Change Your USB port

You can associate your USB device with a different port but it will still only function on one port.  To change what port your device works on, try this:

1.      Download the free application called USBDeview.  This is a tiny app that runs from a single .exe file so nothing is installed on your computer.

2.      Run USBDeview AS ADMINISTRATOR.

3.      Locate the column titled “Last Plug/Unplug Date.”  You may need to use the scroll bar at the bottom because there are dozens of columns that you can’t see.  Now sort on this column by clicking on the column header so that the most recent times are at the top.

4.      Plug-in your USB device using the port that it currently functions on and see what device jumps to the top of the list.  You may need to hit the refresh button in the tool bar.  It may also be helpful to wait a couple minutes if you have plugged-in several devices recently so that there is more of a time offset.

5.      Once you identify the device, look at the columns to the right and write down the device’s vendor ID and product ID.  You need both. For example, my Logitech sound bar vendor ID is 046d and the device ID is 0a23. 

6.      Open device manager and locate your device.  Uninstall the device driver.  Plug-and-play devices will reinstall the driver automatically in step   or the computer will do an online search and download it.  Don’t let this step scar you.

7.      After uninstalling the device you should see it disappear from the device manager.  Now UNPLUG the device from the computer and reboot.  DO NOT plug your device back in after the reboot completes.

8.      Run USBDeview AS ADMINISTRATOR with your device still disconnected.

9.      Sort by Product ID and “Uninstall” all of the entries that have the same vendor & product ID that you wrote down from step 5.  There may be several.  For example, my Logitech sound bar had 6 entries.  If BOTH the vendor and product ID match, uninstall it.

10.  Now decide what USB port you want the device to function from and plug it into that port.  In some cases (like with my sound bar) you may need to go to the control panel and reassign that device as the “default” audio device.  If your device is a printer then you will need to use control panel to re-assign that printer as your default printer etc...  

DONE