Extra USB keyboard ports not working
A common USB keyboard problem concerns USB keyboard ports not working .
Many USB keyboards have extra USB ports to
allow connection to other USB devices directly through the
keyboard; it’s a great idea if it works as it should
This type of USB keyboard problem falls into 3 categories
1.
The device is not recognized and nothing comes
up when the device is plugged in.
2.
The USB port is recognized as a USB 1 port to
some degree and we get an error message similar to a high
speed device has been plugged into a low speed USB connection
3.
The port does not provide enough power to
support the USB hardware being plugged into it, there may also
be a reported message such as The USB device has exceeded
the power to the USB port
We must first understand that the issue may not be directly
related to the keyboard, after all the keyboard is simply acting
as a USB hub.
The root of the issue will more likely be USB power issue on the
computer that the keyboard is plugged into.
The source of USB keyboard ports giving problems can be
confirmed when one computer will run the
keyboard and a connected USB device and yet another computer
will not.
Not all USB ports are the same, even if both
computers are USB2 the power to one port may be more or less
than another computer.
Other causes can of course include the keyboard type, how much
USB power does it require? Different keyboards require different
amounts of power.
The configuration of the USB ports within the
keyboard are certainly worth looking into, on the Dell keyboard
I use it has two USB ports, I plug my USB pen drive into the one
on the right it works fine, plug it into the one on the left and
it fails, but plug the mouse into either and it’s fine, which
points to the output on the left hand USB port is less than the
right as it can power the mouse, but not the USB pen drive,
unlike the one on the right which can power both.
Solutions
If you receive the error plugging a high speed
device into a low speed port check to make sure your computers
USB ports are actually USB2 and if it is, make sure the correct
USB2 drivers are installed, otherwise it may only using legacy
USB drivers hampering it’s performance.
Check for any BIOS updates for your computer this can help to
rectify a certain type of USB power issue .
In low power ports, only use low power devices such as mice,
save the higher powered ports for more power hungry devices
Purchase a powered USB hub, run your keyboard
from this, it should provide more power, and may give any USB
keyboard ports not working more power too.
Keyboard Problems
For more on keyboard problems and
fixes
Keyboard Cleaning
Cleaning a keyboard is it worth it?
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