After reinstalling Windows 7, USB does not work. Why don't USB ports work?

On some computers, when you connect a USB 3.0 hard drive or flash drive, the error "The device is not recognized" (USB Device Not Recognized) or " Windows stopped this device because it reported a problem.(Code 43)" in Device Manager.

This article provides instructions on how to resolve the following issues:

USB device not recognized/detected
USB 3.0 flash drive not recognized/detected
USB 3.0 does not work on Windows 7/10

How to fix: USB 3.0 port on computer does not work

Before we move on to fixing this problem, you should try the following steps:

Use a different USB cable if you are connecting the hard drive to a USB 3.0 port on your computer.
Connect USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 port.
Remove the USB device, turn off the computer, and disconnect the power cord (or battery if using a laptop). Wait at least 2 minutes and then reconnect the power cord. Turn on your computer and reconnect the USB device.
If you are using Windows 7, Vista or XP, download and run the Microsoft Troubleshooter utility.
Reset BIOS to factory settings.

Solution 1: Disable Fast Startup feature in Windows 8 and 10

Note: If the Fast Startup option has already been cleared, check it and restart your computer. After restarting, uncheck the box and restart your computer again.

Reboot computer.

Solution 2: Disable USB suspend settings.

Solution 3: Reboot your USB 3.0 device.

Open device Manager. For this:

Press the " Windows» + « R" to open the window " Execute".
In the window " Execute» enter: devmgmt.msc.
Click Enter.

2. In Device Manager, expand "ControllersUSB» .

3. Right click on " RootUSB-hub (USB 3.0 ) " and select " Delete".

4. Windows will automatically find and install the latest drivers for your USB 3.0 port.

Solution 4: Install the latest USB 3.0 drivers.

Download Intel Driver Update Utility or AMD drivers.
Run driver update utility and press " Further" on the first screen.
Accept the license terms and click " Install".
Wait while the driver update utility is installed.
Once installation is complete, click " Launch».
Click " Start scanning".
When the driver scan is completed, click " Download", to download the latest drivers for your computer.
Finally, click " Install".
After installation is complete reboot computer.

Solution 5: Restore Windows to a previous working state

If the solutions above did not help with the problem of USB 3.0 not working on your computer, you should try restoring your computer to its previous working state. This can be done if you previously activated a Windows restore point.

Please write in the comments below if you managed to solve the problem with a faulty USB 3.0 port, and what solution helped in your situation.

Many of our readers asked for an explanation Why don't USB ports work? and also why the error “ Error. USB device not recognized" I finally found the time to write this long-awaited article. USB ports are not always the cause of a connected device not working.

Very often the external device itself fails, which is why the error about a faulty USB port pops up. Before moving on to the next steps, make sure that the USB device you want to connect is working (check with a friend or on another computer). If you are sure that your device works, then this article is just for you.

Causes of the problem

They may be completely different, but you need to find out the exact reason why USB ports don't work.

If the above methods did not help and still USB ports don't work, try going to “Device Manager” and checking the “Controllers” section for devices with a yellow exclamation mark. If present, double-click on the device and read the reason for that error.

Perhaps the USB ports are not working due to incorrectly installed drivers or their complete absence. The article will help you cope with this -.
It is possible that USB ports don't work because of the usual ones, but by installing and scanning your computer, we can find and

Immediately after installing the Windows 7 operating system, some users notice that the USB ports on their computer do not work. Let's figure out what actions need to be taken to be able to connect devices to a PC using the above protocol.

Let us immediately note that this article will talk about a specific problem after installing, reinstalling or updating Windows 7, that is, about a situation where before installing the operating system everything worked fine, but after performing the specified procedures, it stopped functioning. We will not dwell on other possible malfunctions related to the fact that the computer does not see USB devices. A separate lesson is devoted to this problem on the site.

The problem we are studying has two main causes:

Lack of necessary drivers;
Incorrect entries in the system registry (after upgrading Vista to Windows 7).

Method 1: USB Oblivion

This solution is suitable just in case you upgraded to Windows 7 from an earlier operating system. In this case, entries in the system registry about previous connections of USB devices may be saved, which will be incorrect in the updated OS, which will lead to problems with further connection attempts. In this case, all records of previous connections must be deleted. The easiest way to do this is using the USB Oblivion utility, which is designed exactly for this purpose.

Method 2: Microsoft USB Troubleshooter

Microsoft has its own USB troubleshooter. Unlike the previous utility, it can help not only after installing the operating system, but also in many other cases.

Method 3: DriverPack Solution

After installing Windows 7, it is possible that your computer will not be able to receive and transmit data via the USB protocol due to the lack of necessary drivers. This situation is especially common if USB 3.0 connectors are installed on a desktop PC or laptop. The fact is that Windows 7 was developed even before this standard began to be widely implemented. For this reason, the basic version of the said OS does not contain the necessary drivers immediately after installation. In this case, they need to be installed.

The easiest way to solve this problem is if you have a disk with the necessary drivers. In this case, you just need to insert it into the drive and extract the contents to your computer using the prompts that appear. The functionality of the USB ports will be restored. But what to do if you don’t have the required disk at hand? We will consider the actions that need to be taken in this situation below.

The easiest way to solve the problem is with the help of tools designed to find and install the missing drivers on your computer. One of the best applications in this class is .

Launch the program. When activated, it will simultaneously scan the system for connected devices and detect missing drivers.

Click on the button "Set up your computer automatically".

After this, the program itself will create a restore point in case an error is made during the setup process or you simply want to roll back to the old settings in the future.

After this, the procedure for installing drivers and configuring some PC parameters will be performed.

After the procedure is completed, a message will appear that all the necessary settings have been completed and the missing drivers have been installed.

Now you need to restart your PC. Click "Start". Next, click on the triangular icon located on the right side of the button "To finish work". Click.

After restarting, you can check whether the USB ports are working or not.

Method 4: Manually installing drivers

The necessary drivers can also be installed without installing additional software to search for them. But this will require a little more tinkering.

Click "Start". Sign in "Control Panel".

Go to "System and safety".

In the list of tools "System" click on the item "Device Manager".

The interface will be displayed "Device Manager". The shell that opens will present a list of different types of devices that are currently connected to your desktop computer or laptop. Click on the group name "USB Controllers".

A list of elements will open. You need to find one of the following names in the list:
- Generic USB Hub;
- USB root hub;
- USB Root Controller.
These are the port types. The list will most likely have one of these names, but it may appear multiple times depending on the number of USB outputs on your computer. Despite this, it is enough to perform the procedure described below with one of the identical elements, since drivers will be installed on the computer for all ports of the same type. If there are several different names of elements from the above list, then for each of them you will have to perform manipulations separately.

So, right click ( RMB) by element name and select from the list "Properties".

A window will open in which you need to click on the name of the tab "Intelligence".

After that in the field "Properties" select an option from the drop-down list "Equipment ID". In area "Meaning" The device ID will be displayed, that is, in our case, the USB port.

This data must be saved. They can be written down or copied. To do the second option, just click RMB by area content "Meaning" and select from the menu "Copy".

Attention! The main thing is that after this, do not copy any more data until the operation to find the necessary drivers is completely completed. Otherwise you will simply replace the information in "Clipboard" about driver IDs with new data. If you still need to copy something else during the procedure, then first paste the data from the equipment properties window into "Notebook" or any other text editor. This way, if necessary, you can quickly copy them again.
Now you can start directly searching for the necessary drivers. Open your browser and go to one of the popular ones - DevID or DevID DriverPack. You need to enter the data that you copied in advance into the search field of the site and click on the button that starts the search.

After this, the search results will open. Select the option that matches your operating system (in our case, Windows 7) and its bitness (32 or 64 bit), and then click on it.

If you use the DevID DriverPack service, you will need to specify the OS name and bit depth there before you start the search.

After you have gone to the driver page, download it, unpack it from the archive if necessary, and run it on your computer, following the prompts that will be displayed on the monitor. After restarting the PC, the problematic USB ports should work. If this does not happen, then look for the origins of the problem in incorrect registry entries, as described above.

There is another option for downloading the necessary drivers - do it from the official website of the manufacturer of USB controllers that are installed on your PC. But in this case, you must definitely find out the address of this Internet resource, as well as the exact name of the controller model.

There are two main reasons why USB ports may not work after installing Windows 7, although before that they functioned normally. Firstly, these are incorrect entries in the system registry left over from the old OS, and secondly, the lack of necessary drivers. Each of these problems can be solved in several ways, which we described in detail in this article. So, after reading the material, users can independently choose the most convenient and acceptable course of action for them.

Peripheral devices such as a mouse, keyboard, Web camera, and printer are usually connected to the computer via USB ports. In this case, it often happens that one or more ports stop working. That is, when you connect, for example, a flash drive to a computer, it is not recognized, the keyboard or mouse may freeze, and the printer may not respond or print pages.

There are several likely reasons why some or all of the USB ports on your computer are not working. Let's try to understand this issue and find out what should be done to restore normal functioning of the computer.

Checking BIOS settings

The first thing you should pay attention to is the computer's BIOS settings. To enter the BIOS you will need a working keyboard. If the keyboard is connected to the computer via USB and it does not work, then you need to connect a keyboard with a PS/2 connector. Otherwise, you simply won't be able to do anything.

So, let's go to the BIOS, for which, when starting the computer, you need to press the enter key, usually DEL. There may be another key that appears on the screen and is listed in the motherboard manual. After entering the BIOS, find the section responsible for integrated devices (Integrated Peripherals) or the “Advanced” section. Here you should find the “Onboard Devices Configuration” subsection. It contains the parameters responsible for the operation of USB controllers: USB Function or USB 2.0 Controller. These parameters must be Enabled. And if one of them is disabled, then hover over it and press Enter, thereby turning it on. To ensure that the changes you make are not lost, you must save them by pressing F10 and confirm saving by pressing the Y or Enter key.

After restarting the computer, check if the USB ports are working. And if not, then you should look for the reason elsewhere.

USB ports on the front of the computer do not work

As a special case, USB only on the front panel may not work for you. In such a situation, you need to check whether the necessary connectors on the motherboard are connected and whether the wires are damaged. To do this, open the side cover of the system unit and pay attention to the connector at the bottom of the motherboard. On the board itself there is an inscription USB1 or USB2, as well as on the block itself. The wires from the block go to the front panel, and if they are disconnected or broken in one place, then you have discovered the cause of the malfunction. Damaged wires should be connected or replaced. It would also be a good idea to check the contact in the connector on the motherboard. It is also worth paying attention to the board located on the front panel. There may be a short circuit; by the way, such a short circuit can be caused by accumulated dust. Therefore, be sure to clean the system unit from dust.

Problems with the device itself or the cable

The next source of problems with USB may be the cable with which, for example, the printer is connected. This fault is easy to identify and fix. We connect the flash drive to the connector being tested. If it works, then we try to connect another known-good equipment, for example a USB hub, using a suspicious cable. If it also refuses to work, then the reason is clearly in the cable and it should be replaced.

Power outages

There are situations when there is simply not enough power for all devices. For example, connecting an external hard drive that uses two USB connectors at once may disable the printer or keyboard. In this case, the power of the power supply is not enough to provide energy to all consumers. In this case, the problem may not appear immediately, but after some time after turning on the computer. There are several ways out of the situation. If you have a low-power power supply installed, for example, 300 W, then it would be logical to change it to a more powerful one, 450-600 W. You can also use an active USB hub (with external power). It will allow you not only to increase the number of connected USB devices, but also to power them from a separate power supply.

Another reason that affects USB operation is a dead CMOS battery. But at the same time, every time you turn on the computer, you will observe a lost system time and date. After replacing the battery the problem goes away. But this does not occur often, so you should check other possible sources of malfunction.

Missing or incorrect installation of USB drivers

Causes associated with software problems in Windows 7/10 can be identified using Device Manager. If you notice that one or more devices in particular are not working, regardless of the port used, this may indicate that the problem is in the device itself. Open Control Panel and go to Device Manager. All connected devices will be displayed there. If there are items in the list that have a yellow exclamation mark next to them or the name is Unknown Device, then the problem is with this very device. There may be several possible problems here.

Often USB inputs stop working after reinstalling Windows 7/10. The reason is incorrect installation of drivers or the necessary drivers may not be found at all. You will have to select and install manually.

Often, to fix a problem you just need to update the drivers. So, if automatic Windows updates are disabled, and the system itself was installed quite a long time ago, then the relevance of the software is lost, and system errors may appear. In this case, the device begins to work incorrectly, or even stops functioning altogether. To update (reinstall) USB controller drivers, you can use a CD/DVD with drivers for the motherboard or download the necessary drivers from the motherboard manufacturer's website.

You can also turn off the power saving feature for all ports using Device Manager. Expand the list of used USB devices hidden in the sections “USB Controllers”, “Mouse and other pointing devices”, “Keyboards”. Double-click on the desired device to open the properties window. Now switch to the “Power Management” tab and uncheck the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” checkbox. Thus, the device will always be activated under any circumstances.

If some equipment is not recognized, then there may be either a problem with the drivers already known to us, or a hardware problem, consisting of a lack of contact, a damaged cable, or a malfunction of the controller. Moreover, it often happens that when a faulty device is connected, the others stop working normally. The keyboard starts to freeze, as does the mouse, and the printer stops printing. The problem is similar to power shortage, that is, all the power consumption goes to a faulty device, which may have a simple short circuit or other malfunction.

USB ports not working due to controller damage

If none of the above actions helped restore the functionality of the USB ports, then you should check the USB controller of the motherboard, which may have failed. In this case, high-quality repairs and diagnostics should be entrusted to the specialists of the service center. As a way out of the problem, try installing an expansion card, the so-called USB PC controller, which is installed in the PCI slot on the motherboard. This solution is noticeably cheaper than repairing the USB controller of the motherboard, and when using an additional USB hub, the problem with the lack of ports will not be relevant at all.

As you can see, finding and fixing problems with USB ports is quite a troublesome task, and all because there can be a lot of reasons. Consistent search and elimination of obviously incorrect paths will allow you to identify and eliminate the problem.

Before use

Some USB devices, such as multifunction printers/scanners/copiers, require installation of software and USB drivers. before connecting a USB device to a computer. Always follow the installation documentation provided by the USB device manufacturer.

When troubleshooting problems with a USB device, you may need to disconnect the USB device.

Attention!
Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for disconnecting USB devices from your computer. Some USB devices must be disabled and ejected before they are disconnected from the computer. Some USB devices support the Windows function Safely Removing Your Device.

Troubleshooting steps

If applicable, follow these steps to troubleshoot problems with USB devices that aren't working properly.

Power supply. If the USB device is powered by a battery, make sure the battery is installed properly and is functioning properly. If the USB device is powered by an external power source, make sure all power connections are securely secured and the power cord is connected to the power source.

Check the USB connection. Sometimes, simply disconnecting and reconnecting the device to the computer is enough to solve the problem.

Disconnect ALL USB devices connected to the computer, except the USB mouse and USB keyboard (if used). These include hubs, flash drives, printers and video cameras.

After first disconnecting all USB devices, follow these steps:
- When using a desktop computer Connect the malfunctioning device to one of the USB ports on the back of the computer case (ports connected directly to the system board).
  
  When using a laptop Connect the malfunctioning device to the USB port on your laptop. Do not use a USB port splitter (such as a docking station or USB hub).

What happens when the device is disconnected?

The device is working properly: The problem is most likely related to the power supply or poor overall system performance.

Note.
To avoid future USB device failure, follow these guidelines: Do not connect too many devices to your computer. Wait 5 seconds after connecting the device. Use hubs with autonomous power supply for connecting other devices. Do not connect USB devices when the system is busy (slower than normal).

Device is not working: Leave the device connected and proceed to the next step.

Installing software from the USB device manufacturer: Some USB devices require installation of manufacturer's software to operate.

If the USB device came with software that was not previously installed, install the software according to the manufacturer's instructions.

After installing the manufacturer's software, reconnect the problematic USB device and check if it works.

The device should now work properly. If the problem persists, continue to the next step.

Microsoft Fix it: Microsoft provides a web-based application for automatic diagnosis and repair. Go to Automatically diagnose and fix USB problems in Windows (in English) and press the green button Execute. Then follow the onscreen instructions. If the device still does not work, continue to the next step.

Windows Update: Running Windows Update will check for operating system updates required for your computer. Go to Windows Update (in English) and follow the on-screen instructions to check for updates and agree to all recommended and optional driver updates. If the device still does not work, continue to the next step.

: If the USB device was previously working and then became unstable, the tool Microsoft System Restore will allow you to return to the moment when the device was still working. For more information, see Use Microsoft System Restore (Windows 7). If the device still does not work, continue to the next step.

Troubleshoot USB device problems in Device Manager: USB devices are listed in Device Manager. Follow the steps below, depending on how the device is listed in Device Manager:

Removing USB Root Hubs: Removing USB root hubs forces the system to reinstall the root hubs the next time you restart the computer. Use the steps below to remove USB root hubs:

Windows 7 does not detect USB device (device name is missing in Device Manager) – Possible problem: Power requirement

Disconnect the device and do the following until the device is detected:

The USB drive does not appear in the Safely Remove Hardware window on computers running Windows 7

If you connect a USB storage device such as a flash drive, the device may not appear in the Safely Remove Hardware window after clicking Safe removal of equipment in the Windows desktop notification area.

Rice. : Safely Remove Hardware icon on taskbar

USB storage: The USB device may not be displayed if it was previously stopped and not disconnected from the USB port. Follow these steps to show your device in the Safely Remove Hardware window:

Unplug the device, wait about 20 seconds, then plug the device back in.

The device should appear in the list in the Safely Remove Hardware window.

If your device does not appear in the list, restart your computer and repeat step 1.

Memory card in USB card reader: If the device is a memory card in a USB card reader, restarting the computer resolves this issue.

Note.
Do not use Safely remove hardware icon to remove memory card. To remove a memory card, remove it using the following steps in Windows:

USB 3.0 ports stop working after Texas Instruments XHCI controller update

Incompatible update for Texas Instruments XHCI controller via Microsoft Windows Update. If your computer received this update, follow these steps to roll back the controller to the previous version.

Windows 7 stops responding or fails to transfer data when using a USB device

Data transfer may fail or Windows 7 may become unresponsive when using an EHCI (NVIDIA USB Enhanced Host Controller Interface)-enabled USB device. If your computer uses NVIDIA USB Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI) chipset, download and install the hotfix from the Microsoft website. For more information, see the Microsoft Support article: Problems transferring data via USB on a computer running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 with an NVIDIA USB EHCI chipset and at least 4 GB of RAM .

USB ports on the front of the desktop computer are not working

If there are USB ports on the front of your computer but they do not work, the cable inside the computer may have become loose. First, make sure the USB ports on the back of your computer are working by connecting a USB device to them. If the device is not recognized when connected to a port on the rear panel, follow the steps described in other sections of this document to resolve the problem. Follow these steps to check if the USB ports are disconnected from the computer's motherboard:

Attention!
This product contains components that may be damaged by electrostatic discharge. To reduce the likelihood of such damage, work on uncoated surfaces, use antistatic surfaces (such as conductive foam pads), and wear an antistatic wrist strap connected to a grounded surface.

I can't hear sound from a newly connected USB audio device when using Windows Media Player 11

After you connect a USB audio device and open Windows Media Player 11, your computer may not recognize the newly connected device. This may occur if your computer speakers are connected to the audio output port and a new USB audio device is connected after you press the Stop button in Windows Media Player 11 and before you press the button Playback. For example, you will only hear sound from the initially connected speakers, and not from headphones connected later.

To resolve this issue, close Windows Media Player 11 and reopen it. The player will be forced to recognize the new audio device.

No sound playback after disconnecting USB audio device

When you disconnect a USB audio device, such as headphones or a microphone, there is no sound from the speakers.

To resolve this issue, close the media player and then reopen it, or restart the computer every time you disconnect the USB audio device. Windows will force the playback pattern to be recreated and detect that the device is disconnected.

Important information regarding support for older USB devices

Many problems with USB devices can be resolved by disabling the option in the BIOS settings. This option may not be available on some computer models. Actions to access a parameter USB support for legacy software may vary.

Note.
If your computer supports USB for legacy software using a USB keyboard or USB mouse, you must enable the option in the BIOS settings USB support for legacy software so that the keyboard and mouse can be used in MS-DOS utilities and in operating systems other than Windows. Before following these steps, make sure you have a PS/2 mouse and keyboard connected to your computer.

Follow these steps to enable or disable the setting USB support for legacy software in BIOS settings:

Turn on or restart your computer.

When the first image appears on the screen, press the F10 key in succession until the settings window appears.

Use the left and right arrow keys to navigate to the Advanced tab.

Use up and down keys to select USB support for legacy software and press Enter.

Press the Up, Down, Enter arrow keys to select Enabled or Disabled and press Enter.

Press the F10 key to save the settings and exit.