Every time you connect a USB drive or peripheral to a Windows PC, a new entry is created in the registry to record or log the connection of that drive. While these entries will not cause problems on subsequent connections, you may need to delete them to address certain privacy concerns. This wikiHow teaches you how to use a free app called USBDeview to delete all evidence of previous USB connections.
Step
Step 1. Remove all USB drives and peripherals from the computer
If there are still drives connected to the current USB ports, keep the files open and safely remove the accessories.
Step 2. Visit
This address will take you to the USBDeview website, a free tool that allows you to review and delete all USB drive records and other peripherals from the Windows registry. This tool is recommended by Microsoft TechNet Community Support and is free to use.
USBDeview can be used on all versions of Windows, from Windows 2000 to Windows 10
Step 3. Scroll down and click Download USBDeview
If you are using a 64 bit version of Windows, click the link “ Download USBDeview for x64 systems Both links are at the bottom of the page. The ZIP file will be downloaded to your computer's main downloads storage directory.
Step 4. Extract the ZIP file
The file you need to extract is named “USBDeview.zip” (32 bit system) or “USBDeview-x64.zip” (64 bit system). To extract files:
- Open the folder containing the downloaded file (usually the “Downloads” folder).
- Right click the file and select " Extract All… ”.
- Click " Extract " Once the file has been extracted, a window with the contents of the ZIP archive will appear.
Step 5. Double-click the USBDeview.exe file
The application will be opened and a list of all USB devices that have been/already connected to the PC will be displayed.
Step 6. Click the Options menu
This menu is at the top of the application window.
Step 7. Locate the USB entry that you want to delete
It may be difficult to find entries associated with the appropriate device based on the information on the list. To get more information about an entry, double-click the entry to view its details in a new window.
- The " date " column indicates the last date the device/drive was connected to the computer. This information is useful for identifying old USB connections (eg the fast drive you used in January of last year).
- The device driver information (including the full name of the driver file) is displayed in the left column.
- Do not throw away the device that is displayed with the status “Connected”. If you see "Yes" in the "Connected" section for a particular entry, it's usually an internal device/drive, such as an input controller, audio interface, or sound module.
Step 8. Right-click the USB device and select Uninstall Selected Devices
A confirmation message will be displayed.
Step 9. Click Yes to confirm
The registry entries for the selected device will be deleted.
You may need to click again” Yes ” and/or enter an administrator password to save changes, depending on computer settings.
Step 10. Click the “Refresh” icon or press the F5 key
The “Refresh” icon (a sheet of paper with two green arrows) is in the toolbar at the top of the application window. The list will be updated so that deleted entries will no longer be displayed. Now, you can delete other entries as needed.
