How To Fix Usb Device Not Recognized in Windows

Method 1 - Unplug Computer So how did I finally fix the problem? Well, if you are lucky, it's a super simple solution! Try this method first and if it works, you'll have saved a lot of time.
Simply unplug your computer from the power supply. Yes that is it! Note that this does not mean just turning off your computer using the power button because most modern computers don't actually turn off completely and the motherboard will still get power. This is useful sometimes if you want to remotely wake up a computer, etc.
The motherboard is where all of hardware of the computer connects to, including the USB ports. Sometimes the motherboard needs to be "rebooted" because things can go wrong, i.e. all or some USB ports suddenly stop working. The small microprocessor on the motherboard will reload the drivers and your USB ports should hopefully be recognizing devices again.
So first turn off your computer using the Shut Down option in Windows or pressing the power button and then UNPLUG the PC from the wall outlet. Let it sit for several minutes and then plug it back in.
Method 2 - Update Device Driver If Windows is not able to recognize the device, you may also see in Device Manager that the device shows up as an "Unknown Device". You can get to Device Manager by clicking on Start and typing in devmgmt.msc or by going to Control Panel and clicking on Device Manager.
In that case, you should right-click on Unknown Device, click on Properties, then the Driver tab and then click Update Driver.

If this doesn't work, you can also try to download the driver for your device from the manufacturer's website. If the USB device is just a flash drive, then it's probably not a driver issue. However, if you are installing a USB printer, drawing pad, etc, then it might be worth downloading the driver for that specific device.

Method 3 - Restart & Disconnect USB Devices The next thing you can try is to disconnect all USB devices and then restart the machine. once you have restarted, try to connect the USB device that was causing the problem.
If that particular USB port doesn't recognize it, try another one. If the device is recognized by a different USB port, there could be a hardware problem with one of the USB ports. If no USB port recognizes the device, then keep reading because it's probably something else.

Method 4 - USB Root Hub Another thing you can try is to open Device Manager, expand USB Serial Bus Controllers, right-click on USB Root Hub and then click on Properties.
Click on the Power Management tab and uncheck the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power box. If you have more than one USB Root Hub listed, you need to repeat these steps for each one.
Click OK and then restart your computer. Try to reconnect the USB device and see if it is recognized. If not, go back to the power management tab for each one and check the box again. If it does recognize the device, then leave them unchecked.

Method 5 - Connect Directly to PC A friend of mine ran into this issue and the cause ended up being his USB hub. He only had three USB ports on his computer, so he bought a hub where he could connect an additional 8 USB devices.
I guess this proved too much for his computer and it just started sporadically not recognizing various devices. After removing the hub and connecting the device directly to the computer, it worked just fine.
We haven't really been able to find any other solution to this problem other than reducing the number of items connected to the hub. Actually, one other solution worked, but it meant having to buy a new USB hub with more power.
If you are having this problem with Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, then you might be in luck. Microsoft has released a fix for Windows 8 not detecting USB devices properly. Make sure to install this hotfix if running Windows 8.
Method 6 - USB Troubleshooter If nothing has worked so far, you can download the Windows USB Troubleshooter Fixit tool. It's a free tool that works with Windows XP, Vista and 7.
You can either have the troubleshooter fix the problems for you or select the fixes yourself. I would just let it fix them for you since the choices can sometimes be confusing and technical for the novice user.
Method 7 - Update Generic USB Hub If you are getting the Unknown Device error in Device Manager, you can also try one other thing. Open Device Manager and then expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
You should see at least one item called Generic USB Hub. On some computers, you might see two, three or more of these. Right-click on the first one and choose Update Driver Software.
When the update dialog pops up, choose Browse my computer for driver software.
When the update dialog pops up, choose Browse my computer for driver software.

there is 2 possibility, you could be either have a malfunction usb device or when you plug-in the device to a faulty (or inactive / not supporting usb 2.0 or greater) usb port, the message appear.

hopefully this helps. ;)

In most cases this message is fairly true and accurate. Whatever it is that you plugged in is most likely broken. Two things you can try to test this: 1. Plug it into another USB port in your computer, if it is the same message, move to step 2. If it works, then there may be something wrong with that USB port on the computer. 2. Try the device on another computer. If you get the same message, the device is probably broken. If it works, then most likely there is something wrong with the USB ports on your computer. Let me know if you need more assistance.

Did this suddenly start to occur? Were they working before? If so, it is very simple - shut down computer, remove the battery and unplug any power source, wait a couple of minutes and reassemble and power up. Wala! I read all kinds of complicated instructions, started with the simple, and problem solved.

There are few things to remember using USB.

• If your System is in hybernation mode, don't remove any attached USB device, because it will damage your USB driver. This is one of the known problem from microsoft.
• If you have to remove any USB device use 'Safely Remove Hardware'.

To remove currepted USB drivers its not enough to remove your printer drivers.

1. You should un-install the 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers' from Device Manager.
2. Then re-boot to clean registry.
3. Install the 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers' using XP Setup CD.
4. Then check the Mass storage, PDA etc, it should recognized by XP.
5. Then install printer driver (don't attach printer to system untill setup finish or setup says to connect).

I think it will fix.
Please let me know your feed-back.

Thanks
Iqbal