There are such cases that when you connect your phone to a personal computer or laptop via a USB cable, the first one does not recognize it. It becomes impossible to reload files from phone to computer and vice versa. It's annoying.
However, there are ways to recognize the cause of this type of incident and ways to correct it. If your phone is not just a mobile phone, but a gadget that has an operating system, then reloading files via USB is not possible in the usual way, i.e. the phone is no longer like a regular flash drive - it is a computer itself. In order to transfer files from the phone, you will either have to reflash it or send files by mail.
I recently encountered a similar problem on a Samsung Galaxy phone: until the gadget was set up in computer mode, reading files and downloading them to the PC via a USB connection was impossible, after "reconfiguring" it became impossible.
However, there are cases when the phone works in normal mode and acts as a flash drive, but the PC still “does not see” it. Why? What can be done in this case to try to fix the problem. Read below.
Music, movies, photos, applications - all this is simply necessary for a modern person in his phone. Without communication with a PC, the mobile phone will dramatically lose its functionality. Close interaction is provided through a connection via a USB cable or via Bluetooth. Since file transfer via Bluetooth is quite slow, the USB connection is the most common.
But the user, having decided to use data transfer via a USB connection, suddenly cannot do this. Understanding his frustration, let's give him some advice. To do this, consider two options: when the computer does not respond at all to connecting a mobile phone, and also if the phone is defined as an unknown device. So, now in more detail.
Troubleshooting procedure
At the time of connection to the computer, your phone is not detected in any way, nothing lights up on it, and there is no message on the monitor about connecting the device. This is a fairly common malfunction, for which there are several reasons. Let's try to list them and give recommendations on how to fix this problem. It assumes that the USB port you are connecting to is healthy. That is, other devices work normally through it.
1. If the phone used to connect normally, and then suddenly didn’t want to, then it’s worth, first of all, to suspect the quality of its connection with the computer. Try removing the connection cable from the mobile and from the USB input and then reconnecting them. It often happens that the contacts of the telephone jack are trite loosened or dirty. This problem is inherent to a greater extent to the Sony Ericsson brand, whose models stand out on the mobile communications market with a completely illiterate and often out of order connector.
Tip: if possible, try to clean the phone jack with an eraser, then remove the remaining rubber from the contact surface.
If cleaning did not help, then connect the phone using another USB cable. Take it from friends or relatives. Cable failure is not the most popular cause of trouble, but this option must also be taken into account. If it helps, then you just need to buy a new accessory.
2. Restart your computer. Oddly enough, this method in most cases helps without any additional measures. The reboot process resets the system settings and redefines the USB ports. By the way, when the computer does not see the tablet, it is best to restart the computer, as is the case with the phone.
3. Did restarting the PC help? Then, to be sure, restart your mobile phone. Turn it off, take out the battery for 10 minutes and then put it back in. Turn on the machine. Nothing happens? Move on.
4. Disconnect the cable from one USB and connect it to another USB input. Such a simple action very often helps, as the computer sometimes confuses ports. To ensure that the OS sees the connection, you can use the following method. Go to "Device Manager" and find a list of ports in use there. Typically this information includes all USB bus controllers. Open the list. In it you can see all the working ports of the computer. Find in this list the port to which the phone is currently connected (this can be seen in the "Power" column). All other ports, except for the one found, can be temporarily disabled. The computer will have no choice but to see your mobile.
There is, of course, the possibility of damage to the phone itself or its connector. This is the most difficult option, in which you cannot do without contacting a service center. There they will be able to tell you exactly why the computer does not see the phone and how to fix it.
USB device not recognized
We go further, considering the second case, in which the computer identifies the phone as an unidentified device. Of course, the OS does not want to work with an unknown device. And the question is not that Windows itself is imperfect, because Linux and other operating systems often have the same problems. Therefore, we must help the computer to identify our mobile phone. We list the reasons for this phenomenon and possible user actions:
The problem may be with the phone itself. Connect the machine to another computer. If the problem persists, then the cause lies inside the mobile device. You may need to enable one of the connection modes with a computer in the settings. For example, the "Data transfer" or "Drive" mode. Experiment with these modes;
Tip: Check your phone settings. In some mobile models, you must manually enable the synchronization mode, which is disabled by default. Or turn off the standing lock. If there is a lock, open access must be set.
a) restart your PC and phone as described in section 1;
b) often the mobile phone is not recognized by the OS in case of power failure. If you are connecting the phone to the front of the computer, then try connecting it directly to the motherboard, in the USB slot located on the back of the system unit;
Tip: In the "Device Manager" section, find the port you are using and open the "Power Management" tab. Check if the box "Allow the device to turn off to save power" is not checked. If there is a checkmark, then uncheck it.
Sometimes there are failures in the OS, as a result of which the “native” drivers of some devices are lost. Reinstalling the drivers for the motherboard and for connected devices helps to solve the problem. If your phone came with a driver disk, use it to connect the device;
Tip: You can check if the device needs drivers in the "Device Manager". If there is a yellow question mark in front of the device name, it can be concluded that there are no drivers for this plug-in. And how to determine that an unidentified device is a mobile phone? Very simple. Disconnect it from the computer and then the question mark will disappear.
It is also impossible to exclude the possibility of infection of the OS by a virus that sets its own rules on the computer. Check all disks (including the system one) with a good antivirus with up-to-date databases.
If none of the above helped you, and there is still no connection between the mobile phone and the computer, then you can apply a radical treatment. If the phone is perfectly detected on another PC, then the cause of the problem most likely lies in the operating system. You will have to reinstall the system. Then it will surely work. Moreover, such errors in the system accumulate gradually, it is impossible not to notice. Thus, reinstalling the software part will solve not only the issue of connecting the phone, but also eliminate other possible errors.
There are quite a few reasons why the computer does not see the smartphone. Most often this is due to the activation of any other connection mode, except for the USB drive. Either this happens due to missing or driver conflicts. Less often, the cause may be various malfunctions in the equipment.
This article provides solutions to the most common problems that arise when connecting a mobile device to a PC via USB. For convenience, all tips are divided by importance.
The smartphone is not recognized as an external drive
Note:the smartphone must be turned on if it is locked with a pattern key - you need to unlock it!
The very first and obvious action is to let the computer understand in which mode the device is connected. If the smartphone just charges when the cable is connected, it may be connected in charging mode or as a media player. If you are using an Android device, you need to activate the developer mode, and then enable USB debugging.
For instructions on how to activate developer mode and USB debugging, see this video.
When everything is done, the next time you reconnect, pay attention to the display and notification curtain on your smartphone. A notification should appear in which you need to select the item "Enable USB storage". 
If you use a smartphone with a different OS, everything is the same there. In most cases, in order for the device to be recognized as an external drive, you must select the correct connection type.
One more thing: check if the modem mode is activated in the mobile device. We go into the network settings, and if the modem is activated, turn it off.
Computer not responding at all
It is advisable to check the health of the components as early as possible to save your own time. If a characteristic signal is not heard during connection, the charge indicator does not blink on the smartphone, the backlight does not turn on, pop-up notifications do not appear - we are trying to temporarily change the equipment.
Steps taken:
- We check the USB cable for serviceability. We just use another working cable, and that's it.
- We connect to other connectors. Inoperative USB ports can only be referred to if no “USB” peripherals connect to them at all: mice, keyboards, flash drives, etc.
- We are trying to connect the smartphone via USB to another system unit or laptop. If it worked, we are looking for problems with the drivers and operating system on our PC.
Software problems
Let's say the computer is responding to the machine, but a notification appears on the taskbar that the driver installation failed. This indicates the need to install the "correct" USB drivers on the PC.
Often, generic drivers can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website. For example, the official websites of Samsung and LG have special sections where you can download a driver that will fit all Samsung and LG models, respectively.
If you have connected many devices from different manufacturers, their drivers may conflict. Try to remove the extra ones, and reinstall the necessary ones. Do not forget to restart the PC (you can also phone at the same time).
If nothing helps at all
In the event that after the executionabsolutely everyone recommendations the computer does not see the smartphone, it cannot be ruled out that the USB connector on the smartphone is defective. Without special skills and certain equipment, this problem cannot be solved on its own. It is necessary to carry the mobile device to a service center, or to a workshop where USB soldering will be carried out.
Owners of phones and tablets with Android OS regularly complain about problems with the USB connection - very often the computer refuses to see the device or the gadget does not charge from the PC. The causes of problems can be different, so you first need to conduct a thorough diagnosis and identify the source of the problem.
Why the PC does not recognize an Android phone or tablet via USB: causes and solutions
In order to conduct a successful diagnosis, you must first answer a few questions:
- Has this always been a problem, or has the device recently stopped being detected by the computer via USB?
- Did the problem occur after any manipulations with a smartphone, tablet, PC (laptop)?
By answering these questions, you can fix the problem faster.
There are several typical cases that occur when connecting via a USB cable.
For example, if you have a new device and the Windows XP operating system is installed on your computer, then you need to update the OS to the latest version or download the MTP protocol (Media Transfer Protocol) on the official website. After installing it and restarting the PC, the gadget should be recognized.
Users of Windows 7, 8.1, 10 must first make sure that the device is connected to the PC. A corresponding notification appears, which informs about the connected storage device. Sometimes the gadget is recognized as a Camera (PTP) - in this case, just click on the message and you will switch to MTP mode.
Switch Camera mode to MTP for data transmission
But these are not all the problems that the user may encounter.
The computer does not recognize the device, but charging is in progress
With such a problem, you need to make sure that the gadget is detected by the computer. If device connection messages do not appear, do the following:
Smartphones with new versions of Android are recognized by default in charging mode. Therefore, you need to click on the "USB Charging" notification and select "File Transfer".
What to do if the mobile device is not detected by the PC: video
The device is not recognized, does not charge and does not turn on
In this case, follow all the steps from the previous section. If there is no result, remove the battery from the device. The battery fails after prolonged use - often removing it helps solve the problem. Inspect the battery for damage, irregularities. If there are deformations, then the part must be replaced.
The reason may lie in the software. Try to fix the error like this:
- Turn off programs and services while charging.
- Install a utility to optimize the device, for example, Clean Master, Smart Manager. They remove unnecessary and unnecessary information on the gadget, reduce the load on the system.
- Roll back the OS to the starting version.
- Reflash your device. Perhaps, unprofessional firmware led to incorrect operation of the device.
The computer does not see the internal memory of the device
If, when connecting the gadget via USB, the PC sees only an external card, take the following measures:
With such a reset, you will lose all the data that was stored in the internal memory, so it is better to save the information on a flash card first.
The computer does not see only the photo
If pictures and images are not recognized when connected to a PC, do the following:
- Make sure that the device is in MTP mode for data transfer - only in this case you will see information from both the external memory card and the internal one.
- View the contents of the folders using a file manager such as TotalCommander. If the photos are not displayed in this utility, then they were deleted or the system was damaged.
The device does not want to connect: how to avoid such a problem
If you want to protect yourself from difficulties in operating an Android device, it is enough to follow simple rules.
- Be careful with the USB cable. Do not bend it so as not to damage it.
- Do not drop the device, avoid getting liquid into the connectors.
- Trust the device firmware to professionals, use proven firmware and patches.
- Install software downloaded from official sources.
- Regularly clear the gadget's memory, use special programs and utilities.
If you have tried all the methods described to diagnose the problem, but none of them has brought results, entrust the problem to professionals. So you can save your time and do not cause even more damage to the device.
Active PC users often have a problem that the computer does not see the flash drive, connected to a computer port. The situation is rather unpleasant ... You wanted to copy data from a USB flash drive to a computer, connected the drive and nothing happens. How to be? What to do with it? - This article will help you. In it, I hope you will find a solution to your problem and fix it.
Let's get down to business and find out what problems can happen with your flash drive and how you can easily fix them.
Reasons why the computer does not see the USB flash drive
Lack of nutrition
The computer may not see the flash drive if it is connected to the USB port on the front of the system unit. There may be two reasons for this:
- The front ports may not be connected to the power supply;
- The front panel ports are not getting enough power.
Try plugging your flash drive into the USB port on the back of your computer.
If, after what has been done, the computer does not see the USB flash drive, try connecting it to another computer, and preferably not to one, but to several. If it doesn't work, read below.
Driver failure
The second very common problem is that the computer does not see the USB flash drive due to a driver failure in Windows. In such a situation, you can try the following:
Click on the "My Computer" icon (1) with the right mouse button, select "Properties" in the context menu (2):
In the window that appears, select the "Hardware" tab (3) => "Device Manager" (4):
Click on the black plus (5) next to USB Controllers. You will see a list of usb device drivers (6) that were connected to your computer:
Insert the flash drive into the computer, and see which driver has changed, and you need to remove it (right-click on it and select "Delete"). Remove the flash drive from the computer and insert it back. The flash device driver will be updated.
If the above method did not help you, try reinstalling the chipset drivers. They include drivers for all controllers. The DriverPackSolution program will help you do this.
The presence of a virus on a flash drive
The third fairly common problem is that the computer does not see the USB flash drive due to the infection of the device with one of the Autorunner viruses. When you try to open a flash device, a warning pops up: "Access denied". To log in to a flash device, you need to do the following:
Go to "My Computer", in the address bar (7) enter the address of your flash drive, for example G:/
If you managed to get on the flash drive, then make the hidden files visible. To do this, click the "Tools" item (8) in the title bar, select "Folder Options" (9) in the drop-down menu:
Click the "View" tab (10), scroll the slider (11) down and in the settings uncheck the box next to the sub-item "Hide protected system files and folders" (12). Below, check the box "Show hidden files and folders" (13):
Paul - the job is done, now it remains to find and delete the malicious file autorun.inf (14):
Made? Now scan the flash drive for viruses with your antivirus (note that the antivirus databases must be updated).
Partition problems
The computer also does not see the USB flash drive due to problems with device partitions. Let's say you insert your flash device into your computer. It was successfully recognized, a characteristic sound sounded and a shortcut was displayed in the taskbar (15). But the system did not assign a partition letter to your device. This is easy to fix:
Go to the "Start" menu (16) => "Control Panel" (17):
In the window that opens, make sure that in your sidebar it says “Switch to category view” (18). If instead it says "Switch to classic view", then click on this inscription and it will be what you need :). Click on the "Administration" icon (19):
In the window that opens, select "Computer Management" (20):
In the window that appears, select "Disk Management" (21). There you will see all information media present in the system: flash drives, hard drives, disk drives and their partitions marked with letters. If you find your flash device there (you will see that there is no partition letter (22) next to the name of the flash drive):
This needs to be fixed:
Right click on your storage device. From the context menu, select "Change drive letter or drive path" (23):
A small window will pop up, in which press the "Change" button (24):
In the new window, select the partition letter from the drop-down list (25):
Mechanical problems
Well, the last one is perhaps the saddest. If all the above options did not save your flash drive, then most likely your flash drive has mechanical damage.
I hope this article made you understand in which cases the computer does not see the USB flash drive and helped get rid of this problem.
Many users, when trying to connect their phone to a computer using a USB cable, are faced with the fact that the computer does not recognize the connected gadget. The connected device is charging, while there is no access to the smartphone itself and its internal content. I also encountered this synchronization problem, and in this article I will tell you why the computer does not see the phone via USB, and I will also share various methods for solving this issue.
The whole complex of reasons for the problem that the PC does not see the smartphone through the USB cable, I would divide into hardware and software, and below I will list each of them, in parallel providing instructions for fixing it. But before using the methods I have indicated, try restarting your computer and smartphone - this does not help as rarely as it seems. This problem mainly occurs with Samsung, Lenovo, HTC, LG, and Fly devices.
So why does the computer not see the phone via USB, but is charging - hardware reasons
1. Damaged cableUSB. It often happens that the cause of this dysfunction is damage to the USB cable itself. Cables from little-known or "non-name" manufacturers do not have a large margin of safety, and can fail in just a couple of months from the start of operation, and as a result, the computer will not detect the connected phone.
In addition, even the most reliable cables from global brands are prone to stochastic damage - they can be accidentally damaged during use, pets can chew them or spoil them by children. Therefore, first of all, inspect your USB cable for the possibility of mechanical damage, and, if the external safety of the cable, try using it to connect your device to another computer. If the device is not recognized on another PC, try replacing the cord.
2. Damaged portUSBon the computer. The USB ports used in the computer are also subject to various mechanical damage, including damage to the USB controller, as well as damage to the south bridge of the motherboard. Try plugging the cable into a different USB port, if that doesn't fix the connection between your phone and PC, follow the further advice.
3. Damaged socket for connecting the cable on the phone. Has the smartphone jack been exposed to water or damaged? If yes, then it needs to be replaced.
4. Try removing the battery. According to some users who also had a problem with the fact that the computer did not see the phone through U-ES-BI, removing the battery from the smartphone helped.
Turn off the battery, remove the battery from it for a few seconds, then put it back, and turn your device back on.
If nothing helps you fix this problem, then describe your situation. What you have already done, and what happens to your Android device when you USB connect your gadget to a PC in the comments, I will try to help not only me, but also everyone who has encountered this problem.
The computer does not see the phone via USB - software reasons
After describing the hardware reasons, we will list the main software reasons, if your computer still does not recognize a cell phone connected using a USB cable, follow the further instructions.
1. Working with the settings.We go into the settings of our device, select “Memory” there, click on the three dots at the top (Properties), select “USB connection to a computer” and check the box next to “Media device” (“USB drive”). If you have a checkmark next to using USB as a modem, uncheck it.
The Windows Update service (for downloading drivers for the phone) and the New Device Discovery service must be enabled on the PC. Don't forget to unlock your phone when connected to your computer, this is important.
If you are a conservative and have Windows XP installed, download the Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) for XP from the Microsoft website and install it on your computer.
2. If your drivers have crashedUSB-ports, the computer may not see the phone.When drivers for USB ports malfunction, the latter simply stop working. To fix this problem, install the USB drivers from the "native" driver disk to your PC motherboard, or download the latest drivers from the motherboard manufacturer's website.
Also, due to any reason, power can be turned off for a number of ports.
3. Device drivers have crashed. Go to the "Device Manager" and see if there is a question or exclamation mark in the "Portable devices" item.
Check if your device is there and make sure it works fine by right-clicking on it and clicking "Properties". If it's not there, or if you're in doubt, uninstall the driver, disconnect your phone from the computer, and then turn it back on, and let the system install the driver again. This can help solve the problem that the smartphone does not connect via USB to the computer.
It will also not be superfluous to enter the website of the manufacturer of your smartphone and download the latest drivers for it on your PC (for example, there is a special Samsung Kies software for Samsung).
4. Install the updateKB3010081 (KB3099229). For owners of Windows 10, you may need to install update KB3010081, which is responsible for working with Windows Media Player. This player is directly related to the normal operation of the MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) service, so download and install these updates.
Also, a common cause may be an unreliable assembly of the OS itself on the PC. Only rearranging Windows with a more working version will help here.
5. Custom firmware is not working. The desire of many fans to play around with firmware for their Android device can do them a disservice in the form of a device failure to work normally with a computer. Try to restore the standard firmware or restore from a backup (if any).
There are no drivers for the phone on the computer
Although, usually, a computer with the latest OS detects and sees a smartphone via USB without problems, reverse cases can also be observed. Try to search for a driver for your smartphone on the net, sometimes a driver for similar models of this brand may come up.
The phone may not be detected by the computer due to viruses
Trite, but all sorts of virus programs can block work with external mobile devices. Try checking your computer with Dr. Web CureIt!, this may help in some cases.
If the problem of detecting a mobile device by a computer is not resolved, reset the settings
If until now, your computer does not see the phone via USB, resetting the smartphone using Hard reset. Go to the settings of your phone, select the "Backup" menu item, and select "Data reset" in it.
But I immediately warn you that you will lose your files and settings located in the internal memory of the phone (files located on the SD card will remain intact), so this item should be used only as a last resort!
Conclusion
As you can see, problems with the lack of visibility of the connected phone on a PC can be both software and hardware in nature, and there are a considerable number of such problematic factors. I would advise you to first pay attention to the likely mechanical damage in the cable and device, and only then switch to software methods.
In many cases, a simple reboot of the smartphone (temporary removal of the battery) can help, as well as working with the phone's USB connection settings. If all of the above does not help and the computer does not see the phone via USB, but is charging, then you may need to contact a qualified service center.
P.S. For lovers of visual demonstrations, I present a video on the subject: