Users of stationary computers and laptops from time to time encounter all sorts of problems, and most of them can be dealt with on their own, which almost every owner of the device is already used to doing. Errors and failures reported by the system can manifest themselves for different reasons and in different scenarios, so the first thing to do is to find out why the problem occurred.
One of the frequent problems encountered when connecting a USB device to a computer is the appearance in the tray of the notification “This device may work faster …”, hinting at the fact that you either connected to an outdated version port, or there were difficulties with the operation of the connector, and it does not work in the desired mode. What is the reason for the appearance of such a message and how to fix the situation, we will figure it out.
Older USB types
Old computers and laptops may not support the USB 3.0 specification, then when connecting a USB 3.0 device to a 2.0 connector, you can not count on the declared speed, since such a connection uses the capabilities that the earlier version is capable of offering. There are many differences between the generations of technology, for the most part it is about performance and technical implementation, because USB 3.0, although backward compatible with version 2.0, functions under the condition that the performance is limited by the outdated standard.
The message “This device can work faster …” indicates that the device is capable of more, but under certain conditions, these are exactly what you need to provide (your device has a 3.0 port and the 3.0 device needs to be connected to it). That is, to get the speed that the new generation of technology provides, both the connected device and the connector must support it.
USB ports of the first generation are practically not found on devices, in 2000 the 2.0 interface appeared (speed 60 Mb / s), and although it is already outdated, it is still widespread today. With the introduction of USB 3.0 SuperSpeed in 2008, bandwidth increased to 5Gbps (nominal). The improvement of technology did not stop there. In 2013, the USB 3.1 interface appeared with a speed of up to 10 Gb / s, and in 2017 – USB 3.2 with a speed indicator of up to 20 Gb / s (over two channels of 10 Gb / s).
The 3.0 connector on devices is easy to identify visually, it is distinguished by the blue color of the connector, less often some manufacturers use red, while for the 2.0 connectors black or gray are used.
Max speed disabled in BIOS
The “This device might be faster …” notice may mean that USB 3.0 is operating in USB 2.0 mode, or for 2.0, USB is operating at 1.0. This may be due to incorrect settings in the BIOS. If the interface speed indicators are much lower than they should be, check the BIOS parameters and change them if necessary. We perform the following actions:
- We reboot the device and go to the BIOS .
- Further steps will differ depending on the BIOS version. You need to find the section responsible for configuring USB ports (often this is the “Advanced” tab and the “USB Configuration” section).
- Here we find the parameters “USB0 Support” and “XHCI Hand-off” (it can also be called “XHCI Pre-Boot Mode”, “XHCI Mode” or “XHCI”, so we rely on the “XHCI” in the name).
- These parameters must be set to “Enable”. If this is not the case (“Disable” stands), change it.
The on / off controller is responsible for maintaining the interface by the motherboard. At the same time, not every BIOS version has a USB 3.0 support section, then you should look for exactly the value for XHCI. In addition to “Disable” and “Enable” on individual boards, the “XHCI” controller parameter can also have the “Auto” or “Smart Auto” values. Automatic mode, set by default, ensures that 3.0 ports function in 2.0 mode during computer boot (the system boots with its drivers), while after the OS starts, the interfaces work in USB 3.0 mode.
No USB ports
All computers and laptops operating today are equipped with USB connectors, but the availability of support for the new USB 3.0 standard, which provides high-speed information exchange, is another matter. The motherboard, even the old model, is equipped with 2.0 connectors. If in your case it turned out that this is not so, or there is 2.0, but there is only a USB 3.0 connector, and when you connect a USB flash drive, it says to you “The device can work faster …”, that is, the option of buying PCI USB 2.0 or 3.0, or both versions.
The cost of installing an external controller is several times lower than buying a new motherboard, and the process itself is quite simple. It is important to have an idea of what the slot looks like here. Before carrying out work, the computer must be completely de-energized, after which you can remove the cover of the system unit (in the case of a PC) and insert the controller into a free PCI slot. The drivers will be installed automatically.
USB 1.0 speed
If the system tells you that USB may be faster, and USB 3.0 or 2.0 is showing a speed of 1.0, and the BIOS settings are correct, the cause may be in the drivers. Usually they are installed in automatic mode, but in some cases, for example, when the OS distribution is “broken” or there are problems during the operation of the system, the driver may not be detected by Windows. Then the drivers need to be updated manually (or removed, after which the system will install them itself).
To do this, we perform the following actions:
- Go to the “Device Manager” using any method convenient for you (through the Control Panel, search, from the Start menu (Win + X) or using the Run console (Win + R) and the devmgmt.msc command).
- Open the USB Controllers branch.
- Select “Extensible host controller …” and from the context menu select the option “Update drivers” (the second solution is to use the options for removing and updating the hardware configuration).
- Choose automatic search from the options. If the drivers are not found on the network, you can manually download them from the web resource of the motherboard manufacturer (for PC) or laptop. An alternative option is to use third-party software to automatically install and update device drivers.
- Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
ADVICE. If you experience slow speed when copying multiple small files, you can zip them . The speed when transferring the archive will be much higher.
We’ve looked at several solutions to an issue where a “This device may be faster …” notification appears when a USB device is connected. Did you manage to get rid of the message and which method worked in your case? Let us know in the comments.
