When there is an error message showing"Unknown USB Device (device descriptor request failed)", it could mean almost anything went wrong with your device. There are a couple of ways to check what went wrong and fix this error.
There are several reasons why you might receive an unknown USB Device error. These problems can include:
Your drivers are out of date.
Your motherboard has a glitch.
Your latest software update or hardware component had an error.
Your USB device is corrupted.
Fixing these errors can take time and you will need to figure out what the problem is by trying one fix after another. There are easier ways to get your USB device working again that will not require you to try several different fixes before you get the device working correctly.
When you see this error, fear not, try the following steps to correct the problem.
Uninstalling and reinstalling your driver might get the device to work. The following steps will help you locate and uninstall the faulty driver
Step 1. Open Device Manager
Step 2. Locate the Universal Serial Bus Controllers and find your faulty USB device.
Step 3. Right-click on the program and uninstall.
Booting Windows up too quickly can cause the external device to not be detected once the bootup is completed. This can be disabled through the power options menu options.
Step 1. Press the Windows button plus the R key at the same time. A Run box will open in your window.
Step 2. Type the word "control" and click the "OK" button to open the control panel.
Step 3. Select the "Power Options".
Step 4. Click the "Choose what the Power Buttons Do" link.
Step 5. Select "Change Settings that are currently unavailable".
Step 6. Turn on Fast Startup (recommended) under the Shutdown Settings section. Then save changes.
Step 7. Restart your computer to see if the fix worked. Your computer should start more slowly.
Using troubleshooter can help isolate your problem.
Step 1. Open "Control Panel" and search for "Troubleshoot"
Step 2. Click on "Troubleshoot > Hardware and Devices > Run the troubleshooter"
After repair, if a hardware issue is causing your unknown device error, your device will now be recognized.
The last thing you can try is the USB selective suspend option.
Step 1. Search "Edit power plan" and click on it.
Step 2. Click on "Change Advanced Power Settings"
Step 4. Expand the "USB Settings" and the "USB Selective Suspend Setting".
Step 5. Disable from the drop-down menu.
Step 6. "Apply" changes and close.
If you lost some files from the USB device, iMyFone AnyRecover can get them back without any hassles. This software is special designed to help you with lost files recovery. Here're some main features of it:
It will recover files from USB device easily and quickly. The file types it supports including photos, audios, documents, videos, emails, etc.
The tool supports data recovery on all storage mediums. Including hard drive, camcorder, cameras, mobile phones, flash drives, etc.
100% safe to use. Differing from other recovery software, AnyRecover will never overwrite any data.
Allow you to preview before data recovery, easy to handle, no tech required.
Step 1. Open iMyFone AnyRecover and connect your USB device to computer, then select the USB device.
Step 2. After selecting the location, hit “Start” button to start scanning process.
Step 3. When it completes scanning, all your lost files will be there. Click "Recover" to get your files back.
By Simon Marcus , to External Device Recovery
Updated: May 24, 2021