USB Devices Disconnecting Under Heavy Load on HP Omen 16

[dikirby]

During high-load activities, such as playing demanding games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, USB devices connected through a USB hub sometimes disconnect briefly but reconnect automatically. However, after about 1–2 hours of gameplay, all USB devices stop working entirely and cannot be reconnected in any way.

When this happens, in Device Manager, the devices appear as “Unknown USB Device” and cannot be recognized. The only solution is a full system restart.

My BIOS and chipset drivers are up to date. Laptop is new.

[Max3Aj]

@dikirby, Welcome to the HP Support Community – it’s great to have you here!

I appreciate you taking the time to share your question. I'm more than happy to assist with this and provide a solution that works for you.

USB disconnection issues under high system load can be frustrating, especially during gaming sessions. Since your BIOS and chipset drivers are already up to date, let’s go through a few targeted steps to help resolve this:

Check USB Hub Power Delivery

If you're using a passive USB hub (one without external power), it may not supply enough current during high GPU/CPU load. Try switching to a powered USB hub to ensure stable voltage and current delivery.

• HP recommends using powered hubs for gaming setups.

Disable USB Selective Suspend

Windows may suspend USB ports to save power, which can cause instability under load.

• Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings
• Expand USB settings > USB selective suspend setting
• Set both On battery and Plugged in to Disabled

Increase USB Port Power via Registry (Advanced)

Sometimes, Windows limits power to USB ports. You can tweak this via Registry:

• Open Registry Editor (regedit)
• Navigate to:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbhub\
• Look for DisableSelectiveSuspend and set it to 1 (create a DWORD if missing)
• Restart your system

Update Intel MEI and Thunderbolt Drivers

Even if chipset drivers are updated, Intel Management Engine Interface (MEI) and Thunderbolt drivers can affect USB stability.

• Download latest MEI and Thunderbolt drivers from HP Support: Official HP® Support

Check for Thermal Throttling or VRM Overload

Extended gaming can cause VRM heating, which may affect USB controllers on the motherboard.

• Use HWInfo64 to monitor motherboard temps and VRM sensors
• Ensure proper cooling and airflow, especially around the rear I/O area

Run HP Hardware Diagnostics

To rule out hardware faults:

• Restart and press F2 to enter HP Diagnostics
• Run System Tests > USB Test

Temporary Workaround

Until resolved, you can try:

• Plugging critical USB devices directly into laptop ports (not hub)
• Restarting Windows Explorer via Task Manager when devices disconnect (sometimes helps reinitialize USB stack)

I hope your issue is now resolved. If not, feel free to reply and we’ll continue helping until everything’s sorted!

If the post helped, please click “Accepted Solution” to help other users easily find it. And if you’d like to say thanks, just tap the “Yes” button!

Cheers,

Max3Aj

HP Support