08-04-2021

USB Device With DFU Capabilities Driver



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  1. Cannot Open Dfu Device
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  4. Usb Device With Dfu Capabilities Drivers

I'm pretty happy with Windows 10 as my primary development box. It can do most anything I want, run a half-dozen Linuxes, and has a shiny new open source Terminal, and has great support for Docker now.

Check Device Manager to see if the Apple Mobile Device USB driver is installed. Follow these steps to open Device Manager: Press the Windows and R key on your keyboard to open the Run command. In the Run window, enter devmgmt.msc, then click OK. Device Manager should open. Locate and expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section. This topic describes the device capabilities that are required for a Windows app that uses the Windows.Devices.Usb namespace. USB device capability usage Your USB app must include certain device capabilities in its App package manifest to specify key information about the device.

USB Device With DFU Capabilities Driver

However.

For years - YEARS I SAY - Windows has been a huge hassle when you want to flash the firmware of various devices over USB.

The term 'dfu' means Device Firmware Update and dfu-util is the Device Firmware Update Utility, natch.

Very often I'll find myself with a device like a Particle Photon, Wilderness Labs Meadow, or some STM32 device that uses the ST Bootloader.

The Mac and Linux instructions usually say something like 'plug it in and party on' but folks like myself with Windows have to set up a WinUSB Driver (libusb-win32 or libusbK) as dfu-util uses those libraries to speak to USB devices.

If you plug in a device, the vast majority of Windows users want the device to 'just work.' My non-technical parent doesn't want Generic USB drivers so they can flash the firmware on their mouse. I, however, as an aristocrat, sometimes want to do low-level stuff and flash an OS on a Microcontroller.

Today, the easiest way to swap the 'inbox' driver with WinUSB is using a utility called Zadig. Per their docs:

Zadig is a Windows application that installs generic USB drivers,
such as WinUSB, libusb-win32/libusb0.sys or libusbK, to help you access USB devices.

USB Device With DFU Capabilities Driver

It can be especially useful for cases where:

  • you want to access a device using a libusb-based application
  • you want to upgrade a generic USB driver
  • you want to access a device using WinUSB

If you follow the instructions when flashing a device and don't have the right USB driver installed you'll likely get an error like this:

That's not a lot to go on. The issue is that the default 'inbox' driver that Windows uses for devices like this isn't set up for Generic USB access with libraries like 'libusb.'

Install a generic USB driver for your device - WinUSB using Zadig

Run Zadig and click Options | List All Devices.

Here you can see me finding the ST device within Zadig and replacing the driver with WinUSB. In my case the device was listened under STM32 Bootloader. Be aware that you can mess up your system if you select something like your WebCam instead of the hardware device you mean to select.

In this state, you can see in the Device Manager that there's an 'STM Device in DFU Mode.'

Now I run Zadig and replace the driver with WinUSB. Here's the result. Note the SUCCESS and the changed Driver on the left.

Here the STM32 Bootloader device now exists in Universal Serial Bus Devices in Device Manager.

Now I can run dfu-util --list again. Note the before and after in the screenshot below. I run dfu-util --list and it finds nothing. I replace the bootloader with the generic WinUSB driver and run dfu-util again and it finds the devices.

At this point I can follow along and flash my devices per whatever instructions my manufacturer/project/boardmaker intends.

NOTE: When using dfu-util on Windows, I recommend you either be smart about your PATH and add dfu-util, or better yet, make sure the dfu-util.exe and libusb.dlls are local to your firmware so there's no confusion about what libraries are being used.

I'd love to see this extra step in Windows removed, but for now, I hope this write up makes it clearer and helps the lone Googler who finds this post.

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About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.


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If your computer doesn't recognize your connected device, you might see an unknown error or a '0xE' error. If you do, follow these steps and try to connect your device again after each step:

  1. Make sure that your iOS or iPadOS device is unlocked and on the Home screen.
  2. Check that you have the latest software on your Mac or Windows PC. If you're using iTunes, make sure you have the latest version.
  3. Make sure that your device is turned on.
  4. If you see a Trust this Computer alert, unlock your device and tap Trust.
  5. Unplug all USB accessories from your computer except for your device. Try each USB port to see if one works. Then try a different Apple USB cable.*
  6. Restart your computer.
  7. Restart your device:
  8. Try connecting your device to another computer. If you have the same issue on another computer, contact Apple Support.

For more help, follow the steps below for your Mac or Windows PC.

USB Device With DFU Capabilities Driver


* Learn how to connect iPad Pro (11-inch) or iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) to your computer.

If you use a Mac

  1. Connect your iOS or iPadOS device and make sure that it's unlocked and on the Home screen.
  2. On your Mac, hold down the Option key, click the Apple menu, and choose System Information or System Report.
  3. From the list on the left, select USB.
  4. If you see your iPhone, iPad, or iPod under USB Device Tree, get the latest macOS or install the latest updates. If you don't see your device or still need help, contact Apple Support.

If you use a Windows PC

The steps differ depending on if you downloaded iTunes from the Microsoft Store or from Apple.

If you downloaded iTunes from the Microsoft Store

Follow these steps to reinstall the Apple Mobile Device USB driver:

  1. Disconnect your device from your computer.
  2. Unlock your iOS or iPadOS device and go to the Home screen. Then reconnect your device. If iTunes opens, close it.
  3. Click and hold (or right-click) the Start button, then choose Device Manager.
  4. Locate and expand the Portable Devices section.
  5. Look for your connected device (such as Apple iPhone), then right-click on the device name and choose Update driver.
  6. Select 'Search automatically for updated driver software.'
  7. After the software installs, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and verify that no other updates are available.
  8. Open iTunes.

If you downloaded iTunes from Apple

Cannot Open Dfu Device

Follow these steps to reinstall the Apple Mobile Device USB driver:

  1. Disconnect your device from your computer.
  2. Unlock your iOS or iPadOS device and go to the Home screen. Then reconnect your device. If iTunes opens, close it.
  3. Press the Windows and R key on your keyboard to open the Run command.
  4. In the Run window, enter:
    %ProgramFiles%Common FilesAppleMobile Device SupportDrivers
  5. Click OK.
  6. Right-click on the usbaapl64.inf or usbaapl.inf file and choose Install.
    You might see other files that start with usbaapl64 or usbaapl. Make sure to install the file that ends in .inf. If you’re not sure which file to install, right-click a blank area in the File Explorer Window, click View, then click Details to find the correct file type. You want to install the Setup Information file.
  7. Disconnect your device from your computer, then restart your computer.
  8. Reconnect your device and open iTunes.

If your device still isn't recognized

Check Device Manager to see if the Apple Mobile Device USB driver is installed. Follow these steps to open Device Manager:

  1. Press the Windows and R key on your keyboard to open the Run command.
  2. In the Run window, enter devmgmt.msc, then click OK. Device Manager should open.
  3. Locate and expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section.
  4. Look for the Apple Mobile Device USB driver.

If you don't see the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver or you see Unknown Device:

Apple Mobile Device Dfu Driver

  • Connect your device to your computer with a different USB cable.
  • Connect your device to a different computer. If you have the same issue on another computer, contact Apple Support.

If you see the Apple Mobile Device USB driver with an error symbol:

Camera Dfu Device

If you see , , or next to the Apple Mobile Device USB driver, follow these steps:

Usb Device With Dfu Capabilities Drivers

  1. Restart the Apple Mobile Device Service.
  2. Check for and resolve issues with third-party security software, then restart your computer.
  3. Try to install the usbaapl64.inf or usbaapl.inf file again.