Sushant Mehta, Author at Drivers.com

How to fix USB tethering/ USB ports not working in Windows 10?

By Sushant Mehta on March 8, 2018

USB tethering is a great way to share your mobile data connection with other devices. It allows your laptop to connect to the Internet when there is no network connection.

Setting up USB tethering in Windows 10 is simple, but it might not always work as intended. If you are facing USB tethering issues in Windows, we recommend you try the steps set out below:

Using Device Manager to fix USB tethering issues

A corrupt Device Driver is the main reason behind USB tethering issues in Windows. You can resolve the issue by installing the latest USB Driver.

Go to desktop and click the Start button
In the search box, type device manager
Click Device Manager in the menu
In the Device Manager window, look for Network Adapters
Expand Network Adapters
Under Network Adapter, right-click Remote NDIS based Internet Sharing Device
Select Properties > Drivers
Click Update Drivers
Click Browse my computer for driver software
Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer
Uncheck the box that says Show compatible hardware
Under the Manufacturer section, select Microsoft as manufacturer
Click Remote NDIS based Internet Sharing Device
Click Next
Wait until the process completes. The Device Manager will install the correct driver from the database
Turn Off tethering and switch it On again

Solution for lag or freezing issues in USB tethering

Sometimes the Windows 10 system freezes during USB tethering or there might be a lag in the USB connection.

This issue is caused by RNDIS5 (Remote Network Driver Interface Specification driver version 5), an old device driver for Windows 10.

There is an issue where Windows 10 keeps on reverting back to this driver. The solution to this USB problem is to make Windows 10 use RNDIS 6. Remember, selecting any other driver other than RNDIS 6 will not work to resolve the issue.

If you are experiencing this problem, try the troubleshooting steps below to resolve the issue.

However, first you need to verify Windows 10 is using RNDIS5 by following steps set out below:

Go to desktop and click the Start button
In the search box, type device manager
Click Device Manager in the menu
In the Device Manager window, look for Network Adapters
Expand Network Adapters
Plug in your device and enable USB tethering so that your device is detected as a Remote NDIS based device
You will now see a new entry created under Network Adapter that is named as “[Your Device Name] Remote NDIS based [internet Sharing/network] Device.”
Right-click [Your Device Name] Remote NDIS based [internet Sharing/network] Device and select Properties
Select Driver tab
Click Driver details

You can see the driver files now. If the files are named as usb8023x.sys and rndismpx.sys, your system is using the RNDIS 5 driver. If one of the driver files is named as “rndismp6.sys”, you are using the RNDIS 6 driver.

Follow the steps given below if your system is using the RNDIS 5 driver

Click “This PC” on the desktop to open Windows Explorer
Go to C:\Windows\INF\folder
Look for the file wceisvista.inf (RNDIS5.1)

Take ownership of the file and grant yourself permissions to rename the file by performing the steps set out below:

Press the Windows key + X on the keyboard
Click the Command Prompt (Admin)
Click Yes on any Account Control messages that are displayed
Type the following commands in the Command Prompt window and press enter after each command
– takeown /f “C:\Windows\INF\wceisvista.inf”
– icacls “C:\Windows\INF\wceisvista.inf” /grant (username):F
Rename the file to anything
Open the Device Manager and go to Network Adapters
Expand Network Adapters and select Remote NDIS based internet sharing device or something similar (Note- You need to connect USB tethering device and enable tethering before performing this step)
Right-click Remote NDIS based internet sharing device and select Properties
Select the driver tab
Click Update Driver button
Select Browse my computer for driver software
Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer
Uncheck the box “show compatible hardware”
Select Microsoft then pick USBRNDIS6 Adapter (Note- In Windows 10, NDIS6 is mentioned as USBRNDIS6 Adapter)

Solution for USB ports not working

If you get the error “USB ports not working” follow these steps to fix the problem:

USB ports not working – Fix 1- Disabling and Re-enabling the USB Controller

Open Device Manager
Go to Universal Serial Bus Controllers and expand the list
Right-click on first USB Root Hub
Go to Power Management tab
Uncheck the option – Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power
Click OK

USB ports not working – Fix 2 – Updating Driver for USB Controllers

Press Windows Key + R to open Run

Type devmgmt.msc

In the Device Manager window, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers

Right-click on the first USB Controller > Update Driver Software

Select Search automatically for updated driver software

Click Next

Repeat steps 4-6 for all USB Controllers in the list

Restart computer

You can also automatically update your Drivers by using a Driver Update Tool.

Automatic driver update tools offer many benefits, the most important ones being:

You can update device drivers automatically
The software scans and updates all outdated or missing drivers at one go
The tool picks the right drivers for your device and operating system, so you won’t have to worry about installing an incorrect driver by mistake
Automatic driver updates are 100% safe

Driver Updater is one of the best driver update tools out there. Outbyte Driver Updater will give you access to a database of over 1 million drivers. It will regularly scan your PC, suggesting new driver versions to install. Driver Updater contains drivers for a variety of Windows devices. With just one click, you can update drivers in your system.

Step 1
Click here to Install and launch the app

Step 2
Scan all devices

Step 3
Install or update drivers automatically

Start Download

Can Android phones get viruses?

By Sushant Mehta on February 26, 2018

android virus Users frequently ask us if Android phones are susceptible to viruses. There is no definite answer to this question, as the susceptibility of the Android phone greatly depends on actions of the user.

Like every other Operating System, Android has security vulnerabilities for which Google offers security patches as soon as these vulnerabilities are uncovered. To understand the susceptibility factor, you need to first understand how app and the Android ecosystem work.

Apps and the Android ecosystem

Every Android app has its own UID on install. By default, the Android app does not have any rights outside of its home directory. It does not have permission to write on the screen nor does it have permission to execute itself. Android applications are required to request permissions from the user to perform other actions like read the user’s contacts, make a phone call, use Bluetooth stack, camera, or access the network. This means unless you are careless about the permissions, there is limited possibility of viruses affecting your phone. Google always recommends you download apps from trusted sources only. If you follow this very important rule, the chances of getting a virus on your phone are rare.

Android Malware – Fact or Fiction

Though it is very rare that your Android phone may get infected with a virus, the possibility can’t be ruled out completely. Android malware exists and it can affect your mobile if you are careless. There have been cases where developers have been able to get entry for their malicious apps in the Play Store, but Google has always been fast to react to apps that can potentially cause harm to Android devices.

Do you need an antivirus for an Android phone?

There are plenty of antivirus solutions for Android but how necessary are they? Security experts working at Google will say that 99% of Android users don’t need an antivirus solution because the traditional viruses don’t affect the Android platform. When we talk about virus related to Android platform, we mainly speak about malicious apps that the user chooses to download.

How to stay safe and keep your Android free from viruses?

The vast majority of Android malware is focused on stealing information, which is a major security concern for most of us. You can remain safe by always updating the app and also updating the Operating System whenever any update is available. You need to be careful while downloading apps and granting them permissions. Using open WiFi networks also pose a big risk, so it’s better you avoid them and use secure WiFi networks only. Using a VPN is a good idea to secure communication and data traffic from and to the mobile.

Windows 8.1 hidden features

By Sushant Mehta on February 24, 2018

Windows 8.1 has several useful hidden features and we have compiled a list of the top 5 features we think will make your life a bit easier while working on a PC running Windows 8.1.

Broadband tethering in Windows 8.1

We all are used to converting our mobile device into a hotspot to share the internet connection. Windows 8.1 has several mobility features but not many users know that you can share your broadband connection easily with up to 10 devices. Below are the steps you need to follow in order to do this:

Bring up the Charms bar and type Settings in Search
Click PC Settings
Go to Network > Connections
Select your mobile network from the list
Slide the Share this connection option to on position

Secret Desktop customizations

The desktop in Windows 8.1 can be highly customized to suit your needs. To see different the options in desktop customizations, follow the steps set out below:

Go to Desktop
Right-click Taskbar and select Properties
Go to the Navigation tab
Here you will find the different customizations like actions for corner navigations and a few Start screen optimizations. Some of the important customization worth mentioning are:

Bring up the charms bar when the mouse pointer is moved to the right-hand corner of the screen
Switch between recent apps by clicking at left-hand corner of the screen

All you have to do is read the customization actions carefully and tick the box beside the ones you wish to apply

Quicker Desktop shutdown in Windows 8.1

Until now you probably only used the option in the Charms bar to shut down the system. However, you can also shut down the PC without going through the Charms bar option.

To shut down the system from the desktop, right-click the Start button. It brings out a hidden Power Menu that gives you many options like Sign Out, Sleep, Shutdown, and Restart.

Quiet hours in Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 behaves like a mobile in several ways, especially in the way it displays notifications. Though quite useful, this feature can be annoying at times. You can shut down notifications from an app completely or you can prevent the display of notifications for a specific period. To set Quiet hours, follow the steps set out below:

Bring up the Charms bar and type Settings in the search box
Select Change PC Settings > Search and apps > Notifications
Scroll down and set the Quiet hours for the PC

Windows 8.1 batch editing of apps

To delete or resize apps, you probably select them individually. This can be frustrating when you want to delete or resize several live app tiles. However, you may not be aware that Windows 8.1 has a batch editing app tool. To resize or delete several app tiles at once, follow the steps set out below:

Right-click on an empty part of the Start Screen
Select Customize in the bar that appears in the lower part of the screen
Now you can select any number apps for batch editing or removal
After selecting, select the desired action you want to perform – Uninstall, Resize, Turn live screen off or Unpin from Start Menu

Feel free to post any other useful features you have found in the comments section below.