Windows XP, how to clean register from unused USB devices?

[DiTBho]

so, I have to use a USB-sniffer on a Windows XP machine in order to understand how an abandoned USB device works.
But before attaching the USB-sniffer I need to clean out all the unused but registered USB-devices.


The list is toooooooooooooooooooo long. You attache an iPod? Windows XP registers its VID:PID somewhere.

How to clean? 

[Ian.M]

Nirsoft USBDeview
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html
You can sort by connected status, then select multiple devices by shift or ctrl clicking and bulk uninstall them.

[Jeroen3]

There exists GhostBuster to delete all unplugged USB devices.
https://bitbucket.org/wvd-vegt/ghostbuster/src/master/

Especially helpful when you've run out of all 256 COM ports.

[fordem]

At a command prompt enter the following line

set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
devmgmt.msc

The device manager applet will open, click the view menu tab and select show hidden devices.
Scroll down to the USB devices and delete anything/everything that has been "greyed out"