Windows 10: Re-plugging external USB devices after servicing your PC

I was always curious, when you have to plug back all your external USB devices for your desktop (say, after you upgraded RAM, or put in a larger hard drive, or just after cleaning it) -- does it matter to remember how things were plugged in so that I can put everything back into the same USB ports?

PS. And if yes, how do you guys memorize that? In my case, I have about 6 USB cables that are all black and look pretty much the same even if I took a picture.

:)

 

Toshiba External USB drives not showing in Explorer or Disk Management Plug-in

Thank you for the update.

Looks like your system is unable to detect your external hard drive. Let's see if scanning for new hardware will fix the issue. Follow these steps:

• Press the Windows key to launch the Start menu.
• Type in Device Manager and press Enter.
• Under Device Manager, select Action tab > Scan for hardware changes.
• Wait for your system to install the generic driver for your device and follow the on-screen instructions.

If the issue still persists, we suggest that you perform the following recommendations below:

• Plug in your external USB drives to other USB device port of your system.
• Use other USB cables for your external device to connect to your system.

Keep us updated and we will be glad to assist you further.

 

USB Connected device not found by PC

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



We understand how difficult it is, when the device doesn't work in the way it should. I appreciate the troubleshooting steps that you've tried so far.



Since you tried the same PS4 controller on a different laptop and failed to connect, resetting the system is not required and assuming that it could be a hardware related issue.



In this scenario, we would suggest you to try these methods and let us know the result of these methods.



Method 1: Steps to reset PS4

1. Turn back the controller.
   
2. You should see a tiny reset button. It must be close to the L2 button.
   
3. Use a pen or a needle and push the button for 10 seconds.
   
4. Connect the controller and check

Method 2: Update HID in Device Manager.

1. Press Windows + X and click on
   Device manager.
   
2. Click on View tab on the top. Select
   Show hidden devices.
   
3. Search & Expand Human Interface Devices and then check for
   HID-complaint game controller.
   
4. Right Click on it and select Uninstall.
   
5. Restart the PC and plug in the USB PS4 controller to install automatically.

Method 3: Set the PS4 as default app.

1. Press Windows +R key from the keyboard to open Run command.
   
2. Type joy.cpl and click OK.
   
3. Select the PS4 controller in the list and click on Advanced tab below.
   
4. Then select the PS4 controller as preferred device and click OK.

However, you can also refer this Error:
“USB Device not recognized” when you try to access a USB external hard drive article to troubleshoot, please exclude method 1 and 2 as they are not relevant to PS4.



We await your response.



Aditya Roy

Microsoft Community – Moderator

 

USB device not reconized

Hi Henry,

I realize that you get message “USB device not recognized” on your PC. I will try to help you with this issue.

• 
  Did you make any changes to the PC?
  

Plug in the USB device into another PC to check if the issue persists. Plug in another USB device into this PC to check if that helps.

Suggest you to run the hardware troubleshooter and check if that helps. Once this is done, restart the computer to check if this helps.

• 
  Press “Windows key + X” to click on “Control Panel”.
  
• 
  Click on “Troubleshooting” and click on “View all”.
  

Click on “Hardware and Devices” to run the troubleshooter. Once this is done, restart the computer and check if this helps.

Keep us informed to help you further.