Is your Linux HDD USB port not working and causing a problem? Are you using Ubuntu operating system and the software can not detect the USB port as well? In this short guide, we’ll let you in on a few hacks to fix the HDD USB issues.
It can be frustrating when you hook up your USB keyboard, USB HDD, mouse, or flash drive to your Linux PC and can’t use them. This can often prevent you from playing your favourite games and watching your favorite movies. Now, a thousand questions are probably flooding your mind regarding your PC compatibility.
Similarly, if you are using a USB dongle to connect media players, phones, HDDs, and other devices, it gives you leverage to enhance existing computing abilities. However, if something is wrong with your USB device or port, nothing will work on your Linux system unless you opt for a wired solution.
How do I find my USB drive on Ubuntu?
To fix the HDD USB port issue on your Linux PC, first, you have to check whether the system is detecting the USB device. To do this:
- Disconnect the HDD USB and open a terminal window
- Run the “lsusb” command and note down the results
- Now connect the HDD USB and run the lsusb command again
- Verify that you see an extra device BUS, device, and USB ID along with the description
- If you don’t see HDD USB, run “dmesg | less” command or “usb-devices” command
If you still can’t see your HDD USB, it may mean that the USB port is damaged or the USB device is faulty.
Why is my USB external hard drive not showing up?
If your HDD USB is not working on Linux, it can be due to the following reasons.
- HDD USB is faulty and can not be detectable by your PC
- The USB port in your PC is damaged
- The Linux operating software is corrupted and needs to be reinstalled
- HDD USB drivers are not compatible with Linux operating system
How to check the USB port on Linux?
As mentioned above, if you can not see your HDD USB device on Linux, it’s possible that your USB port is malfunctioning. To confirm this, insert your HDD USB in another USB port on your PC. If you can see the HDD USB device this time, it means that there is a problem with the other USB port.
If your PC has only one USB port, try to connect your HDD USB to another computer to confirm the USB port malfunction on your PC. This method of checking is ideal. However, some USB devices do not work on Linux as they can on Windows or macOS. But sometimes the windows operating system also has issues with its ports and applications. Therefore, you need to check your HDD USB on another PC that is running Linux.
How do I fix USB ports in Linux?
To fix the Linux HDD USB port not working problem, try these troubleshooting methods.
Check for broken USB hardware
If your HDD USB is not showing up on your Linux system, you may need to return the faulty HDD USB device or repair the USB port on your PC.
First, check for physical damage to the USB port. If you know the DIY process, you can easily solder the loose USB port back. Furthermore, clean any debris formation in and around the USB port area. Now connect your HDD USB to the port again. This time the USB device should work. Otherwise, replace the HDD USB and try again.
Restart Linux and disable autosuspend
Sometimes, using Linux on a laptop affects the performance of USB device detection capabilities due to power issues. The Autosuspend feature in Linux suspends USB devices when the device is not in use. To check if this feature is the cause of the HDD USB detection issue, reboot your Linux PC and then disable autosuspend.
- On Ubuntu, open a terminal and enter “udisksctl power-off -b /dev/sdX” command
- Try this command “cat /sys/module/usbcore/parameters/autosuspend” if you are using an older Ubunto version
- If you see a return value of 2, it means autosuspend is enabled
- To disable it, run “sudo nano /etc/default/grub” command and look for “GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash””
- Change the entry to “GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash usbcore.autosuspend=-1”
- Next, press CTRL + X to save changes and exit from the terminal
- Now open a new terminal and update Grub by running “sudo update-grub” command
- When the update completes, restart Ubuntu
- After the reboot is done, log in to your account and run the autosuspend cat command again
- Verify that this time you see the return value of 1 which confirms that the autosuspend option is now disabled
- Insert the HDD USB in your USB port and see if the device is working properly
Conclusion
Diagnosing the Linux HDD USB port not working problem is a little trickier than Windows and MAC systems. We hope that you’ll be able to fix the issue using different troubleshooting steps in this article. If the issue persists, make sure that the HDD USB device driver is available in Linus OS via Kernel. Otherwise, contact your HDD USB manufacturer to supply you with a Linux USB driver.
