Scottishlass said:
Thank you for your advice. Yes none of them are working. I tried to put a
flash drive on at the front and that came up with the same error message.
Does this PCI USB CONTROLLER go inside of outside of computer? and how do
you know if they are based off the MotherBoard? Hope this is easy to answer
for you and easy for me to follow.
Kind Regards
Thank
If you have a laptop computer, ignore the following
*******
A desktop computer has PCI slots.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral_Component_Interconnect
Some of the older computers, would have five PCI slots perhaps.
There is a picture showing that here. The faceplate of an add-in
card, would end up on the left hand side of this picture. Some
smaller computers, might only have room for two or three of
these slots, and some of the slots may already be occupied with
things like TV tuners or other cards. You want to start, by
looking inside the computer, for a spare slot like this.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Pci-slots.jpg
The white thing on the end, is a "key", and it allows only
compatible cards to fit. This particular key marks the
motherboard as providing 5V to the card. Another key
(not shown in that picture, but nearer the other end of
the slot) would mark the motherboard type as 3.3V. Universal
PCI cards would work with either kind of slot. For your USB
card, this would not normally be a problem, or anything to worry
about. (As long as the card slides into the slot without binding
or mechanical issues, then you know you're doing it right. If the
card doesn't fit, come back and ask questions. Since computers
have three or more different kinds of slots now, not all the slots
are PCI, and a PCI card wouldn't fit in them.)
This Syba USB2.0 PCI card, would be an example of a card you can
plug into a PCI slot, to add five USB ports. Four ports are on the
faceplate of the card (on the left). When the card is plugged into
your computer, the ports show up on the outside of the computer, in
the I/O area on the back of the computer. So you'd gain four visible
new ports on the back.
http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/15-124-008-07.jpg
SYBA PCI USB 2.0 4+1 port controller card Model SD-V2-5U - Retail $10
(The body of the card is kinda low profile, and other cards may be full
height, and yet be identical in function. Snipping away the excess
materials, reduces the cost of making the printed circuit board. Since
the purchase price is $10, every penny counts.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124008
There is one internal port, and those are sometimes used to wire up
a tray mounted 9-in-1 card reader or similar toys. They can even be
used for a tray mounted USB hub (so you can get some ports on the front
of the computer). For example, this product would install in a hard
drive tray in the front of the computer, and a cable from this box,
connects to that fifth port on the PCI card. This would give you four
ports on the front of the computer, and they would be hosted by the
USB PCI card. Using this plus the PCI card, gives a total of eight
ports, four on the front (with this box) and four on the back (via
the PCI card faceplate connectors). On the back of this particular
box, is room to connect a four pin disk drive power connector (to
provide power to the hub), as well as a USB connector for the
provided (silvery) cable. The black cable on the right would not be
used (more likely useful when the box is used with a laptop).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817801001
Notice there are two slots cut in the edge of the PCI USB card. The left hand
slot says "3.3V capable", and the right hand one says "5V capable". That
particular Syba USB card then, is a universal card. and would work in
any desktop PCI slot (5V or 3.3V).
A screw or fastener, positioned in the "dimple" at the top of the
faceplate, helps hold the card in place. Basically, you open the side
of the computer, locate a vacant PCI slot, remove a metal "blank" covering
the PCI slot hole, plug in the PCI card, install a screw or other kind of
fastener (whatever style the computer case uses) into the top of the
faceplate, and then the card should be mechanically secure. Put the
cover back on the computer and you're done. All work inside the computer,
should be done with the computer unplugged, and if you do your work that
way, the new hardware will not be placed in any danger by left-over
power in the slot.
When the computer is next booted, the New Hardware wizard is going to
notice the card needs drivers, but the USB2 driver already comes with
WinXP SP1 or any later Service Pack level. So the card should begin
to work without any additional work on your part. Now, plug in a
"test device", something unsophisticated (like a spare USB keyboard or
USB mouse perhaps), and see if the keyboard can type letters or the
mouse can cause the cursor to move around the screen. That tells
you that at least some basic level of driver support is working.
For more complicated devices (your MP3 player), follow the advice
provided in the MP3 player user manual. It will tell you whether a
driver should be installed before plugging the device in, or
after the device is plugged in.
This picture shows your new USB2 PCI card, as viewed from the
back of the computer. This person has installed their PCI USB
card, next to a video card (blue VGA connector). The single
internal USB connector, inside the computer, is not accessible
from the back, and is intended for internal wiring purposes.
http://www.coolcomputertoys.com/usb_pci_host/usb2_pci_host_card_installed.jpg
In this picture, you can see a couple PCI cards, with a screw
installed on the faceplate, so these cards are fitted and
secure and ready to use. The gold contacts on the edge of the
card, are fully inserted into the PCI slot, so hardly any gold
can be seen in the slot area. All this user has to do, is put the side
cover back on the computer and reconnect the power cord.
http://www.versadial.com/images/blog/4.jpg
Hope that helps,
Paul
