Saturday, July 26, 2025

How to Fix “USB Device Not Recognized” Error in Windows

 













🔌 USB Device Not Recognized? Here's What to Do

You plug in your USB drive or external hard disk, and suddenly you get that dreaded message:
“USB Device Not Recognized.”

Don’t worry — this issue is quite common on Windows PCs and servers. In this post, we’ll walk through simple and effective steps to fix it.

🛠️ Causes of the Error

  • Faulty USB port or cable

  • Outdated USB drivers

  • Power supply issues

  • Corrupted USB device

  • System glitches in Windows

✅ Step-by-Step Fixes

1. Try a Different USB Port

  • Unplug your device and plug it into another USB port

  • Preferably on a different side of the laptop or PC

🔁 Sometimes, only one port may be faulty.

2. Reboot the Computer

  • A simple restart can reinitialize the USB controller

  • Unplug all USB devices before restarting

3. Use Device Manager to Refresh USB Drivers

  1. Press Win + X > choose Device Manager

  2. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers

  3. Right-click each USB Root Hub > Uninstall device

  4. Restart PC — Windows will reinstall drivers automatically

4. Update USB Drivers

  1. In Device Manager, right-click on Unknown USB Device

  2. Click Update driver

  3. Choose Search automatically for drivers

✅ Let Windows search online for compatible drivers.

5. Disable USB Selective Suspend

  1. Go to Control Panel > Power Options

  2. Click Change plan settings > Change advanced settings

  3. Expand USB settings > USB selective suspend setting

  4. Set it to Disabled

🔌 This prevents Windows from turning off USB devices to save power.

6. Check for Windows Updates

  • Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update

  • Install all available updates and restart

Sometimes USB bugs are fixed through system patches.

7. Try on Another Computer

If the device still doesn't work:

  • Test it on another PC

  • If it fails there too, the USB device might be corrupted or dead

🔧 Bonus: Use USB Repair Tools

  • Try free utilities like:

    • USBDeview

    • CHKDSK in CMD (chkdsk E: /f)

    • Windows USB Troubleshooter