Troubleshoot USB problem

[ZeePriest]

Briefly explain your current issue(s)

problem with reading USB flash drive

Steps taken to resolve, but have been unsuccessful

none

Hey everyone, I'm having an issue with one of my two 3.0 USB slots. One is fine but the other one doesn't read anything when I plug a USB flash drive into it. It only makes a sound that a USB flash drive has been inserted and that's all.

 

[The_King]

Could be driver related or a hardware issue.

Have your tried uninstalling the device driver for your usb 3.0 ports in device manager and installing the driver from your motherboards manufacturer?

You can also check that the pins on your usb slot are clean and that they are making proper contact with the usb drive.
You can do this with a cotton wool bud and some isopropyl alcohol and make sure your pc is switched off first and pull out the power cord.

 

[mkoundo]

In addition to cleaning the usb port as per @Opc9 suggestion, it's worth double checking the flash drive you're using is tip-top. When they get old they sometimes have trouble mounting. Maybe try a few different usb devices

 

[ZeePriest]

In addition to cleaning the usb port as per @Opc9 suggestion, it's worth double checking the flash drive you're using is tip-top. When they get old they sometimes have trouble mounting. Maybe try a few different usb devices

I tried a different usb device and it worked just fine. The one I was using was a Transcend external hard disk and it seems to work on the other 2 USB ports but not the 3rd. And if I tried using another USB device like my SanDisk flash drive it'll work on all 3 ports.

 

[ZeePriest]

Could be driver related or a hardware issue.

Have your tried uninstalling the device driver for your usb 3.0 ports in device manager and installing the driver from your motherboards manufacturer?

You can also check that the pins on your usb slot are clean and that they are making proper contact with the usb drive.
You can do this with a cotton wool bud and some isopropyl alcohol and make sure your pc is switched off first and pull out the power cord.

I have tried the uninstall and reinstall method to no avail. I'm also 100% sure that my USB slots are clean. I have this problem since the first day I bought my laptop. I don't use a lot of USB flash drives except 2. One is a Transcend external HD which is working on 2 USB ports but not the 3rd that I'm having the problem with and the other is a SanDisk flash drive which works fine when plugged in all 3 ports. Could it be that the Transcend hd is not compatible with this specific USB port?

 

[The_King]

I have tried the uninstall and reinstall method to no avail. I'm also 100% sure that my USB slots are clean. I have this problem since the first day I bought my laptop. I don't use a lot of USB flash drives except 2. One is a Transcend external HD which is working on 2 USB ports but not the 3rd that I'm having the problem with and the other is a SanDisk flash drive which works fine when plugged in all 3 ports. Could it be that the Transcend hd is not compatible with this specific USB port?

What is the exact model of your Transcend HDD and are all 3 ports USB 3.0?
Most USB 3.0 external HDD are backwards compatible with USB 2.0.
There only reason I can think of is the drive may not be getting enough power on the 3rd port. Unless it uses a separate power adapter.

USB3.0 StoreJet (external-HDD) cannot work properly! - Transcend Information, Inc.

1. Since the hard drive needs more than 600mA to spin up and USB2.0 can only provide 500mA, a USB3.0 StoreJet may not work well on a USB2.0 host due to the insufficient power. Please connect the StoreJet to your computer as shown in the picture below. 2. If you connect a USB3.0 StoreJet to a...

www.transcend-info.com