How to Clear Registry Entries of USB Equipment or Plugins on a Windows PC

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How to Clear Registry Entries of USB Equipment or Plugins on a Windows PC
How to Clear Registry Entries of USB Equipment or Plugins on a Windows PC

Video: How to Clear Registry Entries of USB Equipment or Plugins on a Windows PC

Video: How to Clear Registry Entries of USB Equipment or Plugins on a Windows PC
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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

Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 1
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 1

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.

Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 2
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 2

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

Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 3
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 3

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.

Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 4
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 4

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.
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 5
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 5

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.

Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 6
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 6

Step 6. Click the Options menu

This menu is at the top of the application window.

Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 7
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 7

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.
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 8
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 8

Step 8. Right-click the USB device and select Uninstall Selected Devices

A confirmation message will be displayed.

Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 9
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 9

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.

Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 10
Clear the Record of USB Plug in Equipment Step 10

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.

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