Hey everyone! I'm having a problem with the USB ports on my laptop, which is an IdeaPad Gaming 3. I've got two ports, and neither seems to be detecting any devices like my controller or my phone when I plug them in, even though they do provide power and can charge. Just the other day, I was able to connect a USB flash drive without any issues and transferred files with no problem.
To troubleshoot, I've reinstalled all USB drivers from Device Manager and reset the BIOS settings to default. I initially worried it could be a motherboard issue, but after running Lenovo Diagnostics, it reported that everything is fine with the USB ports.
The problem started one day after connecting a mouse. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
Have you tried using a Linux live USB to check if the USB ports work there? It can help determine if it’s a hardware or OS issue.
Just because diagnostics cleared everything doesn’t mean there isn’t a hardware issue. Have you looked at the contact pads inside the ports? They might be intact but can sometimes be slightly misaligned or dirty. That could cause issues even if power is flowing.
I did check the ports physically, and they look fine with no visible damage. They still provide power without any issues.
Do you have a USB drive with a Windows installer on it? If you do, plug it in and access the BIOS. If the drive shows up in the boot device list, it means the USB ports are functioning properly, and the problem might be software related, which could be fixed with a clean install of Windows.
I don’t have one at the moment, unfortunately, so I can't check that.
When you mention you've reinstalled the USB drivers, can you clarify what that process involved? Did you uninstall them completely and remove the driver software? It might be worth checking if you missed any specific drivers for your model on the Lenovo site.
Yeah, I uninstalled the AMD USB 3.10 and USB Root Hub drivers and then reinstalled them, restarting the laptop afterward. I also upgraded my drivers using the Lenovo support site.
A friend brought over an Arch Linux USB, and it worked fine when I booted it up. However, I still couldn't connect any devices in that environment either.