Computer doesn't recognise devices

Really annoying problem. My Vista computer isn't recognising my phone, scanner, and apparently my sister's phone. Usually when I plug either into the direct USB ports, either the phone will bring up a Transfer? message, or a pop-up will appear on the PC in responce. Lately, I've had none of it. Checked My Computer - nothing about any new devices.


Any help will be really, really appreciated... at this rate, I can't get any new songs on my phone, or any new pictures/videos on the computer.

well i just got a mac today....

I know. Very helpful telling me that, thanks.

Check for any forms of damage to the USB slot. If it has been damaged/bent out of place, it will not function without time and effort bending it into place/ repairing it.

Very true, however my headset doesn't have any problems with the USB port I try to use.

There's 4 ports in the front of the PC.

my advice: buy a new computer

Really? Since this is a new £800 computer I've had for less than a year, I should just buy a new one for a small problem...

Thanks, but no.

ohhh i thought iw was old... mabye buy windows 7?

How does having windows seven fix a physical USB issue?

I've had that problem before, Rebecca. I'll try to remember what I did last time.

ohh well earlier she said it can't wirlessly so mabye that would help

She said nothing about wireless. She says her USB ports do not recognise any applications inserted in them.

ohh well im no techy but mabye its a problem on your harddrive

Possibly, maybe the Hard drive no longer recognises the USB port.

I don't understand how that could occur without rebecca knowing though, as the Hard Drive needs you to physically deactivate the USB recognition. So unless Rebecca's been experimenting with her Hard drive, there's no realistic way of disabling the USB.

Unless I'm missing something important.

mabye a virus in the hard drive

Well, I have no idea what's happening. My phone was able to work yesterday, yay, but the scanner hasn't been able to 'connect' correctly for months. Apparently my brother did something to it.

My computer is also being a little slower than usual today... I'm really getting worried now. But I don't want to have to download programme after programme to scan it, and not be able to fix it.

Hawk, can you please consider what you are posting before posting please?

Right, Hawk has a point about installing Windows 7 (in a roundabout way). Just re-installing Vista would have the same effect. this is because it is possible that the USB drivers have become corrupted. You need to identify, becks, if it is isolated to a single USB slot, the one on just the front, the ones on the back. So a bit of testing is in order.

I am not aware of a reason you can accidentally disable USB ports, the only way I know means going into the BIOS.

In regards to the scanner though, Becks, in my experience the two worst devices for consistency when attached to a computer are Printers and scanners. Possibilities could include re-installing the device drivers (which may help on other issues you have with USB devices), gettinga new scanner because the scanner itself is broken and testing it on another machine.

Alright then, thanks alot.

For issues like installing Vista/Windows 7, I'd need to talk to my mum or guardian, and I have a feeling they're not gonna like the idea. I spent about an hour last night searching for downloadable compatibility updates or device drivers and had little luck.

As for the USB ports... I don't typically use the ones at back, they may very well be in use. The four I have at front, they're a little buggy. All but one don't particuarly like my headset. The top two are usually good with USBs and often respond to my phone. The printer/scanner... I've not tested it printing, but scanning isn't the same anymore. The computer knows something is there, if I press the right buttons on the scanner, the PC responds, but not properly. It says it's waiting for the scanner to connect, but it never does. If I want a small preview of what I'm scanning, it'll scan, but not to the full size image I want.

It's kinda weird... If we ever get the old computer back on here, I might test the scanner on that.

I had the same problem with connecting my ipod touch. If possible, use the usb ports at the back of the computer. They are directly linked to the hard drive, and so are less likely to cause compatibility/corruption problems. The ports at the front and things like hubs share the data through one cable, and sometimes this causes data to be messed up. Also, it can cause your devices/computer to do strange things. You could re-download the associated programs e.g. Sony Ericsson PC Suite, if you have a Sony Ericsson Phone. Hope this helps

Oh great, thanks.

I tried downloading a Nokia N95 PC Suite - I'm not sure whether or not that fixed it, but my phone connected As for the scanner, I couldn't find anything worth downloading, however, I may have a go at using the back ports, as I didn't know they were directly connected. Cheers.

How old is the scanner?

Hmm, not quite sure. I don't think it's older than 2 years, but I could be wrong.

External devices need to have their own driver installed in Windows usually prior to connecting them with the computer or they will not function. I used to have that problem with the printer/scanner which needed to have the software and driver installed before you could plug it in to finish the installation - unlike Mac where the drivers are all already installed.

If the printer/scanner or device was already installed and Windows stops reacting then you should check if the USB driver is corrupt, as Vektrix said. Open the Device Manager from the Computer Management utility or the Command Promt and check if there's an exclamation mark next to the USB ports (they should be on the very bottom).

If there is an exclamation mark the drivers might be missing and you have to reinstall them. I can't remember if there's a rollback option but you should definitely check Windows Update, which should find the right drivers for you.

All other devices should be then installed as directed in the manual.

A complete reinstallation is always recommended, though.

Check, because vista is renowned for wrecking stuff. If the scanner is older than vista, contact the manufacturer and ask whether it's vista compatible. If not, you know what your two options are:
a) Ditch the scanner, and get the latest one you can find
b) Go back to xp, which is the best OS for gaming in my eyes

I see...

Was about to try out what Andeavor suggested (though I don't know how to find Computer Management utility or the Command Promt), but now I think Marky is right, that the scanner is older than Vista.

Ouch. It used to work before, although I honestly can't remember whether or not it was this computer. I'm almost certain it was this... Sounds like getting a new scanner might be ideal then.

Nice to know I helped I'm still stuck in the Dark Ages, with XP, but I got told by my dads mate (who's a computer whizz) that XP rocked. I've had it ever since. Do you have spotify btw? (bit off-topic, but hey)