rule and not the exception.

I tested latest Win7PE SE package. First i build a standard project with micro explorer as shell and hotplug script unchecked. USB pendrives are working fine in that build.

USB safe remove function is not  available on both

How can you say USB would be working fine, when 'safe remove' doesn't work for you?
We have some VERY different ideas about what 'working fine'  means.

And just for the record, with Hotplug.script 'safe remmove' always works for me. Though sometimes, i have to plug in and out the first stick a few times before it starts working properly. Which is, what this thread is all about.

For future reference:
'Working Fine' means 'works just like in a regular Windows'

@Medievil

You didn't say ejecting is your problem. Myusbejecter works fine for me. Hotplug script with myusbejecter is almost identitical to real Windows. 

A PE will never ever works like real Windows. That's why we need workarounds like "MountstorePE" to mount USB HD in PE1 and Some USB ejecter in PE3. If i need full functionality i will use full Windows 7 installed on VHD in USB or Win8ToGO. As a rescue tool Gena and Win7PE works fine for me.

That's why we need workarounds like "MountstorePE" to mount USB HD in PE1 and Some USB ejecter in PE3.

Who told you that? I have USB-Sticks and USB-HDD working in PE1 without any need for 3rd party tools.

You didn't say ejecting is your problem. Myusbejecter works fine for me. Hotplug script with myusbejecter is almost identitical to real Windows.

I have the problem that some boots, USB works with all bells and whistles and some boots, it doesn't.
There should be no sometimes!
It should always work identical. That it does not, means there's a bug somewhere in Win7PE_SE. And bugs are not to be kept as pets, but to be smashed.

A PE will never ever works like real Windows.

Another one of those strange ideas. There's no reason, that would prevent a PE from working just like a installed Windows.
There were so many things at the beginning of PE1 development,  that were said to be impossible. Yet they have all been proven wrong.
No, the reason Win7PE_SE does not make it yet is, that too many people claim there's no issue, instead of reporting the bugs they encounter.

"MountstorePE" to mount USB HD in PE1

Let me know if you have such case that needs MSPE ;) , I like to document it 

Personally, I like MSPE since it mounts hidden flaged drives,
 which are not mounted by normal windows following normal windows behaviour 
  but on PE, I like to override normal windows behaviour to be aware all hidden partitions available mounted 

@MedEvil

How can you say USB would be working fine, when 'safe remove' doesn't work for you?

I can reply this since funny,
'safe remove' doesn't work on my normal windows with some ntfs ufd,

'safe remove' with usb-disks simply means flushing disk (critical) and turn off its chip (none Critical).

Workaround: I use Galapo's flush to flush disk, simply double click, and than simply plug it off, no single trouble at all.
http://theoven.org/index.php?topic=46.0
ps: I already made manny trials...... but still keeping this in my mind to figure out why windows behave this way, and maybe to solve..... or maybe not solvable at all, time will show....

I put flush.exe to all my ufd root, since same stuff also happens frequently when I travel on different computers 

I can shortly say: ufd working fine to me when 'safe remove' is not working for me. Only there is this thingy I put in mind to catch one day...

Everybodyelse seems to think, bugs are normal and workarounds the rule and not the exception.

Your conclusion is fake, nobody thinks that.
Following normal windows behaviour on PE where possible is ok,
 first goal is always trying to get normal behaviour, some of which obviously not provided by manufacturer on PE (=ms),
  overriding normal behaviour sometimes better (like MSPE),
   adding features to normal behaviour is sometimes adventagous (like hotplug),
    and sometimes getting rid of normal behaviour on pe results better too,
   
ps: with keeping in mind 3rd party sometimes can lead unpredictable results.... 

Since there is work to be done because manufacturer not providing some features,
 sometimes with available man power and time... , workarounds is fine too,
  but it does not mean goal of getting windows behaviour is ended,
   it means this is what can be done so far and work continues in available time and interest....

Another one of those strange ideas. There's no reason, that would prevent a PE from working just like a installed Windows.
There were so many things at the beginning of PE1 development,  that were said to be impossible. Yet they have all been proven wrong.

NOT all proven wrong,
Sure there were some "early" talkers, besides still NOT all proven wrong,
but we made huge progress, with the creation of Theoven.org and working on Gena,
 now we have best of ever PE1 which does not have bugs you even not aware    (with Special Thanks to Saydin77 and BlueLife)
  (that were said to be impossible  and after possible following sabotage attempts...)
   but we do not stop at that point, work continues with available time, feedback and interest,
like recent cobraman feedback, we could fix 1 very interesting situation accompanied with some fixes,
http://theoven.org/index.php?topic=477
There are still more stuff, even after many years passed, and even after years the best PE1 does not work just like a installed Windows,
 well We do not have a Programmer (I mean Real one  ) team to investigate things 7/24 to solve all stuff in some months (aside this is not our goal at all),
   things goes with good feedbacks and available time and interest following hoby soul...

Which so far success and getting more and better.


Since your usb trouble is not like cobraman feedback, or similars (as usual and as expected),
 it would obviously get longer time to be solved if exists or better documented or.... whatever,
either will be fixed one day with more reports, or will remain aside not being very critical like other stuff on PE1 or even on Normal Windows.

ps: I already have another idea related to yet another wb bug (or better say sabotage) which will be accompanied by its workaround, probably tomorrow, but after that nothing else.

Hi Lancelot

MSPE is required in Gena to assign drive letters to USB HDD partitions. Without MSPE Gena (and other PE1s i tested) won't show the drives in explorer. Even if we assign drive letters from disk management that is not available in explorer. Using MSPE solves all the problems. MSPE instantly assigns drive letters to USB HDDs. I thought everyone knows that and that's why i didn't reported it.

Hi ChrisR and Lancelot

I found another great free utility to safe remove flash drives.-"USB disk ejector".

http://quickandeasysoftware.net/software/usb-disk-ejector

This tools is more advanced  than other tools and includes functions to intelligently hide empty card readers etc. Supports normal mode and close to tray operation. All configuration can be done by editing a cfg file.


I always use CD to boot Gena and Win7PE SE. May be the USB recognition problem is only existed with boot from USB drives.

*
Probably everyone, but not me since I do not use usb-hd on PE,
 only have 1 experience so far which you already know 
Thanks for informing, I will not forget 

*
"USB disk ejector" looks reallllly very nice   
nice menus, cardreader option, open source, works on none-writable drive, easy cfg configuration,  Command Line...
(especially I like cfg coding stuff a lot, it is quite simple but many programmers forget .cfg/.ini can be on none-writable drive or readonly..)

"Mountpoint support. All detection and ejecting is done using mountpoints"

himm, does this mean it also mounts usb-hd ??
If so, it may also mean trouble I get on wd_disk may not !! (to be tested one day when I get)
ps: and if so, I guess it is ok with your dynamic disks too ;)



I quickly made Yomi\AppY\HD Tasks\"USBDiskEjector Bgbennyboy"
with single cfg option "Close to Tray" ;)
you can improve more cfg / startup options if you like , on that case feel free changing Author= name 

@anshad

also just put  Yomi\AppY\HD Tasks\"HotSwap! 5" , which may help on your Gena tests / usages...