In day to day usage, you might encounter different types of issues on your computer system. Most of them are quite straightforward and very easy to fix. But there are some advance issues which require a lot of time and effort to resolve.

Most of the times, users start reacting panicky on common system issues. This is mainly due to lack of technical knowledge in casual users.

In order to help those kinds of users, we have collected some of the common issues of Windows OS ecosystem and tried to solve them in the easiest way possible.

On today’s topic, we will be looking on the USB ports not working Windows 7 issue. This problem has been reported to pop up on different versions of Windows OS from time to time. However, it is more frequent on Windows 7 based systems.

Now, without wasting any time let’s dive into the solutions for fixing this issue.

Best Ways To Fix The USB Ports Not Working Windows 7 Issue

There are many possible problematic sectors in an OS and a PC that can cause this issue. In most of the situations, it happens due to simple software misconfigurations. However, in some cases, this issue pops up because of hardware problems.

But, you don’t need to worry about it, because it is a very simple and common system issue. And, it can be resolved by applying the proper solutions. Now, in order to use the fixes in an efficient manner, we need to find the main problematic sectors that give rise to this issue.

Verification And Elimination Of Problematic Sectors

This particular issue is related to the software and hardware of a system. Hence we need to search both of the sections in order to find the real problematic sector.

Hardware Problematic Sectors

The problematic sectors which are related to the hardware of a system are quite easy to detect and resolve. That’s why we will start our solution quest from there.

Check The USB Cable.

The first thing that you should check is the USB cable that you are using. Most of the time a faulty USB cable creates an illusion of  USB ports not working issue. That’s why its workability verification is a mandatory factor.

To do that, connect your USB cable with another device or system. If it is not working at all, then you have found the problem. However, if the USB cable is functioning without an issue then move on to the next solution.

Verify The USB Port

Now, the next hardware section that can cause this issue on your system is your USB port itself. In a standard system, there can be many hardware parts which are connected with the system via the USB port. And misconfiguration of those hardware can generate issues like the USB ports not working. That’s why we need to check those sections one by one and then apply the solutions according to it.

Verify The Power Consumption

At times, the USB port is unable to function properly due to lack of power. This thing usually happens with laptops. However, desktop users have also faced this issue due to a poorly functioning PSU.

In order to verify this problem on your laptop, reboot it and then connect the power adapter with it. After this, try to use your desired device once more.

Now, on a desktop, you have to turn it off and then connect a functional PSU in it. Once you have done that, turn on your desktop and verify whether the issue is resolved or not.

Investigate The USB Port Versions

Sometimes, due to mismatch of  USB port version, the USB port refuses to detect the connected device. This generates different types of connectivity issues like the USB ports not working.

Now to test whether this is the actual reason, plug-in your USB device into the correct version of the USB port. It means if you are using a USB 2.0 device and you are trying to connect it in a USB 3.0 or 3.1 port, then there is a very high chance of occurrence of this error. Hence, you should plug-in the device into its the legitimate USB port

However, if it is still showing the issue, then try to use the next solution.

Faulty USB Port

If all the prime problematic sectors mentioned in the above section is working perfectly, then it is quite possible that your USB port is faulty.

To check it, plug-in your USB device into another USB port on your system. If that second USB port is working, then it has been clarified that USB port is the culprit.

Now, if you are using a custom built system then change the USB port with the help of a spare part. Or, you can also use an external USB port extender. However, those users who are working on some pre-built systems like laptops or ultrabooks, they need to contact their device manufacturer or service center in order to repair their device.

Software Problematic Sectors

After the verification of the hardware sector, you need to shift your solution quest towards the software sector. Most of the time, the software sector start showing different types of issues after an OS update. If your system has gone through such a thing, then there is a very high probability that this issue is happening due to some software misconfiguration.

Check-up The Power Management Settings

We have already mentioned to you about the role of power in a USB port. Now, it’s time to explain you about the importance of proper power management settings.

In the Windows OS ecosystem, there is a power conservation feature which turns off the USB controllers of a device when the USB port is not in use. Now, if the user wants to use it, then the power conservation feature turns on automatically, whenever one uses an USB port.

However, in some cases, it doesn’t work as it intended to. On those situations, the system spits out issues like the USB ports not working. But this feature is primarily found in portable Windows OS systems like laptops and ultrabooks. Hence, desktop users can skip this solution.

1. To rectify the power management settings, first, open the Device Manager by using the Run dialogue box. To do that, tap on the Windows Key + R together. Then on the Run Dialogue Box type, “devmgmt.msc” and hit the OK button or Enter key.
2. On the Device Manager page, expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers option by double-clicking on it
3. After that, double click on the first USB hub option from that list.
4. A pop-up window will appear on your screen. On that window, tap on the Power Management tab.
5. Inside that tab, you have to uncheck the box beside ‘Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power’ option. Then hit the OK button in order to save all the changes.

Once you have done this, close everything and check for the existence of the issue. Now, if your system possesses multiple USB ports and this issue is occuring in all of them. Then you have to repeat this method for all of them one by one.

Verify The USB Port Drivers

After an OS related update, the first things that generally get affected are the system drivers and apps. At such instances, they suffer from different types of issues like drivers corruption, OS incompatibility, etc. Hence, we need to move our focus towards them.

Reinstall The Problematic USB Port Drivers

If your USB port drivers are facing the file corruption problem, then the best solution for them would be driver reinstallation.

1. To perform it, launch the Device Manager with the help of Windows Search Bar. Tap on the Windows Start Icon and the type “Device Manager” in the search section.
2. Now on the result area, you will find the Device Manager shortcut option. Click on it to open the same.
3. On the Device Manager page, you need to expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers option. Double-click on it to do that.
4. Then locate the USB Host Controller and right click on it. A pop-up menu will arise on your screen. There you have to hit the Uninstall Device option.
5. Now, wait until the uninstallation process gets completed. Once it finishes, reboot your computer.  
6. After that, connect your USB device on your system. This action will force your Windows OS to install a fresh version of  USB port drives.

Now, you can use your USB port once again as a new one.

Update Your USB Port Drivers

Another problem that usually appears after an OS update is app and driver incompatibility. This is a very common problem and can be fixed very easily.

1. To do that, launch the Device Manager page.
2. There you will find the Universal Serial Bus controllers option. Double click on it.
3. Now on the expanded section, you will get the USB Host Controller option.  Right-click on it and open up the context menu.
4. On that menu, you have to click on the Update Driver option.
5. A pop-up window will appear on your screen. There you have to click on the ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’ option.

Now, if any new version of USB port drivers is available then Windows will start downloading and installing it.

Conclusion

We hope that our solutions and suggestion are helpful to you with the USB ports not working windows 7 issue. If you need more information on this topic or other tech related things, then keep following our articles.