The only way to disable the ports in software is to disable the USB Root Hub device that the ports are connected to. There's no way to determine in software. Hope this has helped you to enable USB drives on your Windows 10 computer, the same steps can be used for a Windows 8 computer. Lastly, we would like to remind you that you should never try to enable USB drives at a place of work, in case they have been disabled.
You might have noticed that when you attach your USB drive to a computer at your school or office and computer doesn’t respond? It is because the administrator has disabled the USB ports and therefore, USB drives are not recognized.
Disabling access to USB ports is a great way to stop unauthorized users to transfer or steal data from your computer. Some might feel it is a cumbersome process, but do not worry as we have you totally covered.
In this article, we have listed a few ways to enable/disable USB ports in Windows 7.
1. Steps to Disable or Enable USB Drives By Making Changes In Registry –
You can make changes in your Registry files to enable or disable the USB ports in Windows 7. Follow these steps:
Go to Start Menu, type “Regedit” in the Search box to open Registry Editor.
Navigate to this key – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesUSBSTOR
In the right-hand panel, look for Start and right click on it.
A sub-menu will appear, choose Modify
A small pop-up window will open, check if the value is 3.
If yes, then the port is already enabled. Change the value to 4 to disable the port.
Click OK to apply changes.
Also Read:10 Best USB Port Blocker Software
2. Uninstall/Reinstall USB Mass Storage Drivers –
Another way to enable/disable the USB ports is, to install/uninstall the USB drivers. If you wish to use your USB device on your work computer or stop anyone from using your computer to transfer data, then follow these steps to uninstall USB drivers:
Go to Start Menu, type “devmgmt.msc” in the Search box to open Device Manager.
Click on the Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
You will get the list of USB ports.
Right Click on the USB port and uninstall the driver to disable the port.
Note: If you wish to install the USB driver in future, plug-in your USB drive and Windows will check for drivers. If not found, Windows will prompt you to install the driver.
3. Disable USB Ports from Device Manager
You can disable/enable or disalbe the USB ports through Device Manager. If you wish to use your USB device on your work computer or stop anyone from using your computer to transfer data, then follow these steps to disable USB drivers:
Go to Start Menu, type “devmgmt.msc” in the Search box to open Device Manager.
Click on the Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
You will get the list of USB ports.
Right click on the USB port and disable/enable the port.
4. Disconnect USB
It is not possible to disconnect all the USB ports from a motherboard, but you can disconnect those which are on the top and front of the computer by plugging out the cable from USB header. Disconnecting these ports can prevent people from easily misusing them for their benefit.
5. Enable/Disable USB Ports Using Third-Party Software –
SysTools USB Blocker
You can also enable or disable the USB ports by using a third-party tool. There are many free tools available. One of them is SysTools USB Blocker. It allows you to block all USB ports from any machine. All you need is your login credentials for the machine to block or unblock ports. It also provides an option to recover lost user password through your email address. The tool can block or unblock unlimited USB ports of various laptops and computers. The software comes with a rich and intuitive interface.
USB Block
Another one is USB Block. This software can easily enable and disable USB ports. It prevents data leakage from your devices like USB drives, network computer. You can put your USB device as an exception in Whitelist, and access it on your computer. It also checks the log of any illegal activity to keep your computer secure.
These are the few ways to disable/enable the USB ports and let us know what worked for you.
Next Read:The Best Duplicate File Finder and Remover for Windows 10, 8, 7
With this trick, you can disable access to your USB(Universal Serial Bus) ports on your Windows based PC to prevent people from taking out data without permission or spreading viruses through the use of USB (pen and flash) drives. To use this trick to
disable USB ports, follow the steps given below:-
Click on Start.
Click on Run. If you cannot find RUN, type it in the search box.
Type 'regedit' without quotes. This will launch the Registry Editor.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesusbstor.
In the work area, double click on Start.
In the Value Data box, enter 4.
Click on OK.
Close Registry Editor and refresh your desktop.
To re-enable access to your USB ports, enter 3 in the Value Data box in Step 6.
Try it yourself to make your PC invulnerable from data theft and malware which spread through USB ports. This works on Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and Windows XP. Note: This trick also disables access to your USB connected peripheral devices. So, do not use it if you have USB connected keyboard and mouse.