WIn10 USB Device not attached with Event ID38 in device manager

Question

Since a few weeks some systems have a problem connecting USB devices. These devices have allways worked fine. Now you get an error on that device and you won't get it reinstalled.
In the device manager there is an Event ID 38. I have tried all the usual actions, remove, reinstall and even hot swapped with other USB ports on the system. It is not port related because other devices work perfectly on that port.
They are different systems (laptops & desktops) and different devices. So there is no logical explanation at hand.

The error message in the device manager is:
Windows can not load the device driver for this hardware because a previous instance of the driver is still in memory (code 38)

Answer 1

Hello Erwin B,

First of all, I would recommend to try the Windows Driver Verifier tool:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-US/troubleshoot/windows-server/performance/use-driver-verifier-to-identify-issues

Second, check the USB and Hard Drive power settings in the current power plan, by accessing Power & Sleep settings > Advanced > Edit Power plan. It should be set to not disable or not set to sleep after X minutes.

Third. Try a "full" reboot: Hold your Shift key, then click on the start menu and "Power Off". This turns off Windows 10 machines (like a button shutdown in previous versions) reloading all drivers and services.

Fourth: Reinstall the Generic USB and USB host devices in Device Manager. From Device Manager, select this devices with RightClick and select Uninstall. Reboot. This will force the load of latest versions installed on the system.

Last but not least I would suspect of some 3rd security software installed on the system, but highly depends on your deployment. I would suggest to disable 1 by 1 these systems (if any) to check which one is affecting. Then checking its configuration.

Hope it helps in your case!

Best regards,