I have this usb card reader, which is plugged into a Syba pci card that has
two usb headers on it:
http://tinyurl.com/8scxj

I have a front panel audio USB panel connected to my USB mobo headers. The
panel looks like this:
http://tinyurl.com/a9pnx

The front panel audio and its usb ports worked fine before I put in the card
reader. Now when I plug something into the front panel USB ports the
computer freezes until I get a pop up saying the disk needs to be formatted.
If I unplug the card reader, the USB front panel starts working again.
Obviously XP is getting confused, but I sure would like to know how to fix
it so that I can use both devices.




"Paul" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:dp809m$a8e$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Just as long as the mobo has USB 2 headers
> and the reader is USB 2, it'll work.
>
> All you have to do is make sure you connect the wires
> to the right pins from the reader to the mobo header.
>
> Usually, internal card reader wires go from left to right.
>
> ie: They're coloured red,white,green,black black (only one of the black
> wires are used).
>
> The black wire always goes on the 4th/5th pin like this.
>
> o o o o o (sometimes the 5th pin isnt on the top row)
> R W G B
> o o o o o (the 5th pin is also never used, and left blank).
> R W G B
>
> Thats all you have to do. XP will read it as a removable disk. No drivers
> needed. Unless you want icons for the slots, in which case, you'll have to
> install the icons from the manufacturer's cd.
>
> "Gordon Scott" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Go Tyler wrote:
>>>
>>> I just bought this front panel usb thing for my comp:
>>>
>>> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811998813
>>>
>>> It came with a cable that looks like this:
>>> http://tinypic.com/ilwolw.jpg
>>>
>>> It is hard to see in the pic, but it goes from the card reader to the
>>> motherboard somewhere. It has just 4 holes and it says VCC, D-, D+, and
>>> GND.
>>> The instructions say to connect it to "the pin header of the
>>> motherboard."
>>>
>>> Does the MOBO specifically have to support a card reader? I can't see
>>> where
>>> mine does, although I see all kinds of headers that seem to go with this
>>> cable. Here is my MOBO:
>>>
>>> http://www.baber.com/baber/411/asus_p4s533-mx.htm
>>
>> did you load the drivers for the card reader?
>> btw the newegg link doesnt seem to work.
>
>

Well, if I plug my usb webcam into the front panel usb, it works fine. It is
my thumbdrive that will not work when I plug it into the front panel usb.
When I plug my thumbdrive in, I get something saying the drive has not been
formatted, do you want to format it now. Of course, when I plug the
thumbdrive up to the rear usb port, it works fine.

"Bald Guy" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:TXStf.87104$(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have this usb card reader, which is plugged into a Syba pci card that has
>two usb headers on it:
> http://tinyurl.com/8scxj
>
> I have a front panel audio USB panel connected to my USB mobo headers. The
> panel looks like this:
> http://tinyurl.com/a9pnx
>
> The front panel audio and its usb ports worked fine before I put in the
> card reader. Now when I plug something into the front panel USB ports the
> computer freezes until I get a pop up saying the disk needs to be
> formatted. If I unplug the card reader, the USB front panel starts working
> again. Obviously XP is getting confused, but I sure would like to know how
> to fix it so that I can use both devices.
>
>
>
>
> "Paul" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:dp809m$a8e$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Just as long as the mobo has USB 2 headers
>> and the reader is USB 2, it'll work.
>>
>> All you have to do is make sure you connect the wires
>> to the right pins from the reader to the mobo header.
>>
>> Usually, internal card reader wires go from left to right.
>>
>> ie: They're coloured red,white,green,black black (only one of the black
>> wires are used).
>>
>> The black wire always goes on the 4th/5th pin like this.
>>
>> o o o o o (sometimes the 5th pin isnt on the top row)
>> R W G B
>> o o o o o (the 5th pin is also never used, and left blank).
>> R W G B
>>
>> Thats all you have to do. XP will read it as a removable disk. No drivers
>> needed. Unless you want icons for the slots, in which case, you'll have
>> to
>> install the icons from the manufacturer's cd.
>>
>> "Gordon Scott" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Go Tyler wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I just bought this front panel usb thing for my comp:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811998813
>>>>
>>>> It came with a cable that looks like this:
>>>> http://tinypic.com/ilwolw.jpg
>>>>
>>>> It is hard to see in the pic, but it goes from the card reader to the
>>>> motherboard somewhere. It has just 4 holes and it says VCC, D-, D+, and
>>>> GND.
>>>> The instructions say to connect it to "the pin header of the
>>>> motherboard."
>>>>
>>>> Does the MOBO specifically have to support a card reader? I can't see
>>>> where
>>>> mine does, although I see all kinds of headers that seem to go with
>>>> this
>>>> cable. Here is my MOBO:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.baber.com/baber/411/asus_p4s533-mx.htm
>>>
>>> did you load the drivers for the card reader?
>>> btw the newegg link doesnt seem to work.
>>
>>
>
>

Bald Guy wrote:

> Well, if I plug my usb webcam into the front panel usb, it works fine. It is
> my thumbdrive that will not work when I plug it into the front panel usb.
> When I plug my thumbdrive in, I get something saying the drive has not been
> formatted, do you want to format it now. Of course, when I plug the
> thumbdrive up to the rear usb port, it works fine.
>

There is really nothing wrong with the thumbdrive, the USB
ports or the computer. The problem is that the USB ports
might not have sufficient power for both the card reader and
any other unpowered, USB device. Investing in a powered USB
hub for the rear USB connections and using it might be a good
solution; it is like having an additional front panel.

Hi. But I have a 450 watt psu and how much power does it take to power a
thumbdrive? I don't have the devices plugged up at the same time, so they
don't need to share power. The webcam takes more power than the thumbdrive,
but the webcam works when I plug it into the front panel.

The card reader shows in Explorer as removable disk F and G, and when I try
to put in the thumbdrive it tries to go in as Drive H. Sometimes it won't
show up at all automatically so I have to type H: in the address bar of
Explorer to get it to show up.

"Mistoffolees" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> Bald Guy wrote:
>
>> Well, if I plug my usb webcam into the front panel usb, it works fine. It
>> is my thumbdrive that will not work when I plug it into the front panel
>> usb. When I plug my thumbdrive in, I get something saying the drive has
>> not been formatted, do you want to format it now. Of course, when I plug
>> the thumbdrive up to the rear usb port, it works fine.
>>
>
> There is really nothing wrong with the thumbdrive, the USB
> ports or the computer. The problem is that the USB ports
> might not have sufficient power for both the card reader and
> any other unpowered, USB device. Investing in a powered USB
> hub for the rear USB connections and using it might be a good
> solution; it is like having an additional front panel.
>

The psu is 420w. I have one cd writer, one dvd writer, one hdd, an AGP card,
3 fans, no firwire on the mobo but the Syba card has firewire ports that I
don't use. The front panel audio plugs into the psu, so you would think I
have enough power. The thumbdrive works fine when I plug it into the back of
the computer's usb, so if it was a power thing, you would think it wouldn't
work there either. Also, my usb webcam works when I plug it into the front
panel usb, so it really does not seem to be a power thing.

I think XP is getting confused somehow.

"Paul" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:dp9dk6$2vd$(E-Mail Removed)...
>I should have also said, what else is in the
> case? Like hdd/cd/dvd etc, why I asked how
> many watts is the power supply.
>
> Depending on what else u have in the case, and
> depending on how many watts the PSU is, the PSU
> may not be enough, if the PSU is less than 400W.
>
>
> "Bald Guy" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:VVStf.87092$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>I have this usb card reader, which is usb plugged into a Syba pci card
>>that has two usb headers on it:
>> http://tinyurl.com/8scxj
>>
>> I have a front panel audio USB panel connected to my USB mobo headers.
>> The panel looks like this:
>> http://tinyurl.com/a9pnx
>>
>> The front panel audio and its usb ports worked fine before I put in the
>> card reader. Now when I plug something into the front panel USB ports the
>> computer freezes until I get a pop up saying the disk needs to be
>> formatted. If I unplug the card reader, the USB front panel starts
>> working again. Obviously XP is getting confused, but I sure would like to
>> know how to fix it so that I can use both devices.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Paul" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:dp809m$a8e$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Just as long as the mobo has USB 2 headers
>>> and the reader is USB 2, it'll work.
>>>
>>> All you have to do is make sure you connect the wires
>>> to the right pins from the reader to the mobo header.
>>>
>>> Usually, internal card reader wires go from left to right.
>>>
>>> ie: They're coloured red,white,green,black black (only one of the black
>>> wires are used).
>>>
>>> The black wire always goes on the 4th/5th pin like this.
>>>
>>> o o o o o (sometimes the 5th pin isnt on the top row)
>>> R W G B
>>> o o o o o (the 5th pin is also never used, and left blank).
>>> R W G B
>>>
>>> Thats all you have to do. XP will read it as a removable disk. No
>>> drivers needed. Unless you want icons for the slots, in which case,
>>> you'll have to install the icons from the manufacturer's cd.
>>>
>>> "Gordon Scott" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>> Go Tyler wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I just bought this front panel usb thing for my comp:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811998813
>>>>>
>>>>> It came with a cable that looks like this:
>>>>> http://tinypic.com/ilwolw.jpg
>>>>>
>>>>> It is hard to see in the pic, but it goes from the card reader to the
>>>>> motherboard somewhere. It has just 4 holes and it says VCC, D-, D+,
>>>>> and GND.
>>>>> The instructions say to connect it to "the pin header of the
>>>>> motherboard."
>>>>>
>>>>> Does the MOBO specifically have to support a card reader? I can't see
>>>>> where
>>>>> mine does, although I see all kinds of headers that seem to go with
>>>>> this
>>>>> cable. Here is my MOBO:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.baber.com/baber/411/asus_p4s533-mx.htm
>>>>
>>>> did you load the drivers for the card reader?
>>>> btw the newegg link doesnt seem to work.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

You can have a 1000 watt power supply. The power available through the USB
ports is limited by the trace size on the M/B. Those tiny lines you see
provide only minimal power without burning through. Because of that, the
power consumption for each port is limited in the operating system so as not
to damage the M/B.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

"Bald Guy" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:TdWtf.2962$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi. But I have a 450 watt psu and how much power does it take to power a
> thumbdrive? I don't have the devices plugged up at the same time, so they
> don't need to share power. The webcam takes more power than the
> thumbdrive, but the webcam works when I plug it into the front panel.
>
> The card reader shows in Explorer as removable disk F and G, and when I
> try to put in the thumbdrive it tries to go in as Drive H. Sometimes it
> won't show up at all automatically so I have to type H: in the address bar
> of Explorer to get it to show up.
>
> "Mistoffolees" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> Bald Guy wrote:
>>
>>> Well, if I plug my usb webcam into the front panel usb, it works fine.
>>> It is my thumbdrive that will not work when I plug it into the front
>>> panel usb. When I plug my thumbdrive in, I get something saying the
>>> drive has not been formatted, do you want to format it now. Of course,
>>> when I plug the thumbdrive up to the rear usb port, it works fine.
>>>
>>
>> There is really nothing wrong with the thumbdrive, the USB
>> ports or the computer. The problem is that the USB ports
>> might not have sufficient power for both the card reader and
>> any other unpowered, USB device. Investing in a powered USB
>> hub for the rear USB connections and using it might be a good
>> solution; it is like having an additional front panel.
>>
>
>

Bald Guy wrote:
> The psu is 420w. I have one cd writer, one dvd writer, one hdd, an AGP card,
> 3 fans, no firwire on the mobo but the Syba card has firewire ports that I
> don't use. The front panel audio plugs into the psu, so you would think I
> have enough power. The thumbdrive works fine when I plug it into the back of
> the computer's usb, so if it was a power thing, you would think it wouldn't
> work there either. Also, my usb webcam works when I plug it into the front
> panel usb, so it really does not seem to be a power thing.
>
> I think XP is getting confused somehow.
>
>

Think what you want. But remember that the USB ports gets its
power after it has been stepped down to a working value from a
distant PSU. The amperage is more like 500 mA (milli-amps). And
how the front panel USB ports are connected will also determine
whether or not it is borrowing from the same 500 mA per port or
on its own line.

It's not a power problem. We're talking about a thumbdrive here. These front
panel things would not be selling at all if they wouldn't even power a
little thumbdrive. If the webcam works, it is definitely not a power thing.
That it has a connector to go to the psu is surprising, because even that is
not necessary.

The card reader and front panel usb device are probably showing up as "mass
storage devices" right? It might be that XP is getting the drivers for both
devices mixed up.

Here is what you ought to try. Uninstall the card reader in Device
Properties. Then plug in the usb thumbdrive to see what happens. If that
does not work, then disable the card reader by right clicking on it and
selecting disable, which is probably listed under SCSI as a mass storage
device. Then uninstall the pront panel device and reinstall it in device
properties. Once it is reinstalled, plug in the thumbdrive to see if it will
work.

Post back here to let us know please.

Xu wrote:

> It's not a power problem. We're talking about a thumbdrive here. These front
> panel things would not be selling at all if they wouldn't even power a
> little thumbdrive. If the webcam works, it is definitely not a power thing.
> That it has a connector to go to the psu is surprising, because even that is
> not necessary.
>
> The card reader and front panel usb device are probably showing up as "mass
> storage devices" right? It might be that XP is getting the drivers for both
> devices mixed up.
>
> Here is what you ought to try. Uninstall the card reader in Device
> Properties. Then plug in the usb thumbdrive to see what happens. If that
> does not work, then disable the card reader by right clicking on it and
> selecting disable, which is probably listed under SCSI as a mass storage
> device. Then uninstall the pront panel device and reinstall it in device
> properties. Once it is reinstalled, plug in the thumbdrive to see if it will
> work.
>
> Post back here to let us know please.
>
>

Still equivocal. The power available through the front panel
USB ports on its own M/B connection is approx. 1.65 Watts. No
one is certain what other USB ports are on this connection.
Typically, each USB port is limited to around 500 mA, as GH
mentions. IIRC, the USB line uses 3.3 V.

The card reader is also drawing power from this circuit. The
proof will be the results from your solution. However, I would
have suggested physically disconnecting the card reader and
then test the thumbdrive.

So just how much power is needed to make a 1gig thumbdrive get up and go?

The way I remember it, he said the thing was showing up but that he was
getting some message saying it needed to be formatted.

It is as simple as this . . . if it powers that webcam, it will power the
thumbdrive. Nothing equivocal about it.


"Mistoffolees" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> Still equivocal. The power available through the front panel
> USB ports on its own M/B connection is approx. 1.65 Watts. No
> one is certain what other USB ports are on this connection.
> Typically, each USB port is limited to around 500 mA, as GH
> mentions. IIRC, the USB line uses 3.3 V.
>
> The card reader is also drawing power from this circuit. The
> proof will be the results from your solution. However, I would
> have suggested physically disconnecting the card reader and
> then test the thumbdrive.
>