Windows 10: Error in w11 code 38

I got an issue that when I tried to plug a USB drive once, it won't work again the second didn't I use it. The drivers show error code 38. Tried to reboot but it won't fix the issue.

:)

 

USB Devices not work - code 38

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



I understand that you are receiving an error Code 38 for USB mass storage device. I’ll certainly help you with the issue.



The error code 38 states that Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware because a previous instance of the device driver is still in memory. It is caused because the driver could not be loaded because a previous instance is still loaded.
For more information, see
Error codes in Device Manager in Windows.



I would suggest you to refer the troubleshooting steps mentioned below:



Method 1: Reboot your computer



The simplest way would be to reboot your computer and check if that helps.



Method 2: Rollback the driver



If the issue persists, I would suggest you to try rollback the driver and check. Refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Press and hold the Windows key + X, and select
   Device manager.
   
2. In Device manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
   
3. Right click on USB Mass Storage device and select
   Properties.
   
4. Navigate to the Driver tab and click on
   Roll Back Driver.
   
5. Restart the computer.
   

Method 3: Reinstalling the driver



If the issue persists, I would suggest you to try reinstalling the driver and check. Refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Press and hold the Windows key + X, and select
   Device manager.
   
2. In Device manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
   
3. Right click on the USB Mass Storage
   device and click on Uninstall.
   
4. Uncheck the box Delete the driver software for this device
   and click on OK.
   
5. Restart the computer.
   

Let us know how it goes.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

USB Error Code 38

Hello, I'm Louie, and I'm happy to help you today. Hope you're doing well and safe there. I'm sorry that you're having trouble with error code 38.

I would suggest you to try the solutions provided on the thread below.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/for...

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Louie

 

38-character "product code"

I ran the troubleshooter for uninstalling a program that isn't listed in Windows 10 apps list that is described at http://support.microsoft.com/mats/Program_Install_and_Uninstall

The troubleshooter asks for a 38-character product code.

To find the code, I tried running this command in a command prompt and an administrative command prompt:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product

That was not recognized as a command. Next, in Powershell, I ran
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product. I got a list of installed apps with 38-character codes, but the one that I want to uninstall was not on the list.

What should I try next?