More commonly known as a driver, a device driver or hardware driver is a group of files that enable one or more hardware devices to communicate with the computer's operating system. Without drivers, the computer would not be able to send and receive data correctly to hardware devices, such as a printer.

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What devices need drivers?

Run terminal, set identified serial port, baud rate = 115200, data bits = 8, stop bits = 1, and parity = N. Below are example screen shots of setting the port and such transmission parameters (in short described as 115200-8-1-N) on Windows and Linux. Remember to select exactly the same serial port you have identified in steps above. What Is Device Driver full step by step guide for all users, Device Drivers guide, Device Drivers for all users, new device drivers.

Hardware devices that are unknown by the operating system or that have features that are unknown by the operating system all require drivers. Below is a list of hardware devices and peripherals that require drivers.

What devices may not need drivers

Today's operating systems have a lot of generic drivers that allow hardware to work at a basic level without needing drivers or software. However, if that device has features unknown to the operating system, it will not work without drivers. For example, you could plug any keyboard into a computer and expect it to work. However, if that keyboard has any special keys or features, they will not work until the drivers are installed.

The operating systems generic driver may not be updated as often as the drivers from a hardware manufacturer or computer manufacturer.

What happens if a driver is not installed?

If the appropriate driver is not installed, the device may not function properly, if at all. With some devices, the device may work, but all of its features may not work. For example, a computer mouse usually works without drivers, but if it has more buttons than the traditional mouse, those extra buttons will not work until the drivers are installed.

For Microsoft Windows users, missing drivers may cause a driver conflict or an error that is shown in the Device Manager. If problems or conflicts are encountered with drivers, the computer manufacturer or hardware manufacturer releases a driver update to fix the problems. If updated drivers are available, those drivers need to be installed to replace the existing driver code.

Can a driver make my computer do more?

Installing a driver only makes the hardware installed in the computer function properly. If the correct driver is not installed, installing the latest driver for the hardware can take full advantage of the device. However, you cannot install a driver for hardware not installed in the computer and expect it to make your computer faster or more capable. In other words, installing video card drivers for a video card that's not installed in the computer does not give your computer all the capabilities of that video card. In this example, you'd need the video card hardware and the video card drivers to be installed.

Related pages

• Full listing of computer drivers and help documents relating to drivers.

Disk driver, DLL, Drivers CD, Hardware terms, INF, Input driver, Instructions, Mouse driver, Network device driver, Patch, Printer driver, Software terms, System software

Feb 02, 2021 • Filed to: USB Recovery • Proven solutions

How to fix USB device not recognized in Windows 10?The error message is 'The lastUSB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it.' This is the most common USB problem for many users who using Windows 10 system computer. In the following guide, we will list the best solution to solve the USB device not recognized errors. Different types of problems may arise when using drives on Windows 10 and some of them are:

Problems about USB device not recognized windows 10:

• External hard drive not recognized by Windows 10:This problem often affects both the external hard drive and the flash drive and to resolve both issues, you can apply the same method.
• USB may not be detected by Windows 10:Another very common problem is when your Windows 10 software can't seem to detect your USB flash when plugged in.
• USB hard drive not showing:Some users complain that when they connect their drives to their computer, it doesn't display on the screen. This problem is not without a solution.
• USB drive not working:You drive may show on your screen but may not function. Such a problem is not peculiar to you alone as many other users of Windows 10 complain of the same problem.
• Windows USB port non-functional:If your USB port is not functioning, there's no way you can transfer data from one source to the other. You can resolve all the problems highlighted in this article using our tested and trusted technology solutions.

Part 1. How to fix a Windows 10 doesn't recognize USB Port

Solution 1 – Check Power Management for USB root Hub

One way to fix a Windows 10 problem of this spec is to tweak the power management structure of your USB root hub. Here is how to go about it.

• Open yourDevice Managerand go to the section 'Universal Serial Bus Control' to find the USB Hub. For multipleUSB Root Hub, you have to repeat the procedure for each of them (Three USB Root Hub).

• Right-click the USB Root Hub/select Properties.
• Proceed to thePower Managementtab. Uncheck 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power'.

• Save changes and repeat these steps for all Root Hubs on your device Manager.

Solution 2 – Install drivers for Generic USB Hub

• Open yourDevice Managerand look forthe Generic USB Hub. Right-click the icon toupdate the driver.

• Select 'Browse my PC for a driver for driver software'.

• Select 'Let me pick from a list of drivers on my PC'

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• ChooseGeneric USB Huband tap the Next button.

• To get the very best results, you can conduct these same steps for all theUniversal Bus Controllers on your Device Manager.

Solution 3 – Change USB Selective Suspend Settings

Another option you can try when experiencing USB not recognized Windows 10 problems is to change the USB selection suspend settings. Here is how to go about effecting changes.

• Open Control Panel and choose Power Options.

• Click 'Change Plan Setting' on the Power Saver section

• Then click 'Change advanced power settings'

• Find theUSB Settingoption, then select 'Disable'

Solution 4 – Reconnect your USB devices

When you try to connect the USB ports to the computer and get the error message pop up, you might want to reconnect your USB devices. This action may solve your USB device not recognized problem in Windows 10.

Video Tutorial on How to Fix USB Device Not Recognized

Part 2. How to Fix Windows 10 doesn't Recognize USB Drive/Storage

If the problem you are experiencing has to do with your Windows 10 application not recognizing the USB drive or storage you used, follow these steps to rectify the problem.

Solution 1 – Turn off Fast Startup

• Go toControl Paneland selectPower options

• Then click onChoose what the power button does

• By clickChange settings that are currently unavailable

• Then uncheckTurn on fast startup(recommend)option and click onSave Changes

Solution 2 – Update your drivers / install the default driver

If you get the USB device not recognized error, you may need to uninstall your currently installed drive. You can follow the next steps to allow Windows 10 to install the default drive:

• Go toDevice Managerwindows by pressing Windows Key + X or search the keyword on the search bar.

• SelectDisk drivesoption, then right-click on your USB device and selectUninstall device

• Restart your computer after the driver has been uninstalled
• Reconnect your USB drive when your PC starts.

Solution 3 – Partition your USB storage and assign a letter to it

While you connect the USB device to the Windows 10 computer, the device needs to partition and assign a letter to it. Follow these steps to do that:

• Hold down the Windows + S key, type in the word 'Computer management' and pick computer management from the options provided.

• Once computer management comes up, click onDisk management.

• Find your hard drive (To do so, check through the sizes of drives in your drive management system)

If your drive is not partitioned, you will see at least one drive in particular with an unallocated space to it. Right-click the icon and pick the item 'New simple volume'. Now follow these steps to partition it.

• On theDisk Managementwindow and find your USB hard drive, right-click on the drive and selectChange Drive Letter and Paths

• Click onAddand make sure you assign a particular letter to the partition.

*Do note that your Windows 10 only works with NTFS & FAT32 systems so during the process of partitioning, only use an NTFS system file.
*Also note that you can also partition your hard drive using any third-party app.

Solution 4 – Uninstall hidden devices from Device Manager

If your USB device did not recognize Windows 10 problems can be caused by devices that were hidden in your Device Manager. To get it working again you may need to uninstall them. Follow these instructions to do that.

• Press your keyboardWindows key + Rand input the letters 'cmd' and press OK.

• Once the command prompt comes up, paste these lines below and click ok after each line to run them through.
  - set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
  - cd
  - cd windowssystem32
  - start devmgmt.msc

After doing this, your Device Manager will be able to fully display hidden devices in your drive

• Expand all the sections and make sure you delete all gray entries
• Restart your computer and reconnect your hard drive.

Solution 5 – Delete Unrecognized device from Device Manager and assign a different letter to your USB hard drive

To delete unrecognizable devices from your Device Manager and assign a letter to it, follow these steps.

• Go to theUniversal Serial controllerafter opening your system'Device Manager.
• Expand the Controller section and locate all Unrecognized devices. On the Unrecognized devices, Right-click to pick the item 'uninstall device'.
• Press the scan button to scan for available hardware changes.

• Close yourDevice Manager
• Select your computer management portal and navigate to Disk management by pressingWindows key + S
• Locate your USB hard drive storage and right-click to pick 'Change system's hard Drive Letter and Paths'
• Press the Change button and assign a letter to the USB drive.
• Should you not see any unrecognized devices in your Manager, skip the last step and just try replacing the old letter with a new one.

Solution 6 – Connect your USB hard drive to the USB ports in the back

If you are having issues with a USB drive such as the Seagate modeled USB drive it may be as a result of the fact that you connect yours to the front port rather than the back. You may also experience the same problem of an unrecognizable hard drive even if you don't make use of a hard drive that is like Seagate's. There are claims that some ports don't have enough power are the front of computer systems. If this claim is true, you may want to consider connecting your hard drive to the backport to see if it works. Also, avoid using a hub for connection. It is better when you connect directly.

Solution 7 – Replace the hard drive letter using the Diskpart tool

Another way to replace the hard drive letter is to use aDiskpart tool. Here is how to use it to correct a USB device not recognized Windows 10 problem.

• Typedisparton the run box by pressingWindows Key + R.

• Once the command prompt opens up, type the list volume than tap the Enter key to run command.
• Identify your exact USB storage file amongst the list.
• We advise you to choose 'Select Volume 2' because it is much easier to use this prompt. Tap Enter to proceed.

• Close the command prompt and see if your hard drive is recognizable

USB device not recognized Windows 10may be as a result of undetected external hard drives, your drive not showing or may not even work at all. These problems can be resolved however with any of the 7 solutions listed above. One solution may work but in some cases, you may have to use more than one solution to resolve issues. The more suggestion that you should back up your USB data to a safety device or it will cause your data files to get lost. Once data loss happens, you need aUSB data recoveryprogram to help you retrieve all data back easily.

Recoverit Free USB Data Recovery for Computer

• Recover lost data files from USB drive on Windows 10 easily.
• Data recovery from any storage device on Windows computer and Mac.
• Recover lost data files due to Windows computer crashed.

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