Duo-Core USB power issues.

[dino]

Some you may have already read this.

http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/01/28/toms_ ... ain_issue/

[K. Eng]

Looks like a Microsoft Windows bug. Big surprise

The specific piece which Intel and Microsoft now say is responsible for the power drain is Windows' Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (ACPI) driver, which is a software component provided through the operating system. This is the component responsible for instructing a device to power down when it is not in use.

Here's my take on it: it is possible that the MS ACPI driver is not properly turning off the ICH7-M USB2 controlers.

A couple years ago, I was experimenting with the USB2 power management on my T40. My T40 was making strange electronic noises, and some google research revealed that the weird noises were caused by power management in the ICH4-M. I turned off the power management for the USB2 ports on my T40, reducing the noise from the machine, but at the cost of 30 minutes of battery life.

Perhaps something similar is happening between Windows and the new platform.

[WilsonF]

I guess this counsels postponing purchases of dual-core systems until we see what fix is proposed and whether it works as advertised. The reviewer at TomsHardware.com posted an editorial expressing doubt that he had gotten the full story from Intel and MS, and asking why MS, Intel and all the system vendors sat on this for six months after they first were told under it subject to various NDAs -- without fixing it!!

There may well me more to come on this.

[K. Eng]

If the Apple MacBook Pro is immune to this annoying bug, I think we can be sure that Microsoft is at fault...

I guess this counsels postponing purchases of dual-core systems until we see what fix is proposed and whether it works as advertised.
...
There may well me more to come on this.