15 in 1 flash media reader not working

[Bombero1956]

I have a Gateway GT 5692 Desktop. I purchased it new last year. It's running Windows Vista 64bit and I have maxed out the memory to 8 GB. The problem is that right after I got the machine the media reader would occasionally stop working. There is a little red symbol on the media reader icon on my tray and when I hold my cursor over it is says "Flash Media Device not found". I have no clue how to fix the problem. Anyone out there run into the same problem or have a solution? Thanks in a advance.

[Dead_Parrot]

1. Well, card readers generally hook onto the USB system...

...so the first question is, do all the other USB devices seem to be working?

Assuming they are, it's probably the reader itself on the blink. You could try re-seating the connector on the motherboard: If it's a 7-pin block you just need to note way around it is¹, if it's a 4-pin note which way around and which side it's on, and if it's seperate wires² either write down exactly which goes where or skip this step. :)

You could also try moving it to a different motherboard USB connector, if there's one free.

Failing that, bung it in the bin and buy a new one: I've found they go bang quite often. You should be able to find one for $10-15: Fitting is pretty straightforward, but let us know if you need a hand.

edit: Or just buy an external reader, of course. :)
_____
¹ The 8^th pin should be blocked so it only goes one way, but sometimes it isn't
² AKA The Cthulhu connector.

[Bombero1956]

2. everything else works ok

all my USB ports work fine. The funny thing is that it comes and goes. I took the thing offline and disconnected everything. I opened up the case and checked the connections on everything and blew all the dust out. Earlier today I had an issue where the DVD drive stopped working ( it wouldn't even open) seems to be working fine now that I opened it up and checked connections. While I have your attention I have a technical question about video cards. The computer comes standard with Integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200. I purchased a Radeon X1950 Pro a few years ago and put it into an older machine I no longer own. I took it out when I got rid of it. I put it into this machine figuring that it would be a better video card than the one that came with the machine. My daughter's boyfriend claims that the 3200 is a better card than the X1950 Pro. Of course I don't really believe him because he's ultra competitive about his machine and mine. So my question is, is he right or full of shit?

[RoyGBiv]

3. Full of it ...

First of all, unless we're talking about a wide variance in technologies, integrated is rarely better than a dedicated card. If, say, you're comparing HD 3200 to and older generation Radeon 7500, then, yeah, the integrated chip will perform better.

The PassMark G3d benchmark for the HD 3200 gives it a score of 114. The X1950 Pro is 818.

Here's a website where you can do comparisons. I find the searchable list easier to use. It is a literal search, which means you usually have to minimize what search terms you use and then find the specific thing you're looking for, e.g. you'd search for HD 3200 rather than ATI Radeon HD 3200, and then you'd be able to find your chipset.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/

Note that PassMark isn't the end-all-be-all of benchmarks, but it provides a decent guideline. When the variance is wide enough, it's fairly definitive in its conclusions.

[Bombero1956]

4. thanks for the info

I never took the card out but I think he disconnected it. I knew he was full of crap.