[SOLVED] USB devices randomly disconnecting ?

[Goose5]

This is an issue that I thought I had solved several times, but it keeps popping up.
My USB devices, mouse, keyboard, mic, etc. randomly disconnect, mostly while playing games. The devices remain powered and cannot be “reconnected/unfrozen” until I remove and re-plug them into the back panel. This seems to be limited to a row of four USB ports on the back IO (2x3.2 gen 1, 2x2.0). At this point, I am fairly certain it is something to do with the motherboard or PSU.

Things I have tried (over the past couple of months):

• Driver update for devices.
• Driver update for USB ports and controllers.
• I disabled the power-management option on all USB controllers.
• I updated the BIOS.
• I checked the BIOS for USB settings but didn’t find anything relevant (to my knowledge).
• I checked the event log after it happened (per another forum post), but the only message within the same timeframe was related to me knocking my ethernet cable in sheer frustration of needing to pull out the keyboard yet again.
• I have tried all USB ports, for some reason, my mouse seems to not have the issue when I connect it to the top USB port on the back IO.

The system is pretty much only about 6 months old save the peripherals themselves and the PSU.

System specs:
OS: Windows 11
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700KF
GPU: MSI RTX 3080 Ventus 3X OC LHR
MOBO: MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI DDR4
RAM: 48gb Corsair Pro 3600MHz (XMP)
PSU: ~5-6-year-old 850W EVGA supernova gold
Peripherals that are disconnecting:

• FIIO AMP/DAC
• Blue Yeti Mic
• Logitech G502
• Logitech G910
• Creative Pebble Speakers

 

[Colif]

mostly while playing games

it could be the 5-6 year old PSU can't maintain the power needed for your PC under load and disconnects USB if it needs the power for something else.

No real way to test MB, there are 3 tests for PSU but one of them just tests it works, we know that, and another just looks at the voltages in the BIOS which isn't when its under load. You really need a multimeter... and most people don't have one.

is that 3 x 16gb sticks? unless for some reason you only using 3 of a 4 stick set, the non matched stick could be a reason. But it would be an odd one.

 

[Goose5]

Thank you for the speedy reply. Based on your post and another one, I am also starting to suspect the PSU. I had hoped to squeeze some more life out of it, but maybe that's not possible anymore.

I do actually have a multimeter. What should I be looking for? I also have HWiNFO which might tell some useful voltages under load, but I wouldn't know what to be looking for on that either.

Also, the RAM is 4 sticks: a 16gb kit 2x8 and a 32gb kit 2x16. So that should hopefully be fine.

 

[Colif]

sticks only tested to work with other sticks in set. No guarantees that 2 sets will work together

I believe with multimeter you want to track the voltages under load. As i think USB uses 5 volt so it might be dropping low. Probably want to look at all 3 - 12, 5, & 3.3volt
HWINFO isn't as accurate as a multimeter or I would have suggested it, I used to suggest it in the past. It has been known to give false results.

 

[Goose5]

sticks only tested to work with other sticks in set. No guarantees that 2 sets will work together

True. And though they are the same brand, their DRAM manufacturers and capacities are different. So I have that going against me. I'll check everything with this again.

I believe with multimeter you want to track the voltages under load. As i think USB uses 5 volt so it might be dropping low. Probably want to look at all 3 - 12, 5, & 3.3volt

Will do and report back.

HWINFO isn't as accurate as a multimeter or I would have suggested it, I used to suggest it in the past. It has been known to give false results.

Understood. Good to know. Thanks!

 

[Ralston18]

@Goose5

Just FYI:

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-manually-test-a-power-supply-with-a-multimeter-2626158

 

[Goose5]

@Goose5

Just FYI:

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-manually-test-a-power-supply-with-a-multimeter-2626158

Thank you. I was just looking at the same guide! Good to know that is the one you recommend.

This thread might be dead for a bit while I find the time to test this, but I will be back to report my findings.

 

[Colif]

Take your time, I added that link to a list I have for testing hardware.

If only there were tests for motherboards

 

[Goose5]

If only. That would have saved a friend of mine a lot of time.

So I went through and tested the PSU per the instructions at that link. All 24pin voltages are spot on when out of the system, as expected.

I wasn't quite sure about the best way to test while the system was on, so I relied on a molex and an extra set of cpu 4pins and vga 6pins. I could not test my sata cables. The results are below (you can take my word for it, they are all in range according to that guide):

Power load	24pin (expected v : actual reading)	6pin	4pin	Molex
PSU only	3v:3.33 | 5v:5.04 & 5.14 | 12v: 12.24 & -12.01	N/A	N/A	N/A
System Idle	N/A	N/A	12v:12.24	12v:12.24 | 5v:5.05
System GPU Load (Heaven Benchmarking)	N/A	12v:-12.24	N/A	12v:12.24 | 5v:5.05
System Actual Load (game + discord + background)	N/A	12v:-12.27	N/A	12v:12.25 | 5v:5.08

I noticed my PSU was in eco mode, so it might have been getting pretty toasty. I went ahead and turned that off.

I was unable to duplicate the issue while testing. So, assuming the problem wasn't just miraculously fixed, that leaves the RAM, heat, or something else. Let me know if there is something else I should have tested.

Thanks!

 

[Colif]

Those scores on PSU look okay - https://www.lifewire.com/power-supply-voltage-tolerances-2624583
well within variances

try running with just 32gb set of ram and see if it makes any difference. Just to see if its the difference sets causing it.

Try a clean boot and see if it changes anything - make sure to read instructions and make sure NOT to disable any microsoft services or windows won't load right - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

this doesn't remove anything from PC, just stops anything other than Microsoft programs running at startup. Easily reversed. It is not a reset.

if clean boot fixes it, it shows its likely a startup program. You should, over a number of startups. restart the programs you stopped to isolate the one that is to blame.

I have tried all USB ports, for some reason, my mouse seems to not have the issue when I connect it to the top USB port on the back IO.

top 2 are USB 2, bottom on is for flashing BIOS
next section down are HDMI & DP slots
the top 2 in next section are USB 2 & the bottom 2 are USB 3.2
next section: LAN & USB 3.2 with a USB C connection
no more USB. Diagram from page 10 - https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/PROZ690-AWIFIDDR4_PROZ690-ADDR4100x150.pdf

So the USB 2 slots above the USB 3.2 slots don't work? and yet the one at top does. That seems strange, as they should all be the same. In the past they used to have different chips to control USB but yours all seem to be Intel.

 

[Goose5]

I'll test the RAM first and then the clean boot. The issue is sometimes difficult to duplicate, so this may also take a bit.

Just to clarify, the mouse doesn't seem to have an issue in the leftmost (on the MSI manual) USB 2 above the BIOS flash port. I was originally referring to it in the upright orientation, sorry for that confusion. The remaining 5 USB type-A ports more consistently have the issue (I don't use the type-C currently). It could just be a coincidence that the mouse does not seem to have the issue when connected to that port, but I wanted to mention it in case it was important.

 

[Colif]

Take your time. USB problems do seem to take longer to fix.

i realized i may have had order of USB 2 & BIOS flashing USB port in wrong order, so top left is usb 2.

• FIIO AMP/DAC
• Blue Yeti Mic
• Logitech G502
• Logitech G910
• Creative Pebble Speakers

are any of them old? I have had old devices cause weird problems on PC before but both cases it affected my GPU, didn't make all my USB stop working. NO strange connection/disconnection sounds?

this tool might be useful if it happens again.
https://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtreeview_e.html
it will show errors and tell you the device names.
some charging devices can cause this type of problem, draws too much current, the port shuts down, the current drain falls, the port turns back on. repeat. generally happens with an apple device.

Question - "Usb device not recognized" Alert popping up every 1 second.

So just starting about a week ago, every time I would wake up my system I would get the windows "New device" Sound effect from windows 10 happening LITERALLY every 1 second. It's still happening every time I wake up my system. It goes on for around 5 minutes. I've tried multiple system restore...

forums.tomshardware.com

not same error but the tool might help figure out cause, if windows can tell.

 

[Goose5]

are any of them old?

The keyboard is the oldest, going on ~5 years now. The mouse and mic are about ~2 years. The speakers are about 1 year old and the FIIO AMP/DAC is less than two months old. I do get a lovely (loud) popping noise out of the DAC when the issue is occurring. Though, unlike the other devices, it seems to start sending and receiving again after a bit. As far as I am aware, there are no disconnect noises issued by windows. In the past, I checked the windows event log after the disconnecting occurred, but nothing was listed.

Thank you for linking those tools! I think they will definitely help me learn something when the issue occurs.

 

[Colif]

My two problem devices were speakers that were about 12 years old and a mouse that was probably about 8.
Since its only USB I would start there. could be one asking for too much power and making rest d/c

I have a G910, its my spare keyboard. It fell on the floor once and its Home key is a little bent now. I replaced it with a Corsair K70 RGB. It still works fine, just nice to have a working spare. Do you use G Hub or LGS to control its rgb? I recall G Hub took a while to actually work right with its color schemes.

I think i looked at a G502 when I replaced mouse but ended up with a Steelseries one, since previous one was from them too. I like its shape - https://steelseries.com/gaming-mice/rival-600

I wouldn't expect a 2 year old mouse to be a problem but age doesn't really mean a lot.

 

[Goose5]

Edit: after writing all of this out, this afternoon the disconnecting started again... -_-)

Before I tried removing a RAM kit and running a clean boot, I was waiting to see if the issue persisted after dealing with the PSU and RAM (see below). After attempting to recreate several of the situations in which the disconnecting would occur, I was unable to directly duplicate the issue, but it did eventually pop up again.

Despite not being too systematic about my approach, this rules out the following solutions for my particular problem:

1. Unplugging and testing the power supply, as Colif suggested, might have also reseated a loose/bent mainboard cable/pin.
2. Cooler master pushed an update for their MF120 hub and master plus software that made my fans sporadically blink orange for a bit. The updates dropped around the same time that the disconnecting stopped. Since the fans apparently register as human interface devices in USB device tree viewer (wonderful tool, btw), and thanks to the unparalleled quality of master plus (sarcasm), I believed this setup could have been causing issues for my other devices somehow.
3. I am a fool, and at some point during troubleshooting XMP stability with my two RAM kits, lost track of the two kits and mixed them into an improper A1 A2 and B1 B2 installation. I am pretty sure I had the disconnecting issue prior to messing with the RAM at all. Nevertheless, this is obviously a likely cause of a lot of issues, so I list it here for all to see and learn from my foolishness. Lesson learned: if you have more than one kit (don't do it if possible), reference the mobo manual and check your actual RAM configuration! (https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-check-ram-on-windows-10-4780513) I have now installed the higher-capacity kit in the preferred dual-channel A2 B2 (per the MSI manual) and the other kit opposite.

To quickly address the Logitech thing: I use G Hub and have been considering whether that was the source of the problem since three of my older peripherals are Logitech controlled. I have had issues with the Classic Yeti since they added support for it in G Hub several months ago. While I do not think it is the root cause of my particular problem, it is a possible runner-up that I'll look at in the clean boot.

Now that I can confirm the above changes did not fix my issue. I will move on to run just the single kit of RAM. If that does not fix it, I will do the clean boot.

The USB monitoring programs, though very useful on their own, did not detect any issues or disconnections while my mouse, keyboard, and DAC were on the fritz. So, I suppose "disconnection" is not actually what is happening, more like "freezing" until unplugged and replugged in.

Thank you for your patience and help!

 

[Colif]

if windows can't see it happening, probably means its not a windows problem. Its hardware causing it.
It may be victim blaming but I would start on the USB devices.
do you have any other USB not mentioning below?

• FIIO AMP/DAC
• Blue Yeti Mic
• Logitech G502
• Logitech G910
• Creative Pebble Speakers

I have had issues with the Classic Yeti since they added support for it in G Hub several months ago.

i didn't know Logitech made Blue Yeti? and yet they did 4 years ago, wonder how i missed that.

might need to detach some and see if it helps at all. Use a spare mouse/keyboard for instance. need to reduce things it could be.

Could be one is shorting and causing others to disconnect. Finding problems windows cannot see are always fun.

 

[Goose5]

do you have any other USB not mentioning below?

Nope. That's it. In fact, the speakers haven't even been plugged in for a while now. The DAC is plugged into a USB hub passthrough on the monitor, but the problem I'm having existed long before I even owned the DAC and was using that monitor port/hub.

Now the update:

1. It is probably not my RAM configuration. I ran the system with one of the two kits and still had the issue.
2. It is probably not the keyboard. I got the most generic USB keyboard I could find and still had the disconnecting issue. Though only the mouse seemed to disconnect that time, which is suspicious.

On the most recent disconnect, a lot of other things happened and I could not fix the devices by unplugging and plugging them in again. Instead, this time when the device freezing occurred, the devices became fully unpowered and "windows could not find an appropriate driver" when I plugged them back in. The whole row of USB ports went unresponsive. Only the port next to the bios flash worked. I had to reset the system, at which point all of the devices worked again. The event log also showed something for the first time:

• Event 7000 / 3 / and 6, service control manager; The IntelHaxm service failed to start due to the following error: A device attached to the system is not functioning.
• Event 3 and 6; The description for Event ID 3/6 from source IntelHaxm cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted.

Feels like these are not super helpful. I looked back in the log and found these errors a few times, but they don't seem to always occur when I have the disconnecting issue. Regardless, I will check all of the drivers again and then swap to a generic mouse. I am also going to try uninstalling G HUB and master plus to see if that impacts anything. After that, as you suggest, I'll just run a generic mouse and keyboard without the DAC and mic (yay!).

 

[Goose5]

A week ago, before starting a clean boot process, I decided to try uninstalling G Hub. I have not had the issue since.

I am going to continue running the system without it for a bit longer and then reinstall to see if the issue starts up again and confirms G Hub (or a program conflict involving G Hub) was the cause. I will report back.

 

[Goose5]

It was not G Hub or MasterPlus. The problem eventually occurred with both uninstalled.

Using only a basic mouse and keyboard and headphones plugged into the front IO aux, and all other USB devices unplugged, the mouse and keyboard did not noticeably disconnect. I think they were just much faster to reconnect than my regular keyboard and mouse, but I cannot be sure. Separately, the Logitech mouse disconnected when using the basic keyboard and the Logitech keyboard disconnected when using the basic mouse.

I am now running a clean-boot system, as you suggested, with only steam enabled (disconnecting very rarely occurs outside of a game).

I am thinking to also disconnect the cooler master fan hub (using a USB header). I don't know if that makes sense, but I'll try anything at this point.

 

[Goose5]

Since running a clean boot over a week ago, the problem has stopped. I have done my best to recreate it, but it seems it is finally fixed.

Not a lot runs on startup for my system, but given the nature of the problem, it could take a while to figure out exactly which program is the cause. Consequently, I'm not going to bother reporting that here. I feel either rainmeter or wallpaper engine could be a likely cause. I've had them since the start. The rest of my startup programs were game launchers, Intel, Nvidia, Adobe, and SAS, which seem less likely, but who knows.

I'm just glad the problem is solved. Thank you for your help and recommendations!