X201 will not recognize any USB device anymore

[goldberg]

Hi guys,
my Thinkpad X201 will not recognize any USB device, it has Windows 10 on and every time I connect a USB device will tell "USB device not recognized".

It started to have this problem suddenly. I use it mainly to record so I need the USB to work to connect the audio interface, I am a conservatory student and I need this laptop to work (I don't have any money right now to spend on another laptop).

What do you think is the problem? How to solve it?

Thank you.

[dr_st]

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear about your trouble.

You can start by determining whether it is a hardware or a software failure: do USB devices get recognized in the BIOS? If so, can you boot a live Linux image off a flash drive and see how that one behaves?

[goldberg]

Thank you so much for your answer!

I tried to boot from an Ubuntu live usb stick and it didn't work, it didn't see anything from the BIOS and I could not choose it as a startup device.

Isn't it strange though that it will "sense" that a USB stick is in when I am in Windows 10, though it will say the message "USB device not recognized".

Do you think it is a hardware failure?

I have an another old X201, do you think I can use it to replace something USB related that could solve the problem?

Thanks for your help.

[dr_st]

If the drive does not even show in the BIOS bootable devices menu, then it could very well be a hardware fault.

Is the problem specific to storage devices? Do simple things like mouse / keyboard work?

Is the problem with all USB ports? If so, then it is likely to be a motherboard issue, and would require that to be replaced in full...

[goldberg]

Yes, unfortunately every USB port is not working.

And no, even simple things as the external mouse and keyboard aren't working.

Thanks anyhow

[benlimanto]

By any chance, do you spill any water or fluid to the X201 in the past? I just hope it's possible to desolder and resolder the pin... If not, then, it's time to move on.

[goldberg]

I bought the x201 used on the bay, so it is possible that water was spilled on it.

Do you know what pin should I resolder? Do you have any resources?

I have soldering skills as I make my own special cables as a musician...

Thanks!

[TPFanatic]

Long shot here. If you go into BIOS and under security, i/o ports, are the USB ports enabled?

[goldberg]

Long shot here. If you go into BIOS and under security, i/o ports, are the USB ports enabled?

The problem is the BIOS has a supervisor password, so I can't access it
do you know if there is a standard password for this?

[TPFanatic]

No such luck, and I don't believe we are allowed to discuss removing the password on this forum. That said, I wouldn't rely on a ThinkPad BIOS password to protect my data.

[RealBlackStuff]

Did you check the Device Manager if the USB-drivers are OK or not?

You can remove the password from that X201 using e.g. this Youtube from one of our Forum members.
The above will work on most older Thinkpads up to, and including xx30 Series from 2013.

[xannnnnayz]

It was somewhat mentioned above, but here's a little more detail for you to help troubleshoot. Are all USB ports dead running a linux distro? If not, continue reading...

I had this 2TB storage that was giving me issues off and on in Windows, it would give that "device not recognized" error. But after checking that it still worked fine on all ports in linux, I just went back into Windows > Storage Management > selected the device and gave it a new drive name (D:\, F:\ pick your poison). Problem solved.