Error message “one of the USB device attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognise it”
Today we will talk about an issue of USB devices that many users has encountered.
The symptom is when you connect a USB device to windows7 laptop, system will pop up a message “One of the USB device attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it”.
In addition, you can find an error code 43 in device manager “Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)”.
This is a very common error code and the cause may not be determined easily. We provide some general troubleshooting steps, hope it's helpful.
Try the steps below:
1. Make sure you update to latest BIOS.
2. Reinstall USB controllers
First, please disconnect all USB devices and then perform the following steps:
a) Click "Start" button, type “devmgmt.msc” (without quotation marks) in the “Search” bar and press "Enter". Click “Continue” if necessary.
b) In Device Manager, double click to expand "Universal Serial Bus controllers", right click on the Host Controller, click "Uninstall" and click "OK".
c) Repeat the step 2 to uninstall all items under "Universal Serial Bus controllers".
Then, restart your computer and Windows 7 will reinstall all USB controllers automatically.
3. If the above steps cannot resolve the problem, try the steps below:
a) Turned the laptop off, unplugged it.
b) Pulled out the battery for a few minutes.
c) Then power on the laptop.
Make sure the USB device is working, try changing to another USB port.
5. Also, you can try in-place upgrade your system or system restore from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)
At boot-up, Hit F8 --> Repair --> System Recovery Options Window --> System Restore.
Reference:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprohardware/thread/d464ffc1-d9fb-4588-a437-8016f91fef28
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprohardware/thread/2152f092-001f-4404-8db1-63ec1609e62f
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprohardware/thread/c7bdbf5d-a2b5-4cd6-a968-7719e63d2cac
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprohardware/thread/c96c5971-5e45-4534-a5ca-94b1e093656a
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprohardware/thread/be4b06be-6b12-47a0-bba9-38c4c238d7c8
Comments
Anonymous
January 01, 2003
my hp laserjet m1005 mfp is not getting instelled with window7Anonymous
January 01, 2003
i am having the same problem with my usb mouse that had. been working for years. i have tried every fix i can find but nothing has workedAnonymous
January 01, 2003
I got so sick of this that I turned off warnings on the task bar and set the warning tones to zero. Now I don't get driven mad by the constant interruptions......and guess what? ...everything seems to be working fine!Anonymous
January 01, 2003
NICE TO SEE I M NOT ALONE....Anonymous
January 01, 2003
Also, you can try in-place upgrade your system or system restore from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) At boot-up, Hit F8 --> Repair --> System Recovery Options Window --> System Restore. blogs.technet.com/.../how-to-recover-from-the-no-boot-situation-caused-by-the-failed-installation-of-windows-7-or-windows-server-2008-r2-sp1.aspxAnonymous
January 01, 2003
Make sure the USB device is working, install all latest drivers, firmware and bios, try changing to another USB port...Anonymous
December 15, 2010
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February 04, 2011
None of these recomendations work for most cases. Just do an internet search and view all of the users having this same problem with laptops and desk top computers. Is it a coincidence that so many computers are all having USB failures? Stange that Device Manager always says the USB contollers are working but its the device plugged in that is not recognized and supposedly failed. Okay, but why do the same devices work when plugged into a different computer? Clean re-installation of Windows 7 does not fix the problem. Unplugging and taking out the battery also useless. Sure seems to be an OS problem that simply fails to identify any USB device and then fails to apply the correct driver. Hundeds of suggestions are on numerous threads addressing this issue but everything appears to be simply shots in the dark without any real definitive answer!Anonymous
February 08, 2011
I think P O'ed got it right. All this tinkering in the dark leads to an exorbitant waste of time and in some cases damage to computer systems. Microsoft should acknowledge the problem and find the solution.Anonymous
February 08, 2011
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February 12, 2011
ERROR 43. GIVE ME SOLUTION OR A DRIVER DOWNLOAD REFERENCEAnonymous
February 23, 2011
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February 24, 2011
Yeah, I have followed the run around and have been given the codes. Nothing works!! My Iomega external drive works with our Macbook and our Lenovo laptop Windows XP, but NOT with our Lenovo desktop Windows 7. My problem is I am trying to get my 104 Gigabytes of Itunes onto the Lenovo with WIndows 7 to a make space on the Macbook. I am P.O'ed alsoAnonymous
February 28, 2011
I am having the same code 43 error with trying to hook up my printer....I am so aggrevated...what the devil...I bought this laptop to be up to date...instead i cannot even get my printer hooked up.....where is the help...and why does microsoft 7 charge you if you need real support......Anonymous
March 17, 2011
I have the same problem, Windows 7 Home Premium, HP desktop A350N, not a laptop. I am getting the same error message.Anonymous
March 21, 2011
i also have the same issue with my W7 ultimate 64 bit can anyone resolved this issue. ThanksAnonymous
March 25, 2011
i m using windows 7 on compaq presario v3000. Drivers for hp m1005mfp are not been accepted loaded to my computerAnonymous
June 27, 2011
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June 30, 2011
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July 01, 2011
MS a re a disgrace. This error is costing companies a fortuneAnonymous
July 30, 2011
Glad to see i'm not alone...brand new Lenovo Z560 laptop with Win7 64 bit, cannot recognise my Imation Apollo PHDD 250GB External hard drive ,which worked no probs in XP. Same as everyone else, the reason for having that drive was to save important stuff on which I now can't see. Cheekily, even the Windows site showed my device in a list of compatible devices. Oh no it ain't. Last resort, get another external hard drive which is Win 7 compatible, find a machine where both drives work and transfer the files across. Ludicrous.Anonymous
October 16, 2011
maybe they are doing this for a reason for us to buy again,yes im with all of you.i've been looking for an answer almost 2 years now.and still no rigth answer..i bougth a new one and i hope i'll never encounter this problem again.Anonymous
October 25, 2011
this is ridiculous... i have had this ongoing problem, for months. if i unplug one of the other usb devices it works fine...Anonymous
November 25, 2011
Thanks. Your article solved a problem I have been fighting for months. My USB mouse would stop working and disappear. Uninstalling 2 Universal Serial Bus controllers and restarting windows has fixed it. Many thanks!Anonymous
February 25, 2012
i am facing same problem with with one of my usbAnonymous
February 27, 2012
Hey, thanks a lot, I had tried all other options since last two days then I Turned the laptop off, unplugged it Pulled out the battery for a few minutes and then after fixing the battery on its place in laptop ,I started my Laptop and it finally worked. this non technical solution actually worked.Anonymous
March 04, 2012
We have the same problem with a USB2 HDD on Windows 7 64-bit. The drive is fine when moved to a computer running XP. I removed all USB hubs/controllers in Control Panel, but that made no difference.Anonymous
March 24, 2012
Wow! I'm both glad and dismayed that I'm part of an ever growing club of win7 usb error 43 issues. What's really entertaining to me is that I have NO devices attached to usb's...Yet the message speaks of usb devices erroring out... so...this thread's been going for quite some time...any NEW ideas? good luck to all! :-) (Yes, I've tried EVERY STEP mentioned here -except the skydrive thingy- nuthin fixes it...) -anuAnonymous
June 27, 2012
if anyone found a solution to this let's just say it, i want at least my data from my external drive [Maxtor] back...Anonymous
July 11, 2012
This is my flippin' livelihood here! I work from home as a medical transcriptionist and I'm having this problem with my foot pedal and now my USB headset! I am livid to think MS knows about this and hasn't done anything about it! My foot pedal worked just fine for months after I bought this Toshiba laptop, then it started not responding well, then not at all! My job sent me a new pedal and again...it worked fine for months and now once again it's petering out! My job is not happy and are wondering if it's something I'm doing! I work on production, so when my foot pedal doesn't work, I'm LOSING MONEY! But hey, what does MS care...I've already paid them just like so many others! @%Y%&%&!!!!!Anonymous
January 08, 2013
Has any tried to run Unix to solve this problemAnonymous
January 08, 2013
Maybe we should protest worldwide outside their offices or maybe even att....k them. I am getting madAnonymous
January 25, 2013
Same problem, error 43. I've tried every possible fix on the internet and it won't recognize my mouse. My laptop is rendered useless for my purposes by this one problem and no one has any answers!Anonymous
February 01, 2013
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March 08, 2013
Same prob here, be it with a usb-to-quad-serial converter with prolific PL-2303 chip. Automatically detected and automatically installed on a XP-SP3 and win7/64 pro system, but fails on a win7/64 enterprise machine. Somehow the built-in hub in the cable seems not to be detected correctly. Tried about everything, to no avail. Guess I will just buy several single cables, cheaper as to keep on messing with it.Anonymous
April 04, 2013
The solution that has worked for me on many occasions is to power down the computer, then unplug the computer! This is very important. If you have a laptop you must also remove the battery. Wait a minimum of 5 minutes before powering on your computer again. This has worked on at least 5 or 6 computers in my office. Again, it is very important that you remove all power/batteries from the system for at least 5 minutes. Main symptoms when this solution works are:
- Computer and peripherals are working fine one day, then errors start the next day and no changes or updates have been applied recently.
- Powering down (without unplugging) does nothing to fix the problem.
- Reinstalling drivers has no effect, in fact you may get messages stating that the drivers could not be installed successfully. If this is what you are experiencing then this fix should work for you.
Anonymous
June 01, 2013
jeez!!! ive tried EVERYTHING!!!! every post claiming to have a solution is just another let down. CAN SOMEONE, ANYONE PLEASE HELP???Anonymous
June 01, 2013
im trying to connect my Samsung gio s5660 to my pc --- im using W7 Pro OS --- and im only getting this error with said device.Anonymous
June 01, 2013
One last thing, my phone does charge when connected to my pc, but windows fails to recognize the device-------THIS IS SOOOOO ANNOYING!!!----especially considering im trying to update the firmware of my phone.Anonymous
July 02, 2013
Hi, wanted to say that I followed all the steps listed above and it seems to have worked. Thank you for the tips and I really hope everyone else can find a solution sometime soon, although, judging by the comments it might not be the case.Anonymous
July 14, 2013
Running and old Gateway laptop to power security cam (a logitech C525). Same thing happened to me. Cam started malfunctioning and then the computer gave me an alert the the cam was not recognized. After trying all 4 usb ports and finding the same results...bad. I ended up doing a system restore to 2 months back. All ports are now working again. Funny how updates are suppose to help...but not in this case. Now starts the tedious task of finding out which update I don't want in my computer...lol. Hope this helpsAnonymous
September 08, 2013
I'm bordering on crying. I've tried everything offered and nothing works. I was charging my phone. Unplug it, got up to use printer, came back ,put phone back in and it hasn't worked since. This is horrible, it's a fairly new computer and I have loads of work to print out and scan, etc. Please, someone help!Anonymous
January 26, 2014
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February 04, 2014
I swapped the cable and it worked. Simple as that, now I'm backing up my files on to a memory stick and going to put on Home PC. :) Hope this quick fix helps for others.Anonymous
March 22, 2014
WOW... thanks it's very usefullAnonymous
April 09, 2014
well I have speakers i tried all the steps u have given above but still I am having this problemAnonymous
July 02, 2014
Thank you so much for 2nd solution. My problem was fixed now.Anonymous
January 01, 2015
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February 14, 2015
This is what happened to ME yesterday:
I reached over to the front USB2 port to plug in an external hard drive. When I did I got a static discharge to the USB2 port and at that point I heard the USB2 sound from the PC. The one that plays when there is an error. I also got the message "The last usb device you connected to this computer malfunctioned" Port was working fine but Device Manager showed one built in Hub was not functioning and it was complaining about the driver not being recognized. I tried to uninstall that hub and restart the PC. Same deal, error and messages. So I decided to connect a USB device and see if the port was working and when I did I got another static discharge and heard the USB sound that plays when you connect to a good port. I opened Device Manager and guess what....no more errors!! I conclude that the static changed something on the USB controller chip. Maybe turning off all the USB settings in BIOS and rebooting and then turning them back on and rebooting might reset them. I don't know as it's working fine now and I am discharging myself to a metal plug bar I have near the PC before I connect or touch the PC from now on, or at least until the air is not so dry.Anonymous
March 15, 2015
One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it... tired of this message!Anonymous
April 19, 2015
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