# Cannot Install Any New USB Devices



## DemonLordTyrus (Feb 6, 2009)

Hi,

I've been having a problem for a few months now that my laptop seemingly cannot install any new USB devices.

If I plug in any new USB device that I have never used before on this laptop, I get the "Found New Hardware" wizard coming up, even for usual Plug 'n' Play devices like USB memory sticks etc, that I have never seen the Wizard come up for before.
Anyway, if I click "Locate and Install Device Drivers", it will search for the drivers for a good while. After this a message pops up which reads something along the lines of:

"Windows found the drivers for your device but encountered an error when attempting to install them."

After this, the device won't work because it hasn't installed. Happens every time I try, whether I reboot first or anything etc.


I recently tried one thing I found via google which said to disallow the computer to be allowed to turn off the USB Hubs to save power, which I did, and then I tried to use a USB memory stick.
The "Found New Hardware" wizard still popped up, except now when I clicked to find the drivers, it said it had installed successfully straight away. However, the device still did not work.
Unplugging it and replugging it back in brought the wizard back again, suggesting it hadn't actually installed.

I tried a mouse after this and got the error I explained the first time, where it said it found the drivers but can't install them, so it seems the memory stick was alone in telling me it had installed.

Any USB device I have installed before this problem started occuring still works fine. This problem first occured when I tried to install a piece of audio hardware for recording guitar, though I have no idea if thats relevant since the problem seems indiscriminate of what type of device won't work - its just everything.

Also, I'm on Vista 32 bit (I think), and can't think of any other relevant info right now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Try uninstalling the USB hubs from Device Manager and rebooting.


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## DemonLordTyrus (Feb 6, 2009)

Okay, I just tried that... I uninstalled all 7 USB Hubs from my device manager and rebooted.

When my computer loaded back up, it tried to install 7 "Unknown Devices" which were clearly the Hubs trying to reinstall, however every single one of them failed to install with the error given above:



> Windows found driver software for your device, but encountered an error when trying to install it.
> 
> *Device name is usually put here*
> 
> The system cannot find the file specified.


Was this at all expected? Because none of my previously installed USB devices work either now in addition to anything new, so some warning that that might happen would've been nice, since I now cannot use a mouse or memory stick or anything. :normal:


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## DemonLordTyrus (Feb 6, 2009)

Sorry to post again, but I have an update on this issue:

Okay, I have made some progress with this issue but now I've reached a point where I am unsure how to go further.

Based on some advice I found via google I have been trying to resolve the "The system cannot find the file specified" error via the setupapi.dev.log in windows/inf, in order to locate which file the systen cannot find and then place it in the folder in which it is looking.

Each time I attempted to install the drivers, with it failing with the same error, I checked the setupapi.dev.log to find a few lines like this:


```
source media:
     flq:                               Description  - [windows cd]
     flq:                               SourcePath   - [c:\windows\inf]
     flq:                               SourceFile   - [hcrstco.dll]
     flq:                               Flags        - 0x00000000
     flq:                          {_commit_copyfile}
     flq:                               {SPFILENOTIFY_STARTCOPY}
     flq:                               {SPFILENOTIFY_STARTCOPY - returned 0x00000001}
!!!  flq:                               Error installing file (0x00000002)
!!!  flq:                               Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified.
!    flq:                                    SourceFile   - 'c:\windows\inf\hcrstco.dll'
!    flq:                                    TargetFile   - 'C:\Users\Aaron\{4d629fc3-e91c-455f-83a6-4c57305e6f22}\hcrstco.dll'
     flq:                               {SPFILENOTIFY_COPYERROR}
     flq:                               {SPFILENOTIFY_COPYERROR - returned 0x00000000}
!!!  flq:                               SPFILENOTIFY_COPYERROR: returned FILEOP_ABORT.
!!!  flq:                               Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified.
```
Each time I saw this I would 

1)Go to C:\windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository

2)Search for the file listed under SourceFile above, in this case hcrstco.dll

3)copy this file to C:\windows\inf 

Each time I did this and then tried to Update Drivers via Device Manager again, I would see a different file listed in the log that the system could not find. Sometimes it was a .dll and sometimes a .sys.

I figured I was making progress, and I took it to mean that the install process was looking for a bunch of files in windows/inf that weren't there, and so I was having to add them manually.


Having done this with about 6 or 7 files I am still recieving the "The system cannot find the file specified" error, however the log file has now changed. I no longer see a specific file listed that it cannot find, and so I am unsure how to proceed.

I will attach the most recent setupapi.dev.log in the hopes it means more to someone else than it does to me. It contains two install attempts of one of my USB Hubs, the first of which was done via telling the wizard to search automatically, and the second via pointing the wizard at c:\windows\inf (including subfolders.)
I think the log is the same for both anyway though.

Hopefully this will provide a bit more technical insight into the nature of the error so that it can be resolved!

Many thanks for any help that can be offered.


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Sorry, but no, that was not expected. The USB hub controller drivers are part of the Windows installation. When Windows devices are deleted and you reboot, Windows reinstalls the original drivers. 

In your case, it would appear the Windows installation is corrupted as many of the core files and drivers are missing. 

I can think of three things to try:

1) Reinstall/update all of the motherboard/system drivers. If you have an OEM PC, the drivers are available from the PC manufacturers website.

2) Reinstall the latest SP for your version of Windows and apply all updates.

3) Boot from the OS CD and perform a Repair.

And if all else fails, reinstall the OS. 

Personally, if there are that many files missing or corrupt, I would simply reinstall and not try "fixing" it.


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## DemonLordTyrus (Feb 6, 2009)

Okay, thanks for the advice.

It figures that its a massive corruption or whatever, and not something easilt fixable.  I never seem to have simple problems.

I have a laptop actually, probably doesn't make a difference. I can try updating motherboard drivers etc. although so far no drivers I've tried to install have worked, so I'm reluctant to try reinstalling them (ie if I uninstall to reinstall and it fails I'm screwed.)

I guess I can try reinstalling SP2 and see if it helps at all, and I forgot you can try a repair from the OS disk. I'm kinda reluctant to do a full reinstall of windows because I don't really want to lose everything, especially since I'm definitely going to buy a new laptop as soon as I can afford it (this one has had ENDLESS problems.)

I managed to get my mouse working by some miracle after I rebooted my PC with the mouse still plugged into the USB socket (having uninstalled the failed installation of the mouse) and, instead of searching automatically I selected USB Mouse drivers from a list.
I have no idea which part of that made a difference, but despite the fact I still got an error on the driver install the mouse for some reason now functions, but only on that one USB port.
Its even more weird cause its still listed as an "Unknown Device" as well, so I have no idea how it works but so far it does.

I may just have to put up with this problem until I can buy a new laptop altogether, considering I'm not mouse-less (which was my main problem after the USB Hub's failed to reinstall.)

Also to add credence to the system corruption thing, I realized there was another log file in the inf folder (setupapi.app.log), and I found an entry that said this:


```
>>>  [Build Driver List - USB\ROOT_HUB\4&1A72D501&0]
>>>  Section start 2010/11/29 00:20:52.877
      cmd: "C:\Windows\system32\mmc.exe" C:\Windows\system32\devmgmt.msc
!    inf: Detected INFCACHE inconsistency
!!!  inf: Error searching published INFs - likely system corruption!
!!!  inf: Error 13: The data is invalid.
<<<  Section end 2010/11/29 00:21:00.873
<<<  [Exit status: SUCCESS]
```
each time I tried to install my Hubs, so yeah. It seems like something in Vista is massively corrupt for some reason. One way or another part of the driver installation process is pointing to files that don't exist or aren't in the right place, and/or incorrect registry entries and all that.


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

You don't need to uninstall/reinstall. Motherboard/system drivers simply install over the existing drivers.


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## DemonLordTyrus (Feb 6, 2009)

Oh okay. Well I will try it anyway, and see if those kinds of drivers are capable of installing.


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