How To Fix The Device Has Either Stopped Responding or Is Disconnected Error

If you’re here, the chances are that you’ve lately encountered an annoying error message “The device has either stopped responding or has been disconnected” on Windows PC! The problem usually occurs while copying or moving some large HD photos, videos, documents, and other multimedia files from your PC to another device.

If you’re in a similar situation, don’t panic. Keep reading to find the major causes and potential solutions to get rid of the error “The device has either stopped responding or is disconnected.”

Causes of the Device Not Responding or Disconnected error

There are several reasons why this error pops up and prevents you from working on the device. Worst case scenario? The error message makes it impossible for you to transfer files between the computer and the connected device. Here’re some of the most common reasons for witnessing “The device has stopped responding or is disconnected.

• When you attempt to copy/move/delete several files or perform various tasks continuously on your phone, USB drive, and SD card. In such circumstances, the device gets overloaded with several incomplete tasks and may get disconnected by default. Hence, showing the error “The device has either stopped responding.”
• The error “the device has either stopped responding or disconnected” might occur due to improper connection issues.
• The outdated Windows driver or faulty hardware may prevent you from utilizing your drive and show “The device has either stopped responding or is disconnected” error message.

Ways to Fix the Device Not Responding or Disconnected error

Here’re some of the most common ways to rectify the error if the device fails to respond or quickly gets disconnected.

1.Check for defects in the USB Port and Connection

While you’ve connected a device with a specific USB port and shown you the annoying error message, there are high chances it’s happening due to loss of connection. To rectify this problem, try using another USB cable with the device.

Your computer might face issues due to a defective USB port as well. Cross-check whether the port you are connected to is damaged or not. To check this, try connecting the cable to another computer’s USB port and see if that is working.

2.Give your PC a fresh start

If you’re transferring several large files from one device to your PC or vice versa, the error “The device has either stopped responding or is disconnected” can probably occur. As mentioned above, continuous actions like copy, paste, delete or synchronize, etc., can be why the device stops responding. Hence, it is always advised to perform only one task at a particular time.

The following steps can be useful to help your system get rid of the error.

Step 1: Close every program and application running on your computer.

Step 2: Unplug every device, including phone, flash drive, SD card, etc., from the computer.

Step 3: Consider restarting your PC and see if this resolves the error message “The device has either stopped responding or is disconnected” from your computer.

Hopefully, you can get back to your regular work without any hiccups!

3. Run the Windows Troubleshooter

You can use the hardware and device troubleshooter to resolve all common issues related to your hardware that may affect the transfer process or pile of tasks set to be executed one by one.

Here are the steps to help you run the Windows Troubleshooter and fix the error. The device has either stopped responding or has been disconnected:

Step 1: Launch Settings.

Step 2: Go to the “Update and Security” module.

Step 3: Navigate to the Troubleshoot tab accessible from your left pane.

Step 4: Move to the “Hardware & Devices” menu.

Step 5: Select the option “Run the troubleshooter” to begin the troubleshooting process and instantly resolve common bugs and issues.

Step 6: Follow the on-screen instructions and restart your PC to implement the changes.

Hopefully, this will resolve the annoying error message, “The device has either stopped responding or has been disconnected,” on your Windows PC.

4.Try reinstalling USB Controller

If you have already tried out the aforementioned solutions but still encounter the same error, there are higher chances of some concern with the associated device driver.

Step 1: Firstly, hit the “Windows and R” keys together to launch the Run window.

Step 2: As soon as the ‘Run’ dialogue box pops up on the bottom left of your computer screen. Type –  “devmgmt.msc” and hit the ‘ Enter’ button.

Step 3: This will open the Device Manager window, from where you need to find the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” category.

Step 4: As soon as the category is expanded, look for the problematic USB device causing the error. Right-click the specific device and then click on the “Uninstall” button.

Finally, detach your device, and proceed to restart the system.

5.Check the USB settings of your device

To ensure your smartphone is not the culprit behind improper connection issues, follow the instruction below and check the following settings and enable the USB data connection feature for a seamless transferring process:

Step 1: On your smartphone, launch Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down and reach the ‘About Phone’ or ‘My Phone’ section.

Step 3: Scroll down and navigate to the Build number option from the new screen that appears.

Step 4: Tap the Build number option seven times until you see the Developer options.

Step 5: You can choose a USB configuration and audio source while connecting to the computer.

Now, hit the Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) menu! Observe if you can transfer the files seamlessly without any hiccups.

Wish to secure your files with backup software?

It is not desirable to live with an error that doesn’t let you move or copy your precious documents from one computer to another device and vice versa. Don’t be worried about losing your important documents during the transferring process; instead, consider backing them up!

EaseUS Todo backup software has got your back and works flawlessly to secure all your files, folders, documents, images, videos, and other multimedia files in a couple of clicks. The free backup solution ensures that you don’t become a victim of data loss.

To know about this backup program in detail, read our unbiased review here: EaseUS Todo Backup Home: Smartest Tool to Backup Data!

You might want to read: 10 Best Backup Software For Windows – Paid & Free

Conclusion

In a nutshell, we can say that the error “The device has either stopped responding or is disconnected” on Windows 11/10 happens if users perform multiple tasks with a device connected through a USB port. In these cases, it is suggested to do a single task at a particular point in time only.

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Frequently Asked Questions-

Q.1. How can we fix the error message that says “the device has stopped or disconnected”?

Some of the ways to fix the “the device has stopped or disconnected” error are:

• Restart your Devices
• Reconnect your Device
• Check the USB Port
• Reinstall USB Controller
• Troubleshoot Hardware Issue
• Use Backup & Recovery Software

Q.2. How to troubleshoot Android devices not responding?

You can try the following ways in case the Android devices stop responding:

• You can try to force reboot the phone. To do this, press and hold the power button along with the volume down button during the same time for at least 10 seconds.
• During the reboot, you can see a black screen with instructions on how to back the device to normal.
• Usually, you can use both volume-up and down keys to view every option and the power button to choose the required option.

Q.3. How to fix a USB device not responding to Windows 10 error?

Some of the ways that help solve this problem include:

• Reinstall the device drivers.
• Change the settings for the USB Controller.
• Uninstall the USB Controller.
• Turn off a quick startup.
• Make sure to remove the laptop battery.
• Alter the registry.
• Update USB Root Hub drivers.
• Install the necessary changes.

Q.4. Why won’t my phone connect to my computer?

Some of the problems of the phone not identified by the computer can be as follows: incompatibility of the USB cable, faulty connection mode, and outdated drivers.