How to solve the problem: USB device is not recognized. The laptop does not see the USB mouse and does not respond. Reasons and what to do

Quite often, a typical user is faced with the problem of a malfunctioning mouse. There may be several reasons for this, and it can be difficult to determine a specific one why the computer does not see the mouse. This article discusses the most common problems and breakdowns that arise with “rodents” of different price categories and technical features. So let's get started!

Why the computer “does not see” the mouse: how to determine the cause and solve the problem

Failure of any input device can generally be attributed to one of three reasons:

Broken USB port;
The device itself is broken (in our case, the mouse);
Device drivers are not installed or are not working correctly.

In addition to the above, there may be another reason. For example, in additional software or driver incompatibility. But first, let’s look at these three problems, because almost always they lead to the fact that the computer “does not see” the mouse.

USB port is faulty

Before talking about the failure of the mouse itself, it makes sense to check the USB port to which you connect it. Very often the mouse refuses to work because the port is physically broken. By the way, the same applies to the PS/2 port, which is used to connect older models to personal computers. So, first of all, let's check the connector itself.

Visual inspection of the connector

This is what a working USB port looks like

A working USB connector will work with other USB devices. So first of all, try connecting a flash drive or another mouse to it. If the computer “does not see” them either, then the port is broken or faulty.

First check for physical defects. To do this, carefully inspect the connector. It should look something like the photo above. Mainly check if the white strip is cracked (may be black or blue for USB 3.0). If possible, look deeper. You will see six golden contacts. The absence of any of them also indicates a breakdown.

If the USB port visually appears to be working properly, the reason may lie in the software.

Checking the USB port software connection in Windows and Linux

Since the computer does not “see” the mouse, it makes sense to check whether it “sees” the USB port itself. The easiest way to do this is through the BIOS. To enter the BIOS, you need to press a certain key (Del, F12, etc.) in the first few seconds after turning on the computer. You can usually see a prompt telling you which key to press.

Go to BIOS using the Del key

After entering the BIOS, find the menu item (moving with the arrow keys) “Integrated Peripherals” or “Advanced”. Enter it with the Enter key. On the screen that opens you will see the “USB Configuration” item. Enter it.

Setting up USB in BIOS

The “USB Functions” and “USB Controller” items must have the property. Otherwise, press Enter to switch mode.

Device Manager window

Now let's check the USB port drivers. To do this in Windows, follow the path: Start -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Device Manager. In the window that opens, find the “USB Controllers” item and double-click on it. The presence of a question mark next to any of the rows of the list indicates the absence of a driver. This means it needs to be installed. The driver can be located on the disk that came with the motherboard or (for laptops) on the manufacturer’s website. If there are no signs, right-click on each item and select "Update Drivers".

You can check the connection and USB port drivers on Linux with the command “lspci | grep -i usb". Its result will be a list of USB ports, the number of rows of which should correspond to the number of available connectors on the device. For example:

00:03.0 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems USB 1.1 Controller (rev 0f)
00:03.1 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems USB 1.1 Controller (rev 0f)
00:03.3 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems USB 2.0 Controller

So, if none of the above helped or did not occur, then the problem is still in the mouse itself.

Video: installing a USB driver

The mouse itself is broken

If everything is fine with the computer, you need to check the hardware and software of the mouse. Among the main hardware reasons for the malfunction of the input device are:

Sensor malfunction;
Broken cable or USB adapter;

Sensor malfunction

Very often, the cause of a mouse not working is a broken sensor. It is quite easy to determine, but not always. On most modern optical mice, the sensor is illuminated in red. Just turn the mouse over (while it is connected to the computer) and check this fact.

Working sensor

But many manufacturers (especially laser “rodents”) make the sensor invisible, that is, without a characteristic glow. Then it is impossible to manually determine whether the sensor is working. In this case, move on to the next point.

What to do if the cable or USB adapter breaks

If you use a wired mouse, it makes sense to check the wire connecting the device and the computer. Strong bends can cause damage. In addition, check the USB output of the mouse itself (just as you checked the computer’s USB port earlier).

Wireless mouse adapter

If you use a wireless mouse, check its adapter in the same way. If it breaks, the adapter can be replaced with a new one. But only a service center employee can choose the right one. So it's better (and cheaper) to just buy a new mouse.

Problem with the software

If none of the causes of the hardware failure are identified, most likely the problem is in the software. Namely, in the drivers. First of all, if the mouse suddenly fails, restart your computer. Sometimes this helps, but not as often as I would like.

The main problems with driver operation can be classified as follows:

The driver is not installed;
The driver is not suitable for your device;
The driver is out of date;
Program conflict.

Driver not installed

Logitech Mouse Driver Window Example

The reason may be obvious, but not always. The fact is that not all manufacturers put a driver disc in the box with the mouse. If you don't have it, go to the official website of the mouse brand and look for the driver there. After installation, you may have a special program for setting up the mouse (as, for example, in the photo). Launch it and follow the internal instructions.

To check whether the mouse driver is installed on Windows, go to Device Manager (the transition process is described above). There, find the item “Mice and other pointing devices.” The absence of question marks indicates that the driver is working correctly. You can immediately update it, as we did earlier for USB ports. To see installed drivers on Linux, enter the command "lspci".

By the way, most manufacturers load a basic driver into the USB adapter or output, so you don't need to worry about installing it. In this context, we are talking more about special driver programs.

Not suitable for your device

If you downloaded the driver yourself, there is a high chance that it simply does not suit your device. In this case, it is better to remove it. If the mouse does not work either with or without a driver, contact support on the manufacturer’s website. They will help you choose the right software.

It is likely that the driver version for your mouse is not compatible with your specific operating system. For example, older programs are not supported on Windows 10, or not all manufacturers produce drivers for Linux-like OSes. You can find out about compatibility on the manufacturer’s website or on the box with the mouse. In this case, only reinstalling the operating system or replacing the mouse will help. Remember that you can return the item to the store up to 14 days after purchase.

Video: installing the driver through the device manager

The driver is out of date

It's unlikely that the old version of the driver suddenly stopped working, but it is still possible. Just find the update on the manufacturer's website or simply reinstall the driver.

Program conflict

This problem quite often causes many programs to not work correctly. Its essence is that some applications may enter into a “conflict” - prevent each other from executing their code. A conflict most often occurs when two programs are similar. For example, if you installed additional software to control or configure your mouse, it may conflict with the main driver. As a result, the mouse stops working altogether.

On Windows you can easily determine if there is a conflict. To do this, restart your computer in safe mode. Now click “Start” and place the cursor in the “Search programs and files” line. Type "msconfig" and press Enter.

msconfig utility window

On the Services tab, check the box next to the words “Do not display Microsoft services.” Now uncheck all services in the main window. Restart your computer. If the problem is truly a program conflict, your mouse will work in this mode. Go back to "msconfig" and restore all the markings.

Knowing that the problem is a program conflict, you need to try to remove those applications that you installed recently. If you remember at what point the mouse stopped working, there will be no problems at all.

Video: how to determine what is missing in the software

We quickly determine the culprit of the problem

Tracing a cause-and-effect relationship makes it much easier to localize the problem, but in about half of the cases there is nothing specific that precedes it. If this is the case for you, the following steps will help you determine where the failure occurred - in your mobile device, PC or USB cable.

Move the cable in the area of the connectors (kinks most often form in these places) and see if the phone (tablet) is detected in the explorer or device manager of the computer. Or connect the devices with another cable that is known to work and is suitable for data transfer.
Connect your phone to another computer, as well as another mobile device to this PC. If the phone is not detected anywhere, the problem is definitely in it. The same is the case with a computer.
If the problem is likely to be in the computer, check the phone in all USB sockets; perhaps the problem is in one or more of them (for example, only in the front group).

If you conclude that the cable is the source of the problem, simply replace it. What to do in other cases, read on.

The culprit of the failure is the phone. What to do?

If the diagnostics clearly indicate a problem with your mobile device, perform the following steps in order. After each step, check to see if the problem is resolved. If not, move on to the next one.

Reboot your device.
Connect your phone to your computer. Once connected, slide down the quick settings menu bar and make sure that the “Connect as” list does not include “charge only,” or “camera” or “media device.” Select the "USB storage" option.

Open Android system settings (in older versions, “Options”). Go to the "Wireless Networks" section. Turn on modem mode. Or vice versa, if it is on, turn it off. In some editions of Android, this parameter controls not only the modem, but also the connection of the gadget to the PC as a drive.

Experiment with putting your device into USB debugging mode. Open the “System” and “For Developers” sections in the settings. Uncheck or check the box next to “USB Debugging”.

Disconnect the phone from the computer, turn it off and remove the battery from it (the phone) (of course, if it is removable). After 5 minutes, replace the battery, turn on the device and try connecting again.
Remove applications that failed after installation. If the connection doesn't work in a particular sync app, clear its cache. If it doesn’t help, reinstall (both on your mobile device and on your PC) or try using an analogue.
Scan your device with an antivirus.
Reset the device's operating system to factory settings.

The culprit of the failure is the computer. What to do?

Shut down the OS, turn off the PC from the outlet (or press the key on the power supply) and hold down the power button for 15-20 seconds. This will discharge the capacitors and remove stray static charge, which may block detection of the connected device.
If the phone is not recognized by only one group of USB ports, open the cover of the system unit and make sure that they are connected securely. By the way, normal charging of a mobile device through the port does not mean that the second one is working properly.
Boot the operating system. Open Device Manager and check if portable devices are listed in the equipment list, and your phone is among them. If it is present, but marked with a black arrow in a circle (disabled), right-click on the line and select the “Enable device” command from the menu.

If there are unknown devices in the hardware list (indicated by an exclamation mark in a yellow triangle), one of them may be the phone. To make sure it is him, disconnect your mobile device from USB. If the unknown device disappears from the list, then that’s it. And the reason for the failure is the lack of the required driver in the system. We will tell you below how to reinstall and where to download the driver for your phone.
The problem with recognizing connected devices may also be due to boot failure, damaged or missing USB drivers. In this case, the exclamation marks will be in the “USB Controllers” section.
Reinstalling drivers didn't help? Scan your computer disks with an antivirus and then temporarily disable security programs. By the way, the latter can block access to a mobile device as a storage medium if it contains suspicious or clearly malicious software. So it’s worth checking your phone for viruses too.

Uninstall the programs whose installation caused the problem, or perform a system restore to a checkpoint created on a day before the problem occurred.
If, in addition to the phone, the computer does not recognize other devices connected via USB - a mouse, keyboard, printer, flash drives, etc. (whether they are charged or not is not indicative), the source of the failure may be any faulty component of the system unit or something then from the periphery. You can determine the culprit at home by turning off the equipment one by one or replacing it with a known good one.

How to Reinstall Mobile Device Driver and USB on Windows Computer

iPhone

Connect iPhone to PC.
Open the folder %CommonProgramW6432%\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers (to avoid typing the command manually, copy it from here, paste it into the address bar of any folder and click the go button). It contains 2 files (out of four) with the .inf extension - usbaapl.inf and usbaapl64.inf.

Open the context menu of each of these files and run the “Install” command.
After installation, restart your computer.

Android

Android smartphones and tablets, such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Lenovo, Meizu, HTC, etc., as a rule, do not create separate folders for storing their drivers, and they are often not found on official websites so you can just download and reinstall. Therefore, to begin with, you should trust the reinstallation of the drivers already present in the system by Windows itself.

How to do it:

Open the context menu of the problematic device in Device Manager. Select the "Update Driver" option.

In the next window, first select automatic search for updates. If Windows does not find anything suitable, check the second item - installing and searching for drivers manually.

Next, click “Select from the list available on your computer.” A new window will display all mobile device drivers that are already installed on the PC.

To narrow your search, in the “Select a driver for this device” section, check the “Compatible Only” box. Check the one that best suits your request (if there is more than one item in the list) and click “Next” to proceed to the installation.

For the driver to work correctly, restart your computer.

If reinstalling the driver already installed in the system did not help, you will have to look for something else on the Internet (with the risk of downloading a virus instead of the one you are looking for), so download them only from reliable and trusted sites, like w3bsit3-dns.com, and check with an antivirus before installation.

Drivers for the most common models of mobile gadgets are also collected in the “USB Drivers for Android” application, which is available for free download on Google Play.

USB drivers for Windows can usually be found on the websites of laptop or desktop PC motherboard manufacturers without any problems. Sometimes they are included in the chipset driver.

If the phone is not recognized in firmware mode

The fact that the computer and phone do not see each other in fastboot mode is indicated by the message “Waiting for device” that appears in the firmware program. Most often, this error occurs due to the lack of a mobile device driver in the system, so first of all, do what is written above - reinstall the driver or download and install it again.

If it doesn't help:

Make sure that you follow the instructions for working with the firmware installation program exactly and that it is running as an administrator.
Check if USB debugging is enabled on your smartphone (if not, enable it), and the device itself is in bootloader mode. If this mode is blocked, find instructions online for unlocking the bootloader specifically for your device model.
Connect the phone to the rear USB socket as short as possible and with a known good cable, without using any adapters or hubs.
Your phone may not support USB 3 (blue socket), so only connect it to USB 2.0 (black sockets).
Install all released Windows updates on your computer.

If the problem persists even after doing this, try flashing the phone on another PC. And better - with a different version of the operating system.

When the problem is a broken physical interface

It is advisable not to use faulty physical interfaces, especially on a mobile gadget, at all (do not load them with current to avoid worsening the breakdown), even if the phone or tablet retains the ability to charge through them. You can organize content transfer either wirelessly (Wi-Fi, bluetooth) or through cloud services that are available on both devices. In particular, iTunes and iCloud for Apple technology, Google Drive, Yandex Disk, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive and many others - for everyone.

Cloud services are convenient to use for transferring photos, videos, music, documents and other types of files. To synchronize contacts on Android and PC, the capabilities of Gmail are sufficient. And to control your phone directly from your computer, you can install an application like MyPhoneExplorer (consists of 2 parts - for the phone and for the PC), which supports both wired and wireless connections of devices without requiring driver installation. Very convenient.

In short, there is always a way out and it is often much simpler than it seems at first glance.

Sometimes users, when trying to connect and further use USB devices (flash drives, external hard drives), receive a system error that states that this USB device is not recognized. It is difficult to say for sure why such a reaction to the device occurs. Let's try to figure out what is the reason for this behavior of the operating system and how to fix connection errors.

The USB device is not recognized. Why does this crash occur?

Let's start with the fact that not a single Windows system is immune from short-term glitches, which can lead to such situations.

Indeed, it happens that Windows does not recognize a USB drive or other device, say, a printer or scanner. However, in the simplest case, this has nothing to do with the drivers. System failures themselves, when there may be an increased load on the processor and RAM, can become the root cause of this phenomenon. But sometimes it is enough to simply reconnect the device (for example, remove the flash drive from the port and insert it again). Oddly enough, very often such actions help. It is possible that the device will be recognized when reconnected after restarting the OS. But this is not the main problem. In some cases, Windows 7 does not recognize USB devices for completely different reasons, which will be discussed further.

Changing ports

One of the factors influencing the operation of any removable or plug-in device is the criterion for using the appropriate interface. For example, if the same drive is designed to work exclusively with USB 3.0, connecting it to a port with a USB 2.0 interface will not achieve anything.

The conclusion is obvious: just change the port you are using (usually computers have several connectors, and the port of the third version of the interface is colored blue inside).

The USB device is not recognized: what to do with the drive drivers?

But the main problem can still be called the lack or incorrect installation of drivers for the device itself, although, as a rule, when it is connected, the system automatically recognizes the device and installs the drivers on its own.

If the Windows 7 USB device is not recognized after the first connection, you can use the “native” disk with drivers (for flash drives, printers, smartphones or tablets, they can be supplied directly upon purchase). If there is no such disk, you don’t even have to try to reinstall or update the drivers in Device Manager (Windows still won’t find anything or will report that the most suitable driver is installed). This is only due to the fact that the search by default will be carried out in its own database, and for some non-standard devices the necessary control software may not be there.

In this case, you should search for a driver on the Internet by visiting the equipment manufacturer’s website. If the device is visible in the Device Manager, but is marked as a non-working device, you can simplify your search using the information about the VEN and DEV identifiers, which can be found on the details tab, setting the equipment ID as the displayed parameter.

USB controller driver questions

But the problem when the USB device is not recognized has another side to the coin. The point here is that the root cause may also be a non-working driver of the USB controller itself, due to which the interfaces of the connected device and the port itself may simply be incompatible.

In this case, you need to check the status of the controller in Device Manager. In this case, you need to display all hidden devices (there may be several USB controllers in the system). It is not worth updating drivers or installing them again only for non-working devices. It is better to update them for all system devices that are related to the USB interface.

Typically, this approach helps even when updating software from the system’s own databases. If this does not give the desired effect, you can again use the search using the identifiers described above.

Viruses

Finally, viruses can also cause situations where the system reports that the USB device is not recognized. Indirectly, their impact may affect the state of drivers and system services. As is already clear, in this case it is necessary to carry out a full scan of the computer for threats, using portable scanners, and not standard anti-virus programs.

However, the best option is considered to be the use of disk programs called Rescue Disk, which have their own boot records that allow you to use removable media with them on board to start even before loading the operating system itself. For scanning, it is better to select all disks, including the Windows bootloader and hidden partitions, specifying an in-depth scan. Only in this case is it guaranteed that viruses (if they exist, of course) will be found and neutralized. The advantage of such utilities is the fact that they are able to find even those viruses that are very deeply embedded in RAM.

What else could it be?

Finally, it is worth saying that the connected devices or ports themselves may not work due to damage. What to do in this case? Just try connecting another similar device or using a different port. In principle, these issues were not considered, since the main emphasis was on program problems.

As for printers connected via USB, it is quite possible that the print service is stopped in the system, or the corresponding Windows system component is simply disabled. Try restarting the relevant services and rebooting the system and printer. But even here it is important to understand that if the occurrence of a situation is associated with a viral impact, it is very possible that such actions without first checking the system will not lead to anything.

As for the rest, as you can already see, the proposed solutions to correct such failures are quite simple and they are mainly related exclusively to drivers. Therefore, as a first step, you can take just updating them or reinstalling them (you can even remove the devices from the system so that when you restart, it installs the drivers on its own).

Sometimes users complain that the computer does not see the mouse. For what reasons does this happen? And how to deal with this kind of situation? The answers to these questions and more will be presented below. Usually, the situation with recognizing PC mice does not bring any significant problems. And there is often no reason to panic either.

Connection methods

First of all, we will try to understand the features of connecting the devices under study. And then we’ll find out why the computer doesn’t see the mouse.

The devices being studied can be connected:

via ps/2 connector;
via USB cable;
via Bluetooth.

Everything is extremely simple and clear. But what if the computer does not recognize the device in question?

Main causes of failures

Computer mouse malfunctions often occur:

due to lack of PC power;
if the device is connected to the computer incorrectly;
subject to incompatibility with the operating system;
due to OS failures;
if your computer is infected with a virus;
due to lack of drivers;
if device drivers are outdated;
during driver damage;
if many peripheral devices are connected to the PC;
due to damaged USB ports.

In addition, the computer does not see the wireless mouse (and not only) if the connected device is faulty. The bulk of these problems are quite easy to eliminate.

Correct connection to PC

The first thing you need to do is check how the mouse is connected. It is possible that the user connected it incorrectly to the computer or laptop.

Wired device models do not require any special manipulations - just plug the wire into the appropriate socket (ps/2 or USB). After this, the device will work.

Wireless models require more attention. Usually they need to be connected like this:

Enable Bluetooth on PC.
Plug a special mouse receiver into the USB.
Insert the battery into the device you are studying.
Enable mouse.
Go to Bluetooth devices on your PC and search for new components.
Select the mouse from the list that appears.
Click on the "Connect" button.

Within a few minutes, the mentioned device will work normally on the computer. It is possible that the failure was caused by Bluetooth being turned off. Then you just need to activate it on your computer.

Mechanical damage

Has your computer stopped seeing your mouse? If everything is connected correctly, it is recommended to inspect the wires and adapters. The failure may be caused by mechanical damage. For example, the wires are pinched or the connector is damaged.

Typically, such situations are resolved by replacing faulty parts (repairing) or purchasing a new device. As a rule, if you contact a service center, a broken mouse will be repaired. Only the performance of the device leaves much to be desired.

Battery

The computer does not see the mouse? What to do in this case?

The next option is only relevant for wireless models. The fact is that they are battery operated. And if the battery runs out of charge, the PC stops recognizing the device.

Accordingly, owners of wireless mice should make sure that the battery is charged. In case of discharge, it is enough to fill the battery with energy. Then performance will be restored.

Port load

Your computer still doesn't see your USB mouse? This is not the worst situation.

The fact is that wired device models may not work due to high load on the connection ports. This is possible if the user has an additional USB connector installed, and there are several devices in it.

You can solve the problem by disabling numerous USB devices. In real life, such situations are rare, but they still occur in practice.

Port damage

If the computer does not see the mouse connected via a wire, you need to carefully inspect the port. It may be damaged. To check, it is recommended to connect any other 100% working device to the USB port. For example, a flash drive.

If the socket is damaged, you can use another one. By connecting a mouse to it, you can avoid problems.

Some users prefer to repair the faulty component along with changing the connection port. It is best to contact a service center for professional help. The master will quickly correct the situation.

Incompatibility

Why doesn't the computer see the mouse? It's hard to believe, but all devices connected to a computer have so-called system requirements. If the PC does not match them, the device will not work. This is a very common occurrence.

In other words, the latest generation of mice will not work on Windows 98 or 2000. It is necessary to check compatibility and minimum requirements when purchasing a peripheral component.

Attention: Recently, Windows 10 owners have been complaining that their computers do not recognize connected mice. Windows 10 does have some compatibility issues. But Microsoft is actively fighting this phenomenon.

The only right decision is to buy a new mouse. Some people prefer to reinstall operating systems to those specified in the requirements for connected devices. What exactly to choose? Everyone decides this for themselves.

Block and power

The following scenario is relevant exclusively for owners of desktop computers. What are we talking about?

If the computer does not see the mouse, you should make sure that the power supply is powerful enough. It is possible that the PC simply does not have enough power to work normally with the connected devices.

As a rule, replacing the power supply corrects the situation and improves the performance of the devices. It is important to choose a unit that is compatible with the rest of the computer's hardware. Otherwise, further compatibility problems cannot be ruled out.

Viruses

The computer doesn't see the mouse, but it's on? The reasons for this behavior sometimes surprise modern users.

In some cases, the malfunction of the mouse is caused by the presence of spies or viruses in the operating system. Correcting the situation is usually easy. It is enough to scan your computer with an antivirus and remove/“cure” all potentially dangerous objects.

In exceptional cases, a viral infection completely destroys the OS. This leads to the need to reinstall the operating system. After this, the mouse should work normally.

Drivers and their absence

Why can't the computer see the mouse? Most often, users encounter this problem due to drivers. More precisely, due to their absence.

Driver is a package of programs and utilities necessary for the normal operation of a computer with a connected device. Without it, the device will not pass the recognition stage.

Typically, drivers for mice are installed automatically when you connect a particular model. Sometimes this doesn't happen.

In such circumstances you will need:

Insert the installation disk into the drive and follow the instructions of the installation wizard to complete the initialization.
Go to the manufacturer's website and download drivers from the Internet. After launching the loaded document, you must follow the instructions on the display.

As soon as the drivers are installed on the PC, the mouse will be fully functional. The exception is when the mouse is not fundamentally compatible with the operating system being used.

Update/Corruption

Has your computer stopped seeing your mouse? This may be due to a damaged or outdated driver.

What to do in this situation? You just need to go to the manufacturer’s website, download the drivers from there and install them. This also applies to working with a damaged utility package and outdated software.

Temporarily disabling a port

Sometimes the computer does not see the mouse if the operating system has the function to temporarily disable USB ports enabled. This technique is a means of protection against overload.

To disable this feature, you must:

Open "Control Panel".
Go to the "Power Options" section.
Click on "USB Settings".
Check the "Disable/Prohibited" box next to the "Temporarily disable USB" item.
Save changes.

Now you can reconnect the mouse and see if it works normally. Most likely the problem will go away.

Reboot

Does your computer not see your mouse? What to do in such circumstances?

In some cases, the following will help correct the situation:

roll back the system to a date when the mouse worked normally;

That's it. Now it is clear why the computer does not see the mouse. Often the device will not need to be replaced. And even a novice user can cope with the situations listed above.

There are cases when you connect your phone to a personal computer or laptop via a USB cable, the first one does not recognize it. It becomes impossible to reload files from your phone to your computer and vice versa. It's a shame.

However, there are ways to recognize the cause of this type of incident and ways to correct it. If your phone is not just a mobile phone, but a gadget with an operating system, then reloading files via USB is not possible in the usual way, i.e. The phone is no longer like an ordinary flash drive - it is a computer itself. In order to transfer files from your phone, you will have to either reflash it or send files by mail.

I recently encountered a similar problem on a Samsung Galaxy phone: until the gadget was configured in computer mode, reading files and downloading them to a PC via a USB connection was impossible, after “resetting” this became impossible.

However, there are cases when the phone operates in normal mode and acts as a flash drive, but the PC still does not “see” it. Why? What can you do in this case to try to fix the problem. Read below.

Music, movies, photos, applications - all this is simply necessary for a modern person in his phone. Without communication with a PC, the mobile phone will sharply lose its functionality. Close interaction is ensured through a connection via a USB cable or via Bluetooth. Since file transfer via Bluetooth is quite slow, a USB connection is the most common.

But the user, having decided to use data transfer via a USB connection, suddenly cannot do this. Understanding his disappointment, let's give him some advice. To do this, consider two options: when the computer does not respond to the mobile connection at all, and also if the phone is detected as an unknown device. So, now in more detail.

How to detect a problem

When you connect to the computer, your phone is not detected in any way, nothing lights up on it, and there is no message on the monitor about connecting the device. This is a fairly common malfunction, with several causes. Let's try to list them and give recommendations for eliminating this problem. This assumes that the USB port you are connecting to is working. That is, other devices work normally through it.

1. If the phone used to connect normally, but then suddenly it didn’t want to, then you should, first of all, suspect the quality of its connection to the computer. Try removing the connection cable from both the mobile and the USB input and then reconnecting them. It often happens that the contacts of the telephone connector simply become loose or dirty. This problem is inherent to a greater extent to the Sony Ericsson brand, whose models stand out in the mobile communications market with a completely illiterate and often faulty connector.

Tip: if possible, try to clean the telephone connector with an eraser, after which remove any remaining rubber from the surface of the contacts.

If cleaning does not help, then connect the phone via another USB cable. Take it from friends or relatives. Cable failure is not the most common cause of trouble, but this option also needs to be taken into account. If it helps, then you just need to buy a new accessory.

2. Restart your computer. Oddly enough, this method helps in most cases without any additional measures. The reboot process resets the system settings and redefines the USB ports. By the way, when the computer does not see the tablet, the best way to help is to restart the computer, as is the case with the phone.

3. Rebooting your PC didn't help? Then, to be on the safe side, restart your mobile phone. Unplug it, remove the battery for 10 minutes, and then put it back in. Turn on the device. Nothing happens? Let's move on.

4. Disconnect the cable from one USB and connect it to another USB input. This simple action often helps, since the computer sometimes confuses the ports. To ensure that the OS sees the connection, you can use the following method. Go to Device Manager and find a list of used ports there. Typically this information includes all USB bus controllers. Open the list. In it you can see all the working ports of the computer. Find in this list the port to which the phone is currently connected (this can be seen in the “Power” column). All other ports, except the one found, can be temporarily disabled. The computer will have no choice but to see your mobile.

There is, of course, the possibility of a breakdown of the phone itself or its connector. This is the most difficult option, in which you cannot do without contacting a service center. There they will be able to tell you exactly why the computer does not see the phone and how to fix it.

USB device not recognized

We go further, considering the second case, in which the computer identifies the phone as an unidentified device. Of course, the OS does not want to work with an unknown device. And the question is not that Windows itself is imperfect, because the same problems often arise with Linux and other operating systems. Therefore, we must help the computer identify our mobile phone. We list the reasons for this phenomenon and possible user actions:

The problem may be with the phone itself. Connect the device to another computer. If the problem persists, then the reason lies inside the mobile device. You may need to enable one of the computer connection modes in the settings. For example, the “Data transfer” or “Storage” mode. Experiment with these modes;

Tip: Check your phone settings. In some mobile models, you must manually enable synchronization mode, which is disabled by default. Or disable the current blocking. If there is a blocking, open access must be established.

a) restart your PC and phone as described in section 1;

b) often the mobile phone is not recognized by the OS in case of lack of power supply. If you connect your phone to the front computer panel, then try connecting it directly to the motherboard, into the USB slot located on the back of the system unit;

Tip: In the Device Manager section, find the port you are using and open the Power Options tab. Check to see if the “Allow device to turn off to save power” checkbox is unchecked. If the checkbox is checked, remove it.

Sometimes failures occur in the OS, as a result of which the “native” drivers of some devices are lost. Reinstalling drivers for the motherboard and for connected devices helps solve the problem. If your phone came with a driver disk, use it to connect the device;

Tip: You can check whether your device needs drivers in Device Manager. If there is a yellow question mark before the device name, you can conclude that there are no drivers for this plug-in. How can you determine that an unidentified device is a mobile phone? Very simple. Disconnect it from your computer and the question mark will disappear.

We also cannot exclude the possibility of the OS being infected by a virus that sets its own rules on the computer. Check all drives (including the system drive) with a good antivirus with up-to-date databases.

If none of the above helped you, and there is still no connection between your mobile phone and your computer, then you can use a radical treatment. If the phone is detected perfectly on another PC, then the cause of the problem most likely lies in the operating system. You'll have to reinstall the system. Then everything will surely work. Moreover, such errors in the system accumulate gradually, it is impossible not to notice. Thus, reinstalling the software will not only solve the issue of connecting the phone, but will also eliminate other possible errors.

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USB port is faulty

Visual inspection of the connector

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Video: installing a USB driver

The mouse itself is broken

Sensor malfunction

What to do if the cable or USB adapter breaks

Problem with the software

Driver not installed

Not suitable for your device

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The driver is out of date

Program conflict

Video: how to determine what is missing in the software

Other problems

We quickly determine the culprit of the problem

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The culprit of the failure is the computer. What to do?

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iPhone

Android

If the phone is not recognized in firmware mode

When the problem is a broken physical interface

The USB device is not recognized. Why does this crash occur?

Changing ports

The USB device is not recognized: what to do with the drive drivers?

USB controller driver questions

Viruses

What else could it be?

Connection methods

Main causes of failures

Correct connection to PC

Mechanical damage

Battery

Port load

Port damage

Incompatibility

Block and power

Viruses

Drivers and their absence

Update/Corruption

Temporarily disabling a port

Reboot

How to detect a problem

USB device not recognized