USB 2.0 on older computer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike
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M

Mike

I have a Dell Dimension 4400, that appears to be USB 1.0, as I am
constantly getting warnings about devices being able to perform
faster, etc.
Will a usb add-in card fix this?
Thanks-
 
Mike said:
I have a Dell Dimension 4400, that appears to be USB 1.0, as I am
constantly getting warnings about devices being able to perform
faster, etc.
Will a usb add-in card fix this?
Thanks-
Click to expand...

Yes. if you mean a card that goes into a PCI slot on the motherboard and
you have a free PCI slot. Be sure to unplug your computer from the wall
electric outlet before proceeding.
 
C said:
Yes. if you mean a card that goes into a PCI slot on the motherboard and
you have a free PCI slot. Be sure to unplug your computer from the wall
electric outlet before proceeding.
Click to expand...

Is there a way of stopping the message if someone chooses not to
install a UBS 2.0 card??
 
I have a Dell Dimension 4400, that appears to be USB 1.0, as I am
constantly getting warnings about devices being able to perform
faster, etc.
Will a usb add-in card fix this?
Thanks-
Click to expand...

You can suppress the message entirely or determine if it can be
fixed. Many are easy to fix with simple driver updates, and you can
even use the standard Microsoft driver.

How does it "appear to be USB 1.0"? Does the message say that?

Please provide additional information about your system:

Click Start, Run and in the box enter:

msinfo32

Click OK, and when the System Summary info appears, click Edit, Select
All, Copy and then paste
the information back here.

There will be some personal information (like System Name and User
Name), and whatever appears to
be private information to you, just delete it from the pasted
information.

This will minimize back and forth Q&A and eliminate guesswork.

Open Device Manager, by clicking Start, Run and in the box enter:

%SystemRoot%\system32\devmgmt.msc

Click OK.

Do you see any red Xs or yellow ?s and if so, in what sections?

Now expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section and look for
the words:

Enhanced Host Controller

Enhanced is the key word which means high speed. If Enhanced is not
listed, it is just a
USB 2.0, but not high speed (hence the message) but a driver upgrade
will usually fix it
unless the hardware is very old.

Right click each USB device, Properties and check the driver version.
The correct Microsoft driver
is 5.1.2600 or later. If not, upgrade them individually to the
current version by choosing to Update
the driver and let it connect to Windows search to find the driver
(usually this is not a good idea
but is OK with the USB drivers). Depending on your system, one update
may to them all.

Sometimes there is a setting to change in the BIOS. In the BIOS under
a section for USB, there
may be an option for ECxx (enhanced controller) that is disabled.
Enable it, reboot.

After any BIOS update(s) see if there is a USB Enhanced Host
Controller listing.

You may have to do both the BIOS and the driver change.

It is possible to configure a check box in the properties on the
device to never warn you
but you will never see even legitimate error messages again.

Try to fix it if you can.
 
.. Be sure to unplug your computer from the wall
electric outlet before proceeding.

Very poor advice since it provides grounding and thus lees prone
to static causing problems.
 
Mike said:
I have a Dell Dimension 4400, that appears to be USB 1.0, as I am
constantly getting warnings about devices being able to perform
faster, etc.
Will a usb add-in card fix this?
Thanks-
Click to expand...

Chipset is 845 with DDR. Doesn't say what Southbridge. The Intel doc
for 845 DDR says ICH2 is the Southbridge. The Intel doc for ICH2
says "USB 1.1 compliant", so it is not a USB2 device, and that
is why you're getting the helpful warnings.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4400/specs.htm#1101572

Adding a PCI USB2 card will fix the problem, and give better transfer
performance for USB2 capable peripherals.

Make sure your WinXP has been patched with some Service Packs, to get
the standards compliant USB drivers.

Paul
 
Unknown said:
. Be sure to unplug your computer from the wall
electric outlet before proceeding.

Very poor advice since it provides grounding and thus lees prone
to static causing problems.
Click to expand...

Very good advice if it's an ATX board since there will be power to the board
if it's still plugged in.
 
Unknown said:
. Be sure to unplug your computer from the wall
electric outlet before proceeding.

Very poor advice since it provides grounding and thus lees prone
to static causing problems.
Click to expand...

Grounding the chassis, is not a replacement for proper handling
procedures.

Part of the damage caused by ESD, is the magnitude of the peak
current flow. This is why antistatic bags, that components come
in, have a relatively high resistance as measured by an ohmmeter.
By having that high value of resistance, electrostatic discharge can
slowly be drained off. Anything which encourages a rapid discharge
of ESD, is to be avoided.

If a person was worried about ESD, at minimum, they would purchase
a wrist strap. These are supposed to have a series resistor in the
conducting path. You fasten this to the chassis of the computer case,
on some shiny metal such as an I/O screw. By fastening the wrist strap
to yourself, you and the chassis are at the same potential.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2479151

Once your wrist strap is on, you handle the antistatic bag first.
Now the product inside the antistatic bag or container, is gradually
being brought to the same potential as the chassis and you. Now
you can snip the end off the antistatic bag, and remove the item.
(Some people recommend touching the inside of the bag with
your finger, before touching the component, as some antistatic
bags have the conductor on the inside surface. And don't touch
any gold contacts on the item - fingerprints contaminate the
surfaces.)

As long as everything is brought to the same potential, you're
improving the antistatic situation.

Just grounding the chassis is not a substitute for the gradual
discharge idea. If you reach out with your hand and touch something,
your body resistance is in the 100K-200K ohm range, which encourages
too quick a discharge. Using a proper minimum antistatic setup,
even if the chassis is floating, is better than using techniques
that encourage "hard" discharges. Always keep the components
inside an antistatic bag, when you're not using them, as that
will encourage slow changes in potential difference when the
bag is handled.

Unplugging the ATX power supply covers cases where the power
supply switch has failed. A compromise solution, might be to
use a power strip, and flip the switch on the power strip, to
remove power. That will maintain the third prong ground path, if
having ground makes you feel better. But you should still approach
the chassis, while using your wrist strap with internal series
resistance, to encourage gradual discharge of potential differences.
The wrist strap is worth more to you, than a "hard" discharge
strategy suggested by grounding everything.

If a "hard" discharge strategy was such a wonderful idea,
computer components would be wrapped in tin foil. And they
are not. Examining all the packaging solutions, show they
share a moderately high resistance as a part of ESD control.

Paul
 
JacobH said:
If you do not have access to a wrist strap, grounding yourself to the
chassis is a suitable alternative, in which case leaving the mains cord
connected is an extremely dangerous strategy!
Click to expand...

I'm not following your logic here. In North America, we have three
pronged cords, of which the third prong is a safety ground. If the power
strip cuts power to the two other conductors, you still have the safety
ground, and safety ground has continuity to the chassis of the computer.
Safety ground exists, as a safe place for a power fault to flow to, causing
a breaker or fuse to open in response. It was invented to take care
of a situation where a power fault causes the chassis to become "hot" -
by having the chassis connected to safety ground, the chassis cannot
become "hot", without the protection device (breaker or fuse) opening
on the resulting overcurrent.

Maybe you're in another part of the world, and your power situation is
different ? Otherwise, I'm not following what you're saying is the
danger.

Paul
 
Ridiculous, since without the line cord inserted there is no ground for any
static to dissipate to.
Line cord can be plugged into a surge protector with the switch turned off.
 
Have no fear. I know precisely how to handle it and have for many years. And
pulling the line cord is
the last thing one should do.
 
Ridiculous, since without the line cord inserted there is no ground for any
static to dissipate to.
Line cord can be plugged into asurgeprotector with the switch turned off.
Click to expand...

With the line cord connected, the static discharge path still
exists. Out the finger. Into electronics. Out via the table top
(even wood is an electrical conductor) or that safety ground. Charges
eventually connecting to ground beneath the shoes. BTW, earth ground
has no place in this circuit.

The informed, at minimum, connect a wrist strap to the chassis.
Important in that strap is a safety resistor. But better facilities
connect the wrist strap, tabletop, (and therefore computer) to a mat
beneath shoes. Then no static charges exist. Why? A charge between
a finger and shoes is discharged. No charges mean no static
electricity.

Unknown is completely correct. No AC should be connected to a
computer when installing or removing parts. Otherwise voltages exist
on the motherboard that may cause hardware overstress. That wall
receptacle safety ground does nothing discharge fingers - obviously..
And can become part of a destructive discharge circuit from finger,
destructively through electronics, to charges located underneath
shoes.
 
Unknown said:
Ridiculous, since without the line cord inserted there is no ground for any
static to dissipate to.
Line cord can be plugged into a surge protector with the switch turned off.
Click to expand...

Maybe you missed the high points of my post.

1) Bring objects to the same electrostatic potential. They don't
have to be grounded to achieve that. Merely both be at the
same potential. That is why the wrist strap is fastened to
the chassis of the computer - it is to bring you, the object
in your hand (PCI card in antistatic bag), and the chassis
to the same potential. If they're at the same electrostatic potential,
there is no net current flow when they touch. No net current
flow, no damage.

2) If two objects do have to be brought together, and you
don't achieve (1), then a high resistance series resistor
should be used for charge equalization. Using a bare
hand isn't good, because a damp human hand is in the 100K's
range. And you want something up in the 10Megohm range to
help the charge equalize slowly. A good wrist strap will
have a reliable, high resistance value in the discharge
path (the wire with the clip on the end). The antistatic
bag has a high resistance per square, to achieve the same
effect of providing a series resistance.

Neither of those requires ground. The objective is equalizing
the potential of all objects about to touch, so no damaging
levels of current flow (the big ESD "spark").

Let's try a web article.

http://www.esda.org/basics/part3.cfm

"A primary means of protecting of ESD susceptible (ESDS) items
is to provide a ground path to bring ESD protective materials
and personnel to the same electrical potential. All conductors
in the environment, including personnel, must be bonded or electrically
connected and attached to a known ground or contrived ground, creating
an equipotential balance between all items and personnel. Electrostatic
protection can be maintained at a potential above a "zero" voltage
ground reference as long as all items in the system are at the same
potential. It is important to note that non-conductors in an Electrostatic
Protected Area (EPA) cannot lose their electrostatic charge by attachment
to ground."

You'll notice there, that while you can use ground as a convenient
reference point, it has no intrinsic protection value. It is just
a way of saying "lets make all the objects in this room, have
this particular electrostatic potential". When I use my computer
chassis, wrist strap, and PCI card in antistatic bag, that is
my closed system, where all items are equipotential. So while
that web page may have left the improper impression there
is something magic about "ground", it is the "equipotential"
we seek to achieve.

HTH,
Paul
 
or removing the line cord to negate the possibility of
inadvertant connection to the mains supply.
Click to expand...
Sheer ridiculous comment from someone obviously in the dark.
Why do you think the power supply is completely enclosed in a metal case?
Where can you possibly contact, as you say, to the mains?.
 
Maybe you missed the high points of my post.

1) Bring objects to the same electrostatic potential. They don't
    have to be grounded to achieve that. Merely both be at the
    same potential. That is why the wrist strap is fastened to
    the chassis of the computer - it is to bring you, the object
    in your hand (PCI card in antistatic bag), and the chassis
    to the same potential. If they're at the same electrostatic potential,
    there is no net current flow when they touch. No net current
    flow, no damage.

2) If two objects do have to be brought together, and you
    don't achieve (1), then a high resistance series resistor
    should be used for charge equalization. Using a bare
    hand isn't good, because a damp human hand is in the 100K's
    range. And you want something up in the 10Megohm range to
    help the charge equalize slowly. A good wrist strap will
    have a reliable, high resistance value in the discharge
    path (the wire with the clip on the end). The antistatic
    bag has a high resistance per square, to achieve the same
    effect of providing a series resistance.

Neither of those requires ground. The objective is equalizing
the potential of all objects about to touch, so no damaging
levels of current flow (the big ESD "spark").

Let's try a web article.

http://www.esda.org/basics/part3.cfm

    "A primary means of protecting of ESD susceptible (ESDS) items
     is to provide a ground path to bring ESD protective materials
     and personnel to the same electrical potential. All conductors
     in the environment, including personnel, must be bonded or electrically
     connected and attached to a known ground or contrived ground, creating
     an equipotential balance between all items and personnel. Electrostatic
     protection can be maintained at a potential above a "zero" voltage
     ground reference as long as all items in the system are at thesame
     potential. It is important to note that non-conductors in an Electrostatic
     Protected Area (EPA) cannot lose their electrostatic charge byattachment
     to ground."

You'll notice there, that while you can use ground as a convenient
reference point, it has no intrinsic protection value. It is just
a way of saying "lets make all the objects in this room, have
this particular electrostatic potential". When I use my computer
chassis, wrist strap, and PCI card in antistatic bag, that is
my closed system, where all items are equipotential. So while
that web page may have left the improper impression there
is something magic about "ground", it is the "equipotential"
we seek to achieve.

HTH,
    Paul
Click to expand...

I touched my dawg on the nose and got a shock. He ain't plugged in
neither.

I'm gonna do it agin!
 
I think what he's saying is that if the mains is miswired, AND the power
cord has a defect, AND the chassis has a defect, AND the power switch
doesn't properly break the connection when switched off, AND ...
Click to expand...

He is not saying that. Obvious from human nature what he is
saying. If the power cord is connected when adding or removing
anything, then the inevitable voltage on a motherboard causes
electronics damage. Always remove the power cord before adding or
removing anything. The reliable method of protecting electronics from
overstress or possible damage.

Static electric protection: to equalize voltages, connect a wrist
strap from the human to computer chassis (or hold the chassis). In
reliable operations, that minimal protection is insufficient. More
responsible organizations want static charges removed - shorted out.
Therefore a connection from a table top mat to a floor mat connects
finger, chassis, and shoes together. No charges exist. And then room
humidity is maintained (increased) so that charges cannot be
generated.

Either of two solutions to prevent static electric damage may be
implemented. But leaving a power cord connected only increase the
possibility of electronics overstress or damage.
 
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