Some USB devices not recognized without absurd workaround

I have a Vostro 7510 and usually USB devices work okay, but I have 2 very important USB devices that have a strange recognition issue. One is a USB clip-on microphone, the other is a label printer that connects through the USB port. Both of these devices were recognized, driver installed, and worked fine initially. But then both succumbed to a strange affliction where they are not recognized by the system (no acknowledgement in device manager or anywhere) when they are plugged in, until the relevant Windows troubleshooter is run!

For example, this is my workflow for using the label printer:

- Start label printing software and plug in printer. Software says printer is disconnected.

- Start Windows printer troubleshooter. Wait for it to finish. Troubleshooter says that no problems were found.

- Unplug label printer

- Plug in label printer

Now the software says the printer is connected and I can print labels. However, the next time I have to print labels, if I've unplugged the label printer in the meantime, I have to run the troubleshooter all over again. It's never a permanent fix.

It's a similar workflow for the USB microphone.

I've tried many solutions, like deleting and re-installing the drivers, etc etc etc. to no avail. If this only happened with one USB device, I'd maybe chalk it up to quirky hardware, but it's now happening on two unrelated devices.

What could the troubleshooter be doing? and how can I make its fix permanent?