Fix USB Ports on your PC

Table of contents:

• Troubleshoot USB Ports by Changing BIOS Settings
• How to Disable xHCI in BIOS
• Fix USB Ports with Chipset Drivers
• Find Drivers Automatically in Device Manager
• Find Drivers on a Vendor Site
• Consider Repair

Try Best Practices

A problem with USB can be caused by something as simple as a faulty cable, that you can check by plugging it into a different port. You should also make sure that the cable supports the power and bandwidth demands of the connected device. Some magnetic connectors only support charging, and not data transfer. Problems like these can become more apparent if you learn how the standard works from our article on USB.

You should also consider a powered hub. Sometimes, either the motherboard or the power supply of your PC isn’t able to supply directly connected devices, and may drop them occasionally. By powering your USB devices with a separate adapter, you’ll be able to exclude this as a potential factor in your USB issues.

Fix USB Ports with Chipset Drivers

Sometimes, operating systems require motherboard drivers for complete USB support. Installing the drivers for all your hardware on a fresh OS is always a good practice, especially with USB not connecting. They can easily be found on vendor sites, or even found automatically on Windows.

If your system is being regularly updated, the latest available drivers have likely already been installed by Windows Update.

Consider Repair

In some cases, the problem is entirely caused by the hardware. USB ports, especially ones that have been in active use for years, tend to fail from constant tension or friction. Here are some telltale signs of physical damage if you have problems with USB ports not working:

• It’s the only malfunctioning port, the rest work fine
• The port does not appear in the Device Manager
• Devices on this port keep connecting and disconnecting, especially with motion
• There are no latency problems, only disconnection
• The same malfunction happens across different OSes and in the BIOS
  
  

The only thing that can be done for a damaged port is replacement. Resoldering is a risky procedure, so keep in mind that a repair shop may return the board in a completely inoperable state. It’s best to have a temporary replacement.