subject: USB Ports not Working – How to Fix [print this page] Are the USB ports of your computer not working? Wondering how to fix the problem? Taking your computer to a computer repair shop is a very good idea. Don't you have much time for that? You can talk to a remote PC repair company as well. But what about trying some simple tricks to resolve the problem on your own? This article will let you know how you can fix USB ports problem.
Before discussing about how to fix computer problem, let's have a look what exactly a USB is. On the computing world, USB or the Universal Serial Bus has a huge impact. With this plug and play facility we can easily connect storage devices such as external hard drives, USB flash drives as well as other peripherals like printers, etc. In addition, gaming consoles and smart phones can also be easily connected with computer through USB ports. USB 2.0 offers up to 480 Mbps of transfer speeds.
One thing we all should know that all the hardware device interface with the OS through the driver software. In most of the cases, it is seen that the problem of the most hardware devices regarding USB connectivity is due to the problems with installed drivers. In some cases, the USB port may also have some problem. Following are some of the common troubleshooting techniques to fix USB problems:
Update USB Port Driver
If the USB port driver is corrupt, the USB ports will not work properly. To resolve the issue, you require reinstalling the drivers. But for this, you need to know the manufacturer of the port device. If the proper driver is installed, the problem will get fixed.
Restart the Computer
Are the USB ports stopped working suddenly? Are the USB ports not recognizing devices? The first and foremost thing you should do is restart the computer. Loading the drivers during start up is a common problem. Restarting the computer will resolve the issue.
Run Device Manager
After restarting the computer if the problem still persists, it is suggested to run the device manager. To run device manager, you need to type 'devmgmt.msc' in the Run box. In the Device Manager window, click on 'computer' in the list, and select the 'action' tab and click on 'Scan for hardware changes'. Check whether a USB device is listed in the hardware changes or not. If yes, the problem is solved.
Reinstall USB Controller
Sometimes, the USB port doesn't work due to USB Controller. To fix the issue, you need to disable and reinstall the USB controller devices. How to do that? Go to 'Start' and type 'devmgmt.msc' in the Run box. In the list, locate the USB controllers. Right click and uninstall all the USB controllers. Restart the computer and the controllers will be reinstalled. Your problem will be solved.
These are some of the most common tricks to solve USB problems. If these don't resolve the issue, it might happen that the USB port has been physically damaged. And for this, you need to replace the port.
