Fix USB Connection Problems with your Android Device...
INTRODUCTION
I tried resetting my computer about 5 times, unplugging and plugging things back in, using different USB ports and deleting all USB devices out of device manager. The last bit... deleting EVERYTHING under USB out of device manager and unplugging ALL USB devices and resetting the computer DID fix the External Hard Drive. But nothing would fix the connection to my Android device. I went to bed...
This morning I tackled the problem again and (finally...) found a solution for not just the Android device but possibly many of the common Windows USB woes...
USBDeview
A simple program that lets you view ALL USB DRIVERS CURRENTLY INSTALLED. PRESENT AND PAST. I.E. "ghost devices" can be seen and destroyed. It is like device manager but 100x better. This is what finally allowed me to straighten out ADB and also get rid of some other "ghosts" I didn't even know were present in my system.So, if you are having trouble using PDAnet to install your Android ADB driver... here is your fix.
FILES
There are two file packages. Get either the 32-Bit or 64-Bit package depending on whether or not your Windows Operating System is 32-bit or 64-bit. The package contains the USBDeview Program.Download: USBDeview-32-BIT
Download: USBDeview-64-BIT
See this page if you are unsure of which operating system you have: 32-bit or 64-bit Windows?
GUIDE
First some disclaimers...DISCLAIMER: READ THIS WHOLE ARTICLE ONCE THROUGH BEFORE STARTING!
DISCLAIMER: IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE at least A PS3 (old school connector) KEYBOARD AROUND IF YOUR COMPUTER SUPPORTS IT AS YOU MAY INADVERTENTLY DISABLE THEM IF THEY ARE USB AND YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL.
DISCLAIMER: DO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE INTERNET CONNECTION BEFORE YOU DO ANY OF THIS.
DISCLAIMER: ALL MEANS ALL! This includes "USB HUBS"... In fact, you should mess with getting your USB Hubs working LAST OF ALL. In my case, a BAD USB HUB is what started ALL of my problems...
Now on with the guide...
1. If you haven't done so already, download the correct file package from up above.
2. Unzip the contents of the file to a new folder on your desktop
3. Unplug ALL USB DEVICES from your computer except for your keyboard and mouse and shutdown your computer.
4. Leave it shutdown. Now, this might sound a little "out there" but do it anyway :). Unplug your computer from the wall outlet. If it is a laptop, also take the battery out. Leave it like this for about 8 minutes. Then start it back up. Another customer submitted this helpful tip. Apparently getting rid of ALL POWER to the computer can fix USB problems as it can force a reset.
----------
5. Semi-Optional Step (I.E. skip it for now if you want and come back to it if stuff still doesn't work) - If you are comfortable with "Device Manager" I recommend you go in and systematically uninstall ALL entries under "Universal Serial Bus Controller." Work from the bottom up. You will want a mouse and keyboard with the old style connectors on them as this will stop ALL USB devices from working, including your USB keyboard and mouse. This step is semi-optional as this guide focuses primarily on using USBDeview and I think using just USBDeview can fix most Android ADB driver issues. ----------
6. Open up the folder on your desktop where you extracted the downloaded files from up above.
7. Open up the "STEP 1- USBdeview" folder.
8. Open up USBDeview (no installation is necessary, the program just runs)
9. To uninstall something in this program, you "right click" on the entry and select "Uninstall Selected Devices" You will see a list of stuff. Here is what you want to get rid of and in what order:
- Anything that says "android" or "android phone"
- Anything that says "ADB" or has the word "ADB" in it.
- Anything with the word "Tablet" in it or "Tablet PC"
- Anything with your tablet (or another tablet's) device brand name. (commonly Teclast is one that shows up a lot, Ployer, Ainol, HTC, etc..)
- Anything labeled as "USB Storage"
- In the device column, all "mass storage" devices.
- "optionally" IF YOU HAVE A PS3 (the connector, NOT the Sony gaming console...) Keyboard and Mouse handy you can use them temporarily and also get rid of all "USB Input Devices" and "USB Composite Devices"
You can leave your printers alone unless you are having trouble with them as well. Don't worry about getting rid of stuff you are using... It will come back when this is all said and done.
Your should now more or less be "scorched earth" or a "clean slate" is probably a better description.
10. With ALL USB STUFF STILL UNPLUGGED - Reboot your computer.
11. Wait... Let windows take a little time to start up. If you need to plug in a mouse and keyboard to login you may do so, Once it logs in though, wait while windows does its thing. This is the point in the game when you really need to have an active internet connection or if you are using Windows XP you might want to have driver CD's handy for any USB devices you were using that were uninstalled and that need the drivers.
12. Start plugging devices back in one at a time and waiting. DO NOT PLUG IN YOUR TABLET YET...
13. Once all your external hard drives and whatever else you have are plugged back in and working, THEN move on to installing (or perhaps re-installing PDAnet). DO NOT PLUG IN YOUR ANDROID DEVICE UNTIL IT PROMPTS YOU!