Topic: USB Problem

[chorleydave]

Here is one that has got me totally baffled.

My sister's neighbour has a computer running Windows XP and has signed up to broadband.  However, although her phone line is now active (according to BT) she didn't know how to set up her connection and install the modem.  Therefore, my sister and I went to her's tonight to set it up.  Unfortuately, we didn't get very far, because the computer doesn't seem to find the modem, or should I say the USB ports don't know that anything has been plugged into them.

It isn't a faulty modem, because we plugged the modem into a PC running Windows ME and it was found immediately.  Then we went back to the non-functioning-USB PC and I inserted my USB Pen Drive.  It didn't see that either.  My sister then nipped back to her house and brought her webcam, plugged that in and it found it.  It also found a printer,

All I can come up with is as a reason that the USB ports on the neighbour's computer will not find either the USB modem or my pen drive, but will find the webcam and printer, is that the onboard USB is USB1, but for the modem and pen drive it needs USB2.  I have never come across this situation before, but there is no other explanation as far as I can see - not unless it is something to do with XP as I will never get my head around that dreadful operating system.

I can't go back and look at it now until Friday, but if anybody has any other ideas besides the USB1/USB2 theory, I will be most grateful.

Thanks

[Simon]

I may be wrong, but I think USB2 is backwards compatible, Dave, so that shouldn't be the problem.  Usually, with broadband modems, you have to install the drivers and software before plugging the modem in, so maybe they didn't do it correctly?  Have they tried reinstalling the modem software and drivers?

[chorleydave]

Hi, Simon.  Thanks for your reply.

Yes, we did install the software and drivers and got to the point where the on-screen instructions tell you to plug the modem into the computer.  However, that's as far as it gets as it just doesn't see the modem.  The power light on the modem doesn't even come on.  It's the same with my pen drive.  When plugged into a USB port a little green light should flash for a few seconds while it loads and then the green light becomes constant until you are ready to remove it - but on this computer it appears dead.

At first, I thought the USB ports were either goosed on disabled in the BIOS.  However, I looked in the BIOS and they are enabled.  Then when we plugged the webcam in and it found it straight away I became puzzled.  As you say, USB2 is backwards compatable, but for whatever reason these USB ports seem to be selective in what they see and what they don't see.

A real mystery.

[Camstop]

The power light on the modem doesn't even come on.  

Is it powered from the USB or mains powered ?


If it's mains powered then the power light should come on even if the modem's not pluged into the pc i'd have thought.


And i take it you have tried other USB ports on the pc?

[chorleydave]

Hi, Cammie.

Yes, it's USB powered and it worked immediately it was plugged into the other computer, so we know it's not the modem that's at fault.  There are only two USB ports, but one found the webcam and the other found the printer so they seem to work with some things but not others.

 :?:

[Sandra]

Sounds like its a power supply to the usb ports thats insufficent to power the modem, although I would have thought the flash drive wouldnt take much.
Modems take around 490ma and the usb port will only provide up to 500ma.
Have you got a mains powered USB hub that you could try it plugged into ?

The other thing it could be is some incompatabilty with the onboard usb ports.
My old AMD 450 wouldnt run my usb adsl modem so I disabled the onboard ports and used a usb pci card. Having said that it installed ok with the onboard ports just wouldnt stay connected for more than a few seconds.
Some months later I flashed the bios so that I could use a bigger hard drive and it then worked fine on the onboard ports  :?

[chorleydave]

Thanks, Sandra.

The last thing we told her before we left was to get a USB pci card, so (hopefully) when we return tomorrow we will be able to try what you suggest.  Unfortunately, neither Sahz or I have a mains powered USB hub,  so we can't try that at the moment.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.