External USB Hub Insignia 4-port suddenly stopped working in Aspire A315-24P. Any suggestions?

Laptop is an Aspire A315-24P, running Win 11 25H2, although the problem started a couple of weeks ago while I was still running 24H2 which had been installed since January.

The hub itself is an Insignia 4-port USB 2.0 (model no. NS-PCH5421-C. Peripherals plugged into the port are: 1) a Logitech wireless mouse/keyboard USB 2.0 receiver; 2) an HP printer; and 3&4) two Toshiba external hard drives (used for monthly backups). The hub is plugged into one of the two USB type A ports on the laptop and has been working well for the two years I've had the laptop; also worked well for 3 years with a previous HP laptop.

Troubleshooting/fixes tried so far:

a) If I plug any of the peripherals directly into either of the two USB type A ports on the laptop, they work fine - so the peripherals themselves, their cables and the USB ports on the laptop are all individually ok.

b) I've checked the status and attempted to update the driver of any USB-related item in my Device Manager - all show "This device is working properly" and "The best drivers for your device are already installed."

c) If I connect the Toshiba drives into the hub while it is powered up, the status light on each drive briefly illuminates and then extinguishes - not sure how to interpret that. So I plugged everything into a new replacement USB hub (PrimeCables, no model no.) and the Toshiba hard drive status lights illuminate and stay on, but the laptop still doesn't recognize the hard drives, even after running "Scan for hardware changes" in Device Manager and restarting the laptop.

d) I've swapped the cables connecting the hub(s) to the laptop with ones I know are working, but no effect.

e) I've run various antivirus scans (TotalAV) and found nothing.

Unfortunately, I didn't note the exact date when the USB hub stopped working, but Windows Update history shows there was an update to a SAMSUNG USB driver (2.21.0.0) on October 6th, which is around when the hub stopped working. I'm not aware of any Samsung devices and nothing with "Samsung" appears in my Device Manager. However, there seems to be no way to easily uninstall this specific update. At the suggestion of another conversation in the Acer Community, I've since run "Administrator: Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth" and "SFC /scannow" (the latter found corrupted files during the first run and apparently corrected them - a follow up run "did not find any integrity violations") but neither of those resolved the problem.

Any suggestions of where to turn next?

[Edited the thread to add model number to the title]

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Puraw

Hi Mikeaylw

If you’ve got multiple devices connected to the NS-PCH5421-C hub—especially external HDDs or peripherals without their own power supply—this could be a power issue.

This model includes a 5V/2A AC adapter. Please connect it to ensure stable operation. Also, if your external HDD enclosures have a separate USB power cable, plug that into a dedicated charger or powered USB port. That helps prevent undervoltage and random disconnects. https://www.insigniaproducts.com/pdp/NS-PCH5421-C/6479522

Mikeaylw

Thanks Puraw. However, the power supply for the hub has always been connected as the hub wouldn't work without it. As well, the external Toshiba drives don't have their own power supply - they rely on the cable connection to the laptop or the hub for their power supply. Finally, there was no problem with the hub's operation for the prior two years it's been connected to my current Acer laptop or for the 3 years it was previously connected to the HP laptop I had before. In other words, nothing changed with respect to its power supply or to the power supply of any of the peripherals connected to it when it suddenly stopped working. The only "event" I can even remotely tie to the timing of the appearance of the problem was the Samsung USB driver update.

Puraw

Hi Mikeaylw

The key difference between your previous laptops and the Aspire A315-24P running Windows 11 25H2 is the embedded controller (EC) integration in BIOS version 1.25 (dated 2025/08/05).

This BIOS introduces new EC hooks that interact with Modern Standby and advanced power efficiency features in Windows 11. That’s a major shift compared to legacy systems.

Older USB hubs—especially those designed in the Windows XP era—may struggle with these changes. They weren’t built for low-power states, dynamic power gating, or Modern Standby compliance. You may notice intermittent disconnects or erratic behavior unless the hub is externally powered and fully enumerated before sleep transitions.

If issues persist, consider:

Using a powered USB hub with full USB 2.0 enumeration.
Disabling Modern Standby via registry or firmware (if supported).
Checking Device Manager for power management settings under USB Root Hub.

Mikeaylw

Thanks again Puraw. Again, the Insignia hub is externally powered and has always been plugged in. Moreover, up until recently, this hub worked well with Windows 11 on my Acer laptop. The hub was purchased in late 2020, so definitely not XP vintage.