How to Reopen a Thumbdrive

Insert your thumb drive into a USB port on the side of your PC.

When thumb drives, also known as flash drives, were first introduced, their main function was to simply replace floppy disks. But now, as they're built with more complex hardware and able to store more information, they can do things such as replicate your desktop environment and rescue your PC. When you first insert a thumb drive into the USB port on your computer, an "Auto Play" window will open that will allow you to view all of the files on the key. But if you've closed this window, you can open the thumb drive folder by navigating to the appropriate area on your computer.

Instructions

1. Check your thumb drive to ensure it is fully inserted into a USB port on your computer and that it is oriented properly. There will typically be an arrow on top of the thumb drive that should be pointing toward the port when it's inserted.

2. Click on the Start menu of your computer and then click on "Computer."

3. Locate the section within the computer window where it says "Devices With Removable Storage."

4. Double-click on your thumb drive within this section to reopen it in a new window.

References

• PC World: 23 Things to do with a Thumb Drive
• The University of Alabama: Flash Drive Tutorial