There are currently problems with any brand/model of motherboard
that uses ICH4, ICH5, or ICH5R. The USB ports seem to be sensitive
to static electricity. If that was your problem, the motherboard
would likely be dead right now. What seems to happen, is you plug
a USB device into the computer while it is running, and instantly
the computer is non-responsive. If you shut off power to the
computer, and feel the Southbridge, you would get burned by the
intense heat. At that point, the motherboard would have to be
returned under warranty, as it likely won't boot any more.
If your USB front ports are instead destroying the devices you
plug into those front ports, I would suspect a wiring error when
you assembled the case. Be aware that certain brands of computer
cases, have had wiring errors. Antec has quite a few wiring errors
to their credit. I recommend using a multimeter, set to the ohms
ranges, to verify the name printed on each wire, corresponds to
the correct pin on the USB connector.
Due to the sheer number of wiring errors out there, if you don't
know how to use a multimeter, then simply do not wire up the
front panel wiring, and just leave it dangling. On my last Antec
case (Sonata), rather than waste time checking their wiring
yet again, I simply ripped the front panel assembly out, so
the three cables wouldn't be hanging down taunting me. Now,
undoubtedly, there was nothing wrong with the cables, but I'm
just sick of having to test their stuff. I am not an unpaid
quality assurance guy for Antec - I expect them to do that
for themselves.
You might also want to look at the "J.Botelis" thread next to
this one, for more comments.
Paul
