"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!

!\[\](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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267 additional answers

Anonymous

2012-09-23T04:40:32+00:00

YOU ARE A LIFESAVER, THANK YOU! i literally tried EVERYTHING and nothing worked. did what you said and it worked!! was considering a trip to best buy before i saw this, thanks for saving me from techie ****!
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Anonymous

2012-09-13T14:51:27+00:00

Like many others, my PC suddenly became afflicted with this annoying problem for no obvious reason. The “USB device not recognised” notification was constant and persistent. What was interesting in my case was that this was happening in both the Windows Vista and Windows XP environments of my dual-boot PC. This suggested that whatever the cause was, it was at the physical hardware rather than operating system level. This gave my search for a solution a particular focus and why I was optimistic that johnkelly46’s post on October 26, 2009 may be the answer.

However, the first time I tried his suggested fix, it had no effect. I decided to give it a second try. This time, immediately after unplugging the PC from the mains I pressed the PC’s on/off button just to make sure I’d removed the right plug. To my surprise I noticed that the button illuminated for a second! This reminded me that amongst the zillions of suggested solutions I’d seen something along the lines of “draining capacitors of residual power”. Ah ha I wondered....... had I just accidently done this very thing?

I left the machine unplugged for about half an hour before re connecting it to power and turning it on. Eureka ............... no more “USB device not recognised” notifications!

So, another vote of thanks to johnkelly46 and hope that this slight variation might help others get his solution to work for them.
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