Have you ever found yourself on a USB troubleshooting expedition and needed to get a visual epitome of what device was connected to what USB port number? Of form you can use Device Manager to find data on the USB ports and devices in your organisation. However, the USB brandish in Device Manage is less than ideal for tracking down the actual connections.

I recently discovered a little gem hidden away in the depths of the Windows Driver Kit installation called the USB Device Viewer. This tool provides you with an easy-to-use tree view, every bit shown in Figure A, for tracking downwardly your USB ports and devices.

Effigy A

The USB Device Viewer provides an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-utilize tree view of the USB connections in your PC.

In this article, I'll tell you where and how to become Microsoft's USB Device Viewer tool. I'll then show you how to apply this handy tool to track downwardly the USB devices attached to your system.

Getting the tool

Equally I mentioned, the USB Device Viewer tool is a function of the Windows Driver Kit. This means that you'll need to download and install the Kit to get the tool. Nevertheless, in one case you discover the tool, y'all can isolate it and then uninstall the Windows Commuter Kit. Chances are that you won't want to have the unabridged kit sitting around on your hard deejay unnecessarily taking upwardly space.

To begin, head over to the Windows 10 SDK page on Microsoft'due south Windows Dev Center and click the Download The Standalone SDK button, shown in Figure B.

Figure B

Yous'll find the tool on the Windows 10 SDK page.

When the download completes, locate and run the sdksetup.exe installation. On the opening screen, select the Debugging Tools For Windows bank check box, as shown in Effigy C. Clear all the other check boxes, then click Install. The procedure will take a few minutes to complete.

Figure C

Make sure you select just the Debugging Tools For Windows cheque box.

One time the Windows 10 SDK is installed, launch File Explorer and navigate to the folder that matches your operating system type.

If you are running a 32-flake version of Windows ten, navigate to:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\x\Debuggers\x86

If yous are running a 64-bit version of Windows 10, navigate to:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Debuggers\x64

When you admission the folder, locate and select these 2 files:

usbview.exe
usbview.exe.config

They brand up the USB Device Viewer tool, as shown in Figure D.

Effigy D

Locate and select the ii files that brand up the USB Device Viewer tool.

Now, copy these two files to a folder of your choice. One time you take washed so, you tin can access the Programs And Features tool in the Control Panel and uninstall the Windows Software Development Kit, as shown in Effigy E.

Figure E

Once you lot isolate the files, yous can uninstall the Windows Software Development Kit.

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Overview

When yous launch the USB Device Viewer, shown in Figure F, you may see a multifariousness of host controllers off the primary branch on the tree view.

Figure F

The USB Device Viewer shows all the USB host controllers in your system.

More specifically:

  • A Host Controller that is identified as eXtensible or xHCI is a USB 3.0 host controller.
  • A Host Controller that is identified as Enhanced or EHCI is a USB 2.0 host controller.
  • A Host Controller that is identified equally Universal/UHCI or Open/OpenHCD/OHCI is a USB one.0 host controller.

You lot'll as well notice that at that place are more host controllers, hubs, and ports shown in the tree than there appear to be in your system. For case, the tree in Figure F shows seven host controllers and 30 ports, yet my computer has just eight external USB ports: 2 USB 2.0 ports on the forepart and half-dozen USB ports on the dorsum–four USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 ports.

In a nutshell, the reason that there are then many items in the tree is that USB ports need to be able to back up multiple USB versions. For case, a USB 2.0 port on your organization will be connected to two host controllers–a USB i.0 host controller and a USB 2.0 host controller. That also means that one physical port will be represented past multiple ports in the tree. Furthermore, in addition to the external USB devices that you connect to your system, at that place are a number of devices integrated into the PC that can be connected via a USB connection, such as an SD Menu reader or a webcam.

Of grade, the fashion USB works in Windows is far more technically detailed than my elementary description, but I think you get the idea. (If you want to run into the level of detail for yourself, check out the USB in Windows – FAQ folio in the Microsoft Hardware Dev Center.)

Using the tool

Despite the complication of USB in Windows, the USB Device Viewer is easy to use for tracking downwardly USB connections. As you lot tin can run across, the tree shows which ports accept devices connected to them and which don't. Ports with connected devices evidence a blue and carmine USB icon, while ports not currently in use testify a blue USB icon. Adjacent to the ports in utilise you'll likewise see a generic name on the correct.

When you select a port that is in utilize, you lot'll come across a screen full of detailed information about the connected USB device. As you lot tin see in Figure G, I've selected Port five on the kickoff Enhanced host controller. The information in the accompanying screen tells me that 1) it is a mass storage device, 2) it is an internal port, 3) it supports multiple USB versions, and 4) the vendor is Realtek Semiconductor. As such, I can deduce that this USB port runs the SD card reader on the front of my PC.

Figure One thousand

When yous select a port that's in utilize, you'll come across a screen full of detailed information.

In Figure H, you lot can encounter that I've selected Port 5 on the second Enhanced host controller. The information in the accompanying screen tells me that 1) it is a mass storage device, 2) it is an external port, 3) it supports multiple USB versions, 4) information technology is a USB iii.0 device, and 5) the vendor is SanDisk. Then I can deduce that the device plugged to this USB port is my 4GB SanDisk USB iii wink drive, and since information technology is continued to the USB 2.0 port on the front of my PC, I can now specifically identify this port and host controller.

Figure H

This is Port 5 on the second Enhanced host controller.

In Effigy I, y'all tin can see that I've selected Port four on the starting time Open HCD host controller. The information in the accompanying screen tells me that 1) it is a input device, two) it is an external port, 3) it does not support multiple USB versions, 4) it is a USB 1.0 device, and 5) this is the Microsoft mouse connected to the USB 2.0 port on the back of my PC.

Effigy I

This is Port 4 on the first Open up HCD host controller.

Deport an investigation

At present that yous have an idea of how you can runway USB devices in the USB Device Viewer and what kind of data it displays, yous tin can begin a more detailed investigation of the USB ports in your PC. For example, I took a USB mouse and ii USB flash drives–one a USB ii.0 device and i a USB three device–and ane by ane continued them to each of the ports on my PC and monitored the tree in USB Device Viewer. I so noted each host controller and the port number that was used for each connection.

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What's your take?

With the USB Device Viewer in my arsenal, I accept a great diagnostic tool at my disposal. The experiments I've conducted have given me adept idea of what to await for when it comes to a USB troubleshooting expedition.

Take you ever needed to be able to troubleshoot USB problems? Maybe yous are merely interested in learning more near the USB connections in your PC. Either way, you should get the USB Device Viewer. Share your thoughts with fellow TechRepublic members.