Checking USB2 Port

[Jim T.]

When I plug my thumbdrive into the front USB port on my Dell Desktop
(boy, I hate that location) I get a message that says it would run
better in a USB2 port - to move it.
As far as I know this computer running XP Sp2 came with eight usb2
ports, including those. The Device Manager shows 12 entries, one of
which is "Enhanced".
The six in back are all in use.
For a while I had a hub attached, but it went bad in some way, and is
no longer connected.
Who is confused, me or Windows?

 

[Grinder]

When I plug my thumbdrive into the front USB port on my Dell Desktop
(boy, I hate that location) I get a message that says it would run
better in a USB2 port - to move it.
As far as I know this computer running XP Sp2 came with eight usb2
ports, including those. The Device Manager shows 12 entries, one of
which is "Enhanced".
The six in back are all in use.
For a while I had a hub attached, but it went bad in some way, and is
no longer connected.
Who is confused, me or Windows?

Maybe just me. What mainboard do you have? That info, and and internet
connection should give a definitive answer. If you don't want to open
it up to see what mainboard you have, something like Everest Home
Edition can probably tell you.

I should also mention that I have seen XP make that some complain when I
was plugging a USB2-enabled device into a known USB2 port. Go figure.

 

[Paul]

When I plug my thumbdrive into the front USB port on my Dell Desktop
(boy, I hate that location) I get a message that says it would run
better in a USB2 port - to move it.
As far as I know this computer running XP Sp2 came with eight usb2
ports, including those. The Device Manager shows 12 entries, one of
which is "Enhanced".
The six in back are all in use.
For a while I had a hub attached, but it went bad in some way, and is
no longer connected.
Who is confused, me or Windows?

Sometimes this is caused by the USB PCB in the front panel area of the
computer case. Antec, for example, shipped a lot of product, where
the module was incapable of handling USB2 rate signals. Only USB 1.1
would pass without trouble. I presume, if all the packets are being
corrupted at USB2 rates, Windows is clever enough to fall back to running
the port at USB 1.1 rstes.

If the motherboard came with any PCI slot cover adapters for USB, you
could plug one of those assemblies, to the header you are currently using
for the front USB ports. That way, you can test the port, with a different
wiring harness on it. If it works with a PCI slot adapter, but not via
the computer case front ports, then you know the computer case
PCB assembly must be bad.

Paul