T41 USB issue

[synchromesh]

I have a T41p machine that has a USB issue. When I plug in a USB device into it such as USB stick or mouse it freezes the machine dead. Does so in both ports. This happens most of the time. There were a few times when it just ignores the new USB device completely or says "unknown device". Otherwise system works fine, installed Windows without a hitch.

The drivers installed fine, there are no conflicts or issues. I took the system apart a bit and checked the ports. They seem to be sitting on the board well, no signs of damage around them. Also checked ports themselves, all pins are where they should be.

Now, I've read about some USB issues with those systems here. Is this "normal"? I can probably live with PCMCIA USB card I buy on eBay but I'm just hoping this doesn't kill the rest of the system. Is this fixable at all other than buying that card or a new mobo?

[jimmy274]

This is the easy way out... I just bought an R51 board (same like T42) and it's completely dead - the owner says that the laptop just died while she had a USB printer attached to it - the printer apparently drew too much current and killed something on the board.
I think that your issue might be due to a blown fuse or something similar (the data lines are working and the Vdd or Gnd line is blown). If you can live with it, I suggest you don't buy a new mobo, since you might end up with one that has GPU problems, which is far worse...