Well this is a really unusual problem. Of lately (well not exactly to be more precise 2 days after i bought my laptop, its been 3 months now) i keep getting a new hardware found pop-up in the task bar. Though it doesnt have a diag. box along with it, the green icon keeps on popping up and before i can click on it, it disappears. In short it appears briefly.

So i decided to go to device manager, and there i narrowed it down to the disk drives. It appears as an unnamed device in device manager (like the HDD has a specific no. this doesnt).

I've just mentioned some info. below which according to me maybe of some help to narrow down on the problem:

Hardware Ids: RIMMPTSK\DiskRicohMMCStorage
RIMMPTSK\RicohMMCStorage
RicohMMCStorage
RIMMPTSK\GenDisk
GenDisk
Compatible ids: RIMMPTSK\Disk
RIMMPTSK\RAW
Device Instance Path: RIMMPTSK\DISK&VEN_RICOH&PROD_MMCSTORAGE&REV_1.00\M MC0001
UI number: 00000000
Matching Device id: gendisk
Device Instance Path: RIMMPTSK\DISK&VEN_RICOH&PROD_MMCSTORAGE&REV_1.00\M MC0001
Parent: HTREE\ROOT\0
Class installer: StorProp.Dll,DiskClassInstaller
Class co-installers: SysClass.Dll,StorageCoInstaller
SysClass.Dll,CriticalDeviceCoInstaller
Power data and install state both show up blank

In the general tab of its properties the following error shows up:

Currently, this hardware device is not connected to the computer. (Code 45)

To fix this problem, reconnect this hardware device to the computer.

Click 'Check for solutions' to send data about this device to Microsoft and to see if there is a solution available.

Well this issue has been pestering me since the past few months. I hope someone can come up with a solution.

Regards,
annihilate22

Hello annihilate22 and Welcome back! I will mark this thread as "Open" so one of our wonderful Techs can help you. Also, I will move this thread to "Hard Drives" under Hardware. Look for it there!

*JM*

Yea i realised i had posted it in the wrong section. By the time I edited it you had already shifted it. Anyway thanks a lot for the prompt response.

Ok - first thought is to get to Device Manager.
(if you don't know how to do this please advise - XP or Vista?)

Uninstall all USB devices.

Reboot -

Report back...

Second thoughts - a bit of research shows:

"Some malware camouflage themselves as rimmptsk.sys, particularly if they are located in c:\windows or c:\windows\system32 folder. Thus check the rimmptsk.sys process on your pc whether it is a pest. "

Please follow the PreWork instructions as in the link below

Already done before, didn't solve my problem though.

Its not this either...havent seen this process running and it isnt active even now.