How to diagnose random device disconnected sound on Windows 10

Windows plays a specific sound when you disconnect hardware from your system. This sound plays if the hardware is properly stopped and disconnected, or if it is simply removed without warning. In some cases, e.g., with phones or external drives, you might see a message telling you a device was removed but that mostly happens when a device is properly disconnected. If you hear a random device disconnected sound on your PC, you’re likely wondering what’s disconnected.

A simple way to diagnose a random device disconnected sound on Windows 10 is to monitor your PC for connected devices. The easiest way to do this is to use USBDeview.

Random device disconnected sound

Download and run USBDeview. It has multiple columns and the one you need to keep an eye on is the ‘Connected’ column. Click the title of this column once and all disconnected devices will be sorted to the top. Click it one more time and all the connected devices will be sorted with connected devices at the top.

Let this app run. Minimize it or if you have another monitor, move the window there. Wait until you hear the sound again and then visit this app. The device that just disconnected will be at the top.

What now?

The device that is disconnecting may be an ‘internal’ one i.e., one that’s connected to an internal USB port. Those do exist and they’re normally used to connected hardware such as a webcam though it could be some other internal device. The app will tell you what it is.

The disconnection may be a result of different things. USB devices, if they tend to overdraw power, are shut down by the system. More precisely, the port is disconnected to avoid any serious hardware failure. It might be a one time thing but if it keeps happening and it’s always the same device, you should have someone look at it.

It’s possible there’s something wrong with the port, or the device. Make sure you’re not running any apps that change how power is managed on your system. If you’ve overclocked a component on your system, it might also be creating problems.

On an optimistic note, it’s possible the internal port has just come loose. It’s a simple fix and there isn’t much broken however, you will need to open up your system to fix it. If you’ve never tinkered with hardware, you will have to have a professional take a look at it.