Forum Discussion
Why can unplugging a USB device instantly fix unrelated problems
My computer was having issues completely unrelated to any USB device, yet unplugging one instantly fixed everything. I don't understand how removing a USB device can resolve problems that seem to have nothing to do with it, and I want to know why this happens.
2 Replies
Unplugging a misbehaving or locked USB device can instantly fix unrelated system issues because it forces the computer's operating system to reset the shared hardware controller and clear stuck software driver threads
Yes, I have experienced something similar too. Sometimes when I am copying data from my PC to a USB device, the copying suddenly becomes very slow, or the progress bar stops updating. The copy window may remain open and sometimes I cannot close it normally.
In some cases, unplugging the USB device fixes the problem immediately. I am not completely sure why this happens, but it could be related to the USB device, driver, USB port, or a communication problem between the computer and the device.
I have also seen similar behavior on Linux, so I do not think it is only a Windows problem. It is interesting how disconnecting one USB device can sometimes fix a problem that appears to be unrelated to USB.
