Windows 7: USB devices not recognised

Client has the problem on a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3LR board using Windows 7/64 Pro with 2 x sata hdd, memory card reader with 4 slots connected to mobo usb socket - card reader working fine when I insert sd card. (mouse/keyboard are ps2)

All okay for 11 months, and then for the last 2 she's been getting USB devices not recognised when inserting flash drives (I've tried mine with the same result). Tried uninstalling all USB entries in the device manager, removing all power, while it starts to recognise devices, it seems to get very confused, and finally we get back to devices not recognised.. I also note that the allocation of drive letters is all over the place.

System drive is C, dvd is D, memory card slots are E-H, second hdd is I - however when I momentarily had some success before it went pear-shaped again, I noticed that the flash drive was I, and the second hdd was J. I also noticed that the Disk Managemnet function in the Control Panel wouldn't load during these problems.

Seems to me like a windows issue? Anyone got any other ideas apart from uninstalling and turning the power off?

try this Microsoft fix it Hardware devices are not working or are not detected in Windows

Common Solutions to Fixing USB Device Not Recognized Errors

First things first – always make sure your USB device drivers are up-to-date. Missing, corrupt or outdated device drivers are responsible for a lot of PC errors.

After ensuring your drivers are updated, try the following solutions (in order):

1. Unplug your computer. Don’t just turn it off with the power button, you need to actually unplug the cable from the power supply for at least 1 minute. This often resets your USB hub on your motherboard.

2. Remove the battery. If you computer is a laptop, remove the battery for at least 2-3 minutes before plugging it back in and restarting Windows

3. Uninstalling root hub drivers. If steps 1 and 2 above do not work, try the following:

Unplug all USB devices from your computer.
Go to Device Manager in Windows 7
Uninstall EACH Root Hub USB Driver.
Power off your computer and UNPLUG THE CABLE FROM THE POWER SUPPLY, just don’t shut it down.
Reconnect the power supply cable and turn your computer on after 2-3 minutes.
Reconnect each external USB device. (i.e. mouse, keyboard, thumb drive, etc.)

4. If you still have issues and cannot get rid of “USB device not recognized” error messages you can try disabling USB 2.0 devices which should remove the error message and “fix” the problem (although it’s more of a band aid then an actual solution) but your USB devices will now run at the slower USB 1.1 speed.

Thanks Brianzion, I have done most of the steps in your second post, however running at USB1.1 would not be acceptable solution (ie uninstalling USB root hubs etc in the device manager, removing power cord etc). I will try upgrading BIOS/drivers in the new year, as well as trying the Microsoft fix which uou kindly pointed me to.

Very strange that all was well till a couple of months ago, why should it suddenly go pear-shaped?

Thanks again

well it could be bios (basic input output service) many problems with drivers ports etc get fixed by an update to the bios have you checked the functions in the bios settings if you feel comfortable about that?

this may help give you a idea http://biosagentplus.com/?ref=1

(you can always contact the pc manufacturer that is the safest way the site above will give you an idea)

Drivers & BIOS updated - however turns out that the Hi-point memory card reader was faulty and at the same time blocked the the other front USB ports cabled into the motherboard - new reader installed and all USB ports now okay.

Thnaks Brianzion for your advice.

well done !! so i can mark this thread as resolved.