Unbelievable fix for "USB device not recognized"

One day my USB stick stopped working - I tried accessing it on several different computers with no luck - "USB device not recognized".

This is what solved the problem:

- Turn the computer off INCLUDING SWITCHING OFF THE POWER SUPPLY and then turn it back on
- ???
- Profit

I don§t have any clue why this works, but it does - there are success stories all over the internet. Any ideas?