System Doesn't Load/Install USB Drivers Prior to Logon?
I'm not sure if this is a security feature of Win 7 or not so I apologize if this is the wrong forum. The 'Hardware Compatibility' forum doesn't make sense for this problem, and 'Installation, Setup & Deployment' is also iffy as this problem isn't specific/unique to the actual installation and setup of Win 7 or our deployment process. We've noticed something interesting after getting Windows 7 installed on a number of machines we're testing: If we boot up a machine and get to the login screen then plugin a USB mouse, the system doesn't detect the hardware or perhaps more accurately, doesn't install/load the drivers for said device. If we plugin a USB mouse to a machine that's currently off then boot, the same happens. The USB ports work fine: The device is getting power (optical light is on), and if we login, once we get to the desktop, Windows begins its hardware detection and it loads the driver. Is this a new security feature? Is this something that can be adjusted via GPO?
October 29th, 2010 3:20pm

I have tons of USB gear, and on my rig the USB keyboard and mouse work fine even when I am still not logged in. This suggests you have some deeper issue with you machine. Can you post machine specifics please. Now I have USB sticks, but they will not be accessible until after you log on. Elected! Your votes and support have got me my 2010 MVP! Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
October 30th, 2010 12:45pm

Thanks for the response Vegan Fanatic. You're absolutely correct in that there very well may be a deeper issue! Its figuring out what that issue might be and developing a troubleshooting process to eliminate what it isn't causing the problem that I find tricky! I'm going to step through some processes today but ultimately this is going to be [very] time consuming because I only have 4 different types of mice, and even less keyboards; You see, once the machine has detected that specific hardware, it works moving forward at the login screen. At that point the machine is 'tainted' so I have to reinstall Win 7 and pick up from that point & continue. (Unless you know of a way to remove the device ID's and associated INF's from the system to 'undo' the process that takes place when you plug-in new [USB] hardware .) I could stand up a VM, but I don't believe that's going to be 100% accurate; the findings there may be different than physical machines. That's the way to cookie crumbles I suppose. So far I've been able to determine the following Its not unique to one machine type (desktop vs laptops). We have Dell Optiplexes 755 & 760 as well as Latitude E4300 and E6400 all of which exhibit this behavior. We noticed this on the laptops when they were docked in the Dell docking station with USB keyboards & mice attached while at the login screen. And as for the desktops, as I mentioned, they were booted up and once at the login screen we plugged in some keyboards & mice and they didn't work. Fresh install of Windows works fine at the login screen It does not apper related to whether or not the machine is joined to the domain (works post domain join) It does not appear to be GPO related (It was in 1 OU with 1 GPO, then I moved it to another that has several GPO's and it continues to work) All of this suggests the problem has more to do with something about how the machine was built, the software that's been installed, or some combination of both. All machines are running Win 7 Enterprise (x86), and are fairly robust machines: between 2.4GHz and 3.0GHz with 4GB of RAM and 160GB.
November 1st, 2010 9:31am

Thanks for the response Vegan Fanatic. You're absolutely correct in that there very well may be a deeper issue! Its figuring out what that issue might be and developing a troubleshooting process to eliminate what it isn't causing the problem that I find tricky! I'm going to step through some processes today but ultimately this is going to be [very] time consuming because I only have 4 different types of mice, and even less keyboards; You see, once the machine has detected that specific hardware, it works moving forward at the login screen. At that point the machine is 'tainted' so I have to reinstall Win 7 and pick up from that point & continue. (Unless you know of a way to 'undo' whatever process that takes place when you plug-in new [USB] hardware. I think devcon may be the answer...?) I could stand up a VM, but I don't believe that's going to be 100% accurate; the findings there may be different than physical machines. That's the way to cookie crumbles I suppose. So far I've been able to determine the following Its not unique to one machine type (desktop vs laptops). We have Dell Optiplexes 755 & 760 as well as Latitude E4300 and E6400 all of which exhibit this behavior. We noticed this on the laptops when they were docked in the Dell docking station with USB keyboards & mice attached while at the login screen. And as for the desktops, as I mentioned, they were booted up and once at the login screen we plugged in some keyboards & mice and they didn't work. Fresh install of Windows works fine at the login screen It does not apper related to whether or not the machine is joined to the domain (works post domain join) It does not appear to be GPO related (It was in 1 OU with 1 GPO, then I moved it to another that has several GPO's and it continues to work) All of this suggests the problem has more to do with something about how the machine was built, the software that's been installed, or some combination of both. All machines are running Win 7 Enterprise (x86), and are fairly robust machines: between 2.4GHz and 3.0GHz with 4GB of RAM and 160GB.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
November 1st, 2010 9:31am

Because of the security, USB sticks etc are not loaded until after log-in. The drivers will load, no problem, but no access until after a user logs on. Elected! Your votes and support have got me my 2010 MVP! Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
November 1st, 2010 1:51pm

This topic is archived. No further replies will be accepted.

Other recent topics Other recent topics