Windows 10: insufficient power when external SSD is connected to USB hub?

My laptop has too few USB 3.0 ports for my purposes and therefore I use USB hubs to connect external devices to it. In fact I have two externally powered USB hubs of seven ports each connected to the laptop.

On one of them I have four (individually powered) external drives connected to it, my keyboard, a mouse and a printer. This hub presents no problems. However, the other one which is used to power some airflow fans under the laptop (not sure if it's really useful) does not seem to have enough power when I connect a 512 GB external SSD drive to it. The drive keeps connecting to and disconnecting from the laptop.

If I were to change the USB hub that presents this problem can you suggest what I should look out for in buying a new hub?

:)

 

Sharkoon Unveils New USB 3.0 Hubs in Aluminium

It really depends what kind of devices you will have connected to the hub, if you will connect three or four 2.5" external HDDs then there won't be enough power but if you are going to connect external HDDs (3.5") with external power supply and few USB keys and one 2.5" external HDD then there should not be a problem with power. But if someone is buying 7 port USB 3.0 hub then they should definetly get externally powered USB hub.

 

USB HUB

Hi,

Incompatible USB hub driver is one of the possible reasons why this issue is happening. We recommend uninstalling the USB Root Hub driver and see if it helps. Follow the stepes below:

• Open Device Manager.
  
• Double-click Universal Serial Bus controllers to expand.
  
• Right-click USB Root Hub, then click Properties.
  
• Go to the Driver tab.
  
• Click Uninstall.
  
• Restart your computer.
  

Note: Restarting your computer will automatically reinstall a generic driver for your computer. Also, we suggest connecting your USB hub while performing the steps.

If the issue still persists, let's disable the USB selective suspend settings thru Power Options to resolve the issue. Follow the steps below:

• Type Power Options in the search box, then press Enter.
• Locate USB settings > USB selective suspend settings.
• Select Disable.

Keep us in the loop with the result.

 

my comp wont recognize an external 2.0 usb hub and shows no usb 2.0 in device manager

Hi Bob,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

1. What is the make and model of the computer?
   
2. Have you tried connecting on different ports?
   
3. Which version of Windows is installed on your device?
   
   
   

Refer the article Which Windows operating system am I running to provide
the details.



However, I would suggest you to follow the steps mentioned below and let us know if that helps.



Method 1

Disable/Enable quick boot Windows 10

1. Type Power Options in Start menu search and press
   Enter key to open Power Options window.
   
2. Click on Choose what the power buttons do to open System Settings window.
   
3. Click on the link named Change settings that are currently available.
   
4. Scroll down to Shutdown settings and uncheck Turn on fast startup.
   
5. Click on Save Changes, restart the device to check the status of the issue.
   

Method 2

If the USB device does not display in Device Manager, there might be a power requirement issue. Disconnect the device and perform the following steps until the device is detected:

1. Restart the computer
   
2. Connect the device and wait 5 seconds. If the device is not recognized, disconnect it and go to the next step.
   
3. In Windows, search for and open Device Manager.
   
4. Double-click Universal Serial Bus Controllers to expand the list.
   
5. Double-click a USB Root Hub, click the
   Power tab, and then click Power Properties (if it is shown).
   
   
   
   Note: The Power tab displays only in USB 2.0. There is no Power tab in USB 3.0.
   
   Devices that are attached to the hub are shown, as well as the power that they require. If the total displayed power is over 500 mA, remove the devices and use a powered hub.
   
   
   
6. Continue looking at the power properties of each USB hub. If the total Power required exceeds the Total power available for the hub, then remove a device on that hub to lower the Power required number.
   
7. Connect the device and wait 5 seconds. If the device is not recognized, disconnect it and go to the next step.
   
8. Remove high-speed USB cables that are over 3m (9.8 ft) in length and use high-speed cables that are shorter than 3 m.
   Only use high-speed cables shorter than 3m in length with high-speed USB devices (multifunction printers, scanners, and cameras).
   
9. If the USB device is connected to a USB port on a keyboard, disconnect it, then connect it to a USB port on the computer or to a powered hub.
   
10. There might be an issue with the USB port. Try connecting to a different USB port. If the USB device displays in Device Manager after connecting the cable to a different port, then uninstall and reinstall the USB device software
    driver.
    
11. There might be an issue with the USB port. Try connecting to a different USB port. If the USB device displays in Device Manager after connecting the cable to a different port, then uninstall and reinstall the USB device software
    driver.
    
12. Consult the manufacturer of the device for support if the device still fails to display.
    

Hope it helps.



Muralidhar

Microsoft Community Moderator