How to Detect a USB Driver

USB devices are controlled through the Device Manager utility.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices are a convenient method for allowing devices to access your computer. Common USB devices range from hard drives and storage devices to assorted consumer electronics, fans, and so forth. To successfully use a USB device, you must have the appropriate driver installed on your computer. Many USB devices use plug-and-play functionality, whereby they automatically install the necessary drivers when you plug them into your computer. You can use Windows' Device Manager utility to manage and control USB access settings.

Instructions

1. Plug your USB device into several USB ports until your computer indicates the device is ready. Some USB ports are not compatible with plug-and-play functionality, so you may have to try multiple ports until you find one that works.

2. Open the Device Manager, which you can find in the Control Panel, either by clicking on "Device Manager" directly, or by clicking on "Hardware and Sound" and then clicking on "Device Manager" from the items listed at the top. You can access the Control Panel through the Start menu.

3. Expand the tree labeled "Universal Serial Bus controllers" to display the list of currently installed USB devices and controllers. Problematic devices will be indicated by a yellow exclamation mark.

4. Right-click on the device or USB root hub you want to update, then click on "Update Software Driver..." to install the latest driver software. Alternately, you can click on "Properties" from the right-click shortcut menu, then click on "Roll Back Driver" under the Driver tab to revert to the last working driver. The "Driver" tab will list the current or detected driver.

References

• Windows: Install a USB device