Sometimes your USB device, which is plug-and-play nature really need a set of codes, in this case known as a driver, to interact with your device. If the computer prompts you to install a driver, let it try. If it doesn't, go to Control Panel Printers and devices to see if there is any Unidentified USB device or Unknown device listed there. You must care about these things when in face of unknown USB drive problem, right? Taking this into account, I decided to show you how to recover data from unknown USB device and the way to deal with the unknown USB device in Windows 10 properly. Here is a real case of unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) code 43 in Windows 10. Method 6: Installing Generic USB Hub Driver. Installing the Generic USB Hub Driver might work for you especially if you are seeing an Unknown Device in the Device Manager. Hold Windows key and press R; Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter; Expand the Universal Serial Bus Controller by double clicking it. If the USB device driver is not up-to-date, the Unknown USB Device Set Address Failed error can appear. On the other hand, this issue can also happen after you update the device driver. You need to verify which situation you are facing and then choose to update or roll back the USB device driver. Reinstall the drivers for the device. Uninstalling and then reinstalling the drivers for the device is a possible solution to a Code 43 error. If a USB device is generating the Code 43 error, uninstall every device under the Universal Serial Bus controllers hardware category in Device Manager as part of the driver reinstall.
- Unknown Usb Device Driver For Windows 10 Latest
- Hp Unknown Device Windows 10
- Other Devices Unknown Device Windows 10
- Unknown Device Driver Download
Dec 16, 2020 • Filed to: USB Recovery • Proven solutions
Many users have experienced such a downfall in the quest to fully utilize their computers. It happens that sometimes, you plug a USB device but instead of functioning well, you are greeted with device request descriptor failed - pop up message. So devastating! Worry no more because that is exactly what this post is going to help you overcome.
Part 1. Overview of the Error
USB devices are important storage hubs that are used from time to time. Apart from storage, they are also a good forum for transporting files from one device to another. Talk of being small in size, easy to handle, and larger in storage capacity with numerous categories such as memory card, USB flash drive, pen drive, among others. So, you can imagine the magnitude of frustration when you encounter the device request descriptor failed at the eleventh hour into accessing a much-awaited for the file.
The USB device descriptor is the part that stores information for any of your USB gadgets. And when it fails, it means it is not able to recognize a USB device. The result is error messages such as 'one of the USB devices attached to your computer has malfunctioned, unknown USB device or tries reconnecting the device' among other baring messages.
So, what's the warning sign?
As soon as you open the 'Device Manager', you should see the USB device that's displayed under Universal Bus Controllers marked with an exclamation mark, yellow in color. Additional 'device request descriptor failed' message may also be displayed. This should be the starting point of you identifying the real problem. Check the portrayed message properties to identify the error at a point. And a plethora of causes throws you to such disarray. Check them out on our next topic!
Part 2. What Causes the 'Unknown USB Device' Error?
Several causes lead to this problem. Identifying the exact cause is the first step into helping you determine the right method to solve the issue on your Windows or other devices. Let's see how to pinpoint the root cause of unknown USB device error.
- A connection issue will result in a USB device that doesn't communicate properly with the computer. This usually reports the 'error code 43'
- Windows may also fail to find the description of your USV device
- The computer may also turn off various devices when there is a power shortage. The remedy is to disable this option in the 'Device Manager'
- If the USB device is using outdated or corrupted drivers
- If the USB drive contains bad sectors, it automatically gets damaged and will hinder further connectivity of the USB device with the computer
- Windows OS may also be missing important updates and just refuse to recognize the USB
Part 3. How Do I Fix an Unknown USB Device?
Quick Fix:
1. Try the USB device with a different USB port
In some cases, it could be that the device request descriptor failed because the USB port is malfunctioning. In such a case, you need to check each of the available USB ports individually. By this, you will be able to determine whether the problem is due to the port or not.
Plug your USB device in one port at a time. Repeat the procedure until you have tried all the USB ports. It will be easy to pinpoint which particular port has a mishap.
2. Connect the USB device to another PC
Your PC may also be the root cause of the USB descriptor failed. Possible causes may be a bad sector in the Windows OS, outdated drivers on your computer, or non-functional USB ports. Trying out another PC may help arrest the situation.
Unplug your USB device from the computer in question and connect it to another PC. If it is recognizable, then you know that the problem lies with the earlier used computer and not the USB drive.
Advanced Fix:
The first two quick fixes may not have yielded any fruit and you could be compelled to look into other solutions with in-depth performance.
1. Uninstall the USB Driver in Device Manager
This is when your computer needs a revamp probably from corrupted or outdated files. Follow these steps to uninstall the USB drive from the Device Manager.
- Open the Device Manager. Then open the 'Run dialog' box by pressing the 'Windows' and 'R' keys together. Type in 'devmgmt.msc' in the Run and then click the 'OK' button. This will open the Device Manager.
- Next, expand the category Universal Serial Bus Controllers. From the options, you can locate the USB drive that is not being recognized. It should be tagged with a yellow sign of 'Unknown USB Device' error.
- Right-click on that USB drive and choose the 'Uninstall' option. Then, restart your computer as soon as the drivers have been uninstalled successfully.
- Some Windows OS will reinstall the drivers automatically. Otherwise, you can also reinstall the drivers manually.
2. Update the USB Driver
- Go to the 'Start' menu then click on the 'Device Manager' to open the Device Manager platform.
- Next, browse and expand option 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers'
- Then right-click on the 'Generic USB Hub' entry option and select the 'Update Driver Software'
- The 'Update Driver Software Generic USB Hub' window will pop up. Check out for the driver software available for your computer. You'll be able to locate and install driver software manually.
3. Disable Fast Startup
This is another way to fix device descriptor request failed that will also prevent your USB device from powering down.
- Click the 'Start' button and then type in 'power plan'. Next, select the 'Choose a power plan' option from the results listed.
- Then click on the 'Change Plan Settings' option. Further, select the 'Change Advanced Power Settings' option.
- Expand the 'USB Settings' by clicking the box with a 'plus' sign. Once expanded, select the 'USB selective suspend settings' and pick on the 'Plugged in' option.
- Go to the drop-down menu and select the 'Disabled' option. Next, tap 'Apply' and then click on the 'OK' option. This will disable Fast Startup and help in the unknown USB device fix.
4. Update Generic USB Hub
- To update the Generic USB Hub, go to the 'Start' menu, and select the 'Device Manager' option.
- Once the Device Manager opens, browse the available list and expand option 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers'
- Once more, right-click the 'Generic USB Hub' entry and pick on the 'Update Driver Software' option
- The Update Driver Software Generic USB Hub will pop up. Select the 'Browse my computer for driver software' option. By this, you can now locate and install the driver software manually on your computer.
- Select 'Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer' list option. All the driver software that is compatible with your device will be shown on the list.
- Pick the 'Generic USB Hub' item that suits your match and then click the 'Next' button. The installation will begin in due course. Wait for its completion.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, it is possible to outrightly perform a USB unknown device fix for your windows 7 or any other higher version. The above quick-fix options are simple and do not need any high-tech know-how. However, there are further advanced fixes that will dig deeper into your system and solve the unknown USB device almost instantly.
Recoverit - The Best USB Data Recovery Software
- Recovers and reads files in 1000+ file formats and restore them with 95% efficiency;
- Supports each external storage source including a USB flash drive, external hard disk, an SD card, camera, camcorder, drone, and many others;
- Available for both if your macOS & Windows devices;
- Recovers data from situations like virus-infected and crashed computer, and formatted deletion;
USB Solution
- Recover USB Drive
- Format USB Drive
- Fix/Repair USB Drive
- Know USB Drive
This page offers six solutions to fix the USB device not recognized issue in Windows 10/8/7/XP. If you get this error message 'The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, Windows does not recognize it' or you cannot open your device, accessing data, read this article to fix this issue without data loss.
6 Fixes| USB Device Malfunctioned and Not Recognized
This page unveils six solutions to fix the 'USB device malfunctioned and is not recognized' issue. If you are having this USB device error, don't worry. Pick up any method below to make your USB recognizable and work again.
Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
---|---|
Fix 1. Unplug Computer | Shut down computer > Unplug the power cable > Replug and restart the computer a few minutes later..Full steps |
Fix 2. Change USB Cable/Port | Check the available USB cables and ports one by one > If USB cable or ports itself is damaged, change it ..Full steps |
Fix 3. Update Device Driver | Open Disk Management > Expand 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers' > Right-click 'Generic USB Hub'..Full steps |
Fix 4. Fix Root Hub | Open Device Manager > Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers > Right-click USB Root Hub..Full steps |
Fix 5. Change USB Settings | Right-click Windows icon and select 'Power Options' > 'Change plan settings' > 'Change advanced..'..Full steps |
Fix 6. Reinstall USB Driver | Open Device Manager > Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers > Locate USB drivers..Full steps |
'USB device not recognized' is an error that usually occurs to the Windows computer when you plug in a USB device. Here, the USB device mentioned by Windows is a general concept, not limited to a USB hard drive or flash drive, but other devices using a USB port for connection, including a USB mouse, keyboard, Android phone, camera, printer, etc. When Windows generates such an error, the USB will not show up on your computer. As a result, you can't open your device or access your data. In different situations, the error is followed by different messages.
'The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it.'
'One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it. For assistance in solving this problem, click this message.'
The USB device malfunctioned and not recognized error has frustrated a large number of users. If you are one of the victims, here are some fixes you can try to resolve the issue and make your device detected.
How to Fix USB Device Not Recognized in Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista
If your device is not recognized at the moment, you can try the below six solutions to make it show up again. You don't have to try every method, but we strongly recommend you follow the sequence, which our experts have tried many times.
Fix 1. Unplug your computer to fix the USB device malfunctioned
It sounds like a piece of cake thing to do, but it works! For most of not recognizing USB gadgets, there is typically nothing wrong. A computer restart could solve it. This way is meant to reboot the motherboard, which has all of the computer hardware connected to, including the USB ports. Rebooting the motherboard usually helps solve the temporary insufficient power supply for outside devices.
Step 1. Cut your computer power at its source, which is unplugging your computer from the wall outlet.
Step 2. Leave the computer alone for a few minutes, and then replug it in the wall outlet for a restart.
Step 3. Now check if the computer is able to detect the USB device and assign a drive letter to it.
Ahnlab safe transaction download. If this fix failed, don't panic, the next methods are also doable.
![For For](https://thegeekpage.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/update-drive-unknown-usb-device.jpg)
Fix 2. Change the USB cable or USB port to Fix USB device not recognized
Is the computer's USB port working properly? You need to check the available USB ports one by one to see whether it is a computer hardware problem or a problem with the device itself. If changing to another port solves the problem, then there is something wrong with the previous port. You can give up that broken port, or send your computer for repair.
Fix 3. Update/Rollback a device driver if the USB device not recognized
Device Manager operation is another widely suggested way to troubleshoot a non-recognizable USB device on Youtube and IT forums. Does this method apply to your situation? Go on to have a check.
![Unknown Unknown](https://www.diskgenius.com/how-to/img/unknown-USB-device-descriptor-request-failed-01.png)
Step 1. Type device manager in the search box to open Device Manager.
Or you can press Windows + R keys simultaneously to bring up the Run box, then type devmgmt.msc, and hit Enter.
Step 2. Expand 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers' and you will see the item called 'Generic USB Hub'. Righ-click on the first Generic USB Hub and choose Properties.
![Unknown Unknown](https://images.drivereasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/img_57fdeb15c69d9.jpg)
Step 3. Now, navigate to the 'Driver' tab, choose 'Update Driver..'.
Step 4. When asked how do you want to search for driver software, there are two options.
1. Search automatically for updated driver software
This way is an automatic update by Windows. When it finished, all you need to do is to disconnect the USB device, restart the computer and reconnect it again. Windows will install the latest driver for you.
2. Browse my computer for driver software
When you choose this option, you need to continue with the other pop up 'let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.'
From the list, select Generic USB hub, which normally the only choice. Click 'Next' and then Windows will install the driver for you.
- Tip
- If updating the driver doesn't help solve the USB device problem, don't suspend though, try to update each Generic USB Hub until updated them all for once.
In the same path to update the driver, you can also try to roll back to the previous driver before the error occurs. Instead of selecting 'Update Driver' in the 'Driver' tab, choose 'Roll Back Driver' this time.
The changes made on the computer power and the device driver should take effect, and your USB device will no longer report issues. Otherwise, try the rest three methods one by one.
Fix 4. Fix USB Root Hub to Fix USB drive not recognized
The USB root hub is the software driver that lets you connect multiple USB peripherals to your computer. Most computers have multiple root hubs so you can share the data bus across multiple devices. So if the computer cannot recognize your USB drive, you can try to fix the USB root hub.
Step 1. Open Device Manager. Find the Universal Serial Bus controllers option and single click it to expand.
Step 2. Find the USB Root Hub option in this category. Right-click it and choose Properties.
![Unknown Usb Device Driver For Windows 10 Unknown Usb Device Driver For Windows 10](https://www.tenforums.com/attachments/drivers-hardware/152916d1505218090t-usb-device-descriptor-failed-ss-2017-09-12-01.06.42-.png)
![Windows Windows](https://cdn.windowsreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/USBDEVICE_DESCRIPTOR_FAILURE-Error-in-Windows-10-1.png)
Fix 2. Change the USB cable or USB port to Fix USB device not recognized
Is the computer's USB port working properly? You need to check the available USB ports one by one to see whether it is a computer hardware problem or a problem with the device itself. If changing to another port solves the problem, then there is something wrong with the previous port. You can give up that broken port, or send your computer for repair.
Fix 3. Update/Rollback a device driver if the USB device not recognized
Device Manager operation is another widely suggested way to troubleshoot a non-recognizable USB device on Youtube and IT forums. Does this method apply to your situation? Go on to have a check.
Step 1. Type device manager in the search box to open Device Manager.
Or you can press Windows + R keys simultaneously to bring up the Run box, then type devmgmt.msc, and hit Enter.
Step 2. Expand 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers' and you will see the item called 'Generic USB Hub'. Righ-click on the first Generic USB Hub and choose Properties.
Step 3. Now, navigate to the 'Driver' tab, choose 'Update Driver..'.
Step 4. When asked how do you want to search for driver software, there are two options.
1. Search automatically for updated driver software
This way is an automatic update by Windows. When it finished, all you need to do is to disconnect the USB device, restart the computer and reconnect it again. Windows will install the latest driver for you.
2. Browse my computer for driver software
When you choose this option, you need to continue with the other pop up 'let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.'
From the list, select Generic USB hub, which normally the only choice. Click 'Next' and then Windows will install the driver for you.
- Tip
- If updating the driver doesn't help solve the USB device problem, don't suspend though, try to update each Generic USB Hub until updated them all for once.
In the same path to update the driver, you can also try to roll back to the previous driver before the error occurs. Instead of selecting 'Update Driver' in the 'Driver' tab, choose 'Roll Back Driver' this time.
The changes made on the computer power and the device driver should take effect, and your USB device will no longer report issues. Otherwise, try the rest three methods one by one.
Fix 4. Fix USB Root Hub to Fix USB drive not recognized
The USB root hub is the software driver that lets you connect multiple USB peripherals to your computer. Most computers have multiple root hubs so you can share the data bus across multiple devices. So if the computer cannot recognize your USB drive, you can try to fix the USB root hub.
Step 1. Open Device Manager. Find the Universal Serial Bus controllers option and single click it to expand.
Step 2. Find the USB Root Hub option in this category. Right-click it and choose Properties.
Step 3. Go to the Power Management tab and uncheck the 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' option. Then click OK to save your change.
Fix 5. Change the USB Selective Suspend Settings
Another possible reason why your USB got malfunctioned is the hub driver suspends the USB automatically. Ahnlab safe transaction download. In this case, change the USB selective suspend settings could help.
Step 1. Right-click on the Windows icon and click Power Options.
Step 2. In the Choose or customize a power plan windows, click Change plan setting
Step 3. In the Edit Plan Settings window, click Change advanced power settings.
Step 4. In the Power Options window, find and expand USB settings, expand USB selective suspend settings and Disable both On battery and Plugged in settings.
Unknown Usb Device Driver For Windows 10 Latest
Step 5. Then Click Apply and OK to save the settings.
Fix 6. Uninstall USB device driver to make USB recognized
Being different from the options of updating or degrading the driver version, uninstalling the driver could result in a total disability of all the USB ports. So take care of this last-try method.
Step 1. Open Device Manager (Right Click on Windows Logo and Click Device Manager).
Step 2. Now find and expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. Now right-click on USB drivers and click Uninstall. Do for all USB drivers one by one.
Step 3. Now, restart your PC. The USB drivers are automatically re-install and solve the corrupted USB devices problem.
Further Troubleshooting: Data Recovery
Those six ways we mentioned above are all the possible ways said to be helpful to fix the 'USB device malfunctioned and not recognized' error.
If one of the fixes worked, you should be able to access your USB and use the saved data again.
What if you opened the USB drive but find something missing? You need third-party software to retrieve your data. Here, EaseUS disk data recovery can help even when your USB device is listed in disk management but not showing up on your computer. The program works well in Windows 10/8/7/XP and other previous versions.
Step 1. Run USB data recovery software.
Hp Unknown Device Windows 10
Connect the USB flash drive to your computer and launch EaseUS USB data recovery software on your PC. Select your USB drive which marks as a removable disk, and click 'Scan' to start finding your lost files.
Step 2. Scan all lost files from USB.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will thoroughly scan your USB flash drive and find all your lost data on it. After the scanning process, use the Filter feature to filter a specific file type. You can check and preview found USB files in this program.
Step 3. Restore all lost files from USB.
A double-click will allow you to preview the file results. Choose the target files and click 'Recover' to save them to a secure location on your PC or other external storage devices.
To retrieve data from USB devices, we suggest you save retrieved files to another secure location in case of further problems.
Format USB to NTFS/FAT32 and recreate partition on USB
Some people encountered more serious issues than once. They said the same USB device starts malfunctioning again after a short period of time after the repair. If this is the case, formatting and recreating a new partition can help.
Other Devices Unknown Device Windows 10
- Connect the USB to the PC, right-click on This PC/My Computer and select Manage.
- Enter Device Manager, select Disk Management, locate and right-click on your malfunctioned USB, and select Format volume..
- Complete the Format process and set the file system to NTFS or FAT32.
Unknown Device Driver Download
Now you can check if the USB shows up in your computer or not, if not, continue with the steps below:
- Open Disk Management, right-click on USB and select Delete Volume, complete the process.
- When USB shows as unallocated, right-click on it and select New Simple Volume, set the drive letter and file system (NTFS/FAT32) for it, and complete the process.
After this, you should access the USB drive on your PC and save data on it again.