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effingpot
regular
Reg'd: Sat
Posts: 51
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Hi, I have an external USB HDD from Freecom which has worked fine on my Mesh desktop using the two front USB ports. One provides power.
Recently when plugged in, it (and other USB devices) generate a "device not recognised" error. Same on memory keys. I tried using the USB ports on the reverse of the machine and it appeared to work but after about 30 secs of recognising the device, the same error.
There is no device driver avail for XP as it's supposed to be autosensing from the OS. In the device manager there is an 'unknown' device listed but it seems like the USB hardware or subsystem is faulty. All cables seem tight and in place.
Any ideas what to do?
Thanks
Mike
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Puta3D
regular
Reg'd: Wed
Posts: 650
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Check in your Device Manager in Control Panel-->System-->Hardware-->Device Manager under Universal Serial Bus Controllers. See if there's an update available for the driver or if there is a yellow question mark over the icons on the left hand side.
Does the external Hard Disk drive rely on Windows own drivers or does it have its own software?
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formerly i_wish_i_can_fly
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Nick_CarnTowan
new user
Reg'd: Mon
Posts: 13
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I have a similar (or related) problem with my Mesh (XP Home) desktop PC. I have a new flash drive that is "found" by XP but for which it cannot find a driver - this applies to any of the USB ports. My Toshiba laptop (XP Home) find and uses it without a problem.
My previous flash drive still works on both PCs as does my digital camera. However my webcam and mobile phone will not work on the desktop any longer for the same reason (can't find/install a driver). The webcam used to work but I unplugged it to try on my laptop (successfully) and now it won't re-install on the desktop (I didn't actually un-install it in the first place).
There are no question marks in Drivers under USB devices and under Devices I have deleted the USB camera and USB dive which did display yellow question marks. The older flash dive still works fine.
Any thoughts on how to get USB working fully once more?
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RichieP
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 4763
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Do you have all the latest MS Updates installed?
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 OK OK I can't go any faster! aaaaaaaaaaaagh!
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Nick_CarnTowan
new user
Reg'd: Mon
Posts: 13
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I have enabled automatic updates so should have the latest.
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Nick_CarnTowan
new user
Reg'd: Mon
Posts: 13
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I have tried unplugging all USB devices and un-installing all USB drivers. On re-booting XP find the 3 USB controllers (I have 3 pairs of physical USB ports) but cannot find the driver software. I have done a System Restore to get back to where I was before i.e printer and old flash drive work OK but new flash drive is not even found by XP now.
Do I need to find the motherboard make and model and search for updates? If so can you tell me how to do that?
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Chris
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 623
Loc: Kent and the Pas-de-Calais
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Hi, this probably won't be any help to you at all but I have exactly the same problem. A friend plugged his Seagate USB portable hard disc into two of my USB ports to demonstrate it to me and since then my wireless mouse and keyboard which use a USB port won't work. I, too, have deleted the USB drivers and let Win XP re-install them but it hasn't helped and I am wondering if the portable HD has somehow damaged either the motherboard or power supply. I had the same problem with a different computer after installing a DVD drive; some of the USB ports worked afterwards and some did not and gave error messages to the effect that what was plugged into them was not recognised when previously it had been. It seems to me that they are very temperamental. Even Microsoft, who presumably invented them, doesn't offer much help with troubleshooting problems with USB ports
I found some software that was supposed to diagnose problems with USB ports but it is too complicated for my simple mind. If you want to try it, you can find it Here
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Nick_CarnTowan
new user
Reg'd: Mon
Posts: 13
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Thanks Chris, I might give it a try. I'll Give Mesh a chance to help me first since my mind is fairly simple too as far as these things are concerned. It's interesting that in my case the ports clearly still work with most of my older peripherals.
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RichieP
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 4763
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There's a fairly good trouble-shooting guide here
Updating your BIOS may help.
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OK OK I can't go any faster! aaaaaaaaaaaagh!
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Chris
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 623
Loc: Kent and the Pas-de-Calais
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Hi Ritchie, I had a look at the guide but most of the things that it suggested were already done and those that weren't didn't improve things when I tried them. My BIOS is the latest version. My motherboard makers have some software that looks for the latest BIOS, makes a backup of the old one, and installs the new one - at least thats the theory - so I let it run some time ago.
I have got round the problem of the USB ports not working unless something is plugged in, removed amd then plugged in again, to a certain extent by leaving the computer, (which is plugged into a trailing socket which is an anti surge device with a switch) connected to to switched-on device. When the computer is shut down it is still connected to the mains (whereas it wasn't before) and now the mouse and keyboard work, sort of, when the computer is switched on. When it is first switched on, I am able to enter the BIOS by pressing DEL but after it starts to boot into Windows I can no longer use the mouse until it has booted which means I can't boot into safe mode by pressing F8 should I want to. To compond the matter further I now get a message from time to time saying that the mouse signal is very weak (it has new batteries) and that there is a problem with my bluetooth connection and that I should plug the mouse into a PS2 port. The trouble is, I haven't bluetooth on this machine and never have and the mouse, being a wireless mouse has no connectors. I don't know why Microsoft bother to have a "help" facility!
It is all very odd and something to do, I feel, with having that Seagate external drive connected as it was after that thet these problems started
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RichieP
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 4763
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Not a lot else I can think of really, as that USB site is very good. Have you tried it without the drive being connected, then plug it in after Windows loads? Have you tried getting a USB to PS2 converter for the mouse?
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OK OK I can't go any faster! aaaaaaaaaaaagh!
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Chris
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 623
Loc: Kent and the Pas-de-Calais
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Hi Ritchie, yes, I have tried to get a USB to PS2 coverter as there is a "Y" cable supplied with certain Microsoft wireless keyboards for connecting the receiver to PS2 ports if it won't work with USB ports but no one seems to have heard of it.
The mouse and keyboard both work if the receiver is plugged in after the machine has booted. They also work without me doing that if I just shut the computer down and don't isolate it from the mains, so that is how I have worked around the problem. Not the best solution, I suppose, but the only one that works at the moment.
Thanks for your help
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greysts
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 18160
Loc: Colchester
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Chris, do you mean one of these?
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Do you know that we're all in line for succession to the throne? Really?
Well, if forty-eight million, two hundred thousand, seven hundred and one people died I'd be Queen.
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Chris
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 623
Loc: Kent and the Pas-de-Calais
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Hi Spencer, no, the thing that I want is a "Y" shaped cable which has a male PS2 plug at each of the "upper" arms of the "Y", and a USB socket at the bottom. The idea is that the wireless receiver plugs into the USB socket and the two male PS2 plugs go into the mouse and keyboard sockets on the computer enabling a wireless USB mouse and keyboard to work via the PS2 ports.
Apparently Microsoft supply such a cable with one of their wireless keyboard/mouse kits but I haven't found any reference to it on their web site.
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RichieP
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 4763
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Just changed some settings on a PC that wouldn't recognise a USB device, so I thought I'd mention it here.
Go into your BIOS settings by pressing F2 or Del at startup.
Look for Integrated Peripherals or something similar.
Look for OnChip USB
Make sure it is set to V1.1+2.0
Just a thought.
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OK OK I can't go any faster! aaaaaaaaaaaagh!
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