Last updated on June 30th, 2014
A few days ago, one of my customers noticed that the USB mouse was not working on his laptop computer. Furthermore, no USB device, like a USB Printer or a USB storage device, could be recognized by his system. When error code 39 occurs, then, in device manager, all USB ports appear with a yellow triangle with an exclamation point and at the device properties, the following error description appears: 'Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39).' Disk cleaner free hd space mac apps.
RE: Code 39 errors: Cannot install USB device drivers These are stationary internal drives that have been in the same external cases and connected to the same hubs for several years with no issues. This is unrelated to the hubs because even my Lexar USB Flash drive (plugged directly into the machine) is showing the same issue. Code 39 is a device driver error code which pops up when the Windows operating system cannot load the driver for the hardware you want to use. This hampers your ability to use the hardware properly. The error code is almost always presented in the following format: 'Windows cannot load the device driver. Can you perhaps advise an older driver number that I could download that would work or another 3rd. Party one, as I really would wish to stay with Windows 10 and not have to revert to Windows 7 0 Kudos.
After examining and troubleshooting the USB ports using the instructions from this guide: How to fix USB device not recognized or USB not Installed problem, the USB Controller problem still existed on his laptop. After a lot of research, I finally discovered the solution below that fixed the USB Controller Error 39. *
* Note: The solution is tested and it works perfectly on Windows 7 OS, but also works on Windows XP or Vista based computers.
How to solve USB Error Code 39 (or 41)– USB Ports & Devices not working
Step 1. Delete ‘UpperFilters' & ‘LowerFilters' registry keys.
1. Open Registry Editor. To do that:
- Press 'Windows' + 'R' keys to load the Run dialog box.
- Type 'regedit' and press Enter.
2. Inside Windows Registry, navigate (from the left pane) and highlight this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000}
3. Look at the right pane:
- Right-click at 'UpperFilters' key
- Choose 'Delete'.
4. Perform the same action (Delete) with the 'LowerFilters' key, if found.
6. Close Registry Editor.
7. Restart your computer.
8. Now check if your sound card works. If not, continue to Step 2.
Step 2. Uninstall USB Controllers from the Device Manager.
1. Open Device Manager. To do that:
- Press 'Windows' + 'R' keys to load the Run dialog box.
- Type 'devmgmt.msc' and press Enter.
2. In device manager, right-click on every USB Controller and select 'Uninstall'. *
Graphics Device Driver Error Code 39
* Note: If during uninstall process, you lose your USB mouse functionality, then use your keyboard arrow keys to highlight the rest USB devices and then press simultaneously the 'Shift' + 'F10' keys to open the right-click menu to select 'Uninstall'.
3.Restart your computer.
4. After your computer restarts, wait until Windows automatically install USB Controllers drivers again and then test your USB ports.
Additional help: If you still have problems with your USB devices then try this guide: How to fix USB device not recognized or USB not Installed problem.
You ‘re done!