Solved PC suddenly not reading USB components

[Fetter]

PC suddenly not reading USB components [resolved]

This is starting to tick me off. Last night there was a power outtage (and yeah, I know how silly it is to not have my PC plugged into a surge protector) and when I turned on my computer this morning I found that any device that was plugged into a USB port was not functioning.

This includes my wireless adapter, mouse, and webcame. My keyboard is connected via ps/2 and it works fine. There's obviously power being supplied via the USB ports (I've got my cellular charging right now), and the mouse and wireless adapter work fine on my laptop.

Not sure what the problem is here, tried restarting the PC a number of times to no avail. Some insight would be very useful.

This is all on a Windows 7 machine, check out my specs for all the essentials.

EDIT: I rearranged my devices and was able to get the mouse to work. However three of the USB ports are still not working and the wireless adapter is showing up as "malfunctioning", despite being in perfectly decent shape and working on other computers. I don't have the disc, so I'll probably have to jump through a few hoops to reinstall the drivers. Will update to see if that fixes it.

FINAL EDIT [[Fix]]::: Disabling the USB Root Hub in the device manager was a temporary fix at best. Three of the ports remained nonfunctioning, and today when I had need of a flashdrive the transfer rate was horrendous (three hours for 5gb of files).

Looking into it further revealed that all that had to be done was disconnect the PSU from the wall outlet for a couple of minutes and then reboot. From what I understand this causes the mobo to reset, as it still receives power even if you've powered down your computer and are still plugged into the wall.

Now it's back at full capacity, just figured I'd update this in case anyone else finds themselves stuck in the same boat somewhere down the road.

Cheers,

---F

 

[theog]

If you have installed Windows SP1, try this:
http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/151740-windows-7-sp1-usb2-bug.html

 

[Fetter]

I haven't gotten around to getting SP1 yet, mostly because I've heard mixed reception. I'll give it a go once I resolve this problem.

So the way I can see it, two USB ports out of my five are working the way they're supposed to. However I can't use any of the other ones, they don't read anything that's plugged in. And whatever I plug into the two that do work (with the exception of the mouse), a window pops up saying that the "USB device is malfunctioning" or it's "unrecognized" so the drivers won't install. This has happened on everything I've plugged in (including my iPod, a 360 controller, the wireless adapter, etc).

I'm starting to get really frustrated and pissed, actually.

 

[brianzion]

try this windows fix Hardware devices are not working or are not detected in Windows >>> DOWNLOAD >>> http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9740816
website >>> Hardware devices are not working or are not detected in Windows

What it fixes...
When you install a hardware device, it is not detected
Determine if your audio device is plugged in
Driver updates aren't automatically installed by Windows Update
You receive one of the following errors:
Your <Device Name> is currently disabled or turned off in Windows
Your <Device Name> has a driver problem and needs to be reinstalled
Windows has detected a problem with your <Device Name>, it is not working properly
There is no driver installed for your <Device Name>

 

[Fetter]

I'm sure it's a great program, but I can't use it because I don't have internet (I burned it to a disc, tried to run it from the win7 machine to no avail), at least not without the wireless adapter. Which I can't install. The driver install requires that you plug it into the PC before you can continue, but since the computer reads it as a "malfunctioning" component, it doesn't work and I can't continue with the install.

 

[brianzion]

oh right a see what you mean, have you tried going into device manager and un-installing the driver for the wireless adapter then rebooting and seeing if windows corrects itself and re-installs the driver?

 

[brianzion]

here is the windows fix in the zip file can you download it to a thumb drive and run it on the pc?

 

[Fetter]

oh right a see what you mean, have you tried going into device manager and un-installing the driver for the wireless adapter then rebooting and seeing if windows corrects itself and re-installs the driver?

Yeah, that didn't work. Also tried downloading the driver from Linksys, burning it to a disc, and then trying to install it via Microsoft's crap "driver update" option. Didn't work, because obviously "the driver you selected isn't compatible with Windows 7 x64", despite being the 64-bit driver.

here is the windows fix in the zip file can you download it to a thumb drive and run it on the pc?

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

EDIT: Is that an "offline" version? I unzipped it and it appears to just be the same .exe I downloaded before and tried to run on the win7 PC. It didn't work because it said it had to download some files from Microsoft or something, and to try again once I was connected to the internet.

I'm going to try downloading the chipset drivers for the motherboard, maybe that will work. I'll post update in a bit.

 

[brianzion]

oh right a see what you mean, have you tried going into device manager and un-installing the driver for the wireless adapter then rebooting and seeing if windows corrects itself and re-installs the driver?

Yeah, that didn't work. Also tried downloading the driver from Linksys, burning it to a disc, and then trying to install it via Microsoft's crap "driver update" option. Didn't work, because obviously "the driver you selected isn't compatible with Windows 7 x64", despite being the 64-bit driver.

here is the windows fix in the zip file can you download it to a thumb drive and run it on the pc?

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

you can install drivers manually do you no how to do this? you select browse and then direct windows to the driver where you have it in the file location.

 

[brianzion]

How To Install Hardware Or Device Drivers Manually In Windows 7 / Vista follow this link if you are unsure >>> How To Install Hardware Or Device Drivers Manually In Windows 7 / Vista

 

[Fetter]

How To Install Hardware Or Device Drivers Manually In Windows 7 / Vista follow this link if you are unsure >>> How To Install Hardware Or Device Drivers Manually In Windows 7 / Vista

Yes, I did this already, I should have rephrased.

It says that "Windows has determined your driver for 'Unknown Device' is up to date"

 

[brianzion]

i have had this problem before with wireless adapters and the best way i solved it was to un-install the driver and re-install manual i guessed you have done this?

 

[brianzion]

i have had power shortages myself before i use ups for the pc, but never have i had the usb ports to stop responding they have always worked. im wondering if something else has happened to the machine.

 

[Fetter]

Yes I have. But like I said, I'm updating the chipset for my mobo. It's halfway though downloading right now (about 15 minutes left), I'll update once I see the results.

I seem to recall that I had this problem a couple of years ago (the USB ports not working, I mean) before I switched to the 64-bit version, and that updating the chipset helped, can't remember for certain though. Hopefully it'll work this time.

And yeah, it's decidedly weird.

 

[brianzion]

okey dokey hope you can solve it and i hope my advice is useful for you

 

[Fetter]

So the chipset update didn't solve the problem, so what I ended up doing was disabling/enabling the USB ports. This solved the issue, and I'm posting this from my win7 machine. Relatively simple fix.

Thanks for all your help, brianzion. I'm going to check out that program you posted, seems like it may solve some other issues I've experienced in the past.

EDIT [[Fix]]::: Disabling the USB Root Hub in the device manager was a temporary fix at best. Three of the ports remained nonfunctioning, and today when I had need of a flashdrive the transfer rate was horrendous (three hours for 5gb of files).

Looking into it further revealed that all that had to be done was disconnect the PSU from the wall outlet for a couple of minutes and then reboot. From what I understand this causes the mobo to reset, as it still receives power even if you've powered down your computer and are still plugged into the wall.

Now it's back at full capacity, just figured I'd update this in case anyone else finds themselves stuck in the same boat somewhere down the road.

 

[brianzion]

well done and i have marked the thread solved