Memory stick shows I/O device error

I have 2 new memory sticks (From Computer Active magazine).. They will not work on my PC or my laptop. I have checked them on 2 other machines and they work with no problems.

Sometimes my Computer does not even find them, other times, I get the message as above.

I am on windows XP home

Many thanks if you can tell me what to do - in simple terms, please. I am not very experienced

Format them in My Computer, in many cases that fixes the issue with them in no pun intended in a flash.

Following up on my own idea below, I disabled CDROM autorun in the

Registry. Now I can get as far as seeing the root directory of the USB

stick. If I try to open any file or subfolder, I get the i/o error.

The USB stick appears the same in Disk Management as described below.

I can do a shutdown - safely remove hardware on the stick without any

problem once I close the i/o error message window.

If you can live without the data, try the format as suggested by Andavari.

If you can't, well good luck....

If you can live without the data, try the format as suggested by Andavari.

If you can't, well good luck....

Could always use Recuva on it afterwords. ;)

Your right I wasn't thinking. lol