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How to Fix Slow USB 3.0 Problems in Windows 10/11
5 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Quite a lot of users have been experiencing problems with their USB 3.0 port in Windows 10, Windows 8,1 or other OS versions.
Most of them are reporting that the port is very slow or not responding at all. Read below to find more about this issue.
I’ve been following this Windows problem closely and can now confirm that it is affecting a large number of users.
Mostly, what Windows 10 andWindows 8.1users seem to be complaining about is slow response of USB 3.0 or other problems, such as a connected mouse, external hard drive or other devices not being recognized.
One user is reporting a problem with a Dell laptop:
I have Dell Inspiron N5110, I upgraded towindows 8.1and now my USB port on the right side has stopped working. I cannot find the chipsetdriversfor 8.1 64 bit. Any good suggestion ?
While another Lenovo user is complaining about this:
I have a T430s computer model 2352CTO, runningWindows 8.1, 64-bit version. Prior to upgrade fromWindows 8.0alldriverswere updated. The USB 3 ports worked correctly, in particular running an external 1gb hard drive. After update to 8.1, the USB 3 ports still work, but only for about 30 seconds then the hard drive shuts down. The power light is still lit on the hard drive, but it no longer shows in windows explorer.
Indevice manager, I went toUniversal Serial BusControllers -> USB Root Hub ->Properties->(under General it says “This device is working properly)->Power Management->Unchecked the box for “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”. Unfortunately this does not seem to stop problem. Any ideas?
Those affected by USB 3.0 woes have one of the following OEM’s – Buffalo, datAshur, Fantom Drive, Fujitsu, Hitachi, ADATA Nobility, Kingston DataTraveler, LaCie 2TB USB Drive, RaidSonic, Sans Digital, Vantect, Fantec, Digitus, Mediasonic, Samsung 1T, Apricorn, iStorage, DiskGenie, Verbatim, Western Digital.
Steps to fix USB 3.0 problems in Windows 10
Here are a few solutions that you could try to make it work. The first basic solution you could try is by going intodevice manager, find the USB root hubs, and turn off the save power option.
If not, then follow these steps:
1. To view the idle period that some USB devices use to save power
The Setting value indicates the system disk idle period. In this image the idle period is set to 20 minutes (default). For this system, if no file transfers occur within 20 minutes, the drive enters a suspend state and draws less power from the system. For most USBstorage devicesandUSB hostcontrollers, the power-saving mechanism works without issues.
However, a pre-existing problem in the USB drive orUSB hostcontroller might cause these problems after the specified idle period expires. The device periodically disconnects and might reconnect leading to poor user experience. If you try to access files stored on the drive, Windows Explorer becomes unresponsive for 1-2 minutes.
If you notice any of those problems, first check whether the firmware on theUSB hostcontroller or the USBstorage deviceis out of date. If so, get the latest firmware from the system or device manufacturer. A firmware update might resolve the issue. Otherwise, determine whether the problem occurs during the system disk idle time period (shown in Power Options). If it does, disable suspend on idle for this device as per the instructions given in the next section.
Note, you can set the value to “Never” in the Power Options just an experiment to see if that fixes the issue, but the right long term solution is to set the registry setting as described below. This registry setting does not affect the other USBstorage devicesand results in conserving power.
2. How to disable suspend on idle
Get the hardware ID of the USBstorage device
3. Change the device setting in the registry
The solution has beenpostedby the Microsoft Windows USB Core Team Blog (didn’t even know there existed such a team).
Anyway, let us know if this managed to solve your USB 3.0 problems inWindows 8.1.
4. Uninstall and reinstall Universal Serial Bus driver
Even though that is not the best solution, for many users it works. In order to make it properly, please follow the next steps:
1.Click on ‘Windows key’ + ‘X’ and then, select Device Manager.2. Locate and expand “Universal Serial Bus controllers” in the Device Manager Window.3. Right-click on “Universal Serial Bus controllers” and click “uninstall”.4. Restart the computer and check.
In case this solution doesn’t work, you can simply update the chipsetdriversas they are responsible for the well-functioning of many features including USB.
More about the topics:USB issues,windows 10
Radu Tyrsina
Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).
For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.
Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.
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