USB 2.0 external drive unrecognized

Running Windows XP Home Edition, I have an external 80 GB "pocket" hard drive. Instead of a power supply, it uses 2 USB ports, one for power & one for data. It's supposed to be true plug-play on XP.

When I plug in the drive, an alarm window pops up and says that "A HI-SPEED USB device is plugged
into a non-HI-SPEED USB port." The next window says that "The USB Mass Storage Devices is a HI-SPEED USB device and will function at reduced speed when plugged into a non-HI-SPEED port." It recommends "adding a HI-SPEED USB host controller to this computer to obtain maximum performance." Is this controller some kind of hardware/software/driver?

I'm pretty sure that my Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop (purchased last year) is USB 2.0, not 1.1. I went ahead and downloaded all the system updates from Windows Update, and even uninstalled/reinstalled system drivers, but the computer still insists this is a low-speed USB connection.

More importantly, the drive does not appear under "My Computer" when I plug it in, so I can't use it. The previous problem is just a performance issue, but this problem prevents me from using the drive at all. Furthermore, the User Manual that came with the product makes no mention of installation procedures for Windows XP, only 98/SE/2000. It was supposed to be plug-play.

Thanks All,
Jean-Paul Travers

JP,

USB devices usually require that power be present when they are plugged
in. My Iomega external HDD uses an external power supply and I always
turn the power on BEFORE I plug the USB port in. Have you tried plugging
the power connector in first, then the device plug?

Fred


JP to the T wrote:

> Running Windows XP Home Edition, I have an external 80 GB "pocket"
> hard drive. Instead of a power supply, it uses 2 USB ports, one for
> power & one for data. It's supposed to be true plug-play on XP. When
> I plug in the drive, an alarm window pops up and says that "A HI-SPEED
> USB device is plugged
> into a non-HI-SPEED USB port." The next window says that "The USB
> Mass Storage Devices is a HI-SPEED USB device and will function at
> reduced speed when plugged into a non-HI-SPEED port." It recommends
> "adding a HI-SPEED USB host controller to this computer to obtain
> maximum performance." Is this controller some kind of
> hardware/software/driver? I'm pretty sure that my Dell Inspiron 8100
> laptop (purchased last year) is USB 2.0, not 1.1. I went ahead and
> downloaded all the system updates from Windows Update, and even
> uninstalled/reinstalled system drivers, but the computer still insists
> this is a low-speed USB connection.More importantly, the drive does
> not appear under "My Computer" when I plug it in, so I can't use it.
> The previous problem is just a performance issue, but this problem
> prevents me from using the drive at all. Furthermore, the User Manual
> that came with the product makes no mention of installation procedures
> for Windows XP, only 98/SE/2000. It was supposed to be
> plug-play. Thanks All,Jean-Paul Travers

Don't know where you got this from; in my experience it makes no difference whether the power is connected first or the data connection.

Referring to the question, firstly confirm with Dell your USB ports are USB2. If they are then have you loaded WINXP SP1? This upgrade has the WINXP USB2 drivers. If you do not have USB2 ports then you need to buy and install a USB2 card. If you do have USB2 ports and have USB2 drivers installed, go to Device Manager and delete all reference to USB in Universal Serial Bus Controllers and reboot. WINXP will reinstall the drivers and with luck all will be well.
<Fred@anonymous.com> wrote in message news:40549D55.2460A141@global2000.net...
JP,
USB devices usually require that power be present when they are plugged in. My Iomega external HDD uses an external power supply and I always turn the power on BEFORE I plug the USB port in. Have you tried plugging the power connector in first, then the device plug?

Fred


JP to the T wrote:

Running Windows XP Home Edition, I have an external 80 GB "pocket" hard drive. Instead of a power supply, it uses 2 USB ports, one for power & one for data. It's supposed to be true plug-play on XP. When I plug in the drive, an alarm window pops up and says that "A HI-SPEED USB device is plugged
into a non-HI-SPEED USB port." The next window says that "The USB Mass Storage Devices is a HI-SPEED USB device and will function at reduced speed when plugged into a non-HI-SPEED port." It recommends "adding a HI-SPEED USB host controller to this computer to obtain maximum performance." Is this controller some kind of hardware/software/driver? I'm pretty sure that my Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop (purchased last year) is USB 2.0, not 1.1. I went ahead and downloaded all the system updates from Windows Update, and even uninstalled/reinstalled system drivers, but the computer still insists this is a low-speed USB connection.More importantly, the drive does not appear under "My Computer" when I plug it in, so I can't use it. The previous problem is just a performance issue, but this problem prevents me from using the drive at all. Furthermore, the User Manual that came with the product makes no mention of installation procedures for Windows XP, only 98/SE/2000. It was supposed to be plug-play. Thanks All,Jean-Paul Travers

I went into Device Manager and deleted all references to USB as you suggested, then tested a USB mouse that always works and it did not, so I knew the drivers were uninstalled. Then I rebooted. On reboot, XP reinstalled all the USB drivers and the mouse worked but the drive still did not-- it popped up with the same message saying "A HI-SPEED USB device is plugged into a non-HI-SPEED USB port."

I regularly keep up with Windows Update and installed SP1 a long time ago. I will check with Dell to make sure these are USB 2.0 ports, but I'm pretty sure they are. I wrote the latest in a long line of disgruntled emails to the ebayer who sold me this; I'm going to keep trying to make it work but I may return it.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Jean-Paul


"Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message news:eWT6y0lCEHA.1456@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
Don't know where you got this from; in my experience it makes no difference whether the power is connected first or the data connection.

Referring to the question, firstly confirm with Dell your USB ports are USB2. If they are then have you loaded WINXP SP1? This upgrade has the WINXP USB2 drivers. If you do not have USB2 ports then you need to buy and install a USB2 card. If you do have USB2 ports and have USB2 drivers installed, go to Device Manager and delete all reference to USB in Universal Serial Bus Controllers and reboot. WINXP will reinstall the drivers and with luck all will be well.
<Fred@anonymous.com> wrote in message news:40549D55.2460A141@global2000.net...
JP,
USB devices usually require that power be present when they are plugged in. My Iomega external HDD uses an external power supply and I always turn the power on BEFORE I plug the USB port in. Have you tried plugging the power connector in first, then the device plug?

Fred


JP to the T wrote:

Running Windows XP Home Edition, I have an external 80 GB "pocket" hard drive. Instead of a power supply, it uses 2 USB ports, one for power & one for data. It's supposed to be true plug-play on XP. When I plug in the drive, an alarm window pops up and says that "A HI-SPEED USB device is plugged
into a non-HI-SPEED USB port." The next window says that "The USB Mass Storage Devices is a HI-SPEED USB device and will function at reduced speed when plugged into a non-HI-SPEED port." It recommends "adding a HI-SPEED USB host controller to this computer to obtain maximum performance." Is this controller some kind of hardware/software/driver? I'm pretty sure that my Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop (purchased last year) is USB 2.0, not 1.1. I went ahead and downloaded all the system updates from Windows Update, and even uninstalled/reinstalled system drivers, but the computer still insists this is a low-speed USB connection.More importantly, the drive does not appear under "My Computer" when I plug it in, so I can't use it. The previous problem is just a performance issue, but this problem prevents me from using the drive at all. Furthermore, the User Manual that came with the product makes no mention of installation procedures for Windows XP, only 98/SE/2000. It was supposed to be plug-play. Thanks All,Jean-Paul Travers

USB compatibility:
USB Ports are backwards-compatible (e.g. a USB v2 port supports USB v1.1
devices)
USB Ports are not forwards-compatible (e.g. a USB v1.1 port does not
support USB v2 devices)

If you plug a USB v2 device into a USB v1.1 port, Windows XP SP1 will give
the error message you describe.

As mentioned previously, in order for a USB v2 device to work correctly in a
USB v2 port, you must install Service Pack 1 to Windows XP.

steve


"JP to the T" <jp_travers@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OU2ntZeCEHA.2304@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
Running Windows XP Home Edition, I have an external 80 GB "pocket" hard
drive. Instead of a power supply, it uses 2 USB ports, one for power & one
for data. It's supposed to be true plug-play on XP.

When I plug in the drive, an alarm window pops up and says that "A HI-SPEED
USB device is plugged
into a non-HI-SPEED USB port." The next window says that "The USB Mass
Storage Devices is a HI-SPEED USB device and will function at reduced speed
when plugged into a non-HI-SPEED port." It recommends "adding a HI-SPEED
USB host controller to this computer to obtain maximum performance." Is
this controller some kind of hardware/software/driver?

I'm pretty sure that my Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop (purchased last year) is
USB 2.0, not 1.1. I went ahead and downloaded all the system updates from
Windows Update, and even uninstalled/reinstalled system drivers, but the
computer still insists this is a low-speed USB connection.

More importantly, the drive does not appear under "My Computer" when I plug
it in, so I can't use it. The previous problem is just a performance issue,
but this problem prevents me from using the drive at all. Furthermore, the
User Manual that came with the product makes no mention of installation
procedures for Windows XP, only 98/SE/2000. It was supposed to be
plug-play.

Thanks All,
Jean-Paul Travers

Well then, try it on an Iomega external HDD and you will add something
to your experience.

Fred


"Edward W. Thompson" wrote:

> Don't know where you got this from; in my experience it makes no
> difference whether the power is connected first or the data
> connection. Referring to the question, firstly confirm with Dell your
> USB ports are USB2. If they are then have you loaded WINXP SP1? This
> upgrade has the WINXP USB2 drivers. If you do not have USB2 ports
> then you need to buy and install a USB2 card. If you do have USB2
> ports and have USB2 drivers installed, go to Device Manager and delete
> all reference to USB in Universal Serial Bus Controllers and reboot.
> WINXP will reinstall the drivers and with luck all will be well.
>
> <Fred@anonymous.com> wrote in message
> news:40549D55.2460A141@global2000.net...JP,
>
> USB devices usually require that power be present when they
> are plugged in. My Iomega external HDD uses an external
> power supply and I always turn the power on BEFORE I plug
> the USB port in. Have you tried plugging the power connector
> in first, then the device plug?
>
> Fred
>
>
> JP to the T wrote:
>
> > Running Windows XP Home Edition, I have an external 80 GB
> > "pocket" hard drive. Instead of a power supply, it uses 2
> > USB ports, one for power & one for data. It's supposed to
> > be true plug-play on XP. When I plug in the drive, an
> > alarm window pops up and says that "A HI-SPEED USB device
> > is plugged
> > into a non-HI-SPEED USB port." The next window says that
> > "The USB Mass Storage Devices is a HI-SPEED USB device and
> > will function at reduced speed when plugged into a
> > non-HI-SPEED port." It recommends "adding a HI-SPEED USB
> > host controller to this computer to obtain maximum
> > performance." Is this controller some kind of
> > hardware/software/driver? I'm pretty sure that my Dell
> > Inspiron 8100 laptop (purchased last year) is USB 2.0, not
> > 1.1. I went ahead and downloaded all the system updates
> > from Windows Update, and even uninstalled/reinstalled
> > system drivers, but the computer still insists this is a
> > low-speed USB connection.More importantly, the drive does
> > not appear under "My Computer" when I plug it in, so I
> > can't use it. The previous problem is just a performance
> > issue, but this problem prevents me from using the drive
> > at all. Furthermore, the User Manual that came with the
> > product makes no mention of installation procedures for
> > Windows XP, only 98/SE/2000. It was supposed to be
> > plug-play. Thanks All,Jean-Paul Travers
>

I guess there is always an exception to the "rule".
<Fred @anonymous.com> wrote in message news:405647E6.CF65A412@global2000.net...
Well then, try it on an Iomega external HDD and you will add something to your experience.
Fred


"Edward W. Thompson" wrote:

Don't know where you got this from; in my experience it makes no difference whether the power is connected first or the data connection. Referring to the question, firstly confirm with Dell your USB ports are USB2. If they are then have you loaded WINXP SP1? This upgrade has the WINXP USB2 drivers. If you do not have USB2 ports then you need to buy and install a USB2 card. If you do have USB2 ports and have USB2 drivers installed, go to Device Manager and delete all reference to USB in Universal Serial Bus Controllers and reboot. WINXP will reinstall the drivers and with luck all will be well.
<Fred@anonymous.com> wrote in message news:40549D55.2460A141@global2000.net...JP,
USB devices usually require that power be present when they are plugged in. My Iomega external HDD uses an external power supply and I always turn the power on BEFORE I plug the USB port in. Have you tried plugging the power connector in first, then the device plug?

Fred


JP to the T wrote:

Running Windows XP Home Edition, I have an external 80 GB "pocket" hard drive. Instead of a power supply, it uses 2 USB ports, one for power & one for data. It's supposed to be true plug-play on XP. When I plug in the drive, an alarm window pops up and says that "A HI-SPEED USB device is plugged
into a non-HI-SPEED USB port." The next window says that "The USB Mass Storage Devices is a HI-SPEED USB device and will function at reduced speed when plugged into a non-HI-SPEED port." It recommends "adding a HI-SPEED USB host controller to this computer to obtain maximum performance." Is this controller some kind of hardware/software/driver? I'm pretty sure that my Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop (purchased last year) is USB 2.0, not 1.1. I went ahead and downloaded all the system updates from Windows Update, and even uninstalled/reinstalled system drivers, but the computer still insists this is a low-speed USB connection.More importantly, the drive does not appear under "My Computer" when I plug it in, so I can't use it. The previous problem is just a performance issue, but this problem prevents me from using the drive at all. Furthermore, the User Manual that came with the product makes no mention of installation procedures for Windows XP, only 98/SE/2000. It was supposed to be plug-play. Thanks All,Jean-Paul Travers