Windows 8 does not recognize the USB device. Solving the error “USB device not recognized”
Every computer and flash drive user has at least once found himself in a situation where the flash drive failed. That is, it is impossible to view the information that is stored on it. The flash drive does not work, the computer does not see the flash drive, files are either not written, or are not transferred from the flash drive, or it shows a discrepancy in the storage capacity of the storage device.
But first things first.
The computer does not see the flash drive
In fact, there are a lot of problems that affect the computer’s detection of a flash drive - even the version of the operating system itself.
And so, you inserted a flash drive into the computer, it is not detected. How does this manifest itself?
The computer tells you what you need " insert disk" Even when you did.
The computer writes that the disk needs to be formatted because it is not formatted;
A data error has occurred;
The computer freezes when a flash drive is inserted;
The device is not recognized.
Now you will read a short instruction on how to solve the problem when the computer does not see the flash drive. But this does not mean that this instruction will help you 100%. If one method does not help, move on to another until the problem goes away.
Go!
The first thing you can do is check whether the utility sees " disk management» your flash drive. To do this, run this very utility:
Click Start → Execute (Win+R)→ enter → diskmgmt.msc→ press Enter. OR
Control panel → Administration → Computer management → Disk management.
In the disk management window, pay attention to what happens when you connect and disconnect a flash drive to the computer - does the disk disappear and appear again, or not?
The best option is when the computer sees the flash drive, and all the partitions on it are in the “ OK" If this is the case, then do the following: right-click on it and select “ make the section active" You may need to assign a letter to the partition.
Well, in principle, this will be enough for the computer to see the flash drive.
Well, what if suddenly this utility displays the message “ Unknown" or " Not initialized", as well as one partition in the state " Not distributed", this will mean that the flash drive is damaged. Therefore, the computer does not see the flash drive. You need to perform data recovery (more on this later).
If you connect your flash drive through an extension cord or USB hub, then try connecting it directly. Also try connecting to all available USB ports. Next, as an option, you can turn off and restart the computer, disconnect other devices from the computer (well, except for the keyboard and mouse, of course), and then restart the computer. In this case, if the flash drive is detected and starts working, then the problem is obviously in the power supply to the USB ports, there is simply not enough power. There is only one piece of advice - replace the power supply with a more powerful one.
Option to remove old drivers
Use this option when the computer does not see the flash drive and writes “ Insert disc", provided that the flash drive is already inserted. This problem and more can be caused by old drivers that are available in Windows. For example, when you connect a flash drive to your computer, your PC turns off or reboots.
The reason is that Windows installs drivers for flash drives the first time you connect them to the port, and when you unplug the flash drive, the drivers remain in the system and do not go anywhere. Then you connect a new flash drive, a conflict arises, which is caused by the reaction of Windows when trying to use the old driver that was installed when connecting the first flash drive.
How to remove old drivers?
First, turn off the computer. Disconnect all memory devices and peripherals and accessories from it.
Turn on your computer.
Download the utility DriveCleanup.
We copy, depending on your version of Windows, a 32-bit or 64-bit version drivecleanup.exe to daddy C:\Windows\System32.
Launch the command line as administrator (right mouse button on the menu “ Start") and enter drivecleanup.exe . Click Enter and watch as the computer deletes all drivers and entries.
After the removal is complete, simply restart your computer, insert a new USB flash drive and Windows will install new drivers on it.
USB device not recognized
When you connect a flash drive, printer or any other device that connects via USB in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, and you see an error, an unidentified device - read these instructions and we will try to figure it out.
There are actually many reasons why Windows cannot recognize a USB device, and therefore there are also quite a few solutions.
The device is not recognized. What to do?
If you encounter a problem when you insert a USB flash drive and a message appears that you have connected an unidentified device when connecting any device via USB, make sure that the USB itself is in good condition. This will save you and me time. To make sure the USB plug is working properly, you can try connecting it to another computer or laptop. If everything also does not work, then the problem is in the device itself. If it works, read on.
This method is for those cases where the device previously worked without comment. Everything was determined.
We disconnect our USB device, which the computer cannot recognize, disconnect all devices that we do not need at the moment, and connect a device that is not detected to the rear panel of the system unit and see if the problem is solved.
Correction of the message " Device not recognized" through Device Manager and USB Drivers.
Let's go to device Manager(press Win + R keys) enter devmgmt.msc what field do we click on? Enter.
The connected device will most likely be in the list USB controllers or Other devices(and be called " Unknown device»).
If it is in the list with other devices and you are connected to the Internet, you can right-click on it and press the button update drivers.
If an unidentified device is still in the list USB controllers, then right-click on it, and on the Driver tab, click the button roll back or Delete.
Another option is in the USB properties in the “ Power management» uncheck the box « Allow this device to turn off to save power».
You can also try for all devices that are in the " USB controllers» do the following:
Click " Update driver».
Click search for drivers on this computer.
Select a driver from the list of already installed drivers.
In the list you will see that there is a driver that is compatible with the device. Select it and click " Further" The driver will be installed, after which the computer may recognize the device.
In Windows 8.1, this problem occurs with external hard drives and flash drives that operate from a USB 3.0 port.
This problem can be solved in the menu for managing the parameters of the laptop power supply circuits.
To do this, go to the Windows Control Panel in the Power Options section, select the power plan you are using and click “Change advanced power settings.” In the USB settings, you need to disable temporarily disabling USB ports.
Sometimes, when connecting a flash drive, printer or other devices that are connected via USB, an error occurs. that the USB device is not recognized. This problem is relevant both in Windows 7 and Windows 8, and in Windows 10. Also, this error occurs when working with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. Therefore, today we will write a simple instruction with several methods to solve this problem. Go.
What to do if “USB device is not recognized”
So, if a similar error occurs when connecting any device via USB, then first of all you need to connect it to another USB port. The problem may be in the device itself and we need to make sure of this.
Next, if the computer does not see the device through other ports, then you need to test it on another computer or laptop. If the device is still not recognized by the computer, then most likely the problem is in the device itself. In this case, it is necessary to diagnose the device itself. By the way, if everything is as described just above, then the methods described below are unlikely to help you. At best, read on.
There is another way after which there is a high probability that the USB device will work:
- First, remove the device itself from the USB input, then turn off the computer and remove the plug from the socket, now press the power button and HOLD for a few seconds. Thus, the remaining charge will disappear from other components.
- Turn on the computer and try to connect the USB device. Most likely it will work.
The third method is a little faster than the previous ones. It lies in the fact that if many different devices are connected to the computer in the USB ports, then you should try to disconnect some of them, and connect the non-recognizing device to the rear USB output. If everything works, then congratulations, otherwise we move on to the next stage.
We solve the problem through the device manager
In this method we will use the task manager and I would like to immediately note that this method will help some, but not others. So, to begin with, by pressing the keys Win+R, open the window “ Execute" and enter a phrase there that will open the device manager for us: devmgmt.msc.
Since today we are talking about problems with USB, most likely the problematic device is located in the “ USB controllers" There are also unidentified devices that you should also pay attention to.
If the device is unidentified, that is, with a yellow exclamation mark, then you can try to update it via the Internet by clicking on it RMB. Or, if that doesn’t help, use the online version of Driver Pack Solution, which will help you find the missing driver. We wrote about her.
Here are a couple more methods, in case the unidentified device is located in the USB controllers tab.
- Click on the device RMB and in " Properties» select the tab « Driver" where you need to click roll back. If there is no such item, then simply click delete, and then update the equipment configuration and see if the unidentified device has disappeared.
- In this case, we need to go to the item “ Generic USB Hub», « USB Root Controller" And " USB hub" In the properties of these devices in " power management"You must REMOVE the checkbox in the item " Allow this device to turn off to save power».
The next method that works on Windows 8.1 is that for all the devices that we listed above, you need to properties click on the button " Update drivers"and then, in the window that appears, select search on this computer. The most compatible ones should already be on your computer, and you will see them in the window. You need to select it and click next. If everything went well, you can try connecting the USB device that was not working. By the way, before connecting, I would advise you to restart your computer again.
Devices are not recognized in Windows 8.1 – USB 3.0
For example, on laptops this problem can be a fairly common condition. Especially if you are running Windows 8.1, and devices such as flash drives run on USB 3.0.
To resolve this same error with the device not recognizing, you need to change some settings in . To do this you need to go to Control Panel and select " Power supply" Now you need to select the power supply scheme that you use, for example, “High performance”, you can set it for everyone. So, by clicking on " Power plan settings"Next you need to go to " change advanced settings..." In the settings item for temporarily disabling the USB port, you must activate the value “ Prohibit».
That's all. If this article helped you, be sure to write about it in the comments. In the event that I missed any other valid methods for correcting this error, it would not be bad if you also talked about this in the comments.
One of the most common errors when connecting USB devices to a computer is the inability of the operating system to detect the hardware. The user receives a notification if this problem occurs. Regular reconnection often does not bring any results, so you will need to perform additional steps to resolve the problem. Let's look at them in detail.
First, we recommend that owners of Windows OS version 7 carry out manipulations with the device itself and the computer before moving on to radical options, because sometimes such tips help correct the error. You need to do the following:
- Connect the equipment to the PC through another free connector. It is best to use the input on the motherboard rather than on the case.
- Use a different cable if the device is connected by wires. It often happens that one of the contacts comes loose and because of this, correct functioning with the operating system is impossible.
- Disconnect other controllers or storage media connected via USB if they are not needed at the moment.
- Reset the component charges. Remove the non-working device from the connector, turn off the PC, disconnect the power supply and hold down the button "Power" for a few seconds, then start your computer. In addition, you can remove and insert RAM dies, preferably into another free slot.
If these manipulations do not bring any results, we advise you to pay attention to the two methods presented below. In them you will find a detailed guide on how to fix device recognition errors in Windows.
Method 1: Rollback or uninstall the driver
In most cases, the problem occurs due to incorrect operation of the drivers. The situation can be corrected in just a few steps, and even an inexperienced user can handle the process, since it does not require additional knowledge or skills. Just follow the following instructions:
Sometimes you need to reconnect the device to start updating the software again. However, almost always the entire process occurs correctly without this action.
Method 2: Change power settings
In Windows, you can configure your power plan to get the most out of your computer's power supply or laptop battery. By default, one parameter is enabled, which may cause the “USB device not recognized” error to occur. Disabling it will help solve the problem. This is done easily:
All that remains is to reconnect the device to the PC and check that it is detected correctly.
Problems with recognizing USB equipment in the Windows 7 operating system occur quite often. However, as you can understand from our article, it can be solved quite easily, it is only important to choose the right method and follow it.
What to do if the computer does not see USB? First of all, you need to make sure that the device you need to connect is not damaged. You can check this very simply: if everything is fine when you connect it to another computer, then the device itself is working. Also, when connecting it to your PC, pay attention to whether the light bulb (LED) lights up. If the USB ports and cable may be fully functional, you need to check the settings of the device itself and confirm that it can communicate with the computer (if this option is disabled, the device will not appear on your computer). This also applies to tablets, smartphones, MP3 players and similar gadgets.
Many people connect new devices to the USB ports located on the front panel of the system unit. However, very often the front ports do not have a connection to the power supply, or there is power, but it is not enough for correct operation. What to do if the computer does not see this situation? Simply reconnect the device to one of the ports located on the back.
Sometimes the system immediately detects a new data drive, but displays a message that the device is not recognized and refuses to read the information. Most often, the problem lies, again, in insufficient power and is solved by connecting the media to another port. However, in some cases there is a need for the easiest and most convenient way to do this using specialized programs (say, Everest). It will help you find out the name of your board, and then download the appropriate drivers from the official websites of the manufacturers.
It is also possible that the problems occurred because Windows assigned the new device a volume label (letter) that was already in use. This can be corrected using the control panel tools (right-click on the “My Computer” shortcut and select “Manage” from the menu that appears). On the right you will see the "Storage Devices" tab, and in it - All you have to do is find the label of our device, right-click and select "Disk Path" ("Change Drive Letter"). In the window that opens, enter a new character. After doing this, the problem can be fixed.
What to do if the computer does not see USB? Although very rare, it still happens that the ability to read data from USB devices is disabled in the BIOS. Most often, this is done in online salons and similar establishments so that people, using their media, do not infect their computers with viruses. If we are talking about a home PC, you should go into the BIOS, and then check the box that allows the motherboard to enable USB devices.
If the computer does not see information on your drive via USB, this may be due to the presence of malicious virus programs on the PC itself or the connected device. Here the solution is obvious: you should download a reliable, powerful antivirus and conduct a full scan of both the computer itself and the drive.
This advice most likely applies to those who cannot connect a flash drive. What to do if you have already done everything described above? You need to know that sometimes there is a conflict between the file systems of USB devices and PC. As a rule, on flash drives these are FAT and FAT32 systems. Modern hard drives support the NTFS system. Using the already familiar Disk Management, you can change the file system type of the flash drive to FAT32 or NTFS.
Finally, you may just need to format the drive. This can be done if it is displayed in the list of connected devices. However, when formatting, all data stored on it will be permanently deleted.
Surely many users, when connecting a USB drive, a third-party hard drive or some other equipment, could see a notification on their screens that an error has occurred and the USB device is not recognized. This can happen on all latest versions of the Windows operating system and can occur with USB 2.0 and 3.0. This error can be resolved quite simply.
There are a huge number of reasons that contribute to the appearance of an error when the operating system does not recognize the flash drive. In addition, there are also quite a few options for fixing the problem. It is worth noting that the methods for solving the problem are individual for each method, so it may be suitable for some, but not for others.
The first manipulations when the error “USB device is not recognized” occurs
First of all, if you have a problem connecting a USB drive, printer, mouse or keyboard to your PC, you need to check the functionality of the device itself.
In this case, you need to try connecting this USB device to a third-party PC or laptop, if possible, and check its functionality. If the device does not work, then we can say with confidence that it is this device that is causing the error, and there is no point in looking for other reasons. In this case, you need to check whether the USB device is connected correctly. You can connect it to another port, and if this does not resolve the error, then you need to check the drive itself.
In addition, there is another option that can be applied. It is suitable if the device has worked correctly up to this point. It can also be used when the first method is not possible.
In this case, you need to disconnect the drive that the computer does not recognize and turn off the PC. Then you need to unplug the power cord from the outlet and press and hold the computer's power button for a few seconds. As a result, all remaining charge will disappear from the motherboard and all elements of the computer.
In addition, there is another method that will help much faster than all others. If you are using a desktop computer and have a lot of different equipment connected to its front panel, you need to disconnect some of them that are not needed at the moment, and connect the device that is causing the error to the back panel of the PC. This may resolve the issue and no further action will be necessary.
It is worth noting that if the USB device has its own power supply, you need to connect it or make sure that it is connected. In addition, you need to check the functionality of the power supply.
Device Manager and USB Drivers
Also, to correct the error when the USB device is not recognized by the PC, you can use the device manager of the seventh or eighth version of the operating system. This option involves several methods to solve the problem, which may work in a particular situation, or maybe nothing will work.
The first thing you need to do is go to Device Manager. This can be done in a very simple way. You need to press the Win+R combination on your keyboard and write devmgmt.msc in the Run window, then press Enter.
In most cases, an unrecognized device may be located in two departments of the dispatcher. This could be “USB Controllers” and “Other Devices”. The last item may be called “Unknown devices”.
If an unknown device is displayed in Other Devices, then you can connect to the network and right-click on it. In the drop-down menu you need to select “Update drivers”. In this case, the operating system can independently install everything necessary. If this does not happen, you can try updating the drivers yourself.
If the unknown device is located in the "USB Controllers" list and is indicated by an exclamation mark, then there are a couple of steps you can take. You need to right-click on the device and select “Properties” from the menu. After that, in the “Driver” section, you need to click on “Roll Back”, if possible. If this cannot be done, then you need to eliminate the driver by clicking the “Delete” button.
Next, you need to click on “Action” in the device manager. Here you should select “Update device configuration” and check whether the PC recognizes the USB device.
In addition, you can go to the settings of each USB device named Generic USB Hub, USB Root Hub and in the “Power Management” section, uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
If this does not bring the desired result, then you can try another method, which can definitely be useful for the “eight”. For all devices connected to the PC, several manipulations must be performed in order.
You need to right-click on each one and select “Update drivers.” After this, you should specify “Search for drivers on this PC.” Then you need to click on “Select a driver from the list of already installed ones.” This list should show a compatible driver.
After that, you need to select it and click “Next”. As a result, the driver for the USB controller to which the device is connected will begin to be reinstalled. This may resolve the error.
USB 3.0 devices are not recognized in Windows 8
On laptops running Windows 8, such errors are quite common. This mainly occurs for drives using USB 3.0.
You can get rid of this problem by changing the settings of the laptop's power supply circuit. You need to go to “Control Panel” and select “Power Options”. Here you need to find the scheme you are using and click “Change advanced power settings”. After this, in the USB settings you should deactivate the temporary shutdown of USB ports.
These are the main reasons and methods for eliminating the problem when the system does not recognize the USB device. Surely one of them will be suitable for eliminating the error.