Fix NS_E_ACTIVE_SG_DEVICE_DISCONNECTED (0XC00D1BA5)

You're streaming or recording, and suddenly the video feed goes black. The app throws up NS_E_ACTIVE_SG_DEVICE_DISCONNECTED (0XC00D1BA5). This usually happens when you're using a USB capture card (like an Elgato HD60 S+) or a webcam as the active source in OBS, Windows Camera app, or a conferencing tool like Zoom. The trigger is often a loose cable, a USB power-saving setting, or a bad hub connection – the device disconnects for a split second, and the app can't recover.

The root cause is simple: the device physically dropped off the USB bus. Windows sees it as gone, so the app loses its handle to it. Sometimes it's a driver hiccup, but 90% of the time it's a hardware connection or power management issue. The fix is to reset the device and keep it from powering down.

Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1: Reconnect the Device

Unplug the USB cable from the capture device or webcam.
Wait 10 seconds. Don't just yank it and plug it back in – give the USB port time to drain power.
Plug it back into the same port first. If that fails, try a different port.

After this, open your app and see if the error clears. Often it does, because the app re-detects the device.

Step 2: Disable USB Power Saving

This is the real fix if the disconnects happen randomly. Windows can put USB ports to sleep to save power, which kills your capture device.

Press Windows Key + X and select Device Manager.
Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
Look for USB Root Hub or Generic USB Hub entries – there might be several.
Right-click each one and choose Properties.
Go to the Power Management tab.
Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
Click OK. Repeat for all hubs.

You won't see an immediate change, but this stops future disconnects.

Step 3: Check Your USB Port and Cable

If step 2 doesn't hold, the problem might be physical.

Try a different USB port – preferably directly on the motherboard (back of the PC) rather than a front panel or hub.
Swap the USB cable for a known good one. Many capture devices use USB-C to USB-A; any cable that's damaged can cause drops.
If you're using a USB hub, even a powered one, bypass it. Plug the device directly into the computer.

Step 4: Update the Device Driver

Open Device Manager again.
Expand Cameras or Sound, video and game controllers (depending on the device).
Right-click your capture device and choose Update driver.
Select Search automatically for drivers. If Windows finds nothing, go to the manufacturer's website (like Elgato or Logitech) and download the latest driver.

Sometimes the driver gets corrupted after a Windows update. Reinstalling it clears that up.

Step 5: Close and Reopen the App

After reconnecting, completely close the app (OBS, Zoom, etc.). Don't just minimize it – use Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, find the app, and end the task. Then relaunch it. This forces the app to re-enumerate devices fresh.

If It Still Fails

You've done the steps above, but the error keeps coming back. Here's what to check next:

Try another app. Open the Windows Camera app (just search “Camera” in Start). If the camera works there, the issue is with your original software's settings.
Check the device's own software. Elgato devices often have a utility like Elgato 4K Capture Utility. Open it and see if it recognizes the device. If it doesn't, the hardware itself might be failing.
Look at power output. Laptops sometimes can't provide enough power to high-draw capture cards. If you're on a laptop, use a powered USB hub with its own AC adapter.
Check for interference. If the device disconnects only when you move the cable, the port could be cracked internally. That happens – I've seen it.

If none of that works, try the device on a completely different computer. That tells you if it's the device or your machine. If it fails everywhere, the hardware is likely toast.

One more thing: some capture devices have a known issue with USB 3.0 and certain chipsets. If your motherboard has a USB 3.2 port, try a USB 2.0 port instead (the ones that are usually black). It sounds wrong, but it works for some devices with flaky USB 3.0 controllers.

That should get you back to recording. The error is annoying, but it's almost never a software disaster – it's just a connection issue that's easy to fix once you know where to look.