These days, most of the hardware one needs to add to their Windows computer uses a USB (Universal Serial Bus) type of port, hardware, software and cable connectors. USB technology provides a big improvement in ease of installation and speed. Not to mention that you don’t have to open your computer case and install or wire stuff in there.
RTFM (Read the Friggin’ Manual!)
The single most important thing you can do, when installing a USB device, is to read and follow the instructions! Almost every time I’ve had to repair a USB install for a client it was because of a failure to read and follow instructions.
If you do everything properly and in the correct order, your installation will almost always be easy and rather automatic. And it won’t require you to know much of anything. But once you mess up, recovering is trickier and requires more knowledge of Windows.
You need to read (at least) any “Quick Start” instructions – because different USB products get installed in different (but critical) ways. For instance, the steps you need to follow may be in a different order. For example, sometimes you have to install software from a CD before you plug in your new hardware – sometimes after you plug it in. Sometimes there is no software for you to install because Windows has it built-in by Microsoft. These things may seem trivial – but since your install may fail if you ignore such things, the are critical.
Power First
One thing that will usually be true is that your USB device will need to have power and to be turned on – before you connect it to your computer. That’s because USB devices are often “intelligent” (have a built-in computer) and need to “introduce themselves and shake hands” with Windows. Obviously they can’t do that if you don’t plug them into their power source and turn them on first.
RTFM
But even here there are exceptions. Some USB devises get their power from your computer (through the cable) and some may not have a power switch on them. So, read the instructions and follow them exactly.
RTFM
Sometimes when you install new hardware, Windows will want to take over and do it for you. A message will appear with a “New Hardware Found” title and give you some instructions. Sometimes you want to do this, sometimes it will create problems and you’ll need to cancel out of that message. Again, your USB product’s instructions should tell you how to proceed.
Okay – You Messed Up (you’re forgiven)
Did you RTFM?
Your device doesn’t work. Or every time you start Windows, up pops that “New Hardware Found” message.
What now? Well, things have gotten a bit serious, so think about your Windows competency – maybe you need outside help. And how old is your last full backup? Not to be negative here: 99% of the time you can recover just fine, but if you’re smart, you’ll be prepared for that 1% chance. For example, if you don’t have a recent full backup of your computer, before installing a new product would be the right time to stop and make one, whether you get outside help or proceed with your own fix. Basically, you have 3 options:
- Often the most trouble-free way to recover is to carefully and completely uninstall your new product and then try again – carefully following the instructions on your next try.
- Or you can call or chat (using a live chat tool) with the manufacturer’s support crew. Consult their web site (look for a “Support” page) – if they offer live support, not just email. Whatever you do, don’t let them talk you through editing your Windows Registry without first making a registry backup copy! There really should be a law against fast & loose support. Optionally, you can bring in a paid computer consultant. Failing that, if you have a Windows expert friend or relative (a real expert) ask them to help you.
- Or you can use the Windows “wayback machine” by doing a “Windows Restore” (only available in Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7), which will take Windows back to a time before you tried to install your new device. And it won’t damage any of your work product, like documents you have made recently. The most important thing to know about Windows Restore is that if it doesn’t solve your problem, you should immediately use the feature that takes you “back to the future” – to today, and undoes every change which Windows Restore made.
- I have not yet done a post here on Windows Restore, so if you’re not familiar with it, you should do a Google search on “windows restore” and study up on it. It’s not something you should undertake lightly.
If you want to go the manual uninstall route (option #1), do it thoroughly. Which means:
- Do [Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs]. Wait for the alphabetical list of your installed software to appear, then look for anything with the name of your new device (or the company) and remove that. You may have to restart Windows after you do this – if asked, be sure to do that.
- Do [Start > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device manager] and see if your new device is listed. Don’t be surprised if it is not, If it is listed, right-click on it and choose “Uninstall” from that context menu. Your device may be a sub-category of another device – if so, right click on that sub-category (the main category will not have an “Uninstall” menu choice). Approve your action to uninstall the device. Restart Windows if asked to.
- Remove any references to the new device from your Windows Registry.
Use JV-16 Power Tools (or another good registry repair tool). Be sure to make a backup copy of your Windows Registry before making any changes to it or doing a registry repair. JV-16 will ask you if you want to make a backup, just after you hit the “Fix” button. Be sure to add the date to the backup name and the letter “A” (in case you need to make further backups, you can call them “B”, “C”, etc.). - Use Windows Explorer to see if your new hardware installed any preference files. Go to [My Computer > C: Drive > "C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Application Data\] and look for any folders with the name of your new device or (more likely) the name of the manufacturer. Most devices won’t have such a folder, but if you do find one, delete it – but only if you want to lose any custom settings or options (“preferences”) which you have already set for your new hardware. This only means you’ll need to set those options up again after a good install.
You should now be ready for a clean install attempt.
Until next time – happy installing…
_jim coe
Tags: installing hardware, USB
