Help with USB ports, I think somethings wrong

killaer · 11-04-2006, 08:05 PM

Well, I was not sure what section to put this in, but anyway...

I think that there's something wrong with my USB ports. I have an External Hard Drive and a Digital Camera that I connect with USB cables. Anyway, sometimes when I plug in the HD the computer doesn't recognise it, and I have to turn the HD on and off a few times before the computer recognises it. As for the Digital camera, sometimes when I plug it in, the camera stays plugged in, but sometimes all of the stuff just dissapears, and I can't acess the camera. Both work fine on another laptop that I have, so I don't understand the problem.

**scottydont2841** · 11-06-2006, 08:08 AM

yea id definately say theres something wrong with your USB ports, perhaps they've come loose or not in proper contact with the mobo. If the worst comes to the worst id buy a cheap PCI usb hub and use that as the one you plug everything into as playing around with trying to connect the old ones would be a real pain.

dai · 11-06-2006, 01:07 PM

go for an external powered hub

**scottydont2841** · 11-06-2006, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dai

go for an external powered hub

but if his existing USBs are dead hows hows he gonna connect it, or are you thinking of a different hub to me dai.

dai · 11-06-2006, 06:00 PM

good point i was thinking that he had to much connected and was running low on the power

Tumbleweed36 · 11-06-2006, 06:35 PM

Hi,

Give this a try:

Start

Control Panel

System

Hardware

Device Manager

Scroll down to the USB Area

Use the little + to open the area

Plan 1 Check to see if you have any red or yellow marks down any of those items. If so, then update drivers. After that (if any need updating),then take it for a test drive.

If plan 1 does not show any marks, then move to plan 2

Plan 2

Go to USB Root Hub area and right click on each one and do the following for each

Select Properties

Select Power Management

Uncheck Allow the Computer to Turn off this device to save power

Shut down and give it a test drive....and, since the default has it checked, if this does not help, then set it back like it was originally.

killaer · 11-07-2006, 03:02 PM

Nope, doesn't look like it does anything :\
Could the USB ports be turned off or something? disabled at all?

dai · 11-07-2006, 03:13 PM

how many usb items have connected to the computer

killaer · 11-07-2006, 03:19 PM

A mouse, The external HD that I'm talking about, printer, and the monitor (Which has 2 USB ports of it's own on it)

The thing is, the printer and mouse (connected to the monitor) work fine, but the HD does not work connected to the monitor OR the computer...
I also thought it could be a problem with the HD itself, but that doesn't explain why it works fine on my other computer, or why I have to turn it on and off a few times for the computer to make it work. Also, when it's plugged in, the device manager sees it, and sees that it's a USB mass storage device, but it doesn't actually show up until I turn it on/off a few times :|

Tumbleweed36 · 11-07-2006, 03:24 PM

Hi,

I am assuming all are enabled in the BIOS setup menu, is that correct?

killaer · 11-07-2006, 03:36 PM

I'm pretty sure they are, but how do I check? I assume they are, because Eventually I can get USB devices to work, just takes a while

Tumbleweed36 · 11-07-2006, 04:16 PM

Hi,

In the BIOS setup menu, go to:

ADVANCED

Scroll down to:

USB Configuration

Make sure the following items are enabled:

USB Controller - Enabled
USB 2.0 Controller - Enabled
USB Legacy Support - Enabled

Note: Don't forget to save before you exit, if you make any changes.

killaer · 11-08-2006, 04:47 PM

hm? I don't see those options

Tumbleweed36 · 11-08-2006, 05:03 PM

Hi,

What motherboard are we dealing with on this issue? Some will have different Bios options to deal with.

killaer · 11-08-2006, 05:31 PM

Intel Pentium 4 Dell Dimension 8100
That's the thing you needed, right?

Tumbleweed36 · 11-08-2006, 05:43 PM

Hi,

That doesn't tell me what motherboard. With some Dell computers it is hard to tell, and for some it is hard to find the manual on the internet (which I was going to look for). Just for the heck of it, you might download Everest under my signature and see if it tells what board is in there.

Otherwise, if you have a manual, just browse through until you find the area on USB (should be in the Advanced area) and tell us what options are there. There should be some USB options in there someplace.

killaer · 11-15-2006, 02:34 PM

Well...I have everest, but What specificaly do you need to know? i'm in the motherboard category, but there are a LOT of sections

PS: sorry for being away and not being able to answer you, i had a ton of school stuff

11-04-2006, 08:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
killaer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 84 OS: XP	Help with USB ports, I think somethings wrong Well, I was not sure what section to put this in, but anyway... I think that there's something wrong with my USB ports. I have an External Hard Drive and a Digital Camera that I connect with USB cables. Anyway, sometimes when I plug in the HD the computer doesn't recognise it, and I have to turn the HD on and off a few times before the computer recognises it. As for the Digital camera, sometimes when I plug it in, the camera stays plugged in, but sometimes all of the stuff just dissapears, and I can't acess the camera. Both work fine on another laptop that I have, so I don't understand the problem.

11-06-2006, 08:08 AM	#2 (permalink)
scottydont2841 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bristol, England, UK. Posts: 1,228 OS: Vista Home Premium My System	yea id definately say theres something wrong with your USB ports, perhaps they've come loose or not in proper contact with the mobo. If the worst comes to the worst id buy a cheap PCI usb hub and use that as the one you plug everything into as playing around with trying to connect the old ones would be a real pain. __________________ Please use the search function of the website before asking questions, as we may already have answered them. Everest FREE Edition AVG FREE Edition

11-06-2006, 01:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,670 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	go for an external powered hub __________________

11-06-2006, 06:00 PM	#5 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,670 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	good point i was thinking that he had to much connected and was running low on the power __________________

11-06-2006, 06:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,662 OS: XP Professional	Hi, Give this a try: Start Control Panel System Hardware Device Manager Scroll down to the USB Area Use the little + to open the area Plan 1 Check to see if you have any red or yellow marks down any of those items. If so, then update drivers. After that (if any need updating),then take it for a test drive. If plan 1 does not show any marks, then move to plan 2 Plan 2 Go to USB Root Hub area and right click on each one and do the following for each Select Properties Select Power Management Uncheck Allow the Computer to Turn off this device to save power Shut down and give it a test drive....and, since the default has it checked, if this does not help, then set it back like it was originally. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread. Last edited by Tumbleweed36; 11-06-2006 at 06:36 PM.

11-07-2006, 03:02 PM	#7 (permalink)
killaer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 84 OS: XP	Nope, doesn't look like it does anything :\ Could the USB ports be turned off or something? disabled at all?

11-07-2006, 03:13 PM	#8 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,670 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	how many usb items have connected to the computer __________________

11-07-2006, 03:19 PM	#9 (permalink)
killaer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 84 OS: XP	A mouse, The external HD that I'm talking about, printer, and the monitor (Which has 2 USB ports of it's own on it) The thing is, the printer and mouse (connected to the monitor) work fine, but the HD does not work connected to the monitor OR the computer... I also thought it could be a problem with the HD itself, but that doesn't explain why it works fine on my other computer, or why I have to turn it on and off a few times for the computer to make it work. Also, when it's plugged in, the device manager sees it, and sees that it's a USB mass storage device, but it doesn't actually show up until I turn it on/off a few times :\|

11-07-2006, 03:24 PM	#10 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,662 OS: XP Professional	Hi, I am assuming all are enabled in the BIOS setup menu, is that correct? __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

11-07-2006, 03:36 PM	#11 (permalink)
killaer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 84 OS: XP	I'm pretty sure they are, but how do I check? I assume they are, because Eventually I can get USB devices to work, just takes a while

11-07-2006, 04:16 PM	#12 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,662 OS: XP Professional	Hi, In the BIOS setup menu, go to: ADVANCED Scroll down to: USB Configuration Make sure the following items are enabled: USB Controller - Enabled USB 2.0 Controller - Enabled USB Legacy Support - Enabled Note: Don't forget to save before you exit, if you make any changes. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

11-08-2006, 04:47 PM	#13 (permalink)
killaer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 84 OS: XP	hm? I don't see those options

11-08-2006, 05:03 PM	#14 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,662 OS: XP Professional	Hi, What motherboard are we dealing with on this issue? Some will have different Bios options to deal with. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

11-08-2006, 05:31 PM	#15 (permalink)
killaer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 84 OS: XP	Intel Pentium 4 Dell Dimension 8100 That's the thing you needed, right?

11-08-2006, 05:43 PM	#16 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,662 OS: XP Professional	Hi, That doesn't tell me what motherboard. With some Dell computers it is hard to tell, and for some it is hard to find the manual on the internet (which I was going to look for). Just for the heck of it, you might download Everest under my signature and see if it tells what board is in there. Otherwise, if you have a manual, just browse through until you find the area on USB (should be in the Advanced area) and tell us what options are there. There should be some USB options in there someplace. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

11-15-2006, 02:34 PM	#17 (permalink)
killaer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 84 OS: XP	Well...I have everest, but What specificaly do you need to know? i'm in the motherboard category, but there are a LOT of sections PS: sorry for being away and not being able to answer you, i had a ton of school stuff