Yes, it is possible to troubleshoot your laptop’s USB port if the port has stopped working. First and foremost, you should make sure that the USB port hasn’t been disabled in your device’s BIOS or UEFI settings. Often times, a laptop manufacturer will disable USB ports if they are not being used in order to save battery power. To determine if this is the case, restart your laptop and press F10 (or whatever key is designated as the “Enter Setup” key) immediately after the power switch is depressed. In the BIOS settings, look for an area named ‘Legacy Support’ or something similar and make sure that both the USB keyboard and USB mouse options are set to ‘Enabled’.
Once you have ensured that the USB port has not been disabled in the BIOS settings, you can try to isolate the problem by using a different USB device in the laptop’s USB port. This can help you determine if the USB port is faulty, or if the USB device itself might be causing the problem. If another USB device works in the laptop’s port, then the original device may be defective and needs to be replaced.
On the other hand, if another device does not work when plugged into the laptop’s USB port, then it is likely that the port itself is faulty. In this case, you can try to use an external USB hub as a workaround. Connect the hub to one of the laptop’s regular USB ports, and then plug the USB device into the hub. This can help confirm if the laptop’s USB port is indeed defective, and it also allows you to use the device while you wait for the laptop’s USB port to be repaired.
If the USB port appears to be functioning properly when tested with another device or through an external USB hub, then the driver software related to the USB port could be the cause of the problem. To resolve this, you should uninstall any currently installed USB drivers from the laptop, then search for and download the latest version of the driver from the manufacturer’s website. After installing the updated driver, restart the laptop and test the USB port again.
If the above steps did not resolve the issue, then the laptop’s USB port could be physically damaged. If this is the case, then the port will most likely need to be replaced by a qualified technician.
In conclusion, it is possible to troubleshoot your laptop’s USB port if it is not working properly. Start by making sure that the port is not disabled in the BIOS settings, and then try isolating the issue by testing with a different USB device. If the port still appears to be faulty, then you can try using an external USB hub as a workaround while you wait to get it repaired. Finally, if the USB port appears to be functioning properly but the issue persists, then try uninstalling and reinstalling the driver related to the port.