Help re: USB power surge reset

[Geektime]

This seems like a simple problem, though it has so far stymied me for some time--any help would be most appreciated.

My laptop is as described in my signature, the only addition worth mentioning is that I have the docking station, too.

I was running three USB devices at the time of the power surge (external HDD, mouse, and cellular dial-up modem). As I was removing the modem, the computer crashed, something which has never happened before. The HDD and the mouse were plugged into two of the three USB slots on the docking station, and the modem was plugged into the only available USB port on the laptop itself.

When I restarted the computer, I was given the option to reset the USB ports as a power surge had disabled them. I clicked yes, repeatedly, but the message kept on returning. I then removed all the USB devices and restarted the computer. No more messages to reset were given, but now, none of the USB ports on the docking station give any power or transmit information. The USB ports on the laptop only deliver power, but do not transmit information. This is determined by plugging in a device and seeing if the lights on it come on and whether the computer detects the device.

I understand that I need to access the BIOS and reset the USB ports as a possible means to get them running again, though it may be that I have actually blown the USB-related thingamajig in the laptor and/or docking station motherboard/circuitboard...although on this point I am not certain, based on what I have so far read on the matter.

The issue, then, is how do I access the BIOS? I can access the IBM start-up BIOS from the start-up screen by pushing the IBM Access button, but this does not allow me to do anything significant. I no longer have the IBM PC-Doctor, given a recent complete HDD delete and software re-installation, so this avenue is unavailble.

Any and all suggestions would be most appreciated!

My apologies to the administrators if this is being posted in the wrong area--I looked carefully before posting and this seems like the most "logical" place to post.

Cheers!

[Harryc]

PC-Doctor is available on a bootable CD. Try that.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 56222.html

[Geektime]

Ok--downloaded and tried PC-Doctor. The normal diagnostic ran fine, and specifically, the USB port diagnostic comes back ok; that being said, I'm not quite sure what to look for otherwise. The only item which might suggest USB error is the IEEE is "N/A", but now I'm just stabbing at shadows.

The USB ports still act the way they did before--that is to say, not at all.

Any other suggestions?

Cheers,

[rkawakami]

My understanding is that the USB diagnostic only checks some internal conditions. There's a specail "loop-back" cable which goes between the USB port and parallel port but I've never been able to find such a beast (FRU 05K2580). That cable is used to insure that all of the signals are actually getting out to the jack. The IEEE in the PC Doctor program is probably for the Firewire (aka, IEEE 1394) port, which I'm guessing that your X40 doesn't have. From your description of the blowout, I'd say that some damage may have been done to the motherboard. You might also try uninstalling all of the USB entries in Windows Device Manager, re-boot and let Windows re-discover the hardware. If that doesn't sound like something you'd want to risk, then you could try using a Linux live CD and see if that OS can recognize the USB ports and work with any peripherals.

Have you tried seeing if the USB port(s) on the docking station work? The USB interface hub controller would still be the same in the laptop but the signal path is different since it goes out the docking port pins.

[Geektime]

Alright, I uninstalled all the USB ports on the computer through the device manager and they were automatically reinstalled after restarting the computer. Sadly, no change in the USB ports: they are still not functioning.

I've also tested the USB ports on the docking station, and these do not work at all, unlike the ports on the laptop, which still seem to give out some power but nothing else.

Thanks, as well, for the clarification on the IEEE business--indeed, I don't have any firewire on this machine.

Is there anything else I can try?

[Harryc]

I'd recommend a USB 2.0 PCMCIA card.

[Geektime]

This means, simply, that my usb ports are blown and the only alternative to a PCMCIA card is a new motherboard?

[Harryc]

Yes, that would be my opinion.

[Geektime]

That's a shame. All the same, thank you very much for all the help.

If anyone else has some insights...I'll all ears.

Cheers,