Windows registry

Windows registry

The Windows registry is a database which stores settings for the operating system. The relevant aspect of the Windows registry in regard to USB development is the fact that Windows stores information about connected USB devices into the registry. Normally Windows stores the Vendor and Product ID pair together with the USB configuration of that particular device in the registry. During USB development this can have negative effects because, if you, the developer, change the USB configuration of a device Windows will still have the old USB configuration saved in the registry. While the USB device is functioning perfectly fine the old registry entry can result in the device not being properly recognized by Windows.

This issue is especially prevalent when developing an USB Audio device USB_Audio#Audio_class_issues_on_Windows.

Cleaning the Windows registry

Easiest is to use a tool such as Uwe Sieber's "Device Cleanup Tool": https://www.uwe-sieber.de/misc_tools_e.html This tool allows any not connected devices to be removed from the registry.

Alternatively the registry can be cleaned by hand using the Windows registry editor.