Troubleshoot: Windows won't recognize USB hard drive / fix unassigned drive letter

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[center]Troubleshoot: Windows Won't Recognize Your USB Drive / Fix Unassigned Drive Letter
Updated February, 2011[/center]
>>> Intro
There’s a long list of different and varied reasons why Windows may:
=> Stop recognizing your USB drive
=> Stop displaying a USB drive and its drive letter in Explorer and/or My Computer
=> Report drive media is write protected or tells you to "Insert disk" even though you just connected a non-removable hard drive
=> Report it can't read the USB drive (it may report it as “Not Initialized" or has a “raw” file system or reports an incorrect partition size)

Start by looking through the General Troubleshooting Steps below then continue with Additional Steps and Related Links to see what may apply for your case. (And be sure to try your device on another computer as well to see if the problem is local to your machine and its Windows installation or if it's a problem with the USB device itself)

Related Links
  • [post=875300]How to Cleanup and Remove old USB Mass Storage Drivers[/post]
  • [post=815753]CD/DVD or Disk Problems? How to Fix Problems Caused by Filters[/post]
  • [post=751005]How to Reinstall USB Controllers and Motherboard Chipset Drivers[/post]
>>> Troubleshooting
1. General Troubleshooting Steps - (Applies to: All USB storage device problems)
  • Run Windows Update
    => Windows has a long history of USB problems and bug fixes
    • See [post=744411]USB Device Problems? Check for Windows Updates[/post]
  • Cleanup and remove old USB storage drivers
    => Are you getting odd messages like “Insert Disk” for an external drive? Does its drive letter no longer appear?
    => Old/stale USB storage driver data can confuse Windows, cause “drive letter conflicts” and other problems
    • See [post=875300]How to Cleanup and Remove old USB Mass Storage Drivers[/post]
  • Connect AC adapters
    => Don’t rely on USB ports for power when you don't have to. If your USB device has its own AC adapter, use it!
    • Connect AC adapters even if "the adapter is supposed to be optional" or "you never had to connect it before"
      >> Note: A lit device LED only indicates the device is getting some power. It doesn't mean the device is getting enough power to run the disk correctly
    • Plug-in laptops
  • Test your USB drive with different hardware setups
    • Does the USB drive still fail if you connect it to a different computer?
    • Try a different USB cable
    • Sometimes a different USB device may be the real problem
      ==> Unplug other USB devices and reboot. Test with only the USB drive connected
      ......> Tho it should be OK to leave USB mice and keyboards plugged in (unless otherwise noted)
      ==> Undock any docking stations. Disconnect hubs. Connect directly to the computer USB port
      ==> Test each USB port on the computer
    • If your drive has its own AC adapter and Windows says your USB device is not recognized, this trick sometimes helps
      • Shutdown the computer. Turn the USB drive off. Unplug the drive's power cord. Remove it from the USB port
      • Power the computer on. Wait for Windows Desktop and desktop icons to appear
      • Reconnect in this order: Plug the drive's AC power back in, connect USB cable. Finally, turn the drive back On
    • If your drive does NOT have its own AC adapter, then it draws its power from the USB port
      ==> It may require more power then your USB port can provide
      ==> Try connecting it to a "self-powered" USB hub (a hub that comes with its own AC adapter)
  • Is the drive in Disk Management but not My Computer or Explorer? Or you can’t assign it a drive letter?
    => See below for how to check Disk Management for physical drives
    => Bad or corrupt filter drivers can cause CD/DVD, flash and hard disk drives to not work correctly
    • See [post=815753]CD/DVD or Disk Problems? How to Fix Problems Caused by Filters[/post]
  • Does the physical disk appear in Disk Management?
    => Rt click My Computer->Manage->Disk Management
    • Watch the lower pane as you connect and remove your drive from the USB port. Does a disk appear / disappear as you do?
      ==> Ideally, you want to find a disk with its partitions defined (click thumbnail below). In this example, Disk 0 happens to be the internal disk. It has three partitions all say "Healthy". In this example, all three are formatted NTFS. If you see a partition is deleted or becomes corrupt it may appear as "Unallocated"
    • If your disk appears marked as "Unknown" or "Not Initialized" and/or it has a single "Unallocated" partition, the drive is corrupt. (see Disk 1 in example). You'll need to attempt data recovery
    • If no new Disk appears for your USB drive, keep trying the other Troubleshooting steps till (hopefully) it does
      ​
  • If no USB storage devices can connect to your computer yet other USB devices do (like mouse/keyboard), check the USB Storage driver
    => If only your USB storage devices can't connect, the USB Mass Storage driver may be disabled (may be a sign of malware)
    • Connect the USB storage device. Run [post=751005]Serviwin[/post]. Click View->Drivers
    • Scroll to USBSTOR. Verify StartupType=Manual and Status=Started
    • If StartupType= Disabled, rt click to change it to Manual. Reboot
  • If it seems none of you USB ports work and/or NO USB devices are recognized
    • Try this trick (it sometimes help. Here's an example of symptoms and when it did! See "Driver failure, Unknown devices in USB Controller")
      ==> Shutdown computer and unplug it from the wall. If it's a laptop, also remove its battery
      ==> Disconnect USB devices and, while you're at it, unplug any power cables to USB devices as welll.
      ==> Let the computer and devices sit for an hour or two. Then reconect everything and power backup sometimes helps
    • Try reinstalling the USB Controllers and Motherboard Chipset Drivers. See [post=751005]HERE[/post]
2. Additional Steps (if they might apply)
  • Check for Viruses / Malware
    => Malware can interfere with USB drive functionality
  • Check Windows policy settings
    => Windows may be configured to hide drives from Explorer and My Computer (may be a sign of malware)
    • Click Start->Run, enter regedit to open the Registry Editor
    • Navigate to key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
    • Look for a value named NoDrives. If the key or value doesn't exist, there's nothing being hidden
    • Otherwise, rt click NoDrives then delete it and reboot to unhide all drives
  • Fix Drive Letter Conflicts
    => Your USB device may be trying to re-use a drive letter Windows has reserved for another device or network drive
    • See [post=875300]How to Cleanup and Remove old USB Mass Storage Drivers[/post] then replug your USB devices
  • Correct filesystem errors
    => If the drive letter is detected and you keep getting read/write/file errors
  • Check if Write Protection enabled
    => If all USB storage devices are write protected
    • Click Start->Run, enter: regedit
    • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control
    • If sub-key StorageDevicePolicies exists, rt click then delete it
    => Also: Closely examine your flash drive. Make sure there's not a write protect switch or tab on it
3. Data Recovery Tools
  • Data Recovery tools may help you retrieve data from a corrupt drive
    • Corrupt drives may appear as “Not Initialized”, “Raw” or display "Unallocated" partitions
    • Don’t write anything to the disk you’re trying to recover. Writing to the drive may overwrite "lost" data
    • Do NOT install the data recovery tool onto the drive you want to recover
    • Don't confuse your good drive with the problem drive
      • Run the recovery tool first with all external drives disconnected. Note the internal drives it detects and displays
      • Now rerun the tool with problem drive connected so you can look for a new drive that showed up
  • Tools to try
    • PC Inspector (Freeware)
      => Click their Help key to see the 4 steps for recovery
    • TestDisk (Freeware)
      ==> Warning: While TestDisk is a well known, useful and good tool and many have reported good results using it, be advised it WRITES to the drive in order to restore data partitions and filesystem integrity. If you use it, MAKE SURE IT CORRECTLY RECOGNIZES/REPORTS THE DISK SIZE BEFORE YOU TELL IT TO WRITE/RECOVER DATA
    • Get Data Back NTFS and Partition Table Doctor (Try then Buy)
      I've never used either but
      > I've seen people often (not always) post good results after using the two commercial tools listed below
      > The tools will report (for free) the names of the files it can find. You'll need to buy it before it attempts to recover those files
      > Note: Finding lost file names is a good start but still doesn't guarantee the results
    • Partition Table Doctor
4. When: All Else Fails
  • Data Recovery
    => If the drive is physically damaged it may be impossible for Windows to detect it for s/w tool recovery
    • Flash drives are notoriously more prone to physical h/w damage then most people seem to think
    • In such cases, your best recovery option may be to hire a professional data recovery service. They'll open the drive to attempt recovering data directly from the media
    • Of course, it's your decision if the price of recovery outweighs losing the data
  • Reformat the Drive
    => Reformatting the drive will erase all the data on the drive but may allow you to reuse the drive (if you still trust it!)
    => Click for info to reformat your drive
 
[center]How to use G-Parted-Live-CD for USB storage device problems[/center]
There's a long list of reasons why Windows may stop recognizing your USB drive and/or stops displaying that familiar drive letter in Explorer. It sometimes becomes a challenge to find the problem cause

In such cases, it can help to isolate the problem: Try to rule out Windows and your other computer software
  • Create a known and read-only software environment on a boot CD
  • Boot from CD. Test your drive to see how it behaves when your computer is running an alternate software envirnoment
This Guide
  • Provides two freeware tools G-parted and TestDisk that might help you fix/recover partition related errors that may be causing your problem
  • Instructions to create a Gparted-Live boot CD which will provide a bootable software environment along with test tools on the CD
  • Guidance to use the CD based software for testing and, if needed, partition management / repair
The Gparted-Live-CD includes an assortment of freeware / public source code based tools. Software tools included with the Gparte-Live-CD
  • Gparted. Offers drive detection, partition management and data edit and recovery
  • TestDisk. Yet another detect, manage and recovery tool
Gparted tool. Gparted is the Gnome Partition Editor. (If you like interesting acronyms: Gnome is part of GNU). Use Gparted to help detect, manage and recover your disk partitions and data. More info at:
TestDisk tool. TestDisk is a detect / some partition management / more-so-a recovery tool on the Gparted-Live CD. Since it’s freeware, you may want to simply try it and decide things yourself. More info at:
Creating/booting a Gparted-Live CD
To create CD
  • Click here for Gparted-Live-CD download page
  • The page lists current and past releases
  • Find latest .iso file release at top of list. Click and Save to disk. An ISO (pronounced EYE–so) file is an image of an optical disk's playable surface
  • Burn iso file to CD. Pretty much all CD burn software supports iso. Check your documentation (look for iso in the index or simply search for iso in the doc)
To boot from CD
  • Power off your computer. Disconnect all USB devices
  • Insert CD. Power on
    • BIOS boots from first device found containing bootable media. BIOS settings define the search order. Order should put CD before internal hard drive.
    • Some systems also provide a Boot Menu. When the boot device is manually selected via Boot Menu, the device search by BIOS is skipped
      ==> Check your system documentation for available methods
    • The CD boots into Linux (another Operating System). When prompted for startup values, hit Enter for defaults. Defaults work for most systems but you may need to select a non-default resolution if display problems occur with default
Use Gparted to test the USB hard drive
You need first understand the device naming conventions used
Device Naming Conventions
Linux device names are created as follows
  • Bus Type – Defines the start of the device name
    • IDE devices start /dev/hd
    • SCSI / USB devices start /dev/sd
  • Drives - A letter after Start of device name differentiates drives
    • Example: These names represent two different IDE drives (/dev/hda vs. /dev/hdb)
  • Partitions – A digit occurs after a drive letter to differentiate partitions
    • (/dev/hdb1 and /dev/hdb2 are different partitions on the same drive
      /dev/hdc1 is a different partititon on a different drive)
How to Perform a Quick USB detect test
A test result is referred to as USB detect result n where n is a digit representing the specific type of result. An explanation of each USB detect result is provided later below
  • Disconnect all USB
  • Boot from CD. Gparted’s first screen includes info about the partitions found on computer’s boot drive
  • Click Gparted->Devices. Identify other drives found at start up
  • Connect USB drive. Wait 30-60 seconds
  • Click Gparted->Refresh->Devices then Gparted->Devices
  • Does USB drive appear now? If yes, verify drive info is what you expect
    >> (eg. disk size, number and types of partitions) <<
    Use Gparted to check if your USB hard drive is detected
  • If USB drive is now detected and drive info is correct see Detect Result #1 otherwise continue
How to Perform a System-level USB detect test
  • Disconnect all USB. Reboot from CD. As above, verify which drives detected on boot
  • Open Linux window: double click window icon (top of Gparted window) type dmesg for system log
  • Connect USB drive
  • Open new Linux window, get system log. Compare new/old logs to find USB entries after connect. Verify new device name of USB device
  • Click Gparted->Refresh Devices then Gparted->Devices. Is USB device among the devices?
    => If USB drive is listed in Devices see Detect Result #1
    => If USB drive not listed in Devices and USB drive not found in system log see Detect Result #2
    => If USB drive not listed in Devices but USB drive does appear in system log see Detect Result #3
Checking USB Detect Test Results
Different USB Detect results below along with indication what each means as likely problem source
=> USB Drive hardware can be: the internal disk, the case enclosure, AC power adapter, USB cable
=> Computer hardware can be: BIOS, internal boards, USB ports, etc.
  1. Drive detected by Gparted and recognized correctly
    Probably software issue, Windows or other software running (including a virus!)
    > Once Gparted sees the device name
    => you can use Gparted and TestDisk to manage partitions / attempt data repair or recovery
    => Still check system log for USB drive error messages as they may help identify problems if seeing the drive but incorrect partition info <
  2. Drive not found in system log or detected by Gparted
    Your drive isn’t even sensed by hardware. Could be USB Drive or Computer Hardware
  3. Drive found in system log but not seen by Gparted
    Sensed by hardware so computer tries reading. Log should reveal device errors (I/O, corruption, etc.) which are severe so Linux (and probably Windows) will not present the new device to other software to see/use. Problem is likely the USB drive or hardware or in system-level software (eg. drivers, driver filters, services)
Using Testdisk
  • Connect USB drive
  • Open Linux window. Enter TestDisk
  • Follow tell prompts till choice of drives listed (along with drive’s info)
  • If USB drive not listed
    • Exit TestDisk
    • Unplug the drive. After a short wait reconnect the drive
    • Start TestDisk again
 
How to Reinstall USB Controllers and Motherboard Chipset Drivers

[center]How to Reinstall USB Controllers and Motherboard Chipset Drivers
Updated May 8, 2010[/center]
If you're having USB related problems, it can sometimes help to reinstall the USB device controllers and/or your motherboard's chipset drivers.
==> If your problem involves a USB storage device, also see Troubleshooting Guide: Windows Won't Recognize Your USB Hard Drive


Part 1: Uninstall your USB storage devices
Note: You can skip this step if your USB problem doesn't involve USB storage devices (tho doesn't hurt to do it in any case)
==> See [post=875300]How to Cleanup and Remove old USB Mass Storage Drivers[/post]


Part 2: Reinstall the USB Controllers and/or Motherboard Chipset Drivers
Note: You must have administrative privileges before you proceed
Uninstalling USB controllers can be simpler if you don’t have any USB devices connecteded at the time
==> Otherwise, uninstalling a controller also disconnects the USB devices still connected to and dependent on that controller
To avoid using a USB Keyboard
  • Make sure your computer can shutdown and reboot to your Windows desktop without requiring any keyboard input
    ==> For example, set Windows to Autologon so it won’t prompt for user id and password to complete System restart
To avoid using a USB Mouse
  • Use a non-USB mouse port. Check if you have a PS/2 (or other non-USB) port you can use. Then, just buy a port adapter for your USB mouse, OR
  • If you have a 2nd computer, you can use it to remote logon and reboot the target computer
    ==> Then you can do all mouse/keyboard input remotely and no USB devices need be connected to the target machine when it reboots

    Here’s some free remote logon tools you can use. If the computer you're trying to fix runs
To Reinstall the Controllers and/or Motherboard Chipset Drivers
  1. Set Windows to auto-logon. Reboot and verify that Windows can boot to your desktop without needing any keyboard input
  2. Next, shutdown your computer. Unplug / disconnect all your USB devices.
    ==> If need be, you can continue with only your USB mouse connected (be sure you've set Windows to auto-logon)
  3. Disconnect laptops from port replicators and docking stations
  4. Restart your computer
  5. Rt click My Computer->Manage->Device Manager. Scroll to Universal Serial Bus controllers, click the plus + sign to expand it
    • If you've disconnected all your USB devices you should only see Controllers and Root Hubs listed (see example below)
    • If your mouse is still connected, additional devices will appear
    • just fyi: Your USB 2.0 controllers have names which include the word "2.0" and/or simply the word "Enhanced"
    • My example shows only one 2.0 controller but your computer may show you have more then one
      (click thumbnail for full size image)
  6. Next, select each controller (in the order described next) and rt click to Uninstall
    • If you removed all your USB devices, you should only see Controllers and Root Hubs. You can uninstall the controllers in any order
    • However, if your USB mouse is still connected, you want to uninstall the controller it's connected to last
      • To see which controller its connected to click View->Devices by connection
      • Now expand the entries named ACPI and System (or similar names) till you see PCI bus
      • Expand PCI bus to see your USB controllers. Expand the controllers to see what devices are still attached
  7. If you also want to reinstall your Motherboard Chipset Drivers, it's best to do so now
    ==> Installing the chipset drivers after the USB controllers have been uninstalled can sometimes be important!
    ==> At least this was true in one case (Thanks to guinnyss for noting the order made the difference to get his USB controllers to work again)
  8. When all USB controllers are uninstalled, reboot. Windows will automatically reinstall the controllers after it boots to your desktop
  9. You can reconnect your USB devices after windows reinstalls the USB controllers
 
How to Check Hardware / Connection Issues with your USB Device

[center]How to Check Hardware / Connection Issues with your USB Device[/center]
Also see, Troubleshooting Guide Windows Won't Recognize Your USB Hard Drive if you’re having problems with USB drives
Before you begin testing
  • Unplug other USB devices
    => A different USB device might be the real root cause of your problem
    • Unplug your other USB devices to take them out of the equation when you’re testing and trying to fix your USB drive
    • It’s OK to leave USB mice and keyboards plugged in. However
      >> Note some tests in this Guide that specifically require otherwise
      >> If you have the option to use a non-USB mouse and keyboard while testing, IMHO "you may as well use ‘em"
    • Undock any docking stations. Disconnect hubs
    • Plug your USB drive directly to your computer (Don’t use external USB hubs while testing unless noted otherwise!!)
  • Connect AC adapters
    => Don’t rely on USB ports for power. If your USB device has its own AC adapter, use it!
    • Connect USB drive AC adapters even if "the adapter is supposed to be optional" or "you never had to connect it before"
      >> Note: A device LED indicates the device is getting some power but it doesn't mean the device is getting enough power!
    • Plug-in laptops
  • Check if the problem is because of Windows vs. the BIOS, chipset drivers or hardware
    => Boot into a different OS
    => Then plug in the USB device to see if the problems is with your Windows installation
    • For instructions to boot into Knoppix, see Step 2 in [post=766270]How to recover your folders/files when Windows won’t boot[/post]
  • Rule out problems with the device itself
    => Plug your device into a different computer
    • See if the problem moves with the device or remains local to your computer hardware and configuration
  • Try different USB cables
    => The cable itself may fail. Also note: older USB v1.1 cables have less shielding then newer USB 2.0 cables
    • Try different cables
    • Try the shortest cables you have (Poor shielding and long cables can= Noise)
  • Try the other USB ports on your computer
    => One of the USB ports on your computer may have failed
    • Try plugging your device directly into each of the other USB ports on your computer
    • Plug directly to your computer’s USB ports. Don’t use hubs, port replicators, docking stations, etc
  • Prevent the USB controllers from entering a suspended state
    => This still outstanding Windows bug can prevent USB devices from being detected
  • Disable USB Power Management
    => Windows' USB Power Management has long been problematic. (And there’s also a long history of hotfixes to prove it!)
    • IMHO I advise disabling USB power management options to both rule out and help avoid power management related problems
    • Caveat for laptop users: Laptops on battery power will drain a bit quicker when USB devices aren’t allowed to sleep
      >> Laptop users may choose to enable/disable this feature, as needed, while running on battery power
      • Open Device Manager. Select Universal Serial Bus controllers
      • Right-click each USB Root Hub
      • Click Properties then click the Power Management tab
      • Clear the check box next to Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power box (This prevents USB sleep mode for that Root Hub)
      • Click OK to close the USB Root Hub Properties window
    • Check for USB Hub and Device Power Issues
      USB hubs help provide power to your USB attached devices
      => See [post=752516]How to Check USB Device and USB Hub Power Issues and Limitations[/post]
 
How to Check USB Device and USB Hub Power Issues and Limitations

[center]How to Check USB Device and USB Hub Power Issues and Limitations[/center]
If you’re having USB problems, you can also refer to
=> [post=752196]How to Check Hardware / Connection Issues with your USB Device[/post]
=> [post=720762]Troubleshoot: Windows Won't Recognize Your USB Hard Drive[/post]

USB Overview
Host Controllers
The host is a PC or other computer that contains both a host controller and root hub. The host controller and root hub work together to allow Windows to communicate with devices on the computer's USB data bus. The host controller
=> Formats data for transmitting on the USB bus
=> Translates received data to a format that Windows can understand
=> Performs other functions related to managing communications on the USB bus

Hubs
Hubs have several important functions

A root hub is "inside" of your computer. Each root hub provides for one or more of the USB ports provided on your computer itself. A root hub, in combination with the host controller
=> Detects when you attach or remove a USB hardware device (and is what reports the hardware detection/change to Windows)
=> Carries out requests from the host controller
=> Passes data between devices on the USB data bus and the host controller.
USB Hubs and Devices Overview
USB devices
=> May draw some or all of their power from a USB port
=> All devices attached to the same USB port must share the power available from the port

USB Hubs
=> One normally thinks of a USB hub as being external to the computer but computers also have internal hubs (one per controller)
=> The internal hubs appear in Device Manager listed as "Root" hubs
=> The external hubs appear in Device Manager listed as "Generic hubs". They are user configurable

Root vs. Generic Hubs
USB Hubs appear in Device Manager when they’re connected
=> Internal hubs are normally listed as Root Hubs
=> External hubs are normally listed as Generic Hubs

Hubs expand the number of USB ports available on a computer and are responsible for providing and managing the power to USB ports[/I]
Generic Hub may also appear in Device Manager when you add a device that comes with integrated USB ports and therefore also acts as a hub (e.g. some keyboards and monitors come with integrated USB ports)​
Self-Powered vs Bus-Powered Hubs
Hubs can be either bus-powered, drawing power directly from the USB bus, or self-powered, drawing power from an external AC adapter
  • Bus-powered hubs can provide up to 100 milliamperes (mA) of power per port. They can power a maximum of four ports
  • Self-powered hubs, on the other hand, typically provide up to 500 mA of power per port. They can provide power for more than four ports
USB Voltage Requirements
Voltage supplied by a host or a powered hub ports must be between 4.75 V and 5.25 V
=> If you're having USB issues and you've ever changed your USB jumpers, double check them!
=> If you've never touched the USB jumpers, this issue probably doesn't apply to you
=> A USB tech reference for geeks :)​
About AC Adapters...
Plug in any AC adapters
=> If your USB hub or device has an AC adapter, plug it in!
=> Don’t believe its power supply is OK simply because you see its power light turn on when connected!​
How to view USB Hub and Device Power Usage
Check each USB hub to see if it's bus- or self- powered and check the power usage required by each attached device
=> Open Device Manager
=> Rt click each Root and Generic Hub, select Properties then click the Power tab
=> See also, One or more USB devices may not work after you start your Windows XP-based computer
​
Example
For this example, I set-up the following hardware
  • I am working on laptop
  • The laptop is connected to a docking station which has 3 USB ports. They connect to
    • An external USB hard drive
    • An external USB CD/DVD drive
    • An external USB hub (with its own AC adapter). The hub connects to
      • A USB printer
      • A USB SanDisk U3 Flash Drive
      • A USB antennae for wireless mouse and keyboard
      • A USB Audio device

Click thumbnails for full images
​
 
Thank you for the detailed responce .
I ran the program at the end of your responce.
It seemed to find and release 29 USB dependencies if that's the right phrase.
Then i restarted the PC and just as it said, it did take longer to load up.
i did as you said and got a report. This is the one from before i ran the program , bare in mind at the time of both all USB devices were unplugged.

Report 1 before the USB removal program
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3038&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_A0\3&2411E6FE&0&80 The drivers for this device are not installed.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3038&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_A0\3&2411E6FE&0&81 This device is not configured correctly.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3038&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_A0\3&2411E6FE&0&82 This device is not configured correctly.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3038&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_A0\3&2411E6FE&0&83 This device is not configured correctly.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3104&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_86\3&2411E6FE&0&84 This device is not configured correctly.

Report 2 After the PC reset and loading problems continued

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3038&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_A0\3&2411E6FE&0&80 The drivers for this device are not installed.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3038&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_A0\3&2411E6FE&0&81 The drivers for this device are not installed.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3038&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_A0\3&2411E6FE&0&82 The drivers for this device are not installed.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3038&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_A0\3&2411E6FE&0&83 This device is not configured correctly.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3104&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_86\3&2411E6FE&0&84 This device is not configured correctly.

Report 3, Printout from device manager

******************** SYSTEM DEVICE CLASS ********************
*DISABLED DEVICE* Class: Other devices Device: Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller No resources used. Device Drivers:
*DISABLED DEVICE* Class: Other devices Device: Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller No resources used. Device Drivers:
*DISABLED DEVICE* Class: Other devices Device: Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller No resources used. Device Drivers:
*DISABLED DEVICE* Class: Other devices Device: Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller No resources used. Device Drivers:
*DISABLED DEVICE* Class: Other devices Device: Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller No resources used. Device Drivers:
Class: Other devices Device: Unknown device No resources used. Device Drivers:


Hope this info helps.

Thanks

Carl
 
My first knee-jerk reaction is you need to reinstall your motherboard chipset drivers as the errors are occuring on your PCI\ based controller devices and NOT devices beginning as USB\

You should download your chipset drivers, uninstall USB stuff, THEN install then chipset drivers followed by reinstalling usb [post=751005]See this post[/post]

/* EDIT */
AND: device manager says they're DISABLED????? rt click each and ENABLE each one first
 
Once again Thank you.

Before i read how to reinstall my Motherboad drivers, this is what it it says in the details on the Device manager.

Device instance Id
PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3038&SUBSYS_E0281631&REV_A0\3&2411E6FE&0&80

And also every device is enabled despite the report.

Thanks
 
OK.

Could be DevMgr simply lists them as disabled because none of their drivers exist (as shown in your other reports)

These PCI\ devices are typically included in your motherboard chipset drivers (you should be able to find looking at your system vendor website Click for the driver page listed by System Vendor Find your System Vendor, click for their driver support site. Enter your model number, then download your drivers as needed

Hope that chipset install helps!
 
Oh and also 4 of my USB ports are built into the Motherboard and the fron two which lead to an 8 pined section on my motherboard are disconnected anyway.

When it tells me to disconnect the ports how do i do that?

Thanks
 
Try here for Packard Bell support

You need to make sure all external usb devices are disconnected first. Which means
=> No external hubs
=> No externals devices connected to your USB ports

And disconnect any port replicators / docking stations (if you use one). Otherwise, you're good-to-go (i.e. no need to try disconnecting any of your ports from the stuff internal/INSIDE of your computer
 
Ok i have done everything now
i have downloaded the Imedia bios which evdently is called a Cuba motherboard
and i have downloaded another set of drivers for the machine and still it cant find them.
But before that i unplugged all but the Monitor and used the ps2 keyboard and mouse. and moved the jumper and help power off for 15 secs as orderd. Obviously nothing will retreive it back.
If i was to re-install windows XP home would there be anyt guarentee it will work or is that pot luck?

Thanks
 
Code: 
i have downloaded the Imedia bios which evdently is called a Cuba motherboard
Exactly what is your computer's make/model so we might have a look at its specs and the downloads from the vendor's site available as well?
moved the jumper and help power off for 15 secs as orderd.
Click to expand...
What jumper are you talking about? Have you ever changed (or this time changed) the jumper setting which controls USB power???

/* EDIT */
Still answer question about the jumper... but as for providing more info... better yet, try this!
Install System Information Viewer
(Note in each of its display windows there's a always Copy button at the bottom of the window)
Open SIV. Click to copy SIV's opening window to your next post
Then click the button to open each of System, Machine and USB Bus windows and copy/paste each of them as well
 
Thanks I's a Packard bell Imedia 1569
Ihope the images come through ok

I suspect there awful, not sure why all my pics turn out this way.

If you need me to re send them I wil
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    36.2 KB · Views: 7
oh.

Actually, I meant you just needed to (for each window)
=> Click the Copy button at the bottom of the Window
=> Then you can simply Paste the text into a post (or better yet just paste/append in to a single .txt (e.g. Notepad) file. Then attach the file to your next post)
 
I got some basic info from the pics (but if more info should be needed / you want to show from there please use the SIV copy button so you can simply copy/paste each window as text)

  • I'll rely on you to first carefully confirm that this is the right link for your computer's download support page
  • BIOS
    • I see from the SIV (still somewhat readable ;) ) images you are running with a BIOS dated 08/07/06? Tho i can't make out the version number
    • I see from the download/support the latest BIOS update for the Cuba board is 03/14/07?
    • But let's not mess with the BIOS just yet
  • Chipset drivers
    • It shows latest chipset drivers as VIA Hyperion Chipset Drivers 02/14/07. Are these what you installed before?
  • And what jumper were you refering to in your prior post?
 
Working external HD shows in Device Manager but not in Disk Management

I have read all the posts in this thread but nothing seems to work for me. I am running Vista Home Edition on a Fujitsu Amilo 2.33 GHz Quad core PC. I have 7 USB external hard drives that I connect to this PC from time to time without any problem. I also connect these drives to 2 other PCs (one of which is an identical Fujitsu Amilo PC) and 2 laptops. All drives are always recognised apart from one drive on one PC. This is an Iomega 320gb external hard drive, which shows under Device Manager as a Samsung320JX, but does not show in Disk Management or Windows Explorer. It has worked perfectly on this Fujitsu PC for over a year but now I cannot access it on this one PC, although It works on each of the other PCs and laptops. All my other external hard drives are recognised instantly on this PC whenever I plug them in (drive letters are assigned automatically) except for this one Iomega external hard drive. I have run the drive cleanup software recommended but this makes no difference. I have used different cables and different USB ports to try to get it to show on the Fujitsu (other than in Device Manager) but to no avail. Does anyone here have any insight as to how I might resolve this problem?
 
Sure sounds like a USB driver or filter issue. Have you tried these yet?
See [post=875300]How to Cleanup and Remove old USB Storage Drivers[/post]
See [post=815753]CD/DVD or Disk Problems? How to Fix Problems Caused by Filters[/post]
 
Thank you, you fixed my problem

Dear LookinAround
Thank you so much for your assistance - your step-by-step instructions on how to use Drivecleanup.exe worked perfectly and I can now access my Iomega external hard drive in Windows again! When I downloaded the software and ran it last night, prior to posting on this board, I read the accompanying text file but nowhere did it instruct me to place the file in the Windows/System32 folder, nor to run it under an elevated command prompt. I apologise for being such a noob and really appreciate your help in fixing this problem, which was driving me nuts.
What a great forum this is.
 
The Remedy Works Short-Term

My inability to view USB hard drive contents was resolved by" "Rt click My Computer>Manage>Disk Management" shown on this thread. I did so by right clicking the unidentified USB drive that was shown in the Disk Management window and assigning it a unique drive letter. I assigned it "H" which left a gap between "E" and "G" for Win 7 to assign to other USB devices on a temporary basis. Unfortunately, this was only a temporary solution, as Win 7 does not retain it as a permanent assignment after dismounting that specific device.

Is there another way to permanently dedicate a drive letter assignment to a specific USB device, so that it will use the dedicated drive letter each time that it is mounted? My XP computer does retain dedicated drive letter assignments for USB devices that is repetitively mounted and dismounted.
 
@bobcinreno

Windows 7 should automount the USB drive just as XP does. If you can mount it manually, like you did, it may be a sign of a drive letter conflict. Did you also try removing old USB storage drivers? [post=875300]How to Cleanup and Remove old USB Storage Drivers[/post]
 
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