USB Composite - Misconfigured

What model computer and operating system? You can ignore incorrect reports in Support Assist if everything works fine. It is not always accurate on laptops.

@Mary G 

Hi Mary,

I am on a Dell Latitude e7440 with Windows 10. 

I did a full diagnostics test on it from hitting F12 on startup and it said everything was fine. But each time I run a SupportAssist, it comes up with this USB composite misconfigured message.

Just don't want to leave something that could be not working correctly to end up with a bigger problem. So how would I know if it's just a false reading on SA or it's legit?

Thank you.

If the pre-Windows ePSA diagnostics passes, and there are no bangs in the Device Manager, then SA is giving you a false reading. DELL-Admin

@Mary G ???

I don't use Support Assist.

I log into Dell.com and see if there are newer drivers and install only the "Urgent" ones.

.

@nyc10036 

I already did that but I'll try again. Thanks.

Is BitLocker encryption enabled?  Note 1 in the Installation instructions is to disable BitLocker encryption. 

@TTMARK 

It appears it's set to manual.

Hi,

The system BIOS in the Latitude e7440 has an option to Enable / Disable TPM security. This option lets you control whether the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) in the system is enabled and visible to the operating system. When disabled, the BIOS will not turn on the TPM during POST. The TPM will be non-functional and invisible to the operating system. When enabled, the BIOS will turn the TPM on during POST so it can be used by the operating system.

NOTE: Default setting: Disabled

Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling USB drivers and check if the issue persists. To do that, please follow these steps:

• Right-click on the Start button and select Device Manager.
• Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
• Right-click on the first USB controller under Universal Serial Bus controllers, and then click on Uninstall to remove it.
• Repeat these steps for the entire USB controller under Universal Serial Bus controllers.
• Restart the computer. Windows will automatically scan for hardware changes and reinstall all the USB controllers that you uninstalled.

If the issue still persists, please send us a screenshot of the error message as the above one does not open up.

-Farooq

Hello - I was able to remedy this issue on my daughters Dell Latitude E5270 running Windows 10 Pro. I noticed this when the online diagnostics (enhanced run mode 40 minutes) completed with errors. Here is how I fixed it. I did not have to update the USB driver.

• Launch command windows in administrator mode.
• Type 'set_devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1'.
• Type 'start devmgmt.msc' to launch the device manager.
• On the View tab select from the drop-down 'Show hidden devices'.
• At the bottom of the device manager expand the USB ports.
• Delete all the shadow ports and devices. (Maybe old USB transceivers or Bluetooth dongles that have been removed).
• Reboot the system rerun the online diagnostics or support assistant.

Another suggestion is to have all your drivers updated from Dell's support site for your particular model. This worked for me.

@donnie66 

None of this worked for me. I couldn't even get any results from the command prompt that accepted that line you said to type.

Also, I don't know what USB devices you'd want me to remove. That seems very risky.

I am placing two images to show you. The first is the command prompt showing it won't accept your suggestion of typing that in. The second is my device manager showing you the USB devices. I can't see anything I would want to remove.

@Lorimand

There is no underscore between set and devmgr. That is why the command failed. If this typo is what I listed as one of my steps, then my apologies. Here is the correct input.

• set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1

The first input command should not result in any feedback on the screen. It is to set the mode of the Device Manager when you execute the next command. That should have launched the Device manager. Then from the View tab, you select Show Hidden Devices. If you got this far, then you are the correct path.

You see the greyed out USB Composite Devices? Those are what you want to remove. There is no risk associated with this removal. If it is an attached device, then when the device manager rescans the system, it will bring it back and load the current drivers. Mine did not do this.

Another suggestion would be while you have the device manager open in this mode. I would prune all the non-present devices that are USB related, such as USB wireless mouse/keyboard transceivers that are no longer used, that you know of.

This worked for me as I stated in my previous post. Let me how this works for you.

The errors do not pose any risk to the system or OS. All the USB devices should function as designed. I know this is just a visual nusense. 

-Don

A professional Engineer @ one of the major Semiconductor companies

@donnie66 

Hi again. Thanks for the new reply. Yes, you did have the underscore in the first post. No biggie. If you put that instruction to go through a command prompt to tell me how to get to the device manager, that's a long way of doing it. I know how to access it much more easily. Thank you for that, though. You never know what people do or don't know.

I cannot just go deleting USB devices. I am a court reporter, and my equipment is not plugged in while I'm doing this. I can't risk plugging everything in that I use for my job that took configuration from the company's manufacturers to make work correctly to find out that Windows can't do that when they get plugged in again. That would be a disaster for me.

I do use a wireless mouse every day, and I didn't even look to see what else you are suggesting I delete that is grayed out. It's way too risky for me to take that action if it's not going to be of any significance to have that error come up on SupportAssist.

I guess I will continue to just overlook that result when it appears. But I greatly appreciate all your efforts. Thanks again.

I have the same thing on Latitude E5470.

Howdy all, I know that this is an older post but I have the exact same laptop as Lorimand, a Dell Latitude E7440, and have come across the same problem with DSA detecting that my USB composite is misconfigured. Everything works fine for me as well, but this bothers me so I'm going to try and fix it.

Lorimand (or others that this may concern), you can create a system image of your laptop to get a full backup of its current state if you have external media that is the same size or larger than your hard drive. Here is a link that explains how to do that on Windows 11 and Windows 10. Click the Windows 10 tab at the top of the support article if the link doesn't automatically start you there, since as far as I'm aware, our laptop model doesn't support a Win11 upgrade.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/backup-and-restore-in-windows-352091d2-bb9d-3ea3-ed18-52ef2b88cbef#WindowsVersion=Windows_10

The system image can be used to restore your computer exactly as it was in case anything ever happens, and I recommend having two of them regardless of whether or not you intend to solve this issue/non-issue. Have one on a modern hard drive such as an SSD or SSHD, and another on an old magnetic HDD. You can even take it a step further and separate your system image across multiple CDs or DVDs for more redundancy. The ominous "they" say to store one of your backups at home for easy access, and store the other one at another location whether it be a family member's home or a safe deposit box at a bank or something. That way, in case of disaster be it a tsunami, tornado, house fire, electromagnetic pulse wave, etc., you might have a redundant backup secured elsewhere.

For the purpose of our issue, the system image will allow you restore your USB shadow devices and controllers in case you remove one that you need, and it does not automatically and correctly reinstall itself as it should upon reconnection. You stated specifically that your devices required special configuration from the company's manufacturers to work correctly, so I will presume that you have something unique going on. However, if by "the company", you mean Dell, then I assure you that the drivers and installation media for your external devices are stored within those devices themselves or came with your Windows OS. For example, plug in a USB flash drive or mouse and it will install its own drivers either stored locally on your computer already or carried with them. If these are not already stored in your Windows OS, which many of them come with, then they will come with the device themselves and automatically add themselves back. That all being said though, again, I see you specifically stated that you have custom configuration that may pertain to your job, so know that the system image backup will save and restore all of that data exactly as it is, so you can troubleshoot and experiment at will, if you will to do so.

Anyway, for those that want to try to follow Don's troubleshooting procedure; start by making a system image backup of your hard drive[s]. I did not make a fresh SysImage as I have no concern with this procedure.

From there you can uninstall the shadow USB devices one by one in Device Manager as per Don's instructions, and do a new DSA (Dell SupportAssist) Hardware Scan each time to determine which one was the problematic device. In my case, none of them are labeled specifically since my shadow devices are all removable USB flash drives, so I won't know which one may have caused this "misconfigured" label to trigger until I plug them back in and do scans, one by one. Be aware though that once you plug that device back in, it will automatically install its own driver again and the non-problem will return.

Shadow devices in this context are merely devices that are installed but not connected. Misconfigured can mean anything from "strangely configured" to "dangerous configuration", who knows? I'm no advanced user, just an intermediate. I'm going to follow Don's procedure of removing (uninstalling) each shadow device one by one as I type and will follow up in the coming paragraph to let you know if the problem persisted.

Update: The problem persists, even after uninstalling all of my hidden/shadow USB devices (which were all removable storage devices so I have no concern as they will work just fine when I plug them back in). My two USB Composite Devices are not shadow devices, and I don't really feel like making a system image right now prior to uninstalling them, restarting the PC, scanning for hardware changes, possibly having to manually reinstall drivers, etc... I might do all of that later for posterity's sake, unless I get any other recommendations to try first/instead. I did, however, disable and then re-enable them just to see and that didn't solve the USB misconfigured flag in Dell SupportAssist. I'm gonna go ahead on a limb here and just call this a total non-issue for no reason other than my USB ports work and I'm lazy tonight. Yes I know, why did I even reply? Hah!

Just wanted to say thank you to Lorimand for posting this question since I have the same laptop and issue, and thanks so much to Don for the informative process which may help others but didn't do anything for me as far as I took the procedure. I know DSA isn't perfect. When I wanted to get my Broadcom USH driver and firmware installed to get my fingerprint scanner working, DSA had no idea it wasn't working and I had to manually install the firmware and driver (Dell Data ControlVault) from the E7440 support page. Which anecdotally, multiple articles give the wrong instructions as to which to install first; install the firmware, then the driver, then run the USH update executable in the firmware. DSA did not help there either and it had to be done manually.

I will also continue to just overlook this result when it appears, and I also greatly appreciate all of everyone's efforts here. Thanks!

Amateur enthusiast,

-Gale o7