X300 freezes when USB device inserted

[rlmorrisonwy]

I believe the problem with Lenovo X300 notebooks freezing when you insert a USB device is not software, driver, or firmware related. I believe there is a hardware problem with the X300. Specifically, I believe it is a grounding problem and that the X300 is sensitive to static electricity. Thus, an X300 may work fine in a humid climate - but not in a dry climate.

I have sent my X300 to Lenovo twice. The last time they 'resolved my problem' by re-imaging the system (with Vista Ultimate). After receiving the re-imaged system directly from Lenovo (and before installing any software), I began testing USB devices. I concluded I could insert devices all day long if I stood perfectly still and wore a wrist grounding strap. But, if I walked across (a carpeted) room to get a USB device and then inserted the USB device, the X300 would freeze as usual.

People have theorized that moving the mouse before inserting a USB device has solved their problem. If so, I suggest they were simply discharging static electricity from their body before touching the USB slot.

To ensure this problem is not unique to Vista, I imaged the X300 with XP Pro. The results were exactly the same. I also did the same tests on a Lenovo X60 laptop and an Acer Aspire One notebook. I could get neither of these devices to fail, even after sliding my feet on the floor to intentionally build up a static charge.

Many of us have spent countless hours trying to figure out why we cannot reliably use USB devices on a $3,000 laptop. Even though there are numerous postings from users having USB problems, I can find nothing from Lenovo acknowledging the problem. It is time for Lenovo to rise up and solve this problem.

[ThinkP]

glad I'm reading all these things before I drop a hefty fee for the latest x301.

Alot of companies these days don't make computers like they used too....yeh sure they have new shiny stylish looking designs, ie Apple, Dell, Lenovo etc... but they seem to come with more glitches or faults than ever before....

could it be just a thing to design them to only last 3 years and not like the old days of when a laptop could go 5 years without any major problems except maybe OS or hard-drive related...now it's all sorts of stuff failing...

Quality Control...that's where they need to beef up in these manufacturers...at the end of the day it saves them money from all the RMA's and support costs..

[jamess]

I was just about to post the same question/findings on _USB freeze. This is really bad. However, I only experience freezing when inserting USB device into the "closer-to-the-screen-port" of the two on the left side.

Does anyone know when a refresh of X30n is coming? Anytime soon?