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Unfortunately, today you plugged in your beloved USB into your computer, and it shows the 'USB device not recognized' error. What's noteworthy is that the USB is either brand new or hasn't been used for long, and it's already encountering the USB device not recognized error. So, how do you resolve the 'USB device not recognized' error? As you may know, USB devices are not flawless, often plagued with issues like unformattable USB or even failure to open. Mytour has provided detailed guides on fixing issues like unformattable USB or devices not opening in previous articles. However, dealing with the 'USB device not recognized' error on Windows 10/ 8/ 7 is a different challenge.
The 'USB device not recognized' error on Windows 10/ 8/ 7 prevents you from connecting to your computer, among other possible issues. Due to numerous reasons leading to the 'USB device not recognized' error on Windows 10/ 8/ 7, you can self-diagnose the USB Device Not Recognized error on your computer or refer to our article below for guidance.
Fixing the 'USB device not recognized' error on Windows 10/ 8/ 7.
Method 1: Update Device Driver
If Windows doesn't recognize the device, in the Device Manager window, you may see the device listed as Unknown Device.
To open Device Manager, click on Start, then type devmgmt.msc into the Search box or access Control Panel, find and click on Device Manager.
In this scenario, right-click on Unknown Device, select Properties, then choose the Driver tab and click on Update Driver.
If this option doesn't work, you can try downloading the device driver from the manufacturer's official website.
If your USB device is a Flash drive, the cause might not be a driver issue. However, if you're installing a printer, connecting a drawing pad, or similar devices through the USB port, the problem could be a faulty driver you downloaded for a specific device.
Method 2: Restart and Disconnect USB Devices
Another solution you can try to fix the issue is to disconnect all USB devices and restart your computer. Once the computer restarts, try reconnecting the problematic USB device.
If one USB port doesn't recognize the device, try plugging it into another port. If other USB ports still recognize the USB device, the issue may be with the faulty hardware of that specific USB port. If no USB port recognizes the device, you can try applying the next solutions.
Method 3: USB Root Hub
Additionally, you can try another solution by opening Device Manager, expanding USB Serial Bus Controllers, right-clicking on USB Root Hub, and selecting Properties.
Click on the Power Management tab, check the box for Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. If there are multiple USB Root Hubs, you need to repeat these steps for each hub.
Click OK and restart your computer. Try reconnecting the USB device and check if it's recognized.
If not, go back to the Power Management tab for each USB Root Hub, check the box for Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power once again. If the device is still not recognized, uncheck the box.
Method 4: Direct Connection to the Computer
In some cases, the culprit causing the USB Device Not Recognized error could be a USB hub. Due to a limited number of USB ports, using a hub is necessary. To fix the error, disconnect the hub and directly connect the device to a USB port on the computer. Then, consider purchasing a higher-quality hub for future use.
If using a different hub still results in an error, the only solution may be to accept reducing the number of connected devices to match the actual available ports.
If facing this issue on Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, Microsoft has released a hotfix for cases where Windows 8 doesn't properly detect USB devices. Make sure you install this hotfix on your Windows 8 computer.
Method 5: Fix the 'USB device not recognized' error by restarting the computer.
The simplest yet often the most effective method to fix the 'USB device not recognized' error on Windows 10/ 8/ 7 is to restart the computer. It's likely that some components in the system may have temporarily stopped functioning during use, and restarting the computer is a solution to restart those services.
Method 6: Fix the 'USB device not recognized' error by customizing Device Manager.
Device Manager is the central hub for managing all devices in the computer, including peripherals like HDDs and USB devices.
Step 1: To access Device Manager, first open the Start Menu, then type 'device manager' and access it.
Step 2: Click on Disk drives and choose Uninstall to remove it, then restart your computer.
Step 3: If the above method doesn't work, try again by selecting Action and Scan for hardware changes to search for any hardware changes.
Step 4: Alternatively, you can opt for another approach by upgrading software versions. Who knows, it might help you fix the 'USB device not recognized' error.
Continue by clicking on Search automatically for updated driver software to let the system automatically scan and update to the latest driver.
Method 7: Use Troubleshooting to fix the 'USB device not recognized' error.
Troubleshooting helps identify and proactively fix errors in the system. Utilizing Troubleshooting is also a useful way to address the 'USB device not recognized' error.
Step 1: Open the Start Menu, then type 'troubleshooting' and click on the first result.
Step 2: In Troubleshooting, locate the Hardware and Sound section. Further access the Configure a device section to allow the system to automatically scan and find errors.
Method 8: Adjust settings in Power Options
It may sound unbelievable, but surprisingly, this is one of the reasons for the 'USB device not recognized' error on Windows 10/ 8/ 7. To address this issue, you also need to give this method a try.
Step 1: Open the Start Menu, type 'Power Option' and access the Power Options in Control Panel.
Step 2: In Power Options, proceed to select Change plan settings.
Step 3: Go deeper with Change advanced power settings.
Step 4: Finally, find the USB settings >USB selective suspend settings and disable it.
Method 9: Use automatic driver search software
If you're exhausted from the above methods, using automatic driver search software is a convenient solution. What you need is a quality driver search software like Driver Booster, which Mytour wants to mention here. It excels in updating, searching, and managing drivers, with fast download speeds being a notable advantage of the software.
Download Driver Booster here: Driver Booster Download.
With the 5 methods above, Mytour hopes you can thoroughly fix the 'USB device not recognized' error on Windows 10/ 8/ 7. However, if you've applied them and still can't connect the USB to the computer, Mytour advises you to get a new USB, as it may be entirely damaged. You can buy a new one instead of continuing to investigate the causes and solutions for the computer not recognizing the USB. Clearly, with the mentioned measures, there's no fix for the computer not recognizing the USB anymore.
