Let’s unpack why, and what you actually need to do to get your drive working. Modern operating systems (Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, and most Linux distros) are designed to recognize USB Mass Storage Devices out of the box. Microsoft has a generic driver (usually usbstor.sys ) that has been handling flash drives for nearly two decades.
If your drive is dead after trying the steps above, it is likely a hardware failure—not a missing driver. SanDisk drives are reliable, but every piece of electronics has a shelf life. sandisk usb driver
If it works there, your PC's USB stack is the problem. If it doesn't, the drive is likely faulty (or needs a simple format). Have you ever lost data due to a "driver" issue? Let me know in the comments—I reply to every hardware troubleshooting question. Let’s unpack why, and what you actually need