home-excel-How to enable a disabled usb port. How to disable USB ports from connecting a flash drive

How to enable a disabled usb port. How to disable USB ports from connecting a flash drive

First, you need to figure out why you may need to disable USB ports on your computer. Everything is pretty simple here. With the advent of miniature USB data storage, there was a need to prevent data leakage from computers. Using a regular flash drive or portable hard drive, you can easily pull off any information. To prevent such incidents, it is necessary to completely disable USB ports. Of course, everyone may have their own reasons for disabling ports, but this is not so important. Below are several ways to disable USB ports on your computer.

Disable USB ports in BIOS settings

In fact, everything is quite simple: we go into the BIOS settings and disable all ports, or those that are needed. The nuance is that at the moment there are several versions of the BIOS, and disabling ports in each is sometimes different.

BIOS Award. We go into the BIOS settings and select the item Integrated Peripherals. Let's go to this menu. Next, just find the items: USB EHCI Controller, USB Keyboard Support, USB Mouse Support and Legacy USB storage detect and turn them off by selecting the option Disabled. Then just save the settings and restart the computer;

Phoenix Award and AMI BIOS. Go to settings and select item Advanced (sometimes there may be a Peripherals item in some versions) or Advanced BIOS Features. Next, go to the menu USB configuration. Next, turn off all USB items Save the settings and restart the computer;

UEFI. More modern panel. Go to the menu Peripherals or Advanced. Choose items Legacy USB Support and USB 3.0 support and turn them off. Next, save the settings and restart the PC.

Note! In some versions, the menu items may differ slightly in name, but that's okay, just walk through all the menus and find the USB settings.

Disable USB using the registry

This is the more appropriate way. In the registry, you can disable the access of USB ports to specific devices, and not the ports themselves. In times when almost everything is connected via USB, including a mouse and keyboard, this method will be preferable. You can simply disable port access specifically to flash drives, but the computer mouse will work fine.

Open registry editor: keyboard shortcut Win+R, enter the command regedit and click OK. Let's move on to the next section:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR

Find an item start. Open it and enter the value 4 . Save your settings and restart your computer. This section blocks access of external drives to the port.

Note! If the USB controller drivers are not installed on the computer, then the value start will automatically change to the value 3 as soon as a device is connected to the port.

Disable USB via Device Manager

open Device Manager: right click on My computer, open Properties, Further Device Manager. Opening the menu USB controllers. Right-click and select from the context menu Disable.

Important! The option to remove drivers for USB controllers will not work, because the first time you connect a device to the port, Windows will start installing drivers.

Disable USB using Windows files


Deny access using the Local Group Policy Editor


You can also disable reading and writing.

Additionally

It is also worth mentioning that there are two more ways to restrict access to ports: restrict access using third-party programs and physically disable ports.

There are plenty of third-party software on the Internet, and each is configured in its own way, so it makes no sense to describe this method in the article. All you need is to find the right program and instructions for it.

As for the physical disabling of ports, this method will only work with ports on the front panel of the system unit. Open the system unit and carefully disconnect the wires going to the ports.

Outcome

Whatever the reason for the need to disable USB ports, now you know how to do it.

I already told you how disable touchpad or a webcam on a laptop, keyboard and mouse… today we will talk about how to disable usb ports on any computer. This can protect your data from theft or prevent your computer from being infected using a flash drive.

Easily disable USB ports

A simple and free computer program USB Ports Disabler does nothing special - it only allows, without delving into the jungle of the operating system, to disable and enable the USBSTOR service, which is responsible for the operation of all usb ports on the computer, with one click.

When this service is deactivated, the system stops seeing them - this is convenient to use for security purposes. In this simple way, we will close the loophole for the introduction of viruses into the computer using external media and at the same time prevent the possibility of stealing (copying) our data from it.

What I liked most about this program is that it disables usb ports only for external storage media (flash drives, disks, third-party drives ...), and things like the wireless mouse usb adapter continue to be detected and work - great.

So, run USB Ports Disabler and click on the button labeled "Disable USB"...

... we agree to disable usb ports (if I were the author of the program, I would remove the second window - why is this an intermediate confirmation?) ...



That's it - ports are disabled. The manufacturer advises rebooting the system, but this is not necessary, as I have seen. If during the shutdown of the ports you had a flash drive stuck in one of them, then you are not surprised that it continues to be detected - remove it from the port and try to connect it again ... that's all, the computer no longer sees it.

In order for the computer to see clearly and again be able to determine external storage media, just click on the second button in the main program window - “Enable USB”.

I do not advise you to poke the rightmost button with the inscription “Hide IP Address” - you will be transferred to the browser, to the page of some VPN service. Apparently the author earns money in this way - we will not blame him for this. There are others to hide the ip address. free and reliable methods.

Download USB Ports Disabler

On the official page USB Ports Disabler program You will find two buttons-links to download the regular and portable version ...

They weigh a little more than 1 MB each. The program works wonderfully in all Windows operating systems (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 (32\64-bit)).

To new useful and interesting computer programs.

Of all the methods found without a long search, none of them came up in my case :)

Even the option with restricting the rights for users in the registry did not work (even removed the rights for the system and the administrator - that is, all rights are completely for everyone - did not help).

As a result, I combined my version (an assembly of two different ones).

In my case, an ordinary user does not have any privileges in the system (just a dream!) And of course, the maximum functionality was required - i.e. use of certain (registered) media on individual PCs.

To do this, we use only two procedures (actions):

  1. We delete from the registry information about all used (registered in the registry) USB storage devices by any convenient method (to your taste).
    It turned out to be the fastest and easiest for me to use a simple utility. Then we delete files from the system %Windows%\inf\Usbstor.pnf and usbstor.inf .
  2. In the future, if you need to add (register) a storage device, add the specified files to the system, then connect (reconnect) the USB drive and it is fully determined (registered) in the system. After registering in the system, we again delete the indicated files, which again blocks any attempts to determine the new USB drive by the system.

In the case when the rights in the OS are distributed and "normal" work is performed by a user with limited rights, this method completely blocks the ability to connect to the OS an unregistered (by the system administrator) "USB flash drives".

Removing and adding Usbstor.pnf and Usbstor.inf files can be done using .bat files similar to the following:

removal

del /f /s /q C:\WINDOWS\inf\usbstor.inf C:\WINDOWS\inf\usbstor.PNF

reestablish (provided that the files are next to the bat-file)

xcopy ".\usbstor.inf" "C:\WINDOWS\inf\"
xcopy ".\usbstor.PNF" "C:\WINDOWS\inf\"

Attention! For Windows 7 and above, all .bat files must be run as administrator ("Run as administrator" in the context menu).

Below are other ways to restrict access to these devices (I did not work individually).

Computer Management->Device Manager->Universal Serial Bus Controllers->(USB Root Hubs) -> "Device Application: [Disabled]

For example, if the printer is connected to a hub, then it can be left on.

note 1. Device Manager can be launched from the command line start devmgmt.msc.

note 2. An interesting property of the Device Manager from the console is to execute two commands:

Set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
start devmgmt.msc

Then hidden devices will be displayed in the Device Manager.

If USB is not required, disable USB controllers.

Deny use by everyone except a select few through "Computer Management -> Storage Devices -> Removable Storage -> Properties -> Security.

Flaw

There are some pitfalls here, for example, a ban on the use of the USER group. But the administrator can be a member of the USER group.

However, this is equivalent to changing the parameter
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR "Start"
"Start"=dword:00000004 - disable;
"Start"=dword:00000003 - allow.

note. You can start the service from the command line
net start "Removable Memory"

We go to the folder %Windows%\inf (the folder has the attribute hidden) , it has two files - Usbstor.pnf and Usbstor.inf.

We deny access to these files, except for the administrators group or a specific user.

Why ban USB altogether when you can only ban recording?

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\control\StorageDevicePolicies.

The WriteProtect parameter, most likely it does not exist. Then it needs to be created with the dword type and assigned the value 1.

And don't forget to restart your computer. To restore - assign a value of 0.

So, step by step (of course, you need to have local administrator rights):

  1. Win + R (similar to Start -> Run), regedit.
  2. . This key stores information about all USB drives ever connected.
  3. We give ourselves full access to USBSTOR (right mouse button -> Permissions, check the item Full control in the ALL group).
  4. Delete all contents of USBSTOR.
  5. We connect the approved fashka, we make sure that it is determined. A key like Disk&Ven_JetFlash&Prod_TS4GJF185&Rev_8.07 should appear inside USBSTOR (F5 to update the list).
  6. RMB again on USBSTOR, Permissions. We remove the Full access from the ALL group, we leave the right to read.
  7. The same rights must be assigned to the SYSTEM user, but this cannot be done directly. First you need to click the Advanced button, uncheck the Inherit from parent object ... box, in the Security window that appears, say Copy. After the next click on OK, the rights of the SYSTEM user will become available for change.
  8. To fix the effect, press the Advanced button again and check the item Replace permissions for all child objects ... We confirm the execution.

What did we achieve in the end? A permitted flash drive connects and disconnects without problems. If you try to make an unauthorized connection, Windows will detect the device, but will not be able to install it, cursing as follows:

Moreover, a new key will be created in USBSTOR, which will unequivocally indicate an attempt to connect an unapproved USB drive.

In many firms and organizations, the ban on the use of USB drives is one of the priorities that is set for the system administrator of the enterprise, the reason for this is two troubles - taking out information (secret documents, etc.) and bringing it in: viruses, games, and the like. At first glance, the task is solved simply - disable USB ports through the BIOS, but this will also affect other USB devices - a mouse, keyboard, printer or phone charger.

So, it is necessary to programmatically prohibit the use of flash drives, while not hitting useful USB devices. There are several solutions, let's look at them in more detail:

Disable USB Windows 7, 8, Vista

Starting with Windows Vista in local group policies ( gpedit.msc) a very useful bush appeared, located in Politics “Local Computer” > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Removable Storage Access . It allows you to flexibly configure read, write, and execute restrictions on various classes of removable devices.


Disable USB Windows XP

To disable removable USB storage devices in Windows XP, you need to slightly tweak the registry and adjust the permissions to the driver files:

    1. Disable USBSTOR service (regedit.exe)

“Start”=dword:00000004

  1. Set the SYSTEM account permission to “Deny” for the following files:
    • %SystemRoot%\Inf\Usbstor.pnf
    • %SystemRoot%\Inf\Usbstor.inf

It is described in more detail here, the original source is http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823732

Create file with extension - .bat and copy one of the code options
Batniki, for shutdown automation:

on-USB.bat

Rem 1) ACL cacls %SystemRoot%\inf\usbstor.inf /e /p "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM":F cacls %SystemRoot%\inf\usbstor.PNF /e /p "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM":F rem 2 ) Registry reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR /v Start /t REG_DWORD /d 00000003 /f

off-USB.bat

Rem ACL cacls %SystemRoot%\inf\usbstor.inf /e /p "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM":N cacls %SystemRoot%\inf\usbstor.PNF /e /p "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM":N rem registry reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR /v Start /t REG_DWORD /d 00000004 /f

Disable USB via Group Policy Windows Server 2003

By default, Group Policies in Windows Server 2003 does not provide an easy way to disable removable media devices such as USB ports, CD-ROM drives, Floppy drives. Regardless, Group Policies can be extended to use the appropriate settings via an ADM template.

The ADM template below will allow the administrator to disable the corresponding device. Import this administrative template into Group Policies as an .adm file.
In C:\WINDOWS\inf create a nodev.adm file with the following content:

CLASS MACHINE CATEGORY !!category CATEGORY !!categoryname POLICY !!policynameusb KEYNAME "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR" EXPLAIN !!explaintextusb PART !!labeltextusb DROPDOWNLIST REQUIRED VALUENAME "Start" ITEMLIST NAME !!Disabled VALUE NUMERIC 3 DEFAULT NAME !! Enabled VALUE NUMERIC 4 END ITEMLIST END PART END POLICY POLICY !!policynamecd KEYNAME "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom" EXPLAIN !!explaintextcd PART !!labeltextcd DROPDOWNLIST REQUIRED VALUENAME "Start" ITEMLIST NAME !!Disabled VALUE NUMERIC 1 DEFAULT NAME !! Enabled VALUE NUMERIC 4 END ITEMLIST END PART END POLICY POLICY !!policynameflpy KEYNAME "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Flpydisk" EXPLAIN !!explaintextflpy PART !!labeltextflpy DROPDOWNLIST REQUIRED VALUENAME "Start" ITEMLIST NAME !!Disabled VALUE NUMERIC 3 DEFAULT!! Enabled VALUE NUMERIC 4 END ITEMLIST END PART END POLICY POLICY !!policynamels120 KEYNAME "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Sfloppy" EXPLAIN !! explaintextls120 PART !!labeltextls120 DROPDOWNLIST REQUIRED VALUENAME "Start" ITEMLIST NAME !!Disabled VALUE NUMERIC 3 DEFAULT NAME !!Enabled VALUE NUMERIC 4 END ITEMLIST END PART END POLICY END CATEGORY END CATEGORY category="Custom Policy Settings" categoryname="Restrict Drives" policynameusb="Disable USB" policynamecd="Disable CD-ROM" policynameflpy="Disable Floppy" policynamels120="Disable High Capacity Floppy" explaintextusb="Disables the computers USB ports by disabling the usbstor.sys driver" explaintextcd="Disables the computers CD-ROM Drive by disabling the cdrom.sys driver" explaintextflpy="Disables the computers Floppy Drive by disabling the flpydisk.sys driver" explaintextls120="Disables the computers High Capacity Floppy Drive by disabling the sfloppy.sys driver" labeltextusb="Disable USB Ports" labeltextcd="Disable CD-ROM Drive" labeltextflpy="Disable Floppy Drive" labeltextls120="Disable High Capacity Floppy Drive" Enabled="Enabled" Disabled="Disabled"

IMPORTANT! If the added policies are not displayed in the Group Policy Editor, do the following:
1. In the right part of the policy editor window, right-click, go to the View menu item and click Filtering…
2. Uncheck "Show only managed policy settings"
3. Click OK
After that, the added policies will be displayed on the right side of the Group Policy Editor window.

Disable USB via Group Policy Windows Server 2008

A ready-made group policy for prohibiting drives appeared in server operating systems, starting with Windows server 2008, you can configure them on the controller through the gpmc.msc snap-in, located on the same path (Policy> Computer configuration> Policies> Administrative Templates> System> Removable storage access) . It works flawlessly, but will only apply to Windows Vista, 7 and 8 operating systems.

The situation is somewhat more complicated with Windows XP, despite Microsoft's statements about the end of support for XP in the spring of 2014, it still occupies a large part of the operating systems used in the corporate sector. It doesn't matter, we'll set it up just like the local one, but only through the GPO. Run gpmc.msc, create a GPO and start editing it.


Peripheral devices such as a mouse, keyboard, webcam, printer are usually connected to the computer via USB ports. In this case, it often happens that one or more ports stop working. That is, when connected to a computer, for example, a flash drive, it is not recognized, the keyboard or mouse may freeze, and the printer may not respond and print pages.

There are several likely reasons why some or all of the USB ports on your computer are not working. Let's try to understand this issue and find out what should be done to restore the normal functioning of the computer.

Checking the BIOS settings

The first thing you should pay attention to is the BIOS settings of the computer. You will need a working keyboard to enter the BIOS. If the keyboard is connected to the computer via USB and it does not work, then you need to connect a keyboard with a PS / 2 connector. Otherwise, you simply cannot do anything.

So, we go into the BIOS, for which, when starting the computer, you must press the enter key, usually it is DEL. There may be another key that is displayed on the screen and is listed in the motherboard manual. After entering the BIOS, find the section responsible for the integrated devices (Integrated Peripherals) or the "Advanced" section. Here you should find the subsection “Onboard Devices Configuration”. It is in it that the parameters responsible for the operation of USB controllers are located: USB Function or USB 2.0 Controller. These parameters must be enabled (Enabled). And if one of them is disabled (Disabled), then hover over it and press Enter, thereby enabling it. To prevent your changes from being reset, you must save them by pressing F10 and confirm the save by pressing the Y or Enter key.

After rebooting the computer, check if the USB ports are working. And if not, then you should look for the cause elsewhere.

USB ports on the front of the computer do not work

As a special case, USB only on the front panel may not work for you. In such a situation, it is necessary to check whether the necessary connectors on the motherboard are connected and whether the wires are damaged. To do this, open the side cover of the system unit and pay attention to the connector at the bottom of the motherboard. The board itself has the inscription USB1 or USB2, as well as on the block itself. The wires from the block go to the front panel, and if they are disconnected or broken in one place, then you have found the cause of the malfunction. Damaged wires should be connected or replaced. It will not be superfluous to check the contact in the connector on the motherboard. It is also worth paying attention to the board located on the front panel. Perhaps there is a short circuit, by the way, such a circuit can be triggered by accumulated dust. Therefore, be sure to clean the system unit from dust.

Problems with the device itself or the cable

The next source of USB problems can be the cable connected to, for example, a printer. This error is easy to identify and fix. We connect a USB flash drive to the checked connector. If it works, then we try to connect other known good equipment using a suspicious cable, for example, a USB hub. If it also refuses to work, then the reason is definitely in the cable and it should be replaced.

Power outages

There are situations when there is simply not enough power for all devices. For example, when connecting an external hard drive that uses two USB connectors at once, the printer or keyboard may turn off. In this case, the power of the power supply is not enough to provide energy to all consumers. In this case, the problem may not appear immediately, but after some time after turning on the computer. There are several ways out of the situation. If you have a low-power power supply installed, for example, 300 W, then it would be logical to change it to a more powerful one, 450-600 W. You can also use an active USB hub (with external power). It will allow not only to increase the number of connected USB devices, but also to power them from a separate power supply.

Another reason affecting USB performance is a dead CMOS battery. But at the same time, every time you turn on the computer, you will observe the system time and date that have gone astray. After replacing the battery, the problem goes away. But this is not common, so you should check other possible sources of malfunction.

Missing or incorrect installation of USB drivers

Causes related to software malfunctions in Windows 7/10 can be identified using the Device Manager. If you notice that one or more devices specifically do not work, regardless of the port used, then this may indicate that the problem is in the device itself. Open the Control Panel and go to the Device Manager section. All connected devices will be displayed there. If there are items in the list that have a yellow exclamation mark next to them or an Unknown device instead of a name, then the problem is in this device itself. There may be several possible problems here.

Often USB inputs stop working after reinstalling Windows 7/10. This is caused by improper installation of drivers, or the necessary drivers may not be found at all. You will have to select and install manually.

Often, to fix a problem, you just need to update the driver. So, if automatic Windows updates are disabled, and the system itself was installed a long time ago, then the relevance of the software is lost, system errors may appear. At the same time, the device starts to work incorrectly, or even stops functioning altogether. To update (reinstall) the USB controller drivers, you can use the motherboard driver CD/DVD or download the required drivers from the motherboard manufacturer's website.

You can also turn off the power saving feature for all ports using the Device Manager. Expand the list of used USB devices hidden in the USB controllers, Mouse and other pointing devices, Keyboards sections. Double-click on the desired device to open the properties window. Now switch to the "Power Management" tab and uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." Thus, the device will be activated always and under any circumstances.

If some equipment is not recognized, then there may be a problem with the drivers already known to us, as well as a hardware problem, consisting in a lack of contact, cable damage, or a controller malfunction. Moreover, it often happens that when a faulty device is connected, the rest stop working normally. The keyboard starts to freeze, as does the mouse, and the printer stops printing. The problem is similar to a lack of power, that is, the consumption of all power goes to a faulty device, which may have an ordinary short circuit or other malfunction.

USB ports not working due to damaged controller

If none of the above actions helped restore the USB ports, then you should check the motherboard USB controller, which could have failed. In this case, high-quality repairs and diagnostics should be entrusted to the specialists of the service center. As a way out of the problem, try installing an expansion board, the so-called USB PC controller, which is installed in the PCI slot on the motherboard. This solution is much cheaper than repairing the USB controller of the motherboard, and when using an additional USB hub, the problem with the lack of ports will not be relevant at all.

As you can see, finding and fixing problems with USB ports is a rather troublesome business, and all because there can be a lot of reasons. Consistently finding and eliminating obviously wrong paths will allow you to identify and fix the problem.

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