Usb = Lame

[Cuc Tu]

I'm just miffed at why I keep having the same problem with USB devices.

Everytime I plug them in, XP detects them as new hardware and I have to search and dig out the disk to reinstall the device.

Is MS that dumb?

Just because I plugged my scanner into a different hole I have to go through this. It is looking for CNQU71.DLL, which is not on the original disk.

Now what?

I've had this going on for years with my printer, scanner, Wingman game wheel, Camera...it is frustrating and intolerable!

[PrntRhd]

1) Copy the whole i386 folder to the HDD on your PC, then you never have to find the disk.
2) Are you certain you have the latest drivers for USB?

[Cuc Tu]

This happens all the time, I have like 8 usb ports, and if I plug in the device into a different hole, XP thinks it found "new" hardware. It's been a big problem because my front USB ports got busted and I've been plugging things into an extension from the rear panel.

The i386 folder? Isn't that already on the C drive someplace?

Anyway, the files are all on my HDD sprinkled around in the Windows folder. I have to search for them manually and then show Windows it's own face over and over again. It's like an undeveloped child.

In my search, I found that a folder in the system directory is Shared. Why would that be? And I cannot unshare it because the checkbox is greyed out. Is this a peak as MS security?

I'm so frustrated and upset with this dumb OS. I'm just ready to toss this whole thing out the window, flush my life and move out into the woods and live in a cave.

I searched and found each little file needed and my scanner is "successfully" installed and ready for use, again. Ironically, I could not just install the SW from the disk because it was smart enough to know that it was already installed.

[Paul Komski]

It is looking for CNQU71.DLL

That sounds like a Canon dll that is likely part of the Scanner Software. The fact that you are having problems with so many different pieces of USB hardware might indicate some other software incompatibilites or even something intrinsically wrong with the USB bus.

If you are using a hub then does it make any difference if you attach the device directly to an on-board port? I would also try this with as few USB devices attached simultaneously while you try to pinpoint the problem. I doubt if its XP as such, since it should have native support for such devices.

I would only add that when USB goes wrong with peripherals due to faulty software installation that it can be very difficult sometimes to correct the problems with uninstalling and upgrading the drivers - and that on occasions I have known it to take me to reinstall Windows to get things right again.

PS We cross-posted but it may not be fair to blame the OS when you have known faulty hardware.

because my front USB ports got busted and I've been plugging things into an extension

In what way were they busted and do they still have cables running to front panel USB headers on the motherboard?

[PrntRhd]

The i386 folder? Isn't that already on the C drive someplace?

Sorry, you are correct. That was a NT4.0 thing.

[Cuc Tu]

Those busted USB ports are not the problem, the plastic in the center cracked and I can't plug in a cord any more.

I have a new Dell 620 at work that does the same thing. There are two USB ports on the side and I plug in my memory stick, XP finds new hardware and installs it (there is a std. usb memory device driver the industry was smart enough to adopt). It works fine, every time I plug it in to the same port, it just works. Until I plugged it into the 2nd usb port, XP "found" new hardware, but fortunately it is a std driver and can handle it by itself.

I gurantee you that if I take this D620 home, install the scanner on the first USB port, then plug it into the second port, XP will choke and I'd have to manually install the thing again like I did, then the same would happen again if I plug it into one of the USB ports on the back. It is a weakness in the OS.

[Paul Komski]

It is a weakness in the OS.

Sorry but I don't agree that this is directly an OS-related problem. It is either a hardware problem as such or related to specific hardware drivers - nearly always written by the makers of the hardware.

The comment "Ironically, I could not just install the SW from the disk because it was smart enough to know that it was already installed" could ironically be part of the problem. If drivers for USB devices get mis-installed it can often be extremely problematic to get them removed (short of a clean reinstallation of the OS) so that they can be properly installed and the original or remnants of the original drivers interfere with every subsequent attempt to attach the device or upgrade the software. The fault usually lies with the hardware manufacturer's software or the user not following the instructions to the letter. It can, for example, make all the difference in the world to attach a USB device for the first time before or after the software is installed.

Have a good read of the manufacturer's installation (and possibly uninstallation) instructions. Boot into Safe Mode and remove everything related to the hardware that you can find in Add/Remove Programs and Device Manager. Delete all usb devices from Device Manager and reboot normally without the USB devices attached. Then try a reinstall by the book. You may still require a clean reinstall to get things right.

[jlreich]

I have to agree with Paul. I have never had such problems with XP and any USB device. I can take any of my devices out, including printer, and put them in another port or even a hub and it will work as normal. This is the same for all my XP machines.

Do you have SP2 installed?

[Paul Komski]

Just wanted to ask if it is the annoyance of having the new hardware wizard appear that is the problem and does the hardware still work OK if the wizard is cancelled. If its just an annoyance there may well be a BIOS tweak affecting PnP recognition. If not it is likely to be the wrong drivers - maybe drivers not designed for WinXP.

There are loads of googles that might give you a clue or two.

There is one other little routine that can sometimes help you uninstall "remnants". With no USB devices attached go the the run box and enter:
set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
then run devmgmt.msc or otherwise open device manager.
In device manager next ensure you now show hidden devices (and which should now include any non-present devices). Then remove/uninstall all such non-present devices. After doing this you should definitely get a new hardware found wizare but be prepared if possible with the latest drives from the maker's website and ensure you follow the correct sequence of events.

[Cuc Tu]

The scanner would not work if I cancelled the wizard.

I have a brand new Dell 620 that behaves the same way if I stick the memory stick into a new USB port, but that device is using a standard generic driver native to XP.

I'll take my 620 home and install the Canon scanner, then I will swap the USB plug and see what happens. I will repeat the process with my Logitec game stick. If I get the same, undesired behavior, I will continue to believe it is a weakness of the OS. If not, then I will investigate my desktop.

The thing that is puzzling is that all the files (for the scanner) were already in the appropriate places, all I had to do was "remind" Windows that they were there. The Scanner works perfectly and this does not happen if I plug it back into the same port after a reboot, only if I pick a different port.

I would not care if Windows had to reinstall the device as long as it could do it by itself. It's just the manual hunting for the files in the System folder that bugs me because there are a lot of them and it takes time with the cumbersome search function (too many clicks and then I can't even copy the path for the file).

It's also been lately a lot of dumb PC problems like this stacking up with a variety of PCs and applications that I use that is starting to wear me thin on patience. I'd like to get a new PC at home, but I don't want Vista because I'm sure I'd have to then buy a new Camera, Printer, Scanner and replace half of my software due to incompatibilites, then deal with another year of growing pains while the OS matured.

So, sorry to make this a venting post, but at first I was stuck as to how to fix my scanner.

I think it's time to fdisk anyway, just for grins. (there are no bios updates for my ECS MB)

[Sylvander]

"Everytime I plug them in, XP detects them as new hardware"
That SHOULD only happen the very 1st time windows encounters that particular hardware combination.
Once it has set up that new combination for use [installed the driver and added settings to the hardware tree in the registry for that new item] it should never need to be done again; unless those new registry settings are magically removed, perhaps by restoring the registry to an earlier time. Or the new settings not being saved.
If the settings were being retained in the registry, then the the next time that item of hardware is encountered by Windows, by once again being connected, it should use the settings SAVED in the registry hardware tree to set it up for use.
I guess something somewhere is going wrong with that.

If you knew where those hardware settings were located in the registry...
[perhaps HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB]
You could export them to a reg [text] file.
Then [after the new settings have been added] you could export the identical section of the registry to a 2nd reg file...
And use a file-comparison program to show the changes made as a result of the new hardware item [I've done that kind of comparison before and it's really super to see the registry differences coloured in RED].
Then if/when the item fails to work you could export for a 3rd time and compare number 3 with number 2 and 1 to see what's happening with the hardware tree registry settings.

[Paul Komski]

There is a "trick" (mskb 298370) of deleting the whole LPTENUM key in the same area of the registry so that Parallel printers can be clean reinstalled. Way back mjc used a similar trick to completely remove video drivers from Win9X which used its equivalent HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\ key.

If you're in the mood to delete/uninsall everything in the registry that appears or ever appeared in Device Manager then quite simple delete the whole of the HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum\ key. Have all the correct drivers for everything at the ready and backup the key before you begin just in case. From a driver standpoint its like a clean install when you reboot. In particular have the latest versions of the correct drivers for the problem hardware downloaded from the website - and read and follow any specific installation instructions before the usb cable ever gets attached to the PC.

Tweaking the registry in this way is not for the faint-hearted and is not as safe an approach as indicated earlier by making visible all current and ancient drivers in Device Manager and then uninstalling them. By all means also be less radical and search for the specific USB devices or the whole USB tree of devices. USBSTOR relates to USB storage drives such as pen drives.

You can also use the set DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1 as a name value pair added to the environment vairables. RClick My Computer, Properties, Advanced, Environment Variables. Device Manager should always then show all past and present devices when you show hidden devices in device manager.

If nothing else then exploring these areas may give a better idea of how these phantom drivers stick around. It's completely up to you if you want to tweak either Device Manager or the Registry.

By default you will not be able to delete (or merge back) these registry keys and to enable this you will need to RClick on the relevant key or keys in the Registry Editor and allow everyone to have full control permissions.

[paul_]

I have always found the same problem with both my Logitech Precision Pro stick (standard driver in XP) and my Netgear Rangemax 240 USB adapter (non-standard driver, NOT digitally signed, and a royal PITA to get working correctly). I also am convinced that this is a major weakness in the OS, and that MS just made a mistake.