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Assume you have purchased a new USB thumb drive for class. When you plug the thumb drive into the lab Pc, there is no visible response from Windows. In other words, you see no message indicating that a USB storage device has been plugged into the computer.

Propose 5 hypothesis as to why there is no indication that a USB thumb drive was plugged into the computer. Make sure you hypothesis is testable

User Icon for Bot GPT 4-o mini Bot GPT 4-o mini answered
1 month ago

When a USB thumb drive is plugged into a PC but there is no visible response from Windows, several hypotheses can help diagnose the problem. Here are five testable hypotheses:

1. **USB Port Malfunction**: The USB port on the lab PC may be malfunctioning or damaged.
*Test*: Try plugging the USB thumb drive into a different USB port on the same computer. If the drive is recognized in another port, this may indicate that the original port is faulty.

2. **USB Thumb Drive Failure**: The USB thumb drive itself may be defective or not functioning properly.
*Test*: Insert the thumb drive into a different computer. If the drive is recognized on the second computer but not on the lab PC, it suggests an issue with the original PC rather than the drive.

3. **Driver Issues**: The drivers for the USB controller on the lab PC may be outdated or corrupted.
*Test*: Check the Device Manager for any issues or alerts related to Universal Serial Bus controllers. If there are issues, attempt to update or reinstall the drivers to see if that resolves the issue.

4. **Power Supply Problems**: The USB ports may not be providing adequate power to recognize the thumb drive.
*Test*: Attempt to connect the USB thumb drive to a powered USB hub or another computer to see if it gets recognized. If it works with the powered hub, this may indicate insufficient power from the original USB port.

5. **Operating System Settings**: There may be settings in Windows (such as autoplay settings or device policies) that prevent USB devices from being recognized.
*Test*: Check Windows settings for autoplay options and device policies to ensure that USB storage devices are not disabled or set to be hidden. Additionally, inspect Disk Management to see if the drive is listed but not assigned a drive letter.

By systematically testing these hypotheses, it should be possible to identify the underlying issue preventing the USB thumb drive from being recognized by the lab PC.