USB ports stopped working ... need help

[jharris378]

ASUS P8Z68V-LE mobo
Windows 7 64-bit OS

After an automatic Windows update where about 20 updates were installed my USB ports got weird. By weird I mean I use a USB keyboard and USB mouse and they work. However, none of my thumb drives, hub, SD card reader, and docked external HDD are recognized. All my Device Manager problems - exclamation points - are in the Disk drives section.

I have mobo USB 2 and 3 ports in the back and front. None of them recognize any thumb drive or my Kingston USB SD card reader.

I tried:
Scan for viruses - none found
Manually updating USB drivers in Device Manager (USB devices are listed by name) - no effect
Rolling back any USB drivers in Device Manager -no effect
Uninstalled USB devices and let Windows reinstall them and their drivers - no effect
Download and install manufacturer drivers for devices - no effect or devices not seen by the manufacturer software (Kingston)
Run MS Hotfix - no effect
Update mobo BIOS and check settings - no effect (USB ports are enabled in BIOS)
Uninstalling most recent Windows updates -no effetc (SP1 update wouldn't uninstall). This created all the "bad" restore points that pushed my good ones out of the queue
The "unplug the PC" fix - no effect
Edit registry to remove lower and upper limit values for the USB devices - no effect (restored registry values)

I am sure it is a software/firmware issue because I was able to go back to an earlier restore point in the beginning of this problem and the USB ports worked as normal. However, some Windows updates must have already been downloaded because they installed at the next start up and I was back with non-functioning USB ports.

I went back to the good restore point one more time and turned off the automatic Windows updates. Still, the updates installed on the next start up without asking to be installed. I tried to go back to an even earlier restore point, but there were none left. All the automatically created restore points pushed any "good" ones out of the queue. The ones that are left all have the "bad" USB issue.

So, what can I do to get these USB ports working again?

 

[Smoove910]

Try this:

Device manager => USB controllers => uninstall standard enhanced pci to usb host controller (do it twice), then run hardware change scan, and let win7 reinstall the drivers.

The updates have somehow corrupted the drivers, so you need to fix it manually.

 

[Steltek]

Have you tried downloading updated motherboard chipset drivers from the Intel website and installing them? You might also try to re-install the Asmedia chipset driver from the ASUS website as well (your motherboard uses two different USB3.0 chipsets, Intel and Asmedia).

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_LE/#download

Another thing you can try is to go in to Windows update, View Update History, and uninstall the updates one at a time from the most recent update working backward (rebooting after each uninstall) until you find the one which caused the problem. Then, block that update and install the rest.

 

[denis280]

Have you tried downloading updated motherboard chipset drivers from the Intel website and installing them? You might also try to re-install the Asmedia chipset driver from the ASUS website as well (your motherboard uses two different USB3.0 chipsets, Intel and Asmedia).

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_LE/#download

Another thing you can try is to go in to Windows update, View Update History, and uninstall the updates one at a time from the most recent update working backward (rebooting after each uninstall) until you find the one which caused the problem. Then, block that update and install the rest.

I second this

 

[jharris378]

Have you tried downloading updated motherboard chipset drivers from the Intel website and installing them? You might also try to re-install the Asmedia chipset driver from the ASUS website as well (your motherboard uses two different USB3.0 chipsets, Intel and Asmedia).

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_LE/#download

Another thing you can try is to go in to Windows update, View Update History, and uninstall the updates one at a time from the most recent update working backward (rebooting after each uninstall) until you find the one which caused the problem. Then, block that update and install the rest.

Thanks for the suggestions.

First, I had previously uninstalled everything under USB in the Device Manager and let it all re-install during the next boot up. It didn't solve any USB issues.

I did try uninstalling all updates that were installed since the problem started (about 30 of them). Everything uninstalled but the Office SP1 update. This procedure is what caused all of the restore points to be created automatically, and that ruined my ability to go back to a working system because the older restore points were deleted by Windows. Anyway, the USB ports were still non-functional after each of the uninstalls.

I went to the ASUS web site and downloaded both USB 3.0 drive utilities and ran them. One had an Install Shield GUI and the other did not. Neither made any of my USB 2.0 or 3.0 ports work.

The Intel website stated that installing their chipset drivers would not help with USB issues. I tried anyway. They were right; none of my USB ports work on any storage devices or hubs.

One thing did change. Now, when I insert a thumb drive I get the pleasant default chime from Windows that something was plugged in to a USB port. I also see a brief flash on the thumb drive LED. However, the drive still does not show up in My Computer. Previously, there was no LED activity and I got the "bad" default chime that the device was not recognized.

I have a clunky work around for thumb drive access using the USB ports on my NAS device (I have to insert a USB thumb drive into the NAS USB port and map it, but Windows sees it!). I still really want my PC's USB ports to work as they did before.

I cannot find any USB drivers online to replace my seemingly corrupted ones. I think there are only a few files that constitute the USB driver set. Does anyone know where I can find these? Maybe somewhere on my Windows 7 disk (unzipped)?

 

[Steltek]

Out of curiosity, do the USB ports work correctly if you boot the system using a Linux live CD or Hiren's boot CD? If not, I would suspect a motherboard or power supply issue.

 

[jharris378]

Out of curiosity, do the USB ports work correctly if you boot the system using a Linux live CD or Hiren's boot CD? If not, I would suspect a motherboard or power supply issue.

I dunno. I haven't tried using anything but windows solutions. I don't know anything about it, but I will look for Hiren's boot CD and read up on if would apply to my system.

As far as any hardware issue, I ruled that out. I do know that on Sunday at 10:00 am the USB ports didn't work. I used System Restore, and at 10:01 am they did work. Unfortunately, that restore point is no longer available due to undoing system updates one-at-a-time to try to find the issue.

 

[Bubbaleone]

I dunno. I haven't tried using anything but windows solutions. I don't know anything about it, but I will look for Hiren's boot CD and read up on if would apply to my system.

As far as any hardware issue, I ruled that out. I do know that on Sunday at 10:00 am the USB ports didn't work. I used System Restore, and at 10:01 am they did work. Unfortunately, that restore point is no longer available due to undoing system updates one-at-a-time to try to find the issue.

Rather than wasting more time trying to sort out what went wrong, I have this suggestion: Microsoft doesn't advertise the following fix as a repair option for a damaged OS, but rather as an "in-place upgrade" procedure that would customarily involve being booted to a Vista desktop, then loading the Windows 7 installation DVD and upgrading Vista to Windows 7.

However, just like the old Windows XP "repair installation" procedure that allowed you to keep all your settings, third-party software, and personal data intact, the Windows 7 upgrade option provides the same functionality when you need to perform a Windows 7 repair that will keep your data intact.

Simply boot to your desktop, load the installation DVD, then select to install Windows 7. Allow the installer to download any updates, then at the next screen select to "Upgrade". DO NOT select "Clean Install"! Windows will reboot several times during the procedure and, depending on the amount of third-party software and personal data you have, the procedure may take an hour or more (in practice, I find it usually runs about 25-35 minutes). When it's completed, Windows will be as new, and all your settings, personal data, and programs intact. The only caveat is having to reinstall all the latest Windows updates...IMHO a small price to pay for a fully functional OS.


.

 

[Smoove910]

For shits and giggles, try this:

1. "Control Panel"
2. "System"
3. "Device Manager"
4. Expand "Universal Serial Bus Controllers"
5. Right-Click each of the listed items individually and select "Properties" for each item. If there is a "Power Management" Tab click on it. Make sure that the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power " is unchecked.
6. Click "OK" and "Restart" the computer

I figured it was worth a try... that crap Windows update may have messed with the power management

 

[jharris378]

Rather than wasting more time trying to sort out what went wrong, I have this suggestion: Microsoft doesn't advertise the following fix as a repair option for a damaged OS, but rather as an "in-place upgrade" procedure that would customarily involve being booted to a Vista desktop, then loading the Windows 7 installation DVD and upgrading Vista to Windows 7.

However, just like the old Windows XP "repair installation" procedure that allowed you to keep all your settings, third-party software, and personal data intact, the Windows 7 upgrade option provides the same functionality when you need to perform a Windows 7 repair that will keep your data intact.

Simply boot to your desktop, load the installation DVD, then select to install Windows 7. Allow the installer to download any updates, then at the next screen select to "Upgrade". DO NOT select "Clean Install"! Windows will reboot several times during the procedure and, depending on the amount of third-party software and personal data you have, the procedure may take an hour or more (in practice, I find it usually runs about 25-35 minutes). When it's completed, Windows will be as new, and all your settings, personal data, and programs intact. The only caveat is having to reinstall all the latest Windows updates...IMHO a small price to pay for a fully functional OS.
.

I did try this initially. I just forgot to mention this failed attempt.

What happened was that I outsmarted myself (Doh). After my initial installation on Win7, I edited the registry to move/create any user account files onto a different drive. My C-drive is an SSD with limited space, and I didn't want to clog it up with user account data. I thought I was being smart, but now I really regret this move.

Now back to trying to fix my USB issue, the Win7 installation/repair is not allowed because the user account data is stored on a drive different than C.

In another attempt, I looked at the C-drive Windows\System32\drivers to see if anything had been updated lately. Only one file had been updated since the problems began, and that was pointer64.sys (no USB connection). I deleted it and re-booted, but all it did was make my mouse stop working. I restored it from the trash and re-booted again. I was desperate enough to delete the device driver files for the USB devices with the exclamation points and let Windows re-install them on the next boot up. Still no luck.

I also tried the Power Management suggestion. Indeed, the "Generic USB Hub" and "USB Root Hub" devices - four of each - all had that check box checked, but un-checking it and re-booting didn't change anything.

Thanks for all the suggestions, but I'm all out of ideas ... and patience!

**************
I just noticed something new that may mean something. A whole bunch of entries just appeared under Human Interface Devices in my Device Manager, and they all seem to relate to USB. None of them have an exclamation point, but is there anything to be learned from them just showing up?

 

[Steltek]

I dunno. I haven't tried using anything but windows solutions. I don't know anything about it, but I will look for Hiren's boot CD and read up on if would apply to my system.

As far as any hardware issue, I ruled that out. I do know that on Sunday at 10:00 am the USB ports didn't work. I used System Restore, and at 10:01 am they did work. Unfortunately, that restore point is no longer available due to undoing system updates one-at-a-time to try to find the issue.

I have an ASUS Sabertooth Z77 motherboard, and Hirens boot CD will work on it. What you can to is create a Hirens boot CD, then boot to it and use either Mini Windows XP or the Linux based rescue environment (Parted Magic, a Linux based tool - if you select this option, just hit ENTER on the next screen where it says Start -- don't worry about setting any options). Once the graphical user interface comes up, you can then launch the file system browser and plug in your flash drive and attempt to access it (you may have to hit the refresh button to see it). Of course, if you use Mini WinXP, you'll know what to do.

The only thing I'm not sure of is whether the boot CD will support a USB 3.0 port, so you may have to limit your testing to USB 2.0 ports; however, that should at least give you an idea as to whether you have a hardware fault or a scrambled OS.

http://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/Hirens.BootCD.15.2.zip

If you just want to get a Parted Magic ISO (some folks don't like to use Hirens for reasons I won't go in to here), download it directly from Sourceforge (it is a very useful tool to have, as you can use it to get back on the Web while you troubleshoot a system):

http://sourceforge.net/projects/partedmagic/files/latest/download?source=files

Of course, a 3rd option is to download the Linux live CD of your choice (I prefer Linux Mint 13 MATE or Linux Mint Debian Edition myself) but it will be a significantly larger download than would either of the other two options (with just Parted Magic being the smallest download).

 

[jharris378]

I have an ASUS Sabertooth Z77 motherboard, and Hirens boot CD will work on it. What you can to is create a Hirens boot CD, then boot to it and use either Mini Windows XP or the Linux based rescue environment (Parted Magic, a Linux based tool - if you select this option, just hit ENTER on the next screen where it says Start -- don't worry about setting any options). Once the graphical user interface comes up, you can then launch the file system browser and plug in your flash drive and attempt to access it (you may have to hit the refresh button to see it). Of course, if you use Mini WinXP, you'll know what to do.

The only thing I'm not sure of is whether the boot CD will support a USB 3.0 port, so you may have to limit your testing to USB 2.0 ports; however, that should at least give you an idea as to whether you have a hardware fault or a scrambled OS.

http://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/Hirens.BootCD.15.2.zip

If you just want to get a Parted Magic ISO (some folks don't like to use Hirens for reasons I won't go in to here), download it directly from Sourceforge (it is a very useful tool to have, as you can use it to get back on the Web while you troubleshoot a system):

http://sourceforge.net/projects/partedmagic/files/latest/download?source=files

Of course, a 3rd option is to download the Linux live CD of your choice (I prefer Linux Mint 13 MATE or Linux Mint Debian Edition myself) but it will be a significantly larger download than would either of the other two options (with just Parted Magic being the smallest download).

I tried Hiren's boot CD and it showed all of my USB 2.0 ports in Mini Windows XP. That lets me get my data from these devices onto my HDDs, but I don't think it will do anything else for me. Unless the USB 2.0 drivers for windows are identical to the USB 2.0 drivers for Win7. I suppose I could replace all USB related drivers in Win7 with the XP versions. I don't know if that would work or not.

That still leaves the USB 3.0 ports non-functional, and the ASUS USB 3.0 utilities to repair/install the drivers does nothing to help.

The weird thing is that my USB mouse and keyboard have continued to function throughout this ordeal. Each is on its own port of my Kingston 7-port hub that's plugged into a USB 2.0 port on the mobo (in the back of the PC). The fact that these two devices work on these types of ports leads me away from thinking it's a USB Hub driver issue, but I'm not sure. I just wish I could find an MS fix to restore/repair/replace USB drivers.

Right now. getting access to USB stored data isn't an issue. I can do that. I just want to get my PC's USB ports working again. What about getting an driver install disk from a add-on USB card and running it's driver install software?

 

[Steltek]

Ok, I guess I misunderstood the issue as I didn't realize your USB mouse/keyboard was working (must have just glossed over that). The reasoning behind my suggestion for the live CD boot was to determine if you had a legitimate hardware fault on your motherboard (i.e. if the ports work independently of the Windows installation, you could safely assume that Windows has taken a vacation but that the underlying hardware is good).

You may be approaching the point where backing up your data and attempting an OS reinstall would be the most efficient route. There may not be anything wrong with the drivers, but rather something else is damaged in the kernel which is preventing the ports from properly functioning. The only other thing I could think of is to install an older version of the drivers than the one you are presently running, so as to force Windows to overlay the existing drivers. If you end up with functioning USB ports, you can then try to re-install the newest drivers.

Also, if you do go ahead and perform an OS re-install, it is possible to move a user profile without editing the registry. It involves using NTFS directory junction points to redirect the normal profile location to the new location using the NTFS file system itself and might provide a superior result for you:

http://www.starkeith.net/coredump/2009/05/18/how-to-move-your-windows-user-profile-to-another-drive/

EDIT:

Another page you might want to look at, though I don't know if it will help you:

http://www.faqforge.com/windows/uninstall-usb-drivers-on-windows-7/

 

[jharris378]

I guess I'll take a whack at the junction point solution and Win7 install/repair. I really, really don't want to re-install all my software.