USB ports not working.

[siriusbliss]

I've lost functionality on 2 of the 4 USB ports on my Alienware Area-51m
laptop.

I can't find any 'default' drivers to reinstall (or revert to), and am
not clear if it's an IRQ issue or what.

I noticed this recently when my Creative Webcam (original drivers - new
drivers made no difference) suddenly stopped working. Now I'm also
having problems with an external harddrive not being 'noticed' by
Windows. Sometimes the harddrive pops up after a LONG time.

Swapping USB ports doesn't seem to make any difference.

The overall performance of Win XP1+ has also seemed to SLOW DOWN overall
performance when perusing through Windows Explorer, etc.

The only think I can recall that has changed on my system was a Windows
update I ran a couple weeks ago, but these USB anomolies began a while back.

Any ideas? Registry settings? Driver updates? IRQ conflicts? etc.


Greg

Windows XP Pro SP1+ (not SP2)
Alienware Area-51m laptop
1G RAM
2.4GHz P4 CPU (Intel)
Creative Webcam
Maxtor external HDD (via USB or firewire)

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I've lost functionality on 2 of the 4 USB ports on my Alienware
Area-51m laptop.

I can't find any 'default' drivers to reinstall (or revert to), and
am not clear if it's an IRQ issue or what.

I noticed this recently when my Creative Webcam (original drivers -
new drivers made no difference) suddenly stopped working. Now I'm
also having problems with an external harddrive not being 'noticed' by
Windows. Sometimes the harddrive pops up after a LONG time.

Swapping USB ports doesn't seem to make any difference.

The overall performance of Win XP1+ has also seemed to SLOW DOWN
overall performance when perusing through Windows Explorer, etc.

The only think I can recall that has changed on my system was a
Windows update I ran a couple weeks ago, but these USB anomolies
began a while back.
Any ideas? Registry settings? Driver updates? IRQ conflicts? etc.


Greg

Windows XP Pro SP1+ (not SP2)
Alienware Area-51m laptop
1G RAM
2.4GHz P4 CPU (Intel)
Creative Webcam
Maxtor external HDD (via USB or firewire)

What about "hardware Failure"?

 

[siriusbliss]

What about "hardware Failure"?

*****
Not hardware. The port works SOMETIMES with other hardware. I asked
engineers I work with if USB ports ever go out, and they say it's
extremely rare.

However, I finally got it working by totally uninstalling all software,
drivers, and registry crap and starting from scratch.

It always amazes me how things work great for 2 or 3 years and then
suddenly crap out.

Greg

 

[Anna]

Not hardware. The port works SOMETIMES with other hardware. I asked

engineers I work with if USB ports ever go out, and they say it's
extremely rare.

However, I finally got it working by totally uninstalling all software,
drivers, and registry crap and starting from scratch.

It always amazes me how things work great for 2 or 3 years and then
suddenly crap out.

Greg

Greg:
I honestly don't have any insight into specifically what's causing your
problem, or more importantly, how to fix it. I'm reasonably certain you've
done enough research on your more-or-less common problem to have some
insight into possible fixes.

I just wanted to make a few observations. It certainly does sound like
possible hardware failure re the USB ports as Shenan has suggested. I find
it somewhat surprising, if not amusing, that the "engineers" you consulted
have stated that defective USB ports are "extremely rare". Believe me,
they're *not* a rare occurrence, especially USB 2.0 ports. While I wouldn't
characterize USB ports failing as a common occurrence, it certainly, in my
experience, happens with enough frequency that I wouldn't call it rare by
any means.

And please, don't be "amazed" how (computer) "things work great for 2 or 3
years and then suddenly crap out." Perhaps they *shouldn't* become
defective, but they do. We have long since lost our "amazement", I can tell
you that.

Returning to your USB problem...

I've become more & more convinced that the endemic USB non-recognition
problems we've all been experiencing is an indication that there is
something seriously flawed with respect to either the USB 2.0
specifications, quality control issues affecting the manufacturer of these
USB devices including motherboards and other USB components, the XP OS as it
relates to USB 2.0 devices, or possibly a combination of "all the above". We
encountered far too many unexplained problems affecting
detection/recognition of these devices and their erratic functioning not to
believe that something is seriously amiss in this area.

I realize all this is of little comfort to you in overcoming your present
problem. I wish I could be of more help to you. Perhaps others will have
some better insights.
Anna

 

[Lem]

Not hardware. The port works SOMETIMES with other hardware. I asked

Greg:
I honestly don't have any insight into specifically what's causing your
problem, or more importantly, how to fix it. I'm reasonably certain you've
done enough research on your more-or-less common problem to have some
insight into possible fixes.

I just wanted to make a few observations. It certainly does sound like
possible hardware failure re the USB ports as Shenan has suggested. I find
it somewhat surprising, if not amusing, that the "engineers" you consulted
have stated that defective USB ports are "extremely rare". Believe me,
they're *not* a rare occurrence, especially USB 2.0 ports. While I wouldn't
characterize USB ports failing as a common occurrence, it certainly, in my
experience, happens with enough frequency that I wouldn't call it rare by
any means.

And please, don't be "amazed" how (computer) "things work great for 2 or 3
years and then suddenly crap out." Perhaps they *shouldn't* become
defective, but they do. We have long since lost our "amazement", I can tell
you that.

Returning to your USB problem...

I've become more & more convinced that the endemic USB non-recognition
problems we've all been experiencing is an indication that there is
something seriously flawed with respect to either the USB 2.0
specifications, quality control issues affecting the manufacturer of these
USB devices including motherboards and other USB components, the XP OS as it
relates to USB 2.0 devices, or possibly a combination of "all the above". We
encountered far too many unexplained problems affecting
detection/recognition of these devices and their erratic functioning not to
believe that something is seriously amiss in this area.

I realize all this is of little comfort to you in overcoming your present
problem. I wish I could be of more help to you. Perhaps others will have
some better insights.
Anna

For what it's worth -- and I have no idea if this is related to any other USB
problems -- I was just reminded that the USB controller in certain models of
Palm pda devices (M5xx, I think) are very sensitive to static electricity, which
can cause an abrupt failure to be recognized via a USB port (although serial
connection ususally still works). The solution for Palm devices is to totally
discharge their battery, which resets the controller chip. If motherboard USB
ports have a similar susceptability to static electricity, the advent of low
humidity winter weather would tend to make such failures more common now.

 

[siriusbliss]

Not hardware. The port works SOMETIMES with other hardware. I asked




Greg:
I honestly don't have any insight into specifically what's causing your
problem, or more importantly, how to fix it. I'm reasonably certain you've
done enough research on your more-or-less common problem to have some
insight into possible fixes.

I just wanted to make a few observations. It certainly does sound like
possible hardware failure re the USB ports as Shenan has suggested. I find
it somewhat surprising, if not amusing, that the "engineers" you consulted
have stated that defective USB ports are "extremely rare". Believe me,
they're *not* a rare occurrence, especially USB 2.0 ports. While I wouldn't
characterize USB ports failing as a common occurrence, it certainly, in my
experience, happens with enough frequency that I wouldn't call it rare by
any means.

And please, don't be "amazed" how (computer) "things work great for 2 or 3
years and then suddenly crap out." Perhaps they *shouldn't* become
defective, but they do. We have long since lost our "amazement", I can tell
you that.

Returning to your USB problem...

I've become more & more convinced that the endemic USB non-recognition
problems we've all been experiencing is an indication that there is
something seriously flawed with respect to either the USB 2.0
specifications, quality control issues affecting the manufacturer of these
USB devices including motherboards and other USB components, the XP OS as it
relates to USB 2.0 devices, or possibly a combination of "all the above". We
encountered far too many unexplained problems affecting
detection/recognition of these devices and their erratic functioning not to
believe that something is seriously amiss in this area.

I realize all this is of little comfort to you in overcoming your present
problem. I wish I could be of more help to you. Perhaps others will have
some better insights.
Anna

There are NO USB 2.0 ports on this particular machine.

I'm in San Diego, and we don't get the extreme weather changes that the
rest of the country gets, and I have no static going on in my house, so
I don't see a problem there.

I'm now able to get it to work intermittently, so I think there is some
driver conflict with one of the programs on my PC.

Now I just have to figure out where to find the conflict.

After checking all that, if there are still problems, then it most
likely would be hardware related.

Thanks,

Greg

*****

 

[Anna]

There are NO USB 2.0 ports on this particular machine.

I'm in San Diego, and we don't get the extreme weather changes that the
rest of the country gets, and I have no static going on in my house, so I
don't see a problem there.

I'm now able to get it to work intermittently, so I think there is some
driver conflict with one of the programs on my PC.

Now I just have to figure out where to find the conflict.

After checking all that, if there are still problems, then it most likely
would be hardware related.

Thanks,

Greg

Well Greg, if your Alienware Area-51m series laptop doesn't include USB 2.0
ports, then you're using one strange Alienware Area-51m laptop!

And I'm certainly glad to hear about the apparently fine weather you
experience in San Diego as well as the lack of static present in your house.
Let's hope those same atmospheric conditions continue for the foreseeable
future.
Anna

 

[sunil.kand]

I am facing the problem of USB not working.
THe problem started with the Ethernet port on mother board (Shuttle
MV42N) not getting recognized on XP. I had to do few
disable/enable/reinstall driver /reboot sequences. After I had fixed it
found that the USB port is not getting recognized The Device manager
shows everything is fine.
I tried the same trick as for Ethernet port - but that too fails.

Thanks in advance
SK