First question : is one port affected, or all of them ? The answer changes the diagnosis completely.
A single port that no longer responds is a local hardware problem, often minor. Every port dead at once is a system or power matter. Do not look in the same place.
Before anything else, cross the elements over : plug the suspect device into another port, then plug a known-good device - a mouse, say - into the suspect port. In two moves you know whether the problem is the port, the device or the cable.
The cable deserves a special mention : many cables supplied with devices are designed for charging only and carry no data. An external drive that lights up without appearing in File Explorer often comes from that.
Look inside with a light : compacted dust, lint, or a pin bent by a forced connection. A port with play in it, where the plug moves, has a tired solder joint - common on the most used ports, and it can be resoldered.
Never force a connector : USB plugs only go in one way, and a bent pin condemns the port for good.
If a stick is detected but Windows offers to format it, refuse. The data is almost always still there ; it is the allocation table that is damaged. Formatting greatly reduces the chances of recovery. See recovering files.
An external hard drive or a hungry device can draw more than a port supplies, especially through an unpowered hub. The symptom : the device connects, then disconnects, in a loop. The answer is to plug it straight into the machine, or use a hub with its own power supply.
Another useful marker : on a desktop, the ports at the back are connected directly to the motherboard and are therefore more reliable than the front ones, which are often linked by an internal cable.
On a desktop, an expansion card adds ports for very little, without repairing anything - often the most economical answer. On a laptop, a port that has come unsoldered is resoldered in the workshop ; in the meantime a powered hub on a working port lets you carry on.
The port supplies power but the stick is not recognised by the system. That often comes from an unassigned drive letter or a damaged file table - it is not necessarily data loss.
Often it is the USB selective suspend setting cutting them to save power. Disabling it in the power options settles many of these cases.
On a desktop, yes, with an inexpensive expansion card. On a laptop, an external hub is the only option, preferably with its own power supply.
Would you rather we took care of it ? See our desktop computer repair service, in Lyon and across the Rhone.
Often a power setting, sometimes a solder joint : we tell the difference.
Automatic assistant: it can make mistakes. Never share a password or a card number.
