liquidxtal

Hi KenB, Your ease of use of the terminology suggests that you are electronics trained! Fortran might have been a scientific language for some, but to me it was a nightmare language, very, very rigid and unforgiving. Because of this problem complexity and my inexperience I’ve decided to go for the PCI USB card you mentioned earlier, however out of curiosity and interest I will still measure the current drain both on a single USB stick and a pair, also noting any voltage drop. Will keep you informed. Thanks Barry

Hi KenB, To pull 200mA I need a load of approx 25ohms, unfortunately I have been looking without success for such, however I will visit the town this weekend. The PCI USB card sounds promising, although I have a tower which is tucked right under my work top, but at the end of the day I might have no choice. I have never heard of these cards until you mentioned them! In the late sixties, I had many unpleasant experiences with computers especially when using the language Fortran which we used in conjunction with punch cards during chemical analysis using X-ray crystalography, what a nightmare, it put me off computers for many decades after!! Will get back to you Thank you

Thank KenB, I tried your suggestion but received the following message: Microsoft Fix It The trouble shooter does not apply to your system. We’re sorry, but this trouble shooter is not compatible with your current system configuration I noticed the site mostly catered for Vista problems. I did try to find an equivalent site for XP without success. I am tempted to cut up an old cable to act as a breakout box and fix a variable load across the +5v line and earth to see if I can pull 500mA, if so I will let you know the result. Thank you Barry

Thanks again KenB I carried out the procedure as suggested, thanks for the clear instructions. The first 3 labelled USB Root Hub read as follows: Hub Information Total power available 500mA per port Attached devices Description Power Required 2 Port(s) available 0mA The last laballed "USB Root Hub" read as follows The Hub is self powered Total power avaiable 500mA per port Attached devices Description Power required USB Mass Storage device 200mA USB Mass Storage device 200mA 4 Ports Avaiable 0mA

Hi KenB and thanks for the fast response. I repeated the scenario with two identical memory sticks and met with the same result and error message. The external hard drive has its own mains power supply. I appreciate your help. Barry.

Please can someone help with the following problem? My computer (Windows XP) has two USB inputs on the front and two on the back. When I insert a memory stick in either of the front sockets it registers as drive (G:) in “my computer” and functions ok i.e. I can transfer data between my hard drive and memory stick. When I remove the memory stick and then connect my external hard drive to either of the rear sockets it registers as drive (F:) in “my computer” and functions ok i.e. I can transfer data between my hard drive and external hard drive. The problem arises when I connect my hard drive and memory stick simultaneously, everything then goes to pot, I am unable to transfer data between any of the drives and the following message is displayed: Cannot create or replace File ABC etc: Cannot find the specific file. Make sure you specify the correct path and the file name. I really need the ability to transfer data from my memory stick to my external hard drive. My knowledge of computers is somewhat limited and I am getting on in years so any help patiently offered would be most appreciated. Thank you Barry