USB device descriptor request failed: what is the reason? Why does the descriptor request fail?

Probably, many users have encountered a problem when you insert a regular USB flash drive into a port, and the system instead of recognizing it displays the message “Unknown USB device (device descriptor request failed)”. What is the reason of this problem and how to solve it, now it will be considered.

USB device descriptor request failed: problem summary

To begin with, the descriptor in its simplest sense is a certain description of the device and its characteristics, roughly speaking, data on which, with the appropriate driver, the operating system can initialize it.

If for some reason a message is issued stating that the device descriptor request failed (error code 43 “Device not recognized”), this only indicates that the system is unable to obtain the necessary data about the basic rules established for the correct operation . At the same time, both software and hardware problems can be a source of failure.

Physical hardware issues

In the case when the device descriptor fails exclusively on the physical level, for example, oxidized contacts of a flash drive or a port, inoperative USB ports, bad or dirty contacts, etc. can be the cause. Often there is a situation with excessive power consumption of devices, connected to the motherboard.

The first thing to do to make the device work is to simply check the contacts or clean them. Maybe when you connect the same flash drive to the USB port, a loose contact contact was observed. In any case, it would be worth paying attention to such seemingly trifles. In the case of stationary PCs, you can try to open the lid and clean the inside with a vacuum cleaner (there is too much dust accumulating there). You can use a special USB Port Cleaner to clean ports.

Peripheral Power Consumption Analysis and Static Electricity Issues

One of the reasons that the system displays a message that a request for a descriptor for a USB device has failed may be due to power consumption, which exceeds the nominal value.

To check this information, first you need to go to the “Device Manager”, which can be called either through the “Control Panel” or the devmgmt.msc command in the Run console (Win + R) and find the installed USB controllers there, and in the section itself, select the item corresponding to the root USB hub.

Next, right-click on the context menu and select the property bar. On the power tab, make sure that the power consumption does not exceed the available.

If there is an excess, you should completely disconnect all peripheral devices together with the computer and unplug the cord from the outlet, then hold down the power button for a few seconds so that residual currents disappear from the motherboard. After turning on and restarting the operating system, disconnected devices should be connected alternately to find the source of the failure.

Unknown USB device (device descriptor request failed): driver verification

If everything is okay with power consumption, the controller drivers may be the problem.

You can check their status in the same "Device Manager". If the device is not detected (the descriptor fails), the drivers will have to be reinstalled. In the list of USB controllers, you should find all entries related to the Generic USB Hub, root hubs, and composite devices.

For each of them, you need to perform the driver update operation, called from the right-click menu, and during installation, either set the search on the local computer or select a driver from the list of installed ones. As a rule, only one compatible driver will be displayed in the list.

After reinstalling the drivers for all devices, the disappearance of the problem has every chance of success. The compatibility problem with Windows 10 for USB 3.0 devices is not solved by installing a standard driver from the system’s own database, but downloaded from the official website of the computer manufacturer. In particular, this problem applies to most laptops.

How to install, reinstall or update the necessary drivers using third-party programs?

If the method described above did not help, and the system with an enviable persistence gives a message that, for example, a request for the BOS USB descriptor (mouse) failed, again and again, you can do differently using automated utilities to update drivers.

One of these is the well-known freeware Driver Booster program. It allows you to update the drivers of absolutely all components of a computer system or to produce a selective update, referring directly to the resources of equipment manufacturers of one type or another.

Chipset driver issues

Another reason that the USB device descriptor request fails is because unofficial Intel Chipset Driver, ACPI Driver, Intel Management Engine Interface, etc., which are not recognized by the system, are installed on the chipset. This is more true for Windows 8 and 10 operating systems.

The way out of this situation is obvious: you just need to go to the manufacturer’s website and find the appropriate drivers for your equipment and OS version, taking into account the bit capacity, or, again, use the Driver Booster application.

Troubleshoot problems by setting energy saving options

Finally, another situation where the system displays a message that a request for a USB device descriptor has failed is that the energy-saving scheme used allows you to disable unused USB ports.

To fix the problem, you need to use the same “Device Manager” and, as shown in the driver installation section, enter the properties menu. But only in this case is the power management tab selected. Here you just need to uncheck the line to enable device shutdown in order to save. Again, this procedure is done for all components, including the Generic USB Hub, root hubs, and composite devices. It is very likely that after saving the changes, the problematic USB device will start working normally.

And finally

It remains to add that the search for drivers even on the manufacturer’s website is best done not by name, but by two parameters - DEV and VEN. They can be viewed in the device properties window in the “Device Manager” on the details tab, where the equipment ID parameter is selected in the drop-down list. These two characteristics will help to perform an accurate search, and not only search for compatible drivers that may not work correctly after installation.

In some cases, when viewing information and driver files on the corresponding tab, driver rollback or its removal can help, after which the system initializes the equipment again as unknown, and then installs the most suitable driver. But it’s better to download it directly. If the downloaded file has the INF format, you can try to right-click the context menu and select the installation line. If this option does not work (which most often happens), when installing or updating the driver using system tools, you should use the installation from the specified location (in the corresponding field, the location of the downloaded file is selected with the browse button).