USB problems... Please help!

[ebell211]

So, Ive been trying to figure this out on my own for the past few months. I give up, I need help... Im running Win XP media center edition on a Gateway GT5228. All other USB devices work fine, but I have issues with storage devices. my WD external (WDBAAR- abk5000) works but only if I unplug everything from all other USB ports. I have it plugged in in the back ports. My Samsung Epic smartphone won't read at all, comes up as USB device unrecognizable. Ive tried everything I can think of including downloading the drivers straight from the manufacturer. I just reformatted and went back to XP from 7 , thinking maybe it was compatibility issues with my OS but it remains the same. This all started happening after I removed the power supply a few months ago. I was going to replace it , only to realize that my other power supply didnt have the same connections. I am a student for computer and electronic engineering, I talked to a couple of my instructors, who said it was a corrupted OS, but I installed a clean version of 7 and still had the problem, and after describing it to my instructors again, they too are baffled. Again I am currently running XP media center edition. I need help PLEASE!!!!

[KenB]

Hi and welcome to ExTS

 

instructors, who said it was a corrupted OS

This is not an OS issue.

 

Here is the clue:

my WD external (WDBAAR- abk5000) works but only if I unplug everything from all other USB ports.

It seems to me to be a power issue.

 

The USB ports are 5v.

It could be that side of the PSU is not quite supplying the power required to run more than one device - depending upon the power requirements of the device.

An external hard drive will require more power than a memory stick for instance.

 

power supply...... I was going to replace it

Did you suspect that it was faulty?

 

Take a look here -( I assume you have access to a multi-meter being on an Electronics course :) )

http://kenspchelp.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10

 

Pay particular attention to the 5v supply.

If the voltages are down - even by 0.5v then I would suspect the PSU.

 

Keep in mind that this is not a test under load.

Ideally you could do with trying a different PSU.

 

Also try this:

Start > in the Run box type .....devmgmt.msc ......ENTER

Click the + next to USB Controllers

Right click USB Root Hub > Properties > Power

 

The information will tell you that there is 500mA per port. ( This may not be the case if there is a problem )

Plug your external drive in and refresh.

Your drive requirements will be shown.

 

Try this with 2 or more USB devices connected and see if there are changes.

 

If the PSU is at fault and cannot supply the amps required your devices will not run.

 

Does your external drive have its own power supply or does it use the 5v supply from the port?

[ebell211]

Ive been telling my neighbor (who builds computers) that I think Im not getting enough power to my ports and he looked at me like I was stupid. Now I have confirmation that this could be the issue. I will check it out after I get my son to school and report back.

[ebell211]

Okay, I checked the voltage. 11.92V red to yellow, 5.12V red to red. I then went to device manager and checked the power. 500mA available per port. My external hdd(portable) only requires 2mA. does that seem right? Everything else seems to require 100mA.

[KenB]

Voltages seem ok - but this was not a load test.

 

1. I assume that you have tried this external drive on another pc with other devices connected ?

This would piont the problem to your pc and not the drive itself.

 

2. Can you connect more than one USB device ( other than the external HDD ) to your own system ?

 

only requires 2mA.

This seems low for an external drive.

 

WDBAAR- abk5000

Don't seem to be able to find any info on this ??

 

Does the external drive have a mains power supply adapter or does it use the 5v supply from the USB port ?

[ebell211]

its actually WDBAAR5000-abk, sorry. and yes it works just fine on other PC's. it wont work with any other device (other than mouse) plugged in, right now my webcam is plugged in, and it shows up but says the delay write failed. it only works properly when plugged in alone

[ebell211]

its actually WDBAAR5000-abk, sorry. and yes it works just fine on other PC's. it wont work with any other device (other than mouse) plugged in, right now my webcam is plugged in, and it shows up but says the delay write failed. it only works properly when plugged in alone

 

only works whe3n plugged in alone on MY PC I should clear up.

[KenB]

delay write failed

This is new -

Do you get this error message when you try to save to the drive?

 

When you have the external drive plus another device in a USB Port ......

 

Start > Run ....type in ....devmgmt.msc .....ENTER

Click the + next to Disk Drives

 

Does your external drive show?

 

If you can see your drive right click on it > Properties > Policies

Check the box "Optimise for Performance"

 

Does this make any difference ?

[ebell211]

I only get the delay write failed message when something else is plugged in, and not when im trying to save anything. What happens is, If I plug my hdd in with anything else already connected , it wont recognize the hdd, if i plug it in solo, wait for it to be recognized, then plug in something else, it will eventually say delay write failed. Also maybe worth noting, when I do connect the hdd solo, it first pops up as unrecognizeable, then it will tell me it can perform faster from a 2.0 port, then it will finally recognize the hdd. this whole process takes about 45 seconds. I tried waiting for my phone, but no matter how long I wait, it will not recognize the phone. Yes my hdd shows as mass storage device in device manager, and it is already optimized for performance.

[KenB]

it can perform faster from a 2.0 port,

Are your ports 1.1 ?

 

( Still trying to get an overall picture )

 

Go back to Device Manager > click the + next to USB Controllers

Does it say in the list ...."USB2 Enhanced Host Controller" - the operative word is "enhanced".

If it does - you have USB 2.0

If it doesn't - you have USB 1.1

 

This should not affect the ability to run more than one device - but it will explain the "Can perform faster ......" message.

 

I still think there is a power issue.

 

I found this:

http://www.girr.org/mac_stuff/usb_test_cable.gif

 

(ref girr.org)

You may be able to put this together from a USB extension cable.

This will show you what is going on re. Volts / Current when you have the drive connected by itself and with another device.

 

I suspect that there will be a drop in both.

 

Looking at the circuit diagram - you wouldn't need the 50 and 10 Ohm resistors.

They were put in to test the port under low and high load.

 

All you would need to do would be to break the 5v cable and insert an Ammeter and from the same cable connect a voltmeter to 0v.

Your external drive would need to be connected of course.

 

Test it by itself then test again with other devices connected.

 

Is this a possibility ?

 

===============

 

Long post - sorry :)

 

My external hdd(portable) only requires 2mA.

Was this with other USB devices connected or with the external drive alone ?

 

Does this reading change when the drive is by itself / other devices connected ?

[Mag476]

Definitely sounds like a PSU problem, i've had similar problems in the past, changing the PSU fixed it instantly. In some cases the machine would not boot if any extrernal drives were connected using power, and generally wouldn't detect any usb devices. In extreme cases the biggest tell tale signs are the smell of burning rubber (not good at all), or just general overheating (intermittent shutdowns etc).

 

Please replace your PSU and see if the problems remain, as using a faulty PSU can be very dangerous and cause more problems for your other hardware.