USB ports not working

[Old MacDonald]

All four USB ports on my Dell Inspiron 9200 stopped working after the
computer crashed for no reason then re-started itself...I've been the
distance with Dell who now refuse to do any more until they've tried a
re-instal of XP, but I'm having difficulty backing up - obviously! Any
suggestions a) how I could shortcut a re-instal or b) a quicker way to backup
than using a million CDs (no DVD-writer) or uploading to an online site (it's
taking about 10 hours just to upload my .pst files!)

 

[Jason]

All four USB ports on my Dell Inspiron 9200 stopped working after the
computer crashed for no reason then re-started itself...I've been the
distance with Dell who now refuse to do any more until they've tried a
re-instal of XP, but I'm having difficulty backing up - obviously! Any
suggestions a) how I could shortcut a re-instal or b) a quicker way to backup
than using a million CDs (no DVD-writer) or uploading to an online site (it's
taking about 10 hours just to upload my .pst files!)

have you tried going to device manager and uninstall all the usb root hubs
then reboot the machine and let them reinstall again? Try this first.