Fix Unknown USB Device - Device Descriptor Request Failed

Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) is a Windows Device Manager error under the "Universal Serial Bus controllers" section. The current device status is demonstrated as "Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43). A request for the USB device descriptor failed."

Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) error in Windows 10

What Is a Device Descriptor?

The device descriptor (USB_DEVICE_DESCRIPTOR) is the root of the descriptor tree and contains basic device information. idVendor and idProduct of which are the unique members for the Windows operating system to identify the connected device and determine which device driver must be loaded.

Anyway, we don't care about the tech-savvy's jargon, but only get to know - how do I fix the device descriptor when the request failed?

How Do I Fix Device Descriptor Request Failed?

Driver issues take the most responsibility for an unknown USB device on HP, Lenovo, Dell, and many computers. As you've concerned, the device descriptor request failed error is a generic unknown USB problem, so it's reasonable to suspect a driver issue at present. The USB device here mentioned can be a flash drive, pen drive, Android, digital camera, and any digital gadget that is supposed to use on a Windows machine.

In the next part, we mainly show you the common troubleshooting methods for the device descriptor request failed error in Windows 10. As a matter of fact, Windows 7 and Windows XP users are also having the same problem. Never mind applying the solutions to your own Windows operating system. They're all-OS-versions compatible.

3 Quick Fixes to Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) in Windows 10

In case that unknown USB device (device descriptor request failed) error happens because the USB port is not working or USB device is damaged, the following three fixes are significant to try before going to further troubleshooting.

1. Try plugging in a working USB drive to check whether the USB port is working or damaged.
2. Plug your USB into a different PC to check whether the USB drive is working or damaged.
3. Check if the USB device shows up in Disk Management. As long as the data matters, download Qiling free data recovery software to recover data from the inaccessible USB device in advance.

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Step 1. Choose file types and click "Next" to start

Launch Deep Data Recovery. Choose file types and click "Next" to start.

Select file types that you want to recover

Step 2. Choose the USB drive to scan

Choose your USB drive where you lost important files. Click "Scan" to start.

Step 3. Check and preview USB drive data

When the scanning is finished, you can quickly locate a specific type of file by using the Filter feature as well as the Search option.

Step 4. Restore flash drive data

After checking and finding lost USB drive files, click "Recover" to restore them. You shall save the found files to a safe location on your PC rather than to your USB drive.

5 Advanced Fixes to Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) in Windows 10

Due to the uncertainty of the exact factor that causes your USB drive malfunctioning in this way, the demonstrated solutions are not all supposed to take effect. Hence, take some patience to implement each solution until the problem solved.

1. Use Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

Press Win+R, type Control Panel and hit Enter.
Inside Control Panel in the search box type troubleshooter and select Troubleshooting.
After that select Configure a device under Hardware and Sound and follow the on-screen instruction.
Click on Apply this fix if any problem is found.

fix device descriptor request failed by using hardware and devices troubleshooter

If the unknown USB device error is triggered by hardware issues, it will no longer appear after you try the above steps. If not, you need to move on to the next method to find a fix.

2. Try to Uninstall USB Drivers

Open Device Manager (Right Click on Windows Logo and Click Device Manager).
Now find and expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. Now right-click on USB drivers and click Uninstall. Do for all USB drivers one by one.
Restart your PC then Windows will reinstall the device automatically.

uninstall usb drive to fix the device descriptor request failed

Some people would find that uninstalling and reinstalling the driver only works once. The next time they plug in the drive, and the device descriptor request failed appears again. According to an experienced user who has been suffering the problem for long but finally found the cause of why this method does not work and how to make it work.

I found that going into Device Manager and 'Uninstalling the device', and then plugging in the USB I had been using at the time, before telling Device Manager to scan for hardware changes in the USB ports fixed this problem. I think it was because I've had this USB receiver for a mouse plugged into it for so long, that when I removed it from the port, the computer didn't recognize that it'd been removed and got caught in a loop trying to identify a device that wasn't there anymore, locking the USB port down. Works fine now.

3. Disable Fast Startup

Press Win+R, type Control Panel and hit Enter.
Click on Power Options and select Choose what the power buttons do in the left pane.
Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Under Shutdown settings, uncheck the box next to Turn on fast startup (recommended). Then click on the Save changes button.

disable fast startup to fix the device descriptor request failed

4. Turn on Plug and Play in Windows Services

Press Win+R, type services.msc and hit Enter.
In Windows Services, find the name Plug and Play. Double-click on it to open the Properties window.
If the Startup type is currently Manual and the Service status is Running, try to turn it to Disabled and Stopped, save the changes; later change the Disabled and Stopped to Manual and Running again. Click OK and Apply.
If the Startup type is currently Disabled and the Service status is Stopped, switch to Manual and Running. Click OK and Apply.

fix device descriptor request failed in windows service plug and play

Restart your PC and see if the unknown USB device problem has been resolved in Windows 10. if it doesn't work, try to perform a system restore to get rid of this issue.

5. Restore Your PC To Previous Recovery Points

Press Win+R, type Control Panel and hit enter.
Now find and open the Recovery option.
Select System Restore, follow the on-screen guide and wait until all the recovery points are shown.
Restore your PC from the right recovery point.