Prevent USB devices from being disconnected while Windows is idle. How to disable or enable USB ports in Windows Device for temporarily disabling a USB port

In fact, this function has been available since Windows 7 and, by and large, the procedure has not changed since then. Let's look at it using an example current version Windows 10: As a rule, by default, the function of temporarily disabling the USB port is activated at least for the power saving mode. Actually, in order to save battery, the system pauses the operation of USB ports during idle moments, so the corresponding settings can be found in the “Power Options” section of the system Control Panel.

We have already discussed how to open the Control Panel in Windows 10 Creators Update. The most convenient way is to use the search bar on the taskbar, where you just need to type “Control Panel”, in which go to the “Power Options” section (if the category display mode is turned on, then first You must click on “Hardware and Sound”). In the window that opens, go to the settings of the desired power supply scheme.

On the next screen, you need to click on the “Change” item additional options nutrition."

A new window will open with full list additional parameters, in which you need to find the item USB Options > Temporarily Disable USB Port Option and set the value "Forbidden", then click OK to save the changes. The function is turned back on in the same way.

It is worth noting that the above example is not a panacea for all possible problems, related to the operation of USB devices, the reasons can be very different, but nevertheless it can help in situations where the problem is related to the operation of this function.

Reply from GENNADY GURIN[guru]
Option 1. Changing BIOS settings: 1) During boot time, go to the BIOS (to do this, press the Delete key after the computer starts booting) 2) In the BIOS, go to the Power tab 3) Try changing the value of the Suspend Mode (Auto, S1 (POS) Only) parameter , S3 Only) names may differ, look for similar ones with the meanings S1, S3. 4) Also try enabling/disabling ACPI 2.0 Support → EnabledDisabled Option 2. Prohibiting wake-up from sleep mode using a USB mouse or USB keyboard. Some USB devices do not support sleep correctly Windows mode. The two main devices with which you can wake up from sleep mode are the keyboard and mouse. One of them may be blocking your exit, in which case it should simply be prohibited from doing so. Attention: Do not disable the keyboard and mouse at the same time, otherwise you will not be able to exit it. 1) Launch Device Manager. To do this, go to Start → Run (or Win + R) → devmgmt.msc → OK 2) In Device Manager, expand Mice and other pointing devices or Keyboards 3) Right-click on the USB mouse or USB keyboard and select Properties . 4) Open the Power Management tab. 5) Uncheck Allow this device to wake the computer from sleep mode and click OK. Option 3: Disable sleep/standby mode. 1) Go to Start → Run (Win + R) → powercfg.cpl → OK 2) Select the item Setting sleep mode on the left 3) Set both parameters: Turn off the display and Put the computer into sleep mode, the value is Never. You can also disable the sleep function. Select "Change advanced power settings." Find the Sleep mode in the window, expand Sleep after and set the value of the parameters there to Never If, despite what has been done above, the computer still continues to turn off, then you need to perform some more actions: 4) Download the reg file PowerSettings.reg and apply it. 5) Open the Sleep tab 6) Set the following values ​​for the parameters by opening their tabs: 6.1) Sleep after - value equal to 0, it is identical to the Never value 6.2) Allow the policy required by the system - value Yes (this will prevent automatic transition to standby mode) 6.3) Allow wake timers - Enable (allows you to automatically wake the computer from sleep mode using specified events) 7) If you have one of USB devices for example a mouse, and the second a PS/2 keyboard, then you can disconnect the USB port while the sleep mode is running. Open the USB Settings tab, and in it the tab Option to temporarily disable the USB port and set the value to Allowed. 8) Click OK

If you encounter a situation where your computer stops responding to commands entered using a connected USB keyboards or mouse, check parameters USB in settings power plan. Sometimes Windows Maybe turn offUSB devices during downtime, which contributes computer energy saving, but not always justified and convenient in terms of work.
Prevent temporary shutdown USB ports, if you are faced with a similar situation, in power plan should be changed power settings. To do this, click the "Start" button and in the "Search programs and files" field, enter the word "Power Options" and press "Enter". The "Power Options" icon will appear, click on it with the left mouse button.

Open power plans You can also from the control panel by going to it in a way convenient for you and, if necessary, switching to the “Small Icons” view mode and selecting the “Power Options” item.

The "Select a power plan" window will open, in which, opposite current energy saving plan Click "Set up power plan".

In the next step, click "Change advanced power settings."

In the window that opens, find the item “USB Settings” and first expand it, and then “Option to temporarily disable USB port” by clicking on +.

Click Allowed and a drop-down panel will appear with options to choose from. There are only two of them, select “Prohibited”.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to turn off USB ports on a computer or laptop to limit access by connecting flash drives, hard drives and other USB devices. Disabling USB ports will help prevent the connection of any drives that could be used for theft important information or cause your computer to become infected with a virus and spread harmful software By local network.

Restricting access to USB ports

Let's consider 7 ways, with which you can block USB ports:

1. Disabling USB through BIOS settings
2. Changing registry settings for USB devices
3. Disabling USB ports in Device Manager
4. Uninstalling USB controller drivers
5. Using Microsoft Fix It 50061
6. Usage additional programs
7. Physically disconnecting USB ports

1. Disabling USB ports through BIOS settings

1. Sign in BIOS settings.
2. Disable all items related to the USB controller (for example, USB Controller or Legacy USB Support).
3. After you have made these changes, you need to save the settings and exit the BIOS. This is usually done using the key F10.
4. Restart your computer and make sure the USB ports are disabled.

2. Enable and Disable USB Drives Using Registry Editor

If disabling via BIOS does not suit you, you can block access directly in the Windows OS itself using the registry.

The instructions below allow you to block access to various USB drives (for example flash drives), but other devices such as keyboards, mice, printers, scanners will still work.

1. Open the Start menu -> Run, enter the command " regedit" and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
2. Continue to next section
   

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR

3. On the right side of the window, find the item “ Start” and double-click on it to edit. Enter the value " 4 » to block access to USB storage devices. Accordingly, if you enter the value again “ 3 ", access will be reopened.

Click OK, close Registry Editor, and restart your computer.

The above method only works when installed driver USB controller. If for security reasons the driver has not been installed, the "Start" parameter value may be automatically reset to "3" when the user connects USB drive and Windows will install the driver.

3. Disable USB ports in Device Manager

1. Right-click on the " Computer» and select in context menu"Properties" item. A window will open on the left side of which you need to click on the link “ device Manager».
2. In the device manager tree, find the item " USB controllers" and open it.
3. Disable controllers by right-clicking and selecting the "Disable" menu item.

This method doesn't always work. In the example shown in the figure above, disabling the controllers (the first 2 points) did not lead to the desired result. Disabling the 3rd option (USB Mass Storage Device) worked, but this only allows you to disable a single instance of the USB storage device.

4. Removing USB controller drivers

Alternatively, to disable the ports, you can simply uninstall the USB controller driver. But the disadvantage of this method is that when the user connects a USB drive, Windows will check for drivers and, if they are missing, will offer to install the driver. This in turn will allow access to the USB device.

5. Prevent users from connecting USB storage devices using a Microsoft application

Another way to deny access to USB drives is to use Microsoft Fix It 50061(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823732/ru - the link may open near the mituta). The essence of this method is that 2 conditions for solving the problem are considered:

• The USB drive has not yet been installed on the computer
• The USB device is already connected to the computer

Within the scope of this article, we will not consider this method in detail, especially since you can study it in detail on the Microsoft website using the link given above.

It should also be taken into account that this method Not suitable for all versions of Windows OS.

6. Using programs to disable/enable access to USB storage devices

There are many programs for setting a ban on access to USB ports. Let's consider one of them - the program USB Drive Disabler.

The program has a simple set of settings that allow you to deny/allow access to certain drives. USB Drive Disabler also allows you to configure alerts and access levels.

7. Disconnecting USB from the motherboard

Although physically disconnecting USB ports on motherboard is an almost impossible task, you can disable the ports located on the front or top of the computer case by disconnecting the cable going to the motherboard. This method will not completely block access to USB ports, but will reduce the likelihood of using drives inexperienced users and those who are simply too lazy to connect devices to the back of the system unit.

! Addition

Denying access to removable media through the Group Policy Editor

In modern Windows versions it is possible to restrict access to removable storage devices (including USB drives) using the local editor group policy.

1. Run gpedit.msc through the Run window (Win + R).
2. Go to the next branch " Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Access to Removable Storage Devices»
3. On the right side of the screen, find the “Removable drives: Deny read” option.
4. Activate this option ("Enable" position).

This section Local Group Policy allows you to configure read, write, and execute access for different classes of removable media.