Error Code 52 - USB ports not recognizing connected USB devices stating that "Windows cannot verify the digital signature for the drivers required for this device"

Anonymous
2010-03-07T20:11:51+00:00

Original Title: Error Code 52 - USB ports not recognizing connected USB devices

I have recently purchased a new laptop with Windows 7 and had no initial problems connecting USB devices (mouse, hard drive, camera etc.) to the ports. Since installing a number of windows updates none of my USB ports will now recognize any hardware that is connected to them.

The error code is quoted as follows **"Windows cannot verify the digital signature for the drivers required for this device. A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged, or that might be malicious software from an unknown source. (Code 52".**I have been into Device Manager and notice that each USB icon has a yellow exclamation mark icon next to it. I have uninstalled each USB port and scanned for hardware changes which has no positive affect. I have also tried to 'Update driver software' in device manager and again this tells me that the driver is up-to-date for each USB port.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2010-03-10T04:29:36+00:00

Hi slark101,

Boot into Advanced Boot Options and disable driver signing checking.

The Advanced Boot Options screen lets you start Windows in advanced troubleshooting modes. You can access the menu by turning on your computer and pressing the F8 key before Windows starts.

Disabling driver signature enforcement has helped a lot of users in fixing the issue.

You may also delete the USB "Upper Filter" & "Lower Filter" Entry and check if that helps.

Before we go any further, please first backup the Registry.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/

1.   Click “Start”, type “regedit” (without quotation marks) in the “Search” bar and press Enter.

Note: If UAC (User Account Control) pops up, please accept it.

  1. Right click “Computer” (the root node) in the left pane, click “Export” under the “File” menu, choose “All” under “Export range”, and select “Desktop” in the “Save” in box and type backup in “File Name”. Click “Save”.

**Note:**The backup file is on the Desktop and named backup.reg. We can simply restore the registry by double-clicking the backup.reg file.

  1. Click “Start”, type “regedit” (without quotation marks) in the “Search” bar and press Enter again.
  2. Locate the “UpperFilters” value under the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class{36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000}

  1. On the “Edit” menu, click “Delete”, and then click “OK”.
  2. Locate the “LowerFilters” value under the same key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class{36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000}

  1. On the “Edit” menu, click “Delete”, and then click “OK”.
  2. Quit Registry Editor and restart the computer.

Hope this helps.


Gokul - Microsoft Support

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-07-31T17:07:09+00:00

    I had the same issue with nothing USB related working, not even in a docking station.  I resolved the issue by taking ownership of the exact driver files, C:\Windows\system32\drivers\usbehci.sys  and C:\Windows\system32\drivers\usbhub.sys I had to take ownership to rename them as they are controlled by Trusted Installer.  I then uninstalled the devices (Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller) from device manager and then scanned for hardware changes.  Once it scanned again, it pulled new drivers that were signed.  A little painful to do this, but it works.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-01-09T03:36:49+00:00

    QUER RESOLVER?

    RESOLVA ESTE PROBLEMA  NO WINDOWS 7 X86 e X64 TODAS AS VERSÕES, SEM MODIFICAÇÕES MIRABOLANTES NO WINDOWS NEM TELAS  DE  TESTE

    VISITE  O LINK

    http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-533763982-code-52windows-cannot-verify-the-digital-signature-drivers-_JM

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-01-24T16:47:09+00:00

    You are the boss!

    Thanks for your tech support. I was quite puzzled about the USB error 52.

    The registry method solved it for all.

    Cheers

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-02-25T08:53:49+00:00

    I uninstalled the drivers and bounced the box. They were reinstalled and working correctly after the reboot. While this has fixed the symptoms, I still don't know what went wrong.

    I'm dubious about advice like rebooting with signature checks disabled because drivers are signed for very good security reasons. A signed file can't be modified without breaking the signature, this is a pretty good way of detecting malware attacks targeting drivers. The other obvious problem with that solution is that it's actually a "pseulution". It creates the comforting illusion that the problem has been solved when in fact it hasn't.

    I also find it disturbing that I can find no reference to possible root causes other than "the file is corrupt". Again, this isn't a cause, it's a symptom.

    Too many of pseulutions to Windows problems seem to be arbitrary hacks with no mention of root causes. I find it disturbing that a Microsoft support engineer is offering one.

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