Unfortunately there are times where the CAM software may stop recognizing your CAM-powered hardware. This can happen for a number of reasons including but not limited to changes in your system software, a hardware interruption, or a power state issue. Thankfully with a few simple steps, we can get the hardware recognized properly.
Is Your NZXT Device Recognized by Windows?
The best place to start is to check if the hardware is being detected by Windows itself. To do this, open the Start menu and search for “Control Panel” in the search bar and launch the application.
In the Control Panel, select “View devices and printers” or if you are in Icon view, “Devices and Printers”.
In the Devices and Printers menu, all NZXT devices connected to the PC should be listed.
- Mice, Keyboards, Capture Devices, and Audio Devices will be listed under the top “Devices” section.
- RGB and Fan Controllers (including those integrated with NZXT motherboards), USB connected Kraken coolers (X and Z series, M22), and other devices will be listed under the “Unspecified” section.
RGB and Fan Controllers, including those integrated with NZXT motherboards, will be listed as “NZXT USB Device” or "NZXT RGB Controller" for newer controllers, while Kraken coolers will show up with the names such as “Asetek USB Device”, “NZXT Kraken Device”, “NZXT KrakenZ Device”, or “NZXT KrakenX Device”.
If there are any devices listed as “Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)”, this could indicate a power state issue with the device itself. If you see any devices listed this way, see the following section for power cycling your device.
If the device is not detected at all, then the next step is to check the physical connections for the device itself.
Power Cycling Your NZXT Device
USB Device Descriptor Request Failed
In order to Power Cycle your CAM powered device, you only need to do the following steps:
- In the Device Manager or Devices and Printers menu, right-click the device and choose “Uninstall Device” (Device Manager) or “Remove Device “(Devices and Printers)”
- Shutdown the PC safely from within Windows, then unplug the computer from wall power.
- Hold the Power button on the PC for 30 seconds to drain any residual power. It is recommended to also allow the PC to sit for 5-10 minutes with the power cable disconnected to ensure any residual power is drained.
- Plug the power cable back into the PC and start the computer.
- Check the Device Manager or Devices and Printers Menu, as well as the NZXT CAM software to see if the device is detected again.
Checking NZXT Device Connections
Another common reason a device may not be detected is an issue with the physical connection to the device itself. To check this, shutdown the PC and check the connection both at the device end as well as the motherboard. If you are using an expander, splitter, or similar device between the NZXT device and the motherboard, it is recommended to connect the device directly to the motherboard in case the intermediary device is causing the detection issue. If your motherboard has multiple USB headers, try switching the device to another header to determine if the header itself has failed.
If the NZXT device still does not detect while connected to the motherboard then there may be an issue with the USB cable. If the device has a detachable USB cable, such as with the Kraken X2, X3, and Z series coolers then you can use a standard Mini USB or Micro USB cable (see the list below) to connect the device to an open USB Type-A port on the motherboard or with an external PC such as a laptop.
- NZXT Devices using Micro USB: Kraken X3 series, Kraken Z3 series, Hue+ Controller, Hue 2, Hue 2 Ambient, Grid V2, and Grid V3.
- NZXT Devices using Mini USB: Kraken X2 series, Kraken M22
If the device does not detect using an alternative cable or if the device does not have a removable USB cable (i.e. RGB & Fan Controller, Kraken X61, etc.), then this may indicate that the device itself may be defective and need to be replaced.
Kraken X Chipset Drivers
Note: These steps only apply to the following cooler models:
- Kraken X1 (X31, X41, X61)
- Kraken X2 (X42, X52, X62, X72)
- Kraken X3 (X53, X63, X73)
If your cooler is not listed above, please skip this section.
In some cases you may run into a situation where the Kraken is being detected as an “Unknown Device” in the Windows device manager or the device driver does not load properly. If you encounter this issue, you may need to manually install the chipset driver.
Extract the provided chipset driver file, then right-click the AseUSB.inf file and select “Install”. Once the driver is installed, restart your PC and confirm if the device is being detected.
My NZXT device is still not detected, what do I do?
If after following the steps above your NZXT device is still not detected, then the device itself may be at fault and needs to be replaced. For further assistance, including warranty claims and setting up an RMA for the device please reach out to our Customer Support team.
Do you have any questions not covered by this guide or need further assistance? Please feel free to reach out to our Customer Support team and one of our friendly support agents will be there to assist you.
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