9 Solutions For Device Descriptor Request Failed Error

Device descriptor errors are nothing you come across often while using your day-to-day data storage and transfer devices, but when you do, it can be really frustrating. “Unknown USB device” is an error prompt that shows on the screen when you connect a device and the device descriptor request failed.

What Is a Device Descriptor?

A device descriptor as evident from the name is a file that describes the properties of a device. It’s a small file that is used to identify a device uniquely. A device descriptor file is generally a text file containing unique identifications for the device it is kept in like mobile phones.

The Device Descriptor is the root of the descriptor tree and contains basic device information. idVendor and idProduct are the unique members that are used in windows to identify the device and decide the device driver which is to be loaded.

The infamous “Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)” error is caused when the windows cannot identify a device or decide what driver to load.

What Causes the Unknown USB Device Error?

You must have come across the Unknown USB device error at some point when using a pen drive or connecting a phone to your PC. This error occurs when a USB device connected to the computer cannot be identified or as shown in the message prompt, cannot be recognized.

The failure to identify the USB can be due to multiple reasons, some may be hardware issues and others software. Some common reasons for the “Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)” error are

Hardware or system-specific issues

  1. The USB may not be plugged correctly in the port.
  2. The port or the USB drive can be damaged.
  3. Changing of drivers or replacing parts of your Computer.

Software or decide descriptor errors

  1. It can be caused due to new software updates.
  2. bad or incomplete configuration of the USB drivers
  3. outdated USB drivers.
  4. Missing device descriptor files of corrupt USB.

All the above mention reasons for the Device Descriptor Request Failed error can be easily fixed with simple steps or with little technical configuration.

How to Fix Device Descriptor Request Failed (Unknown USB device)

On encountering the Device Descriptor Request Failed error in Device Manager, you first have to have an idea about what may be causing this error for your computer.

The error simply means that your USB device cannot be accessed or identified by your operating system. And form the reasons listen in the above section you can do a quick check and have a rough idea, and then proceed to solve the problem specifically.

Some simple and effective check is

  1. If your windows had a recent update
  2. Your USB is connected correctly
  3. Your USB drivers are up to date
  4. Your system is free of malware
  5. Your USB or USB port is not damaged.

How Do I Fix Device Descriptor Request Failed?

Once you’ve done the check and have an idea of what may be causing this error for you, you can proceed to try the below-listed methods for Device descriptor request failed error.

We would suggest you try the solutions in sequence to make sure that every possible cause for the error is covered. But since you must have figured it out by now, you can directly try the fix that you think would fix the Device descriptor request failed error for you.

  1. Connect The USB To Another Port
  2. Check For Hardware Issues
  3. Plug Out Your Power Supply
  4. Disable Fast Startup Option
  5. Uninstall The USB Driver In Device Manager
  6. Remove USB And Scan For Hardware Changes
  7. Run The Hardware And Device Troubleshooter
  8. Change Your USB Selective Suspend Setting
  9. Update The Generic USB Hub Driver

Fix 1: Connect The USB To Another Port

When facing the Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) error, you can try connecting the USB device to another port on your computer. If that doesn’t work, restart your computer and try again.

You should also try plugging the USB device into another computer and observe if it works there. This would allow you to confirm if the problem lies in your computer port itself. If it does then you can go ahead and repair, replace your USB port. This would solve the Device descriptor request failed error.

device descriptor request failed

Fix 2: Check For Hardware Issues

Assuming that you’ve done the above-mentioned basic checks, you must have already tried plugging the device into different USB ports. Even after plugging the USB into different USB ports, it is evident that the problem lies not in your port but in your USB.

It is likely that your USB is damaged which can be irksome but your USB is broken causing the Device descriptor request failed error, so you have no other option but to get it repaired or simply format it and nothing works then get it to replace.

Before you go ahead with replacing your USB, you should be extra sure and so you must also try the below next listed fixes. It’s rare but not impossible that one of these fixes may actually work, saving you data as well as the drive.

Fix 3: Plug-Out Your Power Supply

This fix is rather unconventional but users vouch for it being effective in solving the Device descriptor request failed error. If the USB device descriptor request failed is caused by the power supply, follow these steps to implement the fix

  1. Unplug the power supply to your computer system.
  2. Again Re-plug the power supply.
  3. Restart your computer and connect the USB to the port.
  4. Wait for the USB to load and open.
  5. Device descriptor request failed error will be fixed.

Fix 4: Disable The Fast Startup Option

Disable the fast startup option is a viable fix for the Device descriptor request failed error. It fixes the errors by solving optimization problems of your operating system, also fixing in case windows update is stuck in your computer system.

To disable the fast startup option from the control panel, follow these changes

  1. Move your cursor on the start menu and do a left-click.
  2. Type “Control panel” in the search field and click on the control panel.
  3. Or you can press “Ctrl+R” simultaneously to open the Run dialogue box.
  4. Type “control” in the search field and click on “Ok”.
  5. Once the control panel opens in a new window click on “Hardware and sound”
  6. In Hardware and sound window click long “Power options” from the listed options
  7. You can also directly search the power option in the control panel window from the top right.
  8. Next, navigate your cursor on the “Choose what the power buttons do” from the left pane.
  9. Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable” and allow the administrator permission.
  10. Now, Navigate under shutdown settings.
  11. Uncheck the box in front of the “Turn on Fast Startup(recommended)” if it is checked.
  12. Click on save changes, and restart your computer.
  13. This would disable fast startup and will fix the Unknown device error.

Fix 5: Uninstall The USB Driver In Device Manager

If the above fix didn’t help with the Device descriptor request failed error and you’re stuck with the USB device not recognized uninstalling the USB drivers can be the ultimate solution to the issue.

A quick explanation for this fix is that any hardware such as your USB is read using the software called the driver. If this driver meant for reading your USB is outdated or malfunctioning, then you’d face an Arduino device descriptor request failed error.

The windows automatically load the driver for any USB device so installing the USB driver is basically a reset to default for any device. This reset ends up fixing the device descriptor request failed error. To uninstall your USB driver follow these steps.

  1. Move your cursor on the start icon and right-click
  2. Click on the search field, and type “settings” to open settings.
image 849
  1. In the settings window click in the search field on top-left and type “Device manager”.
  2. From search results click on “Device-manager” to open the Device Manager window.
image 848
  1. In the Device Manager window scroll down and click on “Universal Serial Bus controllers”
Universal Serial Bus controllers
  1. Once it expands, select the driver software from the list and right-click.
  2. From the drop-down options click on uninstall.
image 846
  1. Follow the uninstall procedure to remove the device.
  2. Once the uninstall is complete, restart your computer system.
  3. Plug your USB, the default drivers will automatically load.
  4. The device descriptor request failed error will be resolved.

Fix 6: Remove USB And Scan For Hardware Changes

This fix is to be done in continuation with the fix 5 mentioned above, although scanning for hardware changes generally is a regular practice for system integrity checks. Scanning for hardware changes is basically looking for USB in a more optimized way.

Since the device descriptor request failed error is caused when the operating system is not able to scan the USB automatically. Doing the scanning and identification part manually by scanning for hardware will surely fix the problem. follow these steps to do a Successful scan for hardware changes.

  1. Press and hold “Window’s key+R” on your keyboard to open the “RUN” dialogue box.
  2. type “devmgmt.msc” in the Run dialogue box and click OK.
  3. The device manager window will appear.
  4. Left-click on “Universal Serial Bus Controllers” to expand it.
  5. From the header menu on top, click on Action.
  6. From drop-down options click on “Scan for hardware changes”
Scan for hardware changes
  1. Wait for the system to scan for all hardware changes
  2. Now plug your USB and let the system scan for it too, check if it is shown in scanned devices.
  3. If not, repeat the steps for “scan for hardware changes”
  4. In the Device Manager window click the Action tab and then on Scan for hardware changes.
  5. Once done, close the window, restart your computer, the Unknow USB Device problem will be solved.

Fix 7: Run The Hardware And Device Troubleshooter

If trying the manual methods and scanning for hardware changes isn’t helping. You can try using the default window hardware and device troubleshooter to solve the device descriptor request failed windows 10

Using the inbuilt hardware troubleshooter covers all the possible reasons for the unknown USB device error, and allows you to directly jump to the official Microsoft page for solutions to your problem. These are these steps to run the Hardware and device troubleshooter

  1. Navigate to the Start menu on your window screen
  2. Click on the search field and type “control panel” to open the control panel.
  3. In the control panel move your cursor to the top right on the search field.
  4. In the search field type “troubleshooting”, a list of search results will appear.
  5. Look for Hardware and Devices troubleshooter, click on it to run the troubleshooter
  6. Proceed with on-screen instructions, keep your USB plugged.
  7. Once a problem is found, follow the suggested solutions from the troubleshooter and apply them.
  8. When the changes are applied, close the troubleshooter and restart your computer.
  9. Try opening your USB, see if the problem is fixed.

Fix 8: Change Your USB Selective Suspend Setting

USB selective suspend is a smart feature of windows that helps the computer system to save energy and is usually disabled by default. Selective Suspend saves energy by suspending or hibernating plugged devices instead of putting the complete system on sleep when not in use.

Disabling the selective suspend for the USB will improve device performance. Change your USB selective suspend setting to fix the device descriptor request failed error as it’ll stop the computer from shutting down the USB and keep it discoverable and accessible throughout use.

You can change your USB selective suspend setting in Windows 10 by following these steps:

  1. Go to the start menu and search “Settings” to go to settings
  2. Go to System and then to Power & Start-Up option
  3. Below “When I press the power button”, click on “Choose what will happen when you press the power button”.
  4. In the “USB Selective Suspend” window, left-click on “Change settings”.
  5. From the “USB selective suspend mode”, select the below-mentioned setting:
  6. Sleep (Hibernation) – Your computer will suspend or hibernate selected devices and turn off your display, but user data will be preserved.

Fix 9: Update The Generic USB Hub Drivers

The intuitive Windows interface automatically detects, installs, and updates drivers for USB. But it may not be able to always do that because of the unstable internet. When this fails, you may get a device descriptor request failed code 43 error.

For cases where the automatic update fails, you can do it manually. Manually updating the drivers can fix the To fix request for the USB device descriptor failed code 43, as it would solve the smaller problem mentioned above causing the error. Follow these steps to execute the solution.

  1. Press and hold “Window’s key+R” on your keyboard to open the “RUN” dialogue box.
  2. type “devmgmt.msc” in the Run dialogue box and click OK.
  3. The device manager window will appear.
  4. Left-click on “Universal Serial Bus Controllers” to expand it.
  5. Once it expands, select the driver software from the list and right-click.
  6. Next click on “USB root Hub” and from the drop-down options click on update.
"USB root Hub"
  1. In the next window click on “search automatically for drivers”
"search automatically for drivers"
  1. This option will automatically look for updates both offline and online.
automatically look for updates both offline and online
  1. Follow the update procedure when found. Once completed, restart your computer system.
  2. Plug your USB, the default drivers will automatically load. The error will be resolved.

Conclusion

Try these fixes to get your USB or any other device working in no time and never again waste time on trivial errors. Most of these are one-minute fixes and require little to no technical expertise.

You can also find new fixes as well as keep yourself updated on such issues related to device descriptor request failed code 43 windows 10 fix on Reddit. By following the official thread of Reddit for Unknown USB devices.