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W520 USB 3.0 (blue) ports intermittent

W500/W510/W520 and W700/W701 Series
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Arabian-Nights
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Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 1:37 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

W520 USB 3.0 (blue) ports intermittent

#1 Post by Arabian-Nights » Sun Sep 08, 2019 3:32 pm

The two USB 3 ports on the left hand side of my W520 have become intermittent. When I first plug in a drive, they work for a few minutes only, then my external external HDD cannot be seen. The USB 2.0 port on the rear is OK.
Any suggestions?
Mike
Eve V / 16.0 GB RAM / Windows10pro 64 bit /500 GB HDD - new toy
W520 / 16.0 GB RAM / Windows7 Pro 64 bit /500 GB HDD - love the OS, love the keyboard
X200 / 8.0 GB RAM / Windows7 Ultimate 64 bit / 1 TB HDD
X61 / 4.0 GB RAM / 320 GB HDD - currently dead

dr_st
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Re: W520 USB 3.0 (blue) ports intermittent

#2 Post by dr_st » Sun Sep 08, 2019 4:24 pm

Are the problems just with the external hard drive? Is the drive USB 3.0? Have you tested other devices such as flash drives?

If the problems are specific to the drive, then I suspect the USB 3.0 ports simply do not deliver enough power for USB 3.0 hard drive. When connected to USB 2.0, the drive might take less power + if you use the yellow USB 2.0 port, then that port can deliver more power than standard USB.
Thinkpad 25 (20K7), T490 (20N3), Yoga 14 (20FY), T430s (IPS FHD + Classic Keyboard), X220 4291-4BG
X61 7673-V2V, T60 2007-QPG, T42 2373-F7G, X32 (IPS Screen), A31p w/ Ultrabay Numpad

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