Maximus Z690 Extreme not detecting USB Flash Drive - "Unknown Device" in Device Manager

[ben1england]

So, for a while now, I've had this issue where a USB Flash Stick is not being detected.  No matter what USB connector I use.  Drivers and all, updated.  Uninstall and reinstall of device doesn't help.  Fiddled around with the power setting, still no help.  Funny enough, the drive appears in Disk management, yet no ability to manage the device / change drive letter / format.  Attaching details of the issue.  Doesn't seem to be related to a specific flash drive.  Have tried a few from different vendors.  Issue happens on this mobo in particular.  Doesn't happen on ASUS ROG laptop.

Device ManagerDisk ManagementDevice Manager -> PropertiesDisk Management -> Change / Format

Details from Device Manager -> Properties -> Details:

STORAGE\VOLUME\{03A94C93-2700-11EF-87A4-806E6F6E6963}#000000000FB00000

Error from Device Manager -> Properties -> Events:

Device STORAGE\Volume\{03a94c93-2700-11ef-87a4-806e6f6e6963}#000000000FB00000 was configured.

Driver Name: null
Class Guid: {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
Driver Date:
Driver Version:
Driver Provider:
Driver Section:
Driver Rank: 0x0
Matching Device Id:
Outranked Drivers:
Device Updated: false
Parent Device: ROOT\volmgr\0000

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @ben1england 

Due to the ongoing local holidays in our area, my response time may experience delays.
I apologize for any inconvenience the delayed replies may have caused.

May I ask if you are connecting the USB drive through the USB ports on the rear panel of the motherboard or the chassis?
Are there any unrecognized devices under the Universal Serial Bus Controllers in Device Manager?
We recommend referring to [Windows 11/10] Troubleshooting - Yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager.
Meanwhile, kindly ensure that both USB drivers and related drivers are updated, and if necessary, update the BIOS to the latest version 3603 and reconfirm after clearing CMOS.

Thank you.

[ben1england]

Happens when using the USB Stick using the ports at the back or the chassis ports.

I have updated the drivers from the mobo driver page on the ASUS website.

Following the TS didn't help.

BIOS is updated and CMOS was cleared prior to posting here.

I have the following Unknow Devices in my Device Manager...

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @ben1england 

If the issue occurs with USB ports on both the front panel and rear side of the case, in addition to recommending that you ensure that Windows is updated to the latest version, please check if any devices or USB ports are restricted by power management settings in Power, sleep and battery settings > Change advanced power settings.
Check in the BIOS if there are any restrictions on USB Configuration as well.
Meanwhile, are there any other USB devices besides external hard drives that are experiencing issues with recognition or functionality after being connected?
If you uninstall the device in the unrecognized devices list and then click "Scan for hardware changes" in the toolbar, does this resolve the issue?

Thank you.

[ben1england]

Windows is updated.

No USB restrictions, not by power management or by BIOS.

All other USB devices function normally.

Uninstalling doesn't resolve the unrecognized device.

[achugh]

Hi @ben1england , from your screenshot it appears you have Windows installed on your flash drive. Have you tried it with any other drive which is just data drive?

Since you mentioned that these drives are recognized on your laptop or other machines, what is the file format of these drives? Are they FAT32, ExFAT, NTFS formatted?

What version of Windows are you using Windows 11 Pro 23H2 etc.?

Please remember that your motherboard by default has UEFI BIOS enabled and the default Windows 11 installation will prefer GPT partitions on storage instead of the old MBR partitions. If your drives are MBT partitioned with NTFS file system you will face the issues as mentioned in your post here. It is best to format the portable flash drives with either FAT32 or ExFAT for ultimate compatibility. Or use the newer GPT partition.

I hope this information helps to resolve your issue.

[ben1england]

What do you mean, I have Win installed on Flash drive?  I have an NVME M.2 drive.

I am running Win 11 Home 23H2.

You explanation makes no sense.  The USB external drive is detected on other PC's with the exact same file format.

[achugh]

Hi @ben1england , I apologize as my message was not clear enough for you. Here's another attempt at clarifying my message further.

I am referring to your DISK MANAGEMENT picture in your message where Disk 3 is shown as REMOVEABLE with 32Gb of total disk space. This drive has 3 partitions as is shown in the picture. These 3 partitions look very similar to a Windows Bootable USB drive or a Windows On the Go USB stick to me. I am not sure that is the case hence I am guessing about it in my message.

I am not referring to your NVMe M.2 Drive which I believe is your Disk 0 with 2TB of space in this DISK MANAGEMENT picture as it again has multiple partitions on this drive. This is again a guess as it has your C Drive and the partitions are similar to a typical Windows installation.

Have you tried to check your USB Drives like I mentioned in my message in terms of the partition and file formats? With this additional clarifications does this help to resolve your issue?