USB device not recognized

[Queen Bee]

Okay, I'm not sure how this started, but the USB ports on my sister's laptop suddenly stopped working. I think she's got 4 available slots on it - it doesn't matter which she one uses, she gets this popup everytime:

The devices all work on my computer, so I know it's not that. Restarting and turning off the main power didn't make any difference.

Any idea how to fix this?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Elvis]

At your own risk:

First, make sure you have the drivers for your computer's USB (and the devices)... then:

Go to device manager, and then systematically right lcick and Uninstall everything listed in the section "Universal Serial Bus controllers".

This will REMOVE/DELETE all instances of your USB ports and device drivers.

Make sure none of your devices are connected during this.

When done, reboot.... you're most likely going to get prompted for 'new hardware', at which time... follow the prompts to install them.

Once you've done that, go back to Device Manager, and right click on each listing in the same section and choose 'Update Driver", choose "Yes, this time only", then Next, then just follow the prompts to either automatically upgrade the drivers, or to install recent ones youve downloaded or have.

When you're done with this, try plugging in/installing your usb devices.


Like i said at the start.... do this at your own risk. This is the process I use in similar situations and it always works for me.

Joel

 

[Sicy]

 

[Queen Bee]

Elvis, say I manage to screw something up when I use the method you suggested. Could it potentially cause permanent damage?

The laptop is still under warranty so we took it to Best Buy and they recommended a system restore

 

[Elvis]

When dealing with drivers, nothing is permanent. You can always reinstall them.... so long as you have them.

 

[Elvis]

The laptop is still under warranty so we took it to Best Buy and they recommended a system restore

I hate that places always suggest a fricking system restore. Why these people call themselves 'support' i have no idea. Most system restores blow away everything youve installed, saved, and created. There are a few which JUST reinstall the operating system and/or restore the original drivers.

Full system restores should be a LAST resort.

 

[Queen Bee]

Alright, thanks again for the input. I'll give it a shot.

 

[Queen Bee]

The USB hub appears to install after the reboot. I updated the drivers and I got pop-ups saying all the new USB ports are functioning properly, but then when I connect a device I get the same pop-up as before. First it said that the device I plugged in was found and immediately afterwards I get the USB device not recognized error

A system restore definitely won't fix this? Backing up my sister's files to a couple of DVD-Rs, while time consuming, won't be an issue.

 

[Liesje]

Don't do a full restore of the OS. If you're going to restore anything, just roll it back to the last time the USB thing was working. Whenever you do full restores, your computer is then vulnerable to tons of viruses, etc, b/c it removes all the security patches and Windows Updates.

 

[Queen Bee]

Thanks LivLuv! I'll do that right now.

 

[Queen Bee]

Aaand that didn't work

I guess a full restore is the last option now.

 

[Queen Bee]

I guess a full restore is the last option now.

That didn't help either.

 

[Elvis]

You really should try plugging in the failing usb devices, going to device manager at that time, and uninstalling the drivers for those devices. reboot, then plug each device in and see if it reinstalls. Also, do any of these devices have their own driver disks? have you tried reinstalling them?

 

[Liesje]

Does this device work in any other computer? Maybe the device itself is bad? But yeah, do what Elvis said first, it's usually a driver issue.

 

[ntalwar]

Is the problem with only one USB device or all? I had a similar message once with a notebook mouse, but only with that one device.