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My USB ports are inoperable but I power to phone and iPod. I’ve already tried a few things with no success. What do I do?

Troubleshooting USB Ports with Device Manager
Windows Device Manager is a handy utility that may be able to help with your inoperable USB ports. To access this tool, go to Control Panel and find the Hardware and Sound section. Click on Device Manager. If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, it's faster to click Start and type Device Manager into the Search bar and then click its icon.
Go ahead and connect a USB device to one of your ports. Once connected, go to the Action menu and choose "Scan for hardware changes." The idea here is that Device Manager will detect your USB device, load the appropriate drivers, and ultimately fix itself.
If that doesn't work, and it might not, then it's time to uninstall and reinstall your USB ports. Don't worry, this is fairly easy.
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Uninstalling and Reinstalling USB Ports with Device Manager
Again, you'll want to launch Device Manager if it's not already open. Scroll down the list to Universal Serial Bus Controllers and click on it to expand the list. You should see several USB controllers in the list. One at a time, right-click each one and choose "uninstall." Next, reboot your computer. When your computer restarts, it will automatically reinstall each USB controller you previously removed. Hopefully the fresh installation files will solve the problem and your USB ports will begin working once again.
Using System Restore to Repair Inoperable USB Ports
If the problem is relatively new and your computer has System Protection turned on, you may be able to rollback your computer to an earlier state and repair your inoperable USB ports that way. System Restore points are snapshots of system settings, allowing you to set your computer to an earlier state without affecting data. However, if you use System Restore, you will need to update your antivirus program and operating system with the latest updates. Any new hardware or software installed since the restore point will also need to be reinstalled.
To use System Restore go to Start > Program Files > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. System Restore will likely show you the most current restore points available. Choose one from before the USB ports stopped functioning and then follow the prompts to restore your system. The restoration process takes a fair amount of time and requires a reboot.
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