USB port issue

Hello all
My USB ports do not work. they do not recognize and devices when plugged into USB ports. here is the strange thing. When I go into bias mode the external mouse will work but will not work after reboot. there are no errors reported. device drivers are updated and there are no errors in device manager.
Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome to the forum. I have a Dell Inspiron 15 with no issues. I found this on the Dell website: USB Ports Not Working on Windows: Solve Common USB Issues | Dell US

You may get follow-up posts. 24H2 (OS Build 26100.4946)

Hi and thanks for getting back to me I tried all the windows fixes but no joy. the strange thing is that the external plug-in mouse works when the bios screen is accessed which tells me the hardware is ok. bios and driver udates are up to date. integrating systems in bios does not show the usb ports. Device manager says USB 3.0 Root is working properly. All 3 USB ports are all affected. I am at a loss

The reason the mouse is seen in bios is that BIOS uses a generic, low-level driver that isn't loaded in Windows.


First disconnect all other usb devices, including hubs, leaving only the mouse and test. If it works you have some external device interfering with the other usb ports.

Other things to try.
1. Perform a clean boot to eliminate some software causing the issue. If the mouse works right in a clean boot state, you have some software conflicting with Windows. Brink's procedure will help you weed out which one. Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 11 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts Tutorial

2. See if mouse works in safe boot. Boot to Safe Mode in Windows 11

3. Make sure you have no corrupt system files that is causing this problem. Open a command prompt as administrator and type dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
When complete restart. Then open command prompt as admin again and run sfc /scannow
Pay attention to the scan results to see if SFC found anything it could not repair
Though I truly don't think it will make a difference it would be worth a try.

4. If your mouse has recently quit working, you can attempt using system restore to a point prior. Use System Restore in Windows 11

5. If all else fails try a repair install. Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade

glasskuter said:

The reason the mouse is seen in bios is that BIOS uses a generic, low-level driver that isn't loaded in Windows.


First disconnect all other usb devices, including hubs, leaving only the mouse and test. If it works you have some external device interfering with the other usb ports.

Other things to try.
1. Perform a clean boot to eliminate some software causing the issue. If the mouse works right in a clean boot state, you have some software conflicting with Windows. Brink's procedure will help you weed out which one. Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 11 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts Tutorial

2. See if mouse works in safe boot. Boot to Safe Mode in Windows 11

3. Make sure you have no corrupt system files that is causing this problem. Open a command prompt as administrator and type dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
When complete restart. Then open command prompt as admin again and run sfc /scannow
Pay attention to the scan results to see if SFC found anything it could not repair
Though I truly don't think it will make a difference it would be worth a try.

4. If your mouse has recently quit working, you can attempt using system restore to a point prior. Use System Restore in Windows 11

5. If all else fails try a repair install. Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade

Click to expand...

And if the repair install fails, do a clean install.

Probably not fun, but it's sort of the nuclear option if you have corrupted drivers.

Have you SHUT DOWN THE COMPUTER since the issue? (and to be 100% sure I'd also unplug it from the mains (*) ). Sometimes USB stops working for no reason or "with reason" (one of my USB3 cards does this if I connect first one device, then unplug it, then connect a different device, in the same port during the same power cycle). Rebooting doesn't recover it, you must at least shut down.

(*) Some users have to go the basement, to another buiding, take a bus, take a plane (kidding),... to unplug the computer from the mains. For me it's as simple as turning off the strip switch I have at my feet. Result: when I suspect or know i should shut down, I also unplug from the mains (turn the strip switch off and wait like a minute) as it's free for me, hence I cannot tell if only the shut down was necessary or the power supply disconnection was also necessary. I know disconnecting a laptop from power supply is more complicated than disconnecting a desktop, for the battery, but I know little about laptops.

That said I consider little probable you need a power supply disconnection for this. But if the alternative is reinstalling Windows...

If you have the relevant drivers installer (it might be specific of the USB or be a "chipset drivers" installer) I'd uninstall the device or better the device drivers (they might be listed in Programs and Features) and reinstall them running the installer. A reboot in the middle (and even shutting down given it's an USB problem) would be preferable, but Idk how to avoid the automatic reinstallation that isn't working if you reboot.

Create a temporary new user account. Tell us if the same problem occurs.
Just to find out if this is profile based and only tied to your current account.

BIOS
XHCI Hand-off
Try to change the operating mode and check how the changes will affect the operation of the devices.