If you’re experiencing problems with your USB device not being recognized by Windows 10, there are a few things that you can do to try and resolve the issue. In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the most common solutions, and explain why they might work. Hopefully, by following these steps you’ll be able to fix the issue and get your device working properly again.
USB Device Not Recognized Error
How to fix Windows 10 cannot find a device issue is an occasional error that can occur with some devices. It’s difficult to determine exactly what causes it, but you’ll probably need the help of the support team from Microsoft in order for your machine to be fixed completely. If this problem occurs on multiple PCs and laptops at once, then it may indicate hardware problems or defective hardware (hard drives are extremely common sources).
USB Drive Not Showing Up: Causes
Windows 10 USB device not showing up can be caused by corrupt or damaged system files, drivers and security software programs that have problems, a virus or malware attack , problems with the registry configuration on your PC or a third party app related to an operating system that isn’t fully compatible. If you’re using Windows 8 instead of XP for example and are experiencing this issue every time you connect your external drive then it’s likely because there is some problem in compatibility, like article in Sohne.
How to Fix the “USB Device Not Recognized” Error
Restart Your Computer
A number of systems and the latest version of Windows are extremely complicated to set up. As a result, many users never learn how these programs work correctly or exactly what they do when introduced into the system. Reformatting your computer can help remove errors and make it run as fast as possible again! If you’re experiencing problems with booting from USB drives on new PC’s then reformatting will be enough for some time.
Run USB Troubleshooter
A number of companies offer tools to help you fix USB issues. Most regularly run as FreeDOS software and will reboot your system in an easy manner or try running additional diagnostics on the drives, even though they won’t actually “fix” them! The result is good for most users who simply want to get their devices fixed . It’s important that you always back up all data before installing any device drivers from third party sources.
Disable the USB Selective Suspend Setting
If you are using a computer that supports hibernation, disable the selective suspend settings. This allows your PC to save information in files and retain some of its settings while the machine is asleep. PCs with Windows XP or newer often keep USB devices plugged into their ports when off , not just suspended . Disabling this setting prevents any issues from occurring which can cause lots of headaches for users!
Install the Latest Windows Updates
Each time a driver is updated, the system can potentially encounter issues. A large number of files must also be adjusted as well in order to properly run with new devices , which requires all updates are functional (and fully installed) at boot-up! For this reason, many people willingly uninstall previous versions if they haven’t been used for some months and simply update when it’s convenient.
Prevent Your Computer from Turning Off Your USB Devices
Devices lose power after a certain amount of time, but when they are not going to be actively used, leaving them plugged in will prevent PCs from shutting off the automatic drivers. Enabling your computer’s sleep mode can avoid this issue! The downside is Windows may take longer to boot next-time if you do so.
Plug in your devices when not using them to prevent them from shutting off the automatic drivers. This will help PCs boot faster, but you may need to disable your computer’s sleep mode if you want it to stay on all the time.
Conclusion
To summarise, the best way to avoid problems when installing device drivers is to always ensure that you have a back-up of all data. Additionally, preventing your computer from turning off your USB devices can prevent issues with automatic device drivers. Finally, it is important to install Windows updates and keep your computer’s sleep mode enabled so that you are alerted when new device drivers are available.