Fix Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) 7 Easy Methods

The USB device has suddenly stopped working, or getting this “Unknown USB device device descriptor request failed” error in your Windows 10?

Worry not, as usual, Kevin has working solutions for this problem along with proofs that the methods mentioned here work. (See Proof section)

But before we get into the causes of the error and number of solutions, let me show you something very interesting…

Do you know? People in the United States have been facing “Device descriptor request failed” error since the year 2013 and even today, this query is being searched very often on google.

Have a look at google trends data…

In the above-embed google trends data, we get to know that, from the year 2013, the spikes started and sooner the long-tail query “Unknown USB device device descriptor request failed” also came into existence.

The above-embedded google trends data also illustrates that the second one is often searched more on google…

• Query “Unknown USB device device descriptor request failed” averages below 15
• Query “Device descriptor request failed” averages above 30

Now you might be asking: Hey Kevin, why are you showing such data?

The honest answer is: I just wanted to give you some information that you might never have been familiar with.

Even though I know that you are here for the solutions, not such data, but as it will increase your knowledge on the topic, I prefer to attach it

Also, no other tech site provides such data & that’s the reason I decided to do so (Just Wanted to be a little different from the competition 😉)

Anyways, today in this tutorial, your different queries like:

1. How to fix Usbdevice_descriptor_failure?
2. A request for the USB device descriptor failed
3. USB device descriptor failed error
4. Unknown USB device descriptor request failed in Windows 10
5. A few more related queries will be solved!

So hold on for a couple of minutes, give the methods a try and fix the issue.

Now before we begin, remember this quote…

Now with the positive mindset, let’s roll in…

Overview & Causes of “Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)” Error

I know that you are not here for the causes, you are for the solutions, right?

But for the sake of this tutorial, I have to put this section but respecting your time, here I have listed the causes in just a few lines…

This problem arises mainly because of

• Your drivers are out of date.
• Your motherboard has a glitch.
• Your latest software update or hardware component has issues
• Your USB device is corrupted.

It’s obvious that fixing these errors can take some time and you may need to figure out what the exact problem is just by trying one fix after the other.

But hey, Do you Know?

There are some super easy ways to get your USB device working again that will not require you to try those 7 methods mentioned before you get your device working correctly. Sound good?

Let me share the easy ones first…

• The first thing to do is to Try & Check whether the device works in a different port on the same computer. If the computer has a broken port then the device would work with the other port. So try it in different ports.

• Now if your device doesn’t work on any of the ports on the computer, then the next step would be to connect the device to another PC. This will help you ensure that the problem is with the external device.

Don’t Miss: 21+ Awesome Windows 10 tips and Tricks

How to Fix “USB Device Descriptor Failure” Error

The basic method is to Try and Check the device on a different port or to connect the device to another pc and fix the error. But if there is no problem with the USB port and the external device, there are 7 methods to fix USB Device Descriptor Failure error.

Now that you know that there are 7 easy methods to fix the error, but are they easy?

Yes!

The methods demonstrated below are pretty easy and can be implemented quickly. So let’s begin with method 1…

Note: If you’re using a USB hub, or have mixed 2.0 and 3.0 USB ports, then try plugging your USB device directly into the 3.0 port and check whether it works or not.

Method 1: Reinstall the USB Driver

In this method, you need to uninstall the drivers of the Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Failure) & then roll back to the default ones.

Faulty drivers are known to cause such types of errors. This could have happened when Windows update was in progress & we know that Windows automatically updates the drivers and it may have installed wrong or corrupt drivers.

Anyways, no need to blame, just follow these steps to perform this method…

Step 1: Open Device Manager. (Right-click on the Start menu button and select Device Manager)

Step 2: Now, expand the category Universal Serial Bus Controllers and locate the USB device which is not being recognized by Windows with a message showing Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Failure) with a yellow sign. 

Step 3: Right-click on Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Failure). Click on Uninstall from the context menu.

Step 4: Now, unplug your USB device from the computer and after a minute, plug it back in the USB slot.

Step 5: Now, you need to scan for hardware changes. On the Device Manager window, click on Scan for hardware changes.

Now Windows will reinstall the Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Failure) drivers. This method does fix the issue for some of the users but If the problem is still not solved, try the next method.

Method 2: ReInserting the Power Supply

This method works like magic only if the error is caused by the Power supply. 

Warning: Before applying this method, bookmark this tutorial and come back to read on the other methods if this one doesn’t work.

1. Remove the Power Supply plug from your PC.

2. Re-plug/ Reinsert the Power Supply again

3. Restart your PC and now connect the device to the USB port.

Don’t Miss: 21+ Awesome Windows 10 tips and Tricks

Method 3: Update the USB Driver (Manually)

One of the reasons is a faulty USB driver that can cause such USB Device Descriptor Request Failed error.

So, In this case, updating the driver can fix the problem.

You can update the driver using some softwares like:

1. Driver Easy
2. Driver Booster

But I don’t prefer the premium version of these softwares to perform such easy tasks. Why? Have a look here…

I hope you got the picture…

Updating the driver manually can easily solve the issue so we’ll do exactly that…

Note: You must be connected to the Internet in order to perform this method.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start menu button and select Device Manager. (Windows + X Key will do the same)

Step 2: Now, expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Right-click on Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Failure) & from the context menu click on Update Driver.

Step 3: On the next screen that appears, select the first option i.e Search automatically for updated driver software.

Step 4: Now let Windows find the updated driver.

Windows will automatically download and install the latest drivers for the corrupted USB device. When the process is complete, just restart your computer and check whether the problem is solved or not.

For most users, this method works but if this method didn’t work and you are still stuck with the error, try the next method.

Method 4: Disabling the Fast Startup Option

In this method, we will try to fix the problem by disabling the fast startup option in Windows Settings. 

Windows 10 boots up very quickly, and due to these settings, many (external) USB devices sometimes don’t get recognized by Windows and hence causes the “Unknown USB device device descriptor request failed” error.

Just follow these steps to perform this method:

Step 1: Open Run Box (Press Windows + R key) at the same time.

Step 2: Type control in the run box and click the OK button. This is to open the Control Panel. You can directly open it by typing control in Cortana.

Step 3: Click on View by Large Icons or else in the search bar type power and then click on Power Options to open Power Settings.

Step 4: In the left panel, select the first option i.e Choose what the power buttons do

Step 5: Now, Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.

Step 6: Under the Shutdown settings, uncheck the box next to Turn on fast startup (recommended). Then click on the Save changes button.

Step 7: Close all windows and just Restart your PC and see the magic that the problem is solved. 

Note: Your PC will boot a little slower than usual and you know why.

It’s been reported that 7 out of 10 users solve this “Unknown USB device device descriptor request failed” error with the help of this method. If you want some proof then go to the proof section.

But if the issue still persists, try the next method.

Don’t Miss: 21+ Awesome Windows 10 tips and Tricks

Method 5: Disabling the USB Selective Suspend Settings

In this method, we will again disable some settings in order to fix the issue.

It is known to be a proven method that by disabling USB Selective Suspend Settings users have found that the error is solved.

So if you want to solve the error then follow these steps to perform this method…

Step 1: Again Open Power Options (Follow first 3 steps from the previous method)

Step 2: In Power Options, click on Change Plan Settings on which the power settings are currently set to. (For most users it will be Balanced by default)

Step 3: In the Edit Plan Settings window, select Change advanced power settings located at the bottom-left of the window.

Step 4: Now a Power Options window will appear. Here, look for USB settings and expand it.

Step 5: Now, expand the USB selective suspend setting. Here, you need to change the status of “On battery and Plugged in” to Disabled.

Step 6: Once done, click on Apply and then on OK.

Step 7: Just restart your PC and see that the error is gone.

Method 6: Troubleshoot the “Device Descriptor Request Failed” Error

Till now we have applied many manual steps, but now let windows solve its own error.

Windows Troubleshoot is Windows’ inbuilt tool that searches for issues and fixes them automatically. So let’s try this one…

Step 1: Open Control Panel and search for “Troubleshoot”

Step 2: Click on “Troubleshoot > Hardware and Devices > Run the troubleshooter”

Step 3: Wait until the Windows check for issues & once it’s done, click on Apply this Fix or ApplyRepair Automatically, whichever appears.

Step 4: After applying the fix, you just need to restart your Windows.

Note: This method can take some time, read this 21+ Awesome Windows 10 Tips and Tricks post until windows fix the error.

Method 7: Reinstalling USB Root Hub Devices

In this method, we will try to fix the issue by simply uninstalling the drivers for USB Root Hub devices. Then let Windows do its job. It will automatically reinstall the drivers after restarting the computer. 

So here are the steps you need to follow….

Step 1: Open Device Manager. (Right-click on the Start menu button and select Device Manager)

Step 2: Expand Universal Bus Controllers. Here, right-click on the first USB Root Hub select Uninstall device. Do this for all the remaining USB Root Hub devices.

Step 3: Once done, Just restart your Windows.

After performing the Restart, the Windows will recognize USB Root Hubs as the new devices and will automatically install its drivers. 

This method can fix the problem.

Now, Connect your USB device in the USB slot & it will work properly.

Some Useful Feedbacks (Proofs)

You may question or doubt: Do these methods work?

The answer is a Big Yes! Here’s a proof…

The user Amoraluv, guber, TheMCMan solved their problem using one of the methods mentioned above.

For some changing the cable works and for some disabling the USB Selective Suspend Settings work. So it depends…

Just make sure to try all the methods mentioned in this post.

Let me clear that these comments are picked from one of the websites. As this is an old article, users have left some valuable feedback which in turn helped me to give you some proofs.

I should be thankful to all the users who have commented on that old article.

Now, can you do the same?

I mean try these methods and if any of the methods work then let me and other TechStudio readers know which method worked for you.

Also, if you get some errors or have some additional methods to fix this device descriptor request failed error then please leave them in the comments section.

Here’s the last one…

I have attached these snapshots just to show you that the methods actually work and hence want you to try all the methods listed in this Error Fix tutorial.

Don’t Miss: 21+ Awesome Windows 10 tips and Tricks

Final Words

The above listed 7 methods are known to be proven methods that have solved the issue for the majority of the users. (See proofs above)

Just apply the methods and let everyone know what works and what doesn’t. 

It doesn’t matter positive or negative, I just love comments.

Additionally, if you have any other methods to share with me & TechStudio readers, you can simply post it in the comments section…

Anyways, I hope by the end of this tutorial your queries like:

• What are the causes of the Device Descriptor Request Failed?
• How do I fix Device Descriptor Request Failed Error in Windows 10?
• Unknown USB device device descriptor request failed
• And many more related queries should have been solved!

If you’re reading this section, then I’m pretty much sure that you were motivated because of the quote & throughout this guide, you didn’t lose your hope and that’s the best outcome of this tutorial…

As of now, April 2020, these are the only solutions that you’ll find on most of the Tech sites as they are the only known and working methods.

So, whenever I come across a new working method, I’ll share it with TechStudio readers and also notify you in the mailbox. (I hope you are)

If you haven’t yet subscribed to TechStudio’s mailing list, then scroll down to the bottom of the page (in the footer)

And just let me know your good name and working email so that I can mail you the solutions whenever available…

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