Thinkpads Forum

I'm having some major difficulties with a bunch of Thinkpad x220 laptops concerning the USB ports. It seems like they're so massively underpowered that even attaching a thumb drive kills them. Here's what happens:

I'm running Windows 7 SP1, the one that came with it preloaded. When attaching a thumb drive to any USB port (I've tried about a dozen that work with every other computer I've ever used them on), either directly at the laptop or any docking station, I can see the drive and start copying files. At some random point the drive suddenly disappears and Windows Explorer, dumbfounded by the unexpected turn of events, throws out exceptions and error messages. From this moment on I cannot get any USB-powered mass storage device, be that thumb drive, external hard drive or external DVD-RW, to get detected by Windows. I have to reboot the computer (shutdown takes a loooooooooong time) and can then resume my work. Another way to quickly knock the socks off this system is by using Microsoft's USB DVD Download Tool for Windows 7. Load tool, choose a Windows 7 ISO file, select USB device and click Start. The tool then tries to format the drive, in which it does not succeed because things turn ugly again and the thumb drive disappears about two seconds into formatting the drive. I also have a USB-powered external 2.5" hard drive which cannot be used at this computer at all. Neither with a single nor a dual USB port cable - the drive simply doesn't show up. With any other thinkpad (I've tried a T510, a T61, and an Edge 11) the drive works just fine even with the single USB cable. Another 3.5" external hard drive with external power supply works great so my guess is that it's not a general Windows problem but some sort of power failure or energy saver setting.

At first I though my laptop was broken but since this is a company laptop and we have five of them I've tried two others with the exact same results. What's happening here, any clues as to what's wrong?

mj_ wrote:I'm running Windows 7 SP1, the one that came with it preloaded.....but since this is a company laptop....

Is the Windows 7 SP1 the Lenovo factory version, or a company SOE (Standard Operating Environment) version that has been loaded on to the X220 Thinkpads?

Cheers,

Bill B.

Hi Bill, it's the Lenovo factory version taken straight out of the box. According to the Lenovo Update tools the system is up to date except for a few non-important drivers (sound, sd card reader, etc.). Most importantly the energy tools and profiles, BIOS, and all other Lenovo tools are up to date.

Are these the top-of-the-line models (i7 CPU) with USB 3.0 or lower-end ones (which only have USB 2.0)?
Particularly if they are USB 3.0, verify you see the same behavior with all ports because not all the ports are USB 3.0. The USB 3.0 ports require an additional driver since they are controlled by a separate chip and not part of the base Intel chipset.

Core i5 models with IPS panel, 3x3 UMTS antenna, SSD, and 9 cell battery but no USB 3.0. Core i7 and USB 3.0 weren't necessary so we left them out, these units will be used as simple Office laptops. Product ID is 4287-CTO.

I can see the exact same behavior on all three USB ports, as well as all docking station USB ports.

See if this makes any difference. Open Control Panel > Power Options, then choose "Change advanced power settings" for your chosen power profile. Disable USB selective suspend settings.

There are also some Windows Updates that address USB issues.

Take a look also at the Windows Update Modules here (some are USB related): http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/researc ... MIGR-77280

Sorry for the delay, been busy doing other stuff
Unfortunately USB power saving in power options didn't help at all. I'll try a live Linux to see whether or not it's a hardware issue and might have to consider reinstalling Windows...

Are all the X220's you've had this problem with from the same batch? Maybe it's a hardware problem but it seems unlikely. My X220 is able to charge my phone even on the non-powered usb ports.

I also suspect it to be a problem with the x220 batch your company received.
I experience some issues with personal unit, but none of them are USB related : USB ports will accept any sort of drive, either on the laptop or on the Ultrabase (or both at the same time).

Can anyone confirm that X220 (i5, no USB 3.0) USB port does have enough power to work with external Western Digital 2.5" Elements Portable SE 1000GB drive ? More precisely said, it will be connected to the Ultrabase Dock shipped with the X220.

I've heard about damaged motherboards because of some self-powered 2.5" external HDDs ...

Looks like this problem never resolved. x220 is not addressing enough power for WD external hard drives. Nobody cares...

I just connected a co-worker's WD external USB drive to my X220 and copied some files without issue.

Unfortunately external drives' power requirements vary and the current supplied by USB ports also varies; they are only required to supply 500mA by the USB standard which is not enough to run most external drives. (900mA for USB 3.0)

jdrou wrote:they are only required to supply 500mA by the USB standard which is not enough to run most external drives.

Most external 2.5" drives designed with USB 2.0 interfaces were specifically built to run on the power available from a properly implemented USB 2.0 port

Drives designed for USB 3.0 operation may not be powerable from a USB 2.0 port.

Cheers,

Bill B.

bill bolton wrote: Most external 2.5" drives designed with USB 2.0 interfaces were specifically built to run on the power available from a properly implemented USB 2.0 port

I wouldn't expect to see so many people needing to use Y-cables then.
Most USB ports seem to supply more than the minimum required current but if you check the specs on 2.5" drives most need close to 1A to spin up (although not all drives will list this spec, just the idle and seek requirements). Looking at Seagate's 5400 rpm drives they all state 1A spinup. I suppose you could define "properly implemented" to mean "supplies enough power to spinup most 2.5 drives" instead of "meets the requirements of the USB 2.0 standard".

jdrou wrote:but if you check the specs on 2.5" drives most need close to 1A to spin up

Most drives designed for use in external enclosures? Must be on some other planet

My x220 with i7 processor with usb 3.0 has never required me to use a second cable for power. That includes various flash drives, cameras, 2 different cd/dvd reader/writers, and three different types of external enclose drives.

I recommend that the bios be updated on these x220 i5's.