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

Anonymous
2009-04-19T23:29:47+00:00

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

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2015-03-30T22:55:22+00:00

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
2009-05-08T16:47:16+00:00

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
2009-10-26T01:29:36+00:00

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!

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

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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  1. Anonymous
    2011-12-21T22:42:44+00:00

    I have had a chat with a very helpful person at HP tonight.

    The problem was solved by:

    1. Enter Device Manager
    2. Un install all USB Root Hubs
    3. Re Start the computer.

    This causes the computer to re install all drivers and the problem is solved (for me anyway)

    Hope this helps. It was driving me crazy

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-12-21T04:50:45+00:00

    My solution will follow my quick background.

    I, like many others, had problems with Windows 7 recognizing and/or finding/installing drivers for numerous USB devices (keyboard, flash drives, webcam). I searched, read, and tried numerous solutions, NONE worked. Until this.

    So, since I FINALLY found a solution (for me), I wanted to 'give back' and share it with others in hopes that it will help some to resolve their issues.

    I found some .pnf files that did not have the same named .inf file in my C:\Windows\inf folder. I found a site that had the text for the .inf files. So I just tried something in hopes it would work, and thankfully it did.

    Here was what I did (very simple), and what you can try:

    1 - Go to your C:\Windows\inf folder

    2 - Make sure these files (at a minimum) are listed in that folder:

    • usb.inf
    • usb2.inf
    • usbport.inf
    • usbprint.inf
    • usbstor.inf
    • usbvideo.inf

    3 - If any of the above files are missing, you'll need to create it. Even if they are there, it might be worth a shot to rename them (something like usb_original.inf), then replace each file with what follows.

    4 - Go to the website: http://www.infdump.com/ where you can find the text each file should contain by clicking on the top right Alphabet to find the specific file.

    Or you can use these quick links for your convenience:

    5 - For each of those pages you'll need to do this:

    A - [Ctrl-A] to copy all the text on the page, then [Ctrl-C] to copy

    B - Open Notepad, then [Ctrl-V] to paste

    C - Do a File>Save, click the File Type drop-down and select 'All Files', then name it the appropriate name (example: usb.inf) and save it in your C:\Windows\inf folder

    6 - I don't think there's a need to reboot, but unplug all of your connected USB devices, then plug them back in and Windows will start to recognize and install drivers, and if all goes well, everything should be working.

    Best of luck!

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