diff --git a/src/calibre/devices/interface.py b/src/calibre/devices/interface.py
index fbdcbed564..1336e3c782 100644
--- a/src/calibre/devices/interface.py
+++ b/src/calibre/devices/interface.py
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ class DevicePlugin(Plugin):
         """
         raise NotImplementedError()
 
-    def can_handle_windows(self, device_id, debug=False):
+    def can_handle_windows(self, usbdevice, debug=False):
         '''
         Optional method to perform further checks on a device to see if this driver
         is capable of handling it. If it is not it should return False. This method
@@ -237,15 +237,17 @@ class DevicePlugin(Plugin):
         returns True. This method is called only on windows. See also
         :meth:`can_handle`.
 
-        :param device_info: On windows a device ID string. On Unix a tuple of
-                            ``(vendor_id, product_id, bcd)``.
+        Note that for devices based on USBMS this method by default delegates
+        to :meth:`can_handle`.  So you only need to override :meth:`can_handle`
+        in your subclass of USBMS.
 
+        :param usbdevice: A usbdevice as returned by :func:`calibre.devices.winusb.scan_usb_devices`
         '''
         return True
 
     def can_handle(self, device_info, debug=False):
         '''
-        Unix version of :meth:`can_handle_windows`
+        Unix version of :meth:`can_handle_windows`.
 
         :param device_info: Is a tuple of (vid, pid, bcd, manufacturer, product,
                             serial number)
diff --git a/src/calibre/devices/usbms/device.py b/src/calibre/devices/usbms/device.py
index 0e4d47e885..46b8974165 100644
--- a/src/calibre/devices/usbms/device.py
+++ b/src/calibre/devices/usbms/device.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ device. This class handles device detection.
 
 import os, subprocess, time, re, sys, glob
 from itertools import repeat
+from collections import namedtuple
 
 from calibre import prints, as_unicode
 from calibre.constants import DEBUG
@@ -25,6 +26,9 @@ from calibre.utils.filenames import ascii_filename as sanitize
 if isosx:
     usbobserver, usbobserver_err = plugins['usbobserver']
 
+if iswindows:
+    usb_info_cache = {}
+
 def eject_exe():
     base = sys.extensions_location if hasattr(sys, 'new_app_layout') else os.path.dirname(sys.executable)
     return os.path.join(base, 'calibre-eject.exe')
@@ -196,6 +200,30 @@ class Device(DeviceConfig, DevicePlugin):
         '''
         return drives
 
+    def can_handle_windows(self, usbdevice, debug=False):
+        from calibre.devices.interface import DevicePlugin
+        if self.can_handle.im_func is DevicePlugin.can_handle.im_func:
+            # No custom can_handle implementation
+            return True
+        # Delegate to the unix can_handle function, creating a unix like
+        # USBDevice object
+        from calibre.devices.winusb import get_usb_info
+        dev = usb_info_cache.get(usbdevice)
+        if dev is None:
+            try:
+                data = get_usb_info(usbdevice, debug=debug)
+            except Exception:
+                time.sleep(0.1)
+                try:
+                    data = get_usb_info(usbdevice, debug=debug)
+                except Exception:
+                    data = {}
+            dev = usb_info_cache[usbdevice] = namedtuple(
+                'USBDevice', 'vendor_id product_id bcd manufacturer product serial')(
+                usbdevice.vendor_id, usbdevice.product_id, usbdevice.bcd,
+                data.get('manufacturer') or '', data.get('product') or '', data.get('serial_number') or '')
+        return self.can_handle(dev, debug=debug)
+
     def open_windows(self):
         from calibre.devices.scanner import drive_is_ok
         from calibre.devices.winusb import get_drive_letters_for_device