USB Port Killing Memory Stick

Hi,

Is it possible for a USB port to kill a memory stick? I've never heard of it happen before, but thats not to say it can't!

Basically I had a user on a client site (all running Dell OptiPlex 755/760 USFF desktops) last week email helpdesk saying their new 4GB Integral memory stick had stopped working. When next on the clients site, I had a look at the memory stick, and plugged it into my laptop, plus several other desktops, and although Windows says new hardware is found, and shows a removable drive, it has zero capacirty, and disk manager can't read it, it can't create a partition, and its impossible to format. WIndows just says it doesn't have access.

So I told the user the memory stick was probably faulty, and as it was only a few days old to exchange it for a replacement. The user got a replacement yesterday, gave it to a collegue to copy a file on to, which worked. Then the user put it in their OptiPlex 760, same front USB port, and again it shows up with zero capacity. Trying it on another desktop shows zero capacity again, and trying it on the collegue's desktop, who copied the file on it initially, gives the same error!

I guess it could be a bad batch of memory sticks? But before we waste another testing, is it possible for a USB port to kill a memory stick?

Thanks

Ben