I replaced the old USB guitar cable with a new one, and the problem vanished completely. My audio interface stayed connected, the recording session was saved, and I learned a valuable lesson.
I realized the refresh rate was steady—about once every second. It wasn't random; it was rhythmic. I looked down at my desk. Right next to the USB hub was my trusty old guitar. I had it plugged into a USB interface cable to record some direct demos earlier.
The list of devices would appear, vanish, appear, vanish—flickering every second or two. It was impossible to right-click on my audio interface to update the driver because the list would refresh and reset my selection before I could click anything. device manager keeps refreshing
Wait for at least 30–60 seconds to discharge the components.
Windows was just doing its job. It saw a device connecting and disconnecting, so it refreshed the Device Manager list every single time it happened. It wasn't a Windows bug; it was a hardware "chatter" caused by a dying cable. I replaced the old USB guitar cable with
Disabling specific reporting services often stops the UI loop:
Sometimes, Windows trying to report a failed device is what keeps the loop going. Press Win + R , type services.msc , and hit Enter. Locate . It wasn't random; it was rhythmic
Mice, keyboards, webcams, or external drives.
Reconnect power, turn on the computer, and check Device Manager. 3. Locate the Problem Device with USBLogView
If unplugging didn't help immediately, the device driver might be stuck in a malfunctioning state. Shut down your computer completely.
I tried the usual quick fixes: