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There are times when after you upgrade your Windows operating system, the System Logs under the Event Viewer will display an error message saying, “Event ID 10010 error – The server did not register with DCOM within the required timeout”. What is DCOM? DCOM stands for “Distributed Component Object Model”. It is a proprietary Microsoft technology that allows the Component Object Model or COM software to communicate across a network. You can consider it as an extension of COM which is equipped with the capability of solving a couple of inherent problems related to the COM model to the better use over a network. COM is a tool that’s used for advanced configuration and troubleshooting in Windows 10. Developers usually use it to configure routine components and application behavior like participation in transactions and object pooling and so on. The Component Services needs the DCOM wire protocol in order to communicate with the Component Object Model components on other computers. By default, in a Windows-based system, the network computers are configured initially to enable DCOM. There are also some components in Windows that might require registering themselves with DCOM. However, if they fail to do so, you will encounter the “The server did not register with DCOM within the required timeout” error. To fix this, here are some suggestions you can check out.

Option 1 – Try to use the Component Services

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “dcomcnfg” in the field and tap Enter to pull up Component Services.
• Next, double click on the Computers folder located in the right pane and right-click on My Computer, and select the Properties option.
• After that, switch to the COM Security tab under My Computer Properties and then go to the Access Permissions section.
• From there, click the Edit Default button and in the new window that appears, apply the correct permission to objects under the Group or user names section.
• Once you’re done, click OK and exit. This should fix the error.

Option 2 – Make sure that Function Discovery Resource Publication Properties Services is running

• In the Cortana search box, type “services” and click on the Services icon to open the Services Manager. Alternatively, you can also tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run prompt and then type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
• Next, scroll down and look for the “Function Discovery Resource Publication” entry and double click on it.
• Then switch to the General tab and from there, make sure that the Startup Type is set to “Manual (Triggered).
• You also have to make sure that the service is running so if it’s not, just click on the Start button to start the service.
• Now click on Apply to save the changes made.

Option 3 – Try resetting the default DCOM permissions

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “dcomcnfg” in the field and tap Enter to pull up Component Services.
• After that, expand Component Services > Computers and right-click on My Computer, and then select Properties.
• Next, go to the Default Properties tab, and in the Default Distributed COM Communication Properties section, make sure that:
  • Default Authentication Level is set to Connect
  • Default Impersonation Level is set to Identify.

In the past, CDs, DVDs, and floppy drivers used to be the primary sources of external storage for many users – that is until the USB storage devices took over. These days, a lot of devices no longer have a built-in CD or DVD writer or reader as it contributes to the thickness of the device. On the other hand, there are still various devices that still come with a built-in CD or DVD writer or reader. However, recently, users who still use CD or DVD on their devices reported a problem where the CD or DVD icon is not visible in the File Explorer as well as in “This PC” or the My Computer page. The cause of this issue is still unknown at the time of writing, but there are still some potential fixes you can try to fix it. You can try to update or roll back the device drivers or apply some tweaks in the Registry Editor. For more details, refer to the given options below.

Option 1 – Try to update or rollback device drivers

The first thing you can try to fix the missing CD or DVD icon is to either update or roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.

• Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
• Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties. Note that the concerned drivers will be listed under the DVD/CD-ROM drives section as well as the IDE/ATAPI Controllers section.
• From there, look for the following drivers:
  • ATA Channel 0.
  • ATA Channel 1.
  • Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller.
• Now, right-click on each one of the listed drivers and update them all. You could also try to roll them back to their previous versions.

Note: You can also directly download the relevant drivers of your computer from the manufacturers’ website. So if you have an SSD, the issue might be due to an old storage driver.

Option 2 – Try to use the Registry Editor

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and then tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to this registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
• After that, look for the DWORD values named “UpperFilters” and “LowerFilters”.
• Right-click on each one of these DWORD values and select Delete.
• Now restart your computer and see if it fixes the problem.

Option 3 – Try creating a new Registry entry

There is another option you can try in the Windows Registry to fix the missing icon of the CD/DVD. You can try adding a new entry. How? Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win ­+ R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• After that, navigate to this registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesatapi
• From there, right-click on “ATAPI” and select New > Key.
• After that, name it is “Controller0” and right-click on the sub-key and then select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
• Now name it as “EnumDevice1” and double click on it and then set its value data to “1”.
• Click OK and restart your computer to apply the changes made successfully.

Every now and then, the Windows Installer can also encounter some problems or glitches. One of these problems is where the Windows Update Standalone Installer, Windows Defender as well as Windows Firewall throws an error message that says, “The specified service does not exist as an installed service, 0x80070424”. This type of error can actually affect various applications on your computer so you have to fix it as soon as you can. Although there is no clear reason for what really causes this error, there are various suggestions you can try to fix it.

Option 1 – Try to run the Windows Update troubleshooter

Windows 10 have various troubleshooters that can help you resolve many system issues. So if you’re dealing with errors “The specified service does not exist as an installed service, 0x80070424”, you can run the Windows Update troubleshooter to resolve it. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.

Option 2 – Try to reconfigure the Windows Time Service

• In the Start Search, type “command prompt” and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
• Then click on the “Run as administrator” option to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Now execute each one of the given commands sequentially and hit Enter right after you type each one of them.
  • net stop W32time
  • exe /unregister
  • exe /register
  • net start W32time
• After executing the given commands above, wait until it says, “W32Time successfully registered”.

Option 3 – Try to restart related Windows services

• First, type “command prompt” in the Start Search and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
• Then click on the “Run as administrator” option to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Now execute each one of the given commands sequentially and hit Enter right after you type each one of them.
  • SC config wuauserv start= auto
  • SC config bits start= auto
  • SC config cryptsvc start= auto
  • SC config trustedinstaller start= auto

Note: The commands you’ve just executed will make sure that the required Windows services are available.

Option 4 – Try to download and install the Windows Update Agent

You might also want to download and install the latest Windows Update Agent as it could also help you resolve the “The specified service does not exist as an installed service, 0x80070424” error.

Option 5 – Try to reset the Windows Update components

If by any chance that the second option didn’t work, resetting the Windows Update components could also help you resolve the problem. How? Refer to the following steps:

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After that, type each one of the following commands and hit Enter after you key in one after the other.
  • net stop wuauserv
  • net stop cryptsvc
  • net stop bits
  • net stop msiserver

Note: The commands you entered will stop the Windows Update components such as Windows Update service, Cryptographic services, BITS, and MSI Installer.

• After disabling WU components, you need to rename both the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders. To do that, type each one of the following commands below, and don’t forget to hit Enter after you type one command after the other.
  • ren C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
  • ren C:WindowsSystem32catroot2 Catroot2.old
• Next, restart the services you’ve stopped by entering another series of commands. Don’t forget to hit Enter after you key in one command after the other.
  • net start wuauserv
  • net start cryptsvc
  • net start bits
  • net start msiserver
• Close Command Prompt and reboot your PC and then check for updates on your computer and see if the error is resolved.

Option 6 – Try running the Windows Firewall troubleshooter

You could also try to run the Windows Firewall troubleshooter as it might also help you fix the problem. This could help in repairing and fixing Windows Firewall issues automatically. Check if it’s available for your Windows.

In case you don’t know, Microsoft hooks up every machine that is running Windows 10 with an Advertising ID which helps them in providing Windows 10 users with relevant ads. These ads are delivered to users in the Action Center, Start Menu as well as the ads inside the UWP Applications. What makes these advertisements relevant is that they keep track of your browsing trends, likes and dislikes, with the help of the Advertising ID. However, if you are not fond of advertisements and you do not want this feature of Microsoft to track your usage, worry not for you actually have the option to disable targeted ads on your Windows 10 computer by turning off the Advertising ID. And you can do that during Windows 10 Setup or using the Group Policy Editor. For more details, refer to the instructions provided below for each one of the methods.

Option 1 – Turn off Advertising ID during Windows 10 setup

If you are about to install Windows 10, then during the installation process, your computer boots into the Install and Configure Windows 10 screen with Cortana that assist you during the setup. Once you reach the last page which is “Choose privacy settings for your device”, you will see the Advertising ID of your computer. Under the Advertising ID, you have to disable or toggle off the “Apps can use advertising ID to provide more personalized advertising in accordance with the privacy policy of the app provider” option. After you disable it, click on the Accept button to proceed with the installation. After that, the copy of your Windows 10 you are using will have the Advertising ID disabled by default.

Option 2 – Turn off Advertising ID via Group Policy Editor

• First, tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility.
• Then, type “gpedit.msc” in the field and click OK or tap Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
• Next, navigate to this group policy setting: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > User Profiles
• Now double click on the “Turn off the advertising ID” option and set the radio button to Enabled. Once you do, you will see the following description on your screen:

“This policy setting turns off the advertising ID, preventing apps from using the ID for experiences across apps. If you enable this policy setting, the advertising ID is turned off. Apps can’t use the ID for experiences across apps. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, users can control whether apps can use the advertising ID for experiences across apps.” Note that setting the radio button to Enabled or Not Configured will turn off the data collection of the Advertising ID.

• Finally, exit the Group Policy Editor and then restart your computer to apply the changes made successfully.

Users are reporting that randomly their screen will just go black for a second and come back. When this happens, it usually distorts any video currently on the screen; sometimes, they can resume working on the PC normally. However, when they view the event logs, they see the error message Display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding and has successfully recovered. In this article, we will address solutions to this issue and how to not have it again.

1. Remove Aura iCUE plugin (applies to only ASUS motherboards)

   Some PC users discovered that iCue adds an Aura plugin for ASUS MOBOs. That, combined with EVGA Precision X1, was causing the error it seems – this was determined when the screen would turn off and on when opening EVGA x1 software. In this case, the issue was resolved by removing the Aura iCUE plugins.

2. Change Power Management mode

   Right-click the battery icon on the notification area on the right of the Taskbar. Select Power Options. In the Power Options window, locate your current Power Plan. Select High performance, if that’s not your current power plan. Now, click on Change plan settings next to it. Now click on Change advanced power settings. Expand PCI Express section. Expand Link State Power Management. Now set power saving to Off for both On battery and Plugged in state. This would fix any issues caused by the low power of the video card. Click Apply > OK to save changes.

3. Update graphics driver

   Go into device manager Expand display adapter section Right-click on adapter Click on update driver Reboot

4. Rollback graphics driver

   Go into device manager Expand display adapter section Right-click on adapter Click on Roll back driver Reboot

5. Uninstall and reinstall graphics card driver

   Go into device manager Expand display adapter section Right-click on adapter Click on Uninstall device Reboot

6. Replace the graphics card

   If everything else failed, replace the graphic card

If your operating system cannot or is not able to load a required DLL file on your Windows startup and you encounter a message saying, “Failed to load DLL”, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you in fixing this problem. When you encounter this kind of issue, you will see either of the following error messages on your screen:

“The dynamic library dll failed to load.” “Failed to load dll library.”

This kind of error can occur when your Windows operating system fails to locate the DLL library which the system needs to access during startup. It can also occur when the DLL file is not in a directory specified in the path or when the DLL file is corrupted or has gone missing. Moreover, you can also encounter this error if the DLL file is infected with some malware. Whatever the case is, here are some suggestions you have to check out to resolve the problem.

Option 1 – Try to reinstall the program

The first thing you can do is to reinstall the program that’s giving you this error. Once you’ve uninstalled the program, download its latest setup file from its official site and then install it again.

Option 2 – Try checking the startup programs

You might also want to check the startup programs on your computer, especially the Windows Registry startup paths, and then remove the startup entry to the concerned DLL file.

Option 3 – Try to re-register the problematic DLL file

You may have to re-register the ntdll.dll file using the regsvr32.exe before you can successfully install the program and fix the ntdll.dll file crash error. The Regsvr32 tool is a command-line utility that can be used to register and unregister OLE controls like DLL and ActiveX (OCX) control in the Windows operating system. Follow the steps below to use it.

• Open Command Prompt as admin from the WinX menu.
• Next, type the following commands in the elevated Command Prompt and hit Enter to execute the command. This will re-register the affected DLL file using the Windows operating system tool, regsvr32.exe.
  • exe /[DLL file]
  • exe [DLL file]

Note: Replace “[DLL file]” with the name of the DLL file that was pointed out in the error.

• After you execute the given commands, you should see a message saying, “DllRegisterServer in vbscript.dll succeeded” if the Regsvr32 tool was able to run successfully. After that, try to install the program again and see if it now works.

Option 4 – Try to replace the DLL file with a trusted source

• First, you need to get the new DLL file from another computer with preferably the same file version number.
• After that, you need to boot your PC into Safe Mode and navigate to the paths listed below and then replace the file using a USB drive or other external storage devices.
  • x86: This PC > C:/Windows/System32
  • x64: This PC > C:/Windows/SysWOW64
• Next, type “cmd” in the Cortana search box and right-click on Command Prompt, and select “Run as administrator” to open it with administrator privileges.
• Now type the “regsvr32 ntdll.dll” command and hit Enter.
• Restart your PC and check if the error is now fixed.

Option 5 – Try checking the details in the Event Viewer

Checking the details in the Event Viewer can also help you find out the root cause of the problem as the Event Viewer usually contains detailed information about the error.

Option 6 – Try running the DISM tool

You might want to repair potentially corrupted files in your system as having them could also trigger the “Failed to load DLL” error. To repair these corrupted system files, you can run the DISM commands:

• Tap the Win + X keys and click on the “Command Prompt (Admin)” option.
• After that, input each one of the commands listed below sequentially to execute them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• Once you’ve executed the commands given above, restart your computer and check if the “Failed to load DLL” error is now fixed.

Option 7 – Try scanning your computer using Windows Defender

The DLL file might also be infected with malware or virus and to eliminate it which could explain why you’re getting the “Failed to load DLL” error. Thus, you have to scan your computer using security programs like Windows Defender.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
• Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
• Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
• Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.

If you are trying to save a file in a PDF format on your Windows 10 computer but then the PDF text content in an Adobe file suddenly disappears, then read on. This post will give you more insight into this issue. This kind of issue is rare and mostly occurs in forms that you can fill upon. In such a case, the text you enter in the form vanishes right after you click the Save button. One of the benefits of working with PDF files is that it has the ability to compress high-quality files to relatively small file sizes. This is really useful especially when you are saving hard drive space and you’re working with limited storage resources. However, these files can contain layered content if they are created from layered documents using applications like Adobe InDesign. Consequently, a single page of the PDF file can contain different layers with different content. So if you try to save or print a PDF file that contains layered content, the elements will disappear from the PDF. To resolve this issue, you can try to merge or flatten the file since it will help keep the changes in the PDF file. On the other hand, you can no longer make any alterations or form data once you flatten the file. Another thing to keep in mind is that merging or flattening the file can’t be undone so you might want to save another copy of the file before you proceed.

Option 1 – Print to PDF

• First, you have to open the desired PDF file and tap the Ctrl + P keys to open the Print dialog box.
• After that, select the “Microsoft Print to PDF” option as the printer.
• Once the action is confirmed, it will regenerate another version of the PDF file with the default settings and merge all the existing layers into a single layer.
• On the other hand, you can also click on the “File” menu of the PDF file and select Print.
• From there, click on the Print button and select “PostScript (*.ps)” as the “Save as” type to save a PostScript copy of the original PDF file.
• Once you’re done, double click on the .ps file to open the file in the Adobe Distiller which will flatten the file automatically and convert it to a PDF file with only one visible layer.

Option 2 – Save the PDF file as an Optimized PDF file

If you are using the Acrobat Reader Pro version such as the Acrobat Pro, Foxit, and so on, you can try to flatten the layers by saving the PDF file as an Optimized PDF file. Refer to these steps to do so:

• Select File > Save as > Optimized PDF.
• Next, select the Transparency checkbox from the Settings window that opens.
• Then click on the Save button to apply and save the changes made. After that, the PDF text content should not disappear when you try to save a file on your Windows 10 computer.

The Windows 10 operating system comes with a user-friendly interface as well as better security features compared to its previous versions. One of these new features is the “Recently Opened Files” feature which displays all the files you’ve opened recently in File Explorer. Although it might seem useful, some users see this as a privacy concern especially if there are other users that use the same computer. If you are one of these users, read on as this post will guide you on how you can disable the “Recently Opened Files” feature in Windows 10. There are three ways you can disable the “Recently Opened Files” feature. You can manually clear the recent files, or disable the feature via Control Panel. You can also do it using the Group Policy Editor.

Option 1 – Manually clear the recent files

The first thing you can do is to clear the recent files manually. Since the information about the recently opened files is stored in the form of cached data, you can locate this data and delete it manually, from time to time. To do that, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and copy this address in the field: %AppData%MicrosoftWindowsRecent
• Next, tap the Ctrl + A keys to select all the items and then tap the Shift + Delete keys simultaneously.
• After that, a prompt will appear where you have to click on Yes. This will delete all the recently opened files in the File Explorer the next time you open it.

Option 2 – Disable the feature via Control Panel

The next option you can try to disable the feature is via Control Panel. Refer to these steps to do so:

• First, click on the Start Menu button and select the Settings icon.
• After that, click on Personalization and then on Start located on the left pane.
• Next, scroll down until you see the “Show recently opened items” in Jump Lists on the Start or the Taskbar and click on it and then toggle it off.

Option 3 – Disable the feature using the Group Policy Editor

If you are using the Windows 10 Pro version, then you have access to edit the functions in the Group Policy. The Group Policy function has the option that can disable all the default services of Windows 10. Note that in this step, you will permanently disable the “Recently Opened Files” feature. So before you proceed, make sure that you really want to disable this feature permanently and not in the meantime.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “gpedit.msc” in the field and click OK or tap Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
• Next, on the left side pane, click on the “User Configuration” option and then click the “Administrative Templates” option.
• After that, select the “Start Menu and Taskbar” option and select the “Don’t keep the history of recently opened documents” option in the right pane.
• Now double click on this option and check the “Enabled” option and then click on Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.

If you suddenly encounter the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL Blue Screen error on your Windows 10 computer along with the error codes, 0x000000D5, 0xb10BBD9E, 0x0D82DA24, 0Xfecd479D, 0x779827CB then read on as this post will provide you some troubleshooting tips that could help you resolve the BSOD error. Getting this kind of BSOD error means that a driver has referenced memory that was freed earlier and it could also mean that the Driver Verifier Special Pool option has caught the driver accessing memory which was freed earlier. Follow the given options below to fix the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL BSOD error.

Option 1 – Use the Driver Verifier Manager

The Driver Verifier Manager is another tool in Windows that could help you fix driver-related issues.

• Type in the keyword “Verifier” in the Cortana search box to search for Verifier in Windows 10.
• After that, select the option “Create custom settings”.
• Make sure that you have checked everything except the options “DDI compliance checking” and “Randomized low resources simulation”.
• Next, select the option “Select driver names from a list” option.
• Afterward, you have to select all the drivers from any unofficial or third-party provider. To simply put it, you have to select all the drivers that are not supplied by Microsoft.
• Then click on the Finish button.
• Open Command Prompt as administrator and execute this command – verifier /querysettings
• The command you just executed will display the Driver Verifier settings so if you see any of the flags enabled boot your Windows 10 PC into Safe Mode.
• Open the Command Prompt as admin again and run this command – verifier /reset
• The command will reset the Driver Verifier. Once the process is done, restart your PC and check.

Option 2 – Try updating SSD firmware

If you have installed SSD on your computer recently and you have started getting the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL Blue Screen error since then you may have to update the SSD firmware. To fix this, you can download the Intel Solid-State Drive Toolbox from the official website. This toolbox is compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 7 and later versions.

Option 3 – Try running the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL. It can be found in the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.

Option 4 – Try running Microsoft’s online Blue Screen Troubleshooter

If running the built-in Blue Screen Troubleshooter didn’t work, you can also try running Microsoft’s online Blue Screen Troubleshooter. All you have to do is go to Microsoft’s website and from there, you will see a simple wizard that will walk you through the troubleshooting process.

Option 5 – Try to reinstall or update device drivers of recently installed hardware

If the first few options didn’t work for you, then it’s time to either update or roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.

• Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
• Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties.
• After that, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Uninstall Device button.
• Follow the screen option to completely uninstall it.
• Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.

Note: You can install a dedicated driver on your computer in case you have it or you could also look for it directly from the website of the manufacturer.

Option 6 – Try disabling Hardware Acceleration

You might want to disable Hardware Acceleration system-wide or for a particular program like Google Chrome and see if it resolves the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL BSOD error

External hard drives have become essential these days as they tend to be very useful to many users. They are usually used for storing system images like system backups, Windows installation media, or for personal use. However, if you are not able to utilize your external drivers for some reason then that could be a huge problem. One of the common issues with hard drives is when your USB device or external hard drive just keeps connecting and disconnecting. This kind of issue could be caused by a faulty USB port, some issues with the USB drivers, your computer’s Power Options, corrupted or damaged system files, and many other factors. The connecting and disconnecting issue with USB devices and external hard drives isn’t really new and has been experienced by many users for years now. Although this issue has somewhat decreased in Windows 10, there are still some users who encounter it every now and then. Worry not though for there are fixes that you can try to resolve the problem. Refer to the following straightforward solutions to resolve the issue with your USB device or external hard drive.

Option 1 – Plug your external device on a different port

If your USB device keeps on connecting and disconnecting then the first thing you can do is to try connecting it to a different port. This will help you isolate the problem. In some cases, the port where the USB is connected can be malfunctioning or obsolete so you need to check that possibility by plugging your USB device into a different USB port.

Option 2 – Update or reinstall your USB drivers

As mentioned earlier, the problem could be due to some issues with the USB drivers. It could be that it has to be updated or you need to reinstall it. To do that, follow these steps:

• First, click the Start button and type “device manager”.
• Then click on the “Device Manager” from the search results to open it.
• From there, look for the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” option and then right-click on each one of the USB drivers and select the Update Driver from the menu.
• Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.

You also have the option to update the motherboard and the USB driver from the manufacturer’s official website.

Option 3 – Try turning on the USB External drive

There are times when your system turns off some drives in order to conserve your computer’s power, etc. as a result, the driver that’s required to run your external hard drive properly ends up getting disabled. To fix this, you can prevent your system from turning off your external USB drive by following these steps:

• You need to make sure that the external drive is connected to your system first.
• Next, go to the Start Menu and type “device manager” in the field, and click on the appropriate result to open the Device Manager.
• After opening the Device Manager, expand the category of the Universal Serial Bus controllers.
• Then double click on your USB Mass Storage device and take note that the name might be different on your system.
• Now go to the Power Management tab and uncheck the checkbox for the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” option and click OK to save the changes made.

Option 4 – Turn off USB Selective Suspend

Another thing you can try is to turn off USB Selective Suspend especially when the issue has something to do with the Power Options. There are certain systems that are configured to disable USB devices after some time which could be the root cause of the problem. Thus, you need to turn off USB Selective Suspend. Here’s how you can do it:

• In the Start Menu, search for “control panel” and open the related search result.
• Then go to Power Options and click on the “Change plan settings” option.
• Next, select “Change advanced power settings” and look for the USB settings and then expand it.
• From there, you will see the USB Selective Suspend setting. Disable it and click OK.
• Now restart your computer and check if it resolves the problem or not.

Option 5 – Format your drive

• To get started formatting your drive, tap the Win + E keys and then go to the access page of the drive.
• Next, right-click on the drive and select Format.
• After that, uncheck the “Quick Format” option and then format your drive properly.
• Now once the formatting process is finished, unplug the drive and plug it back in afterward.
• Check if the error is already fixed. If the drive is not initialized, tap the Win + R keys and hit Enter.
• After opening the Run dialog box, type “diskmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Disk Management.
• From there, right-click on the drive volume and select initialize disk.
• Next, select the correct partition type and proceed.