USB Problem Fixes

A USB problem always seems to happen at the most inconvenient time for some reason, it will always be when you urgently need to do something.

The first thing to ascertain when you have a USB related issue is determining which type of issue you have.

Is the issue a problem with the hardware connecting to your computer, this includes the cable, a USB port problem on the computer itself or a software problem.

The easiest way to begin diagnosing is to try another USB port. If this works you’re looking at a USB port problem, this will probably be a hardware issue, but it’s worth repairing Windows in case it’s a Windows XP USB problem.

Next way to determine the route of the problem is to plug another USB device in the same port, does the device work, if it does then the issue is with your USB device or cable, now you need to try another USB cable.

If the device still fails to function it’s starting to look like a hardware problem with your USB device.

But there are a number of reasons a device fails to function apart from a faulty device.

Does your computer have USB ports that are compatible? Older computers may have USB type 1 ports, newer USB devices may only work with USB 2 ports.

To check which version of USB your computer has, right click on my computer select properties, choose hardware and Device Manager, scroll to the bottom and choose Universal Serial Bus Controllers, now look for either USB2 or Enhanced, this signifies USB 2, otherwise your computer will only have USB 1.

If you need to upgrade your USB this is a hardware upgrade so for a desktop you can install a PCI USB 2 card or for a laptop a PCMCIA equivalent.

If the computer already has USB next you need to look at the power consumption of the USB device, many devices especially small external hard drives do not have an external power supply, all of the power is supplied through the USB port, but sometimes there is not enough power.

Adding a powered hub or a dual headed USB cable can rectify this.

Checkout our other articles

If you think your USB problem requires an extra card checkout our USB upgrade page

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