Jun. 24, 2022 / Updated by Bessie Shaw to Windows Driver Solutions
Plugging in an external USB device into a desktop or laptop, it doesn't work, and Windows prompts "This device cannot start. (Code 10)" in Device Manager. Here are 3 troubleshooting methods for you to fix the issue.
Above all, you need to verify that the USB device is not defective to fix the USB device cannot start error. You could plug this USB device into another computer to check whether it can work properly. If it doesn't work all the same, definitely, the problem lies with the USB device.
See Also: How to Fix USB Tethering Not Working in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7
In some cases, remove the current installed USB driver and then perform a clean reinstall of this USB driver could fix the USB error code 10. Take Windows 7 as an example, follow the steps below:
Step 1. Click "Start" button and type "Device Manager".
Step 2. Open "Device Manager".
Step 2. Find "Universal Serial Bus controllers section" and expand it.
Step 3. Right-click on each USB device and then click "Uninstall" to remove them one by one.
Step 4. Reboot your desktop or laptop.
Step 5. Allow Windows to install the USB drivers.
Step 6. After the installation is complete, plug in the USB device again to check whether the code 10 issue is resolved.
If the USB driver is outdated or corrupted, it will also result in the USB Code 10 error. Therefore, downloading the updated driver can be an effective fix. You could manually download the new compatible driver for your device via Device Manager, Windows Update or from the device manufacturer's official website.
Of course, the easiest and quickest way to download the appropriate USB driver is to use an automatic drivers download utility, such as Driver Talent, trustworthy and widely-used, which can automate the download and install process that greatly saves your time.
Click the button below to get Driver Talent directly.
Take the 3 easy steps to download and update the drivers of your USB device on Windows 10.1, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP.
Click "Peripheral" in the main interface to head to "Peripheral Drivers" section. The outdated, corrupted, broken or missing USB driver will display.
Click "Install" to download the appropriate updated USB driver.
Reboot your computer to make all changes take effect.
Note: Remember to backup your drivers before downloading a new USB driver, so that you can restore drivers from backup in case of installing new incompatible drivers.
For more details on how to download USB driver, you could refer to this article: Download, Install or Update USB Driver on Your Laptop or Desktop.
To learn more about how to fix USB device issues, you could see Tips for solving problems with USB devices on Microsoft page.
If you have any other solutions to fix the “This device cannot start (code 10)” error, please share with us in the comments section below.
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