- Aug 17, 2022
- 5
- 1
- 10
Hello,
I apologize if this is the wrong place for this, I am new to this forum and am experiencing a very strange issue. I think it is related to Windows 11, but I am worried it might be my motherboard(?)
The TL/DR version: I have many USB ports on my computer, both A and C, of various speeds. They all work fine, except for one specific port. If I plug an external HDD into that particular port, Windows treats it as if it is a non-removable internal disk. (No option to remove whatsoever, need to power down to safely remove.) If I use any of the other ports, Windows recognizes it correctly as removable and I can safely eject it before disconnecting.
I can read / write data and the drive functions 100% properly, but is listed only as an 'internal' drive so I cannot remove it safely without powering down. The problem has been isolated to this particular USB port, but there is one additional oddity - If I plug a USB hub into this port and then plug the drive into the USB hub, it is recognized properly (as removable) - It's only when I directly connect the drive to this one specific port that I have this issue. This behaviour is identical for several different drives from different manufacturers, and the problem is always present on this one specific port.
Some background, I recently did a "Reinstall windows but keep your files", and I think I may have had a USB drive plugged into that port when I did it, not sure if that's relevant. (The reinstall was for other reasons and I am not certain if I had this issue before.) I am considering doing it again but making sure that nothing extra is plugged into the PC, to see if that helps.
If any of the drives are plugged into any other USB ports (or to the hub in the 'bad' port), they show up properly in Device Manager as 'removable USB storage', as well as the 'disk drives' section. In the 'disk drives' section I can set policies like 'quick removal' vs 'better performance', further supporting that the system knows it is external. In the 'bad port', it only lists those options that are common to internal drives (with no referance to removability.)
What I have done so far:
-Rob
I apologize if this is the wrong place for this, I am new to this forum and am experiencing a very strange issue. I think it is related to Windows 11, but I am worried it might be my motherboard(?)
The TL/DR version: I have many USB ports on my computer, both A and C, of various speeds. They all work fine, except for one specific port. If I plug an external HDD into that particular port, Windows treats it as if it is a non-removable internal disk. (No option to remove whatsoever, need to power down to safely remove.) If I use any of the other ports, Windows recognizes it correctly as removable and I can safely eject it before disconnecting.
I can read / write data and the drive functions 100% properly, but is listed only as an 'internal' drive so I cannot remove it safely without powering down. The problem has been isolated to this particular USB port, but there is one additional oddity - If I plug a USB hub into this port and then plug the drive into the USB hub, it is recognized properly (as removable) - It's only when I directly connect the drive to this one specific port that I have this issue. This behaviour is identical for several different drives from different manufacturers, and the problem is always present on this one specific port.
Some background, I recently did a "Reinstall windows but keep your files", and I think I may have had a USB drive plugged into that port when I did it, not sure if that's relevant. (The reinstall was for other reasons and I am not certain if I had this issue before.) I am considering doing it again but making sure that nothing extra is plugged into the PC, to see if that helps.
If any of the drives are plugged into any other USB ports (or to the hub in the 'bad' port), they show up properly in Device Manager as 'removable USB storage', as well as the 'disk drives' section. In the 'disk drives' section I can set policies like 'quick removal' vs 'better performance', further supporting that the system knows it is external. In the 'bad port', it only lists those options that are common to internal drives (with no referance to removability.)
What I have done so far:
- Rebooted PC several times
- Uninstalled all devices under "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" in Device Manager (This was tricky as it disables my keyboard and mouse. Needed to remote in to finish a reboot)
- Tried to reseat internal cables, but they are too hard to reach and very firmly attached at present
- Hit my head on the desk for a while
-Rob
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram