(Almost?) dead USB ports

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DavidNZ · #1 Post by **DavidNZ** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 12:51 am

have already logged a service call for the following, but still have time to cancel if someone can shed some light on a rather odd (or maybe not) USB problem.

Picture this:

X40 with two USB ports (one on each side of the machine).

STEP 1. I plug in an external 1.8" USB HDD (which has worked for 15 months without a hitch) to the right-side USB port on the X40. It fires up and I can use it no problem.

Then I plug in a 4-port powered USB hub (with no USB peripherals actually attached to the hub) to the other USB port on the X40 and the USB HDD on the other port disappears. Can't access it, doesn't even appear as a drive anymore, nothing listed in the Event Viewer. Gone. The only way to get the USB HDD back is to unplug the 4-port powered USB Hub.

STEP 2: Reboot, and then tried switching the arrangment - i.e., plug the USB HDD on the left-side USB port and then plug the USB Hub in the right side. Same problem.

STEP 3: Reboot, then I plug the hub in first and then the USB HDD. The USB HDD doesn't get recognised. Doesn't even register as a USB device.

STEP 4: Reboot. Tried a different USB Hub (a Dlink 7 port, powered hub, to be exact) and repeated Steps 2 and 3. Same problem both times.

STEP 5: Reboot. USB HDD in left port. USB Mouse in right port. Both work fine.

STEP 6: No reboot. Reverse ports. Both work fine.

STEP 7: No reboot. USB Mouse into USB HUB and then into left USB port on X40. Then USB HDD into right port. Both work fine.

STEP 8: No reboot. USB HDD into right port. USB HUB (with USB mouse attached) into left port. [censored]. USB mouse not working.

OK, I give up. It's almost as if the USB ports on the X40 are only putting out enough power for one port. Although, part of me wonders if the drivers are mixed up. I use quite a few USB peripherals (keyboard, mouse, 4 HDDs, USB Pen on occasion, Palm Treo 650 for synching).

I even tried the trick of removing the battery and pressing the power switch 10 times (11th time, hold for 30sec) to see if that clears any static cuild up in the capacitors, but that didn't work either.

Anyone have any thoughts?

David

#2 Post by **Kyocera** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 12:59 pm

Does the hub have a place to plug in a dc adapter. I had a usb hard drive enclosure that was only recognized after i went to radio shack and bought an adapter. I was surprized it did not ship with an adapter, but i guess that is why it was only 20 bucks.

DavidNZ · #3 Post by **DavidNZ** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 3:15 pm

yup - they're "powered" as I wrote above, meaning they get power from the mains.

Since I posted the above, it seems things have settled down now. I'm back to my original configuration: 7-port powered Dlink hub going into the right USB port of the X40 and my external USB IBM keyboard going into the left.

This all started when I was trying to backup some large files between two USB hard drives linked through the hub. A few of them larger files (256mb +) just wouldn't copy and the connection from the source drive (again, via USB) would drop and no longer be seen as a removeable drive.

It's been interesting, although I don't think it's over just yet...

#4 Post by **Kyocera** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 3:19 pm

yup - they're "powered" as I wrote above, meaning they get power from the mains

i meant "powered" from their own power source, not the usb port itself.

DavidNZ · #5 Post by **DavidNZ** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 7:08 pm

Oh, sorry, mate.

Yes, the two 3.5" Hard drives are powered, BUT the little USB 1.8" HDD is not. The drop was occuring between the two powered HDDs.

Another update: I've cancelled the repair call because I'm convinced this is a USB driver issue. Am just doing some research right now on how to install/re-install USB drivers.

amgdoc · #6 Post by **amgdoc** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 8:11 pm

DavidNZ wrote:Am just doing some research right now on how to install/re-install USB drivers.

i was going to suggest doing this as well. uninstall the drivers and reinstall them again. just go to 'run' and type 'devmgmt.msc', scroll all the way down and uninstall all the usb ports. then restart the computer and it should reinstall them for you. if they comp does not find the drivers, run thinkpad software installer or find the usb drivers online on ibm and do it manually. i think you just confused your notebook.

DavidNZ · #7 Post by **DavidNZ** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:03 pm

Mmmm, yes, I suspect you're right. Things have reverted back to normal for the most part. My one external USB drive has a problem with a particular file associated with my Copernic desktop index, for whatever reason.

Cheers

David

(Almost?) dead USB ports

(Almost?) dead USB ports

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