"USB Device Not recognized" error keeps popping up and USB devices do not work

Anonymous

I keep recieving the USB not recognized error on my HP Vista home laptop.

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Anonymous

For anyone else that may be having this problem at the date I am making this comment and are running windows 8.1 there is an update that fixes it!

http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3013769#fixed\_issues

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Anonymous

KenRD,

I am sorry we were not able to resolve your issue for you at this time. However, if your operating system needs to be re-installed and you do not have a copy of Windows, you will need to contact the manufacturer of your computer for assistance. Normally OEM's place the Windows OS in a recovery partition with instructions on how to mke a CD or DVD from those files.

Thank you,

Gloria

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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Anonymous

There is possibly an unbelievably simple solution to the “USB device not recognized ” error which worked for me. I love USB and have 5 ports on my computer so that I can connect my mouse, keyboard, camera, phone, and printer to it all at once!

However, last weekend, my computer stopped recognizing my USB devices! The strange thing about it was that the USB ports were not bad because all of my devices were still getting power to them. I could still charge my cell phone without a problem!

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So I started with the normal fixing methods, including uninstalling the drivers for my devices and reinstalling them. That didn’t work! Next I tried System Restore thinking that maybe I had installed something and it caused a conflict with the USB system drivers. That didn’t work!

I read online that in order to fix this problem I should go to Device Manager and uninstall all of the devices under USB Controllers. Restarted the computer, reinstalled the USB drivers, but the problem STILL did not go away!

You may also see in Device Manager that the device shows up as an “Unknown Device ”.

!\[\](http://www.online-tech-tips.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/unknownusbdevice-thumb.png)

So how did I finally fix the problem? Well, apparently it’s a super simple solution! No need to edit the registry, uninstall drivers, or anything of that sort.

Simply UNPLUG YOUR COMPUTER FROM THE POWER SUPPLY . Yes that’s it! Note that this does not mean just turning off your computer because modern computers don’t really turn off when you press the power button as the motherboard still gets power.

First to explain, the motherboard is where all of hardware of the computer is connected to, including the USB ports. Sometimes the motherboard needs to be “rebooted” also because something can go wrong, i.e. all your USB ports suddenly stop working. The small microprocessor on the motherboard will reload the drivers and your USB ports should be back to recognizing all devices!

So first turn off your computer using Shut Down or pressing the power button and then UNPLUG it from the wall outlet. Let it sit for about a minute and then plug it back in.

Hope this helps someone fix that highly irritating “USB device not recognized” Windows error!

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267 additional answers

Anonymous

2016-12-13T04:44:20+00:00

The problem is one that I struggled with for close to six months. I was able to successfully correct the problem by REBOOTING with the switch set to allow UNSIGNED THIRD PARTY DRIVERS. You get there by rebooting in recovery mode and going in to that mode via the Recovery console. It is complicated but you can search TechNet.Microsoft.com for "Third Party Device Drivers". When in that mode you have to try accessing the device drivers for the USB Devices that are failing. You get that by finding the Windows System32 DriverStore folder and right clicking on the .INF file for the device that is causing your problem. I had problems with two, USBAUDIO and the Omni-key Smart Card Reader. Once you are in the mode that allows you to load unsigned drivers you can successfully install the device drivers in question. The next time you reboot, unsigned drivers will no longer be installable until you repeat the process of enabling it. It worked for me and several other friends. good luck!
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Anonymous

2016-12-13T00:46:48+00:00

That is similar to the problem that I have. I bought a brand new laptop. Once I turned it on, it would die after about 7 or 8 hours. It has now been replaced 3 times but I have the same issue and the store is refusing to replace it again. They said something about plugging it in first and then made nasty comments about my parents.

Glenn, That's pretty bad you had to get that kind of abuse from a business that you spent your hard earned money in. They should have kept their personal remarks to themselves. They aren't there to make themselves happy, they are there to make the customer happy. You should let us all know where you got such bad treatment so we don't give them our business. It sounds like they just kept giving you back the same bad computer and didn't fix anything. I would keep after them to make it right. You might also want to call the makers of your PC and tell them just what you have had to go through, They may be able to do something.

I wish you well,

Patricia
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