USB surge, nowBluetooth inoperative

[bpmcclure]

I had a USB power surge on my X40 when I plugged in a cell phone data cable, which kept coming back even with no devices attached. I got it to clear by uninstalling all hubs, rebooting, and then disabling the hub that showed up as not recognized. Not sure if I have USB's now, as I have not checked other devices so far. However, my Bluetooth mouse no longer works, and though I seem to be able to turn on the radio, I can not enable it in Access Connections, and I have no Bluetooth neighborhood, etc. Anyone have any ideas on this one?

I will tackle the USB issue separately when I have a device other than the phone to experiment with.

Thanks!

[bpmcclure]

I checked USB functionality and seem to have power but the computer does not see any device I plug in. So I am assuming my USB capability is gone. Looking around for a PCMCIA card as a work-around.

Next step is to uninstall the integrated modem and see if Bluetooth returns when it reinstalls.

[automobus]

It does seem like the USB controller has been zapped. But just maybe the ports on a dock might still be functional. I want to warn you that most, if not all, PCMCIA card USB hosts have very low power output. Every card I have ever seen (at least, seen in pictures) has a socket for extra power. I can hardly power a flash drive from my card without causing a fault. The moment I plug-in a device that exceeds the card's output, I get a BSoD (irq_not_less_or_equal) in Windows or a total halt in GNU/Linux. My card has a EIAJ-02 socket (a broken a wireless router used that, so I can use its power supply; that is also the same plug used by Sony's PSP). Most cards on eBay have a short power cable that robs other USB ports. I do not think that is wise: USB was not designed for power delivery!. It is a high-speed interface that kindly provides power to low-drain devices like keyboards. But it seems like most-every company abuses it, using it to charge iStuff and telephones, and even power other USB hubs.

I got carried away. I just want to caution you not to damage the bus any further by using a PCMcIA card with a "jumper cable".