When it comes to providing data about a computer’s USB mapping and all the USB devices connected to it, Windows doesn’t do a very good job. Error messages can be very cryptic when there is a problem, leaving the user at a loss for solutions. Fortunately, there are tools like UsbTreeView, an application that details the entire USB tree of the computer in a clean and simple interface, with technical details about drivers, hubs, and every USB element detected on the system.
Anyway, USB has always been a pain since the dawn of time (of computing). It's the cable that we try to plug in one way and then the other before realizing that in the end, the first way was the right one. USB also means cables galore all over the house, often of poor quality... or the problem is at the computer ports.
It's hard to know, because Windows provides far too little information about a USB-connected device, making it difficult to troubleshoot problems. That's why I wanted to introduce you to the free utility UsbTreeView, which has been around for many years and works with Windows 2000 and above.
The different types of USB ports
Before we go any further, let's do a quick reminder about the different types of USB ports. I don't know about you, but personally, I always get tangled up when it comes to differentiating between the different versions of USB ports! USB, for Universal Series Bus (Universal Serial Bus) is a universal port standard that emerged in the mid-1990s to connect peripherals to a computer.
The image below shows the different types of current USB ports (except the Lightning port created by Apple):
How to Identify USB Drivers and Devices with UsbTreeView
Completely free, UsbTreeView is a software that can be downloaded from the website of its developer, Ube Sieber. No installation is required for this portable tool, just unzip it and launch the executable (UsbTreeView.exe).
A little confusing at first glance, the interface of this tool is nevertheless very simple. In the left column of the software, you can see the complete USB structure of the computer, the type of protocol on the controllers and hubs, the connected peripherals and the available ports. These can be physical or virtual and that is why there can be many of them.
This left column names all the connected devices with names that are completely understandable to ordinary mortals!
If you click on a device, a rather impressive (if not confusing) amount of information will be displayed on the right window software. This report can be a simple summary or a real cascade of information with the maximum speeds advertised and achieved (for example, a USB 3.0 device plugged into a 2.0 port), descriptions, classes, general connection status, driver version and its path on disk, and many other details.
If you are computer savvy, this report should be a goldmine for you… if not, the left column is already very handy for identifying USB devices connected to your computer.
By the way, to help you find your way around, when you plug a device into a USB port, it will be highlighted in green for a few moments. When you unplug one, it will be highlighted in red before disappearing. It's super practical to find your way around very easily!
In this image we see that I connected my headphones box to Port 2 of my USB hub. Jabra Elite 75t.
In short, UsbTreeView is a portable and free software that has already proven itself for many years. It can be very useful if you have problems with your USB devices!
