Internal Card Reader Drives Disappear

[BrianB]

I have a Dell Inspiron 530 running Vista Home Premium x64 SP2. It has an
internal card reader, a TEAC CA-200, that connects internally to the front
USB connector on the motherboard. When the reader works, it shows up at four
drive letters in Windows Explorer. The problem is that it doesn't work.

When I first boot the PC the drives show up. After plugging in and ejecting
a memory card a few times, all the drive letters go away and when I try
plugging in a memory card it occasionally gives me a USB Error message that
talks about a missing driver. It lists six USB ports with one listed as
unknown - driver missing. If I open the case and unplug and re-plug the
reader cable, the drives are all found again. Then in short order they'll
disappear again.

I've worked with Dell tech support and they've replaced the reader and its
cable with no improvement. I've updated the chipset drivers with no
improvement. Dell's last suggestion was to reinstall Windows from scratch.

Doing a Google search for "dell card reader not recognized" finds a LOT of
reports of this problem and I've already tried the suggested fixes.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Unless you have the solution, I can see only two options going forward.
Pretend the reader isn't there and get an external card reader, or get an
internal card reader that uses a standard USB cable to plug into an
available port on an added USB card.

Help!
Brian

 

[nomore]

Have you tried a different USB header on the motherboard?
Most mobos have at least two headers, although Dell may cheap out and have
only one.
Does the behavior vary depending on what else is connected to the machine
via USB?
Sadly, the problem may actually be related to failure of the USB components
on the motherboard as they heat up with use.
If you have an open slot for an add-in USB card and this solves your problem
then it is a mobo issue.

 

[BrianB]

My MB has 3 USB headers. Two are used for the front panel USB ports and the
third is for the card reader. I'm trying swapping one of the front panel
headers with the reader header.

At first glance, all four front panel USB ports are working and the card
reader is showing all four drives. I can plug in and eject a CF card without
problems. The real test will be in 15-20 minutes when I try again. That is
usually when it goes away. (Knock on wood.)

If this doesn't work, I agree with you that it probably is the USB
components of the MB. I do have an add-in USB card which has an internal
type A male plug. I'd prefer to use the 3.5" hole in the front of the PC to
hold a card reader. The Sony MRW620-U1 sold by my local Fry's only has a
header plug. Searching for internal readers at Newegg finds several options,
but none of them clearly state if they plug into header to type A USB. Any
recommendations for an internal card reader.