Windows XP Media Center, all USB ports keep going dead

[twmeyer]

I've gone so far as to re-install Windoze, and got a big "so what?" for that effort. The computer had never been

on line, and it works great with NOTHING plugged in except a PS/2 mouse and keyboard. But it's worthless to me

like that except for playing Hearts :^( <p>I updated all the drivers, reinstalled only the essential programs

(Photoshop, LR, BreezeBrowser

Pro, NTI CD burner, my Palm software, Logitec's keyboard and mouse software for the brand new laser wireless set,

and a good dependable registry cleaning app) and all works great through multiple re-boots. Super fast. <p>At the

end of the day

(whew) I turn it off, unplug the d__m thing and go home. When I come back the next day, plug it in and boot up,

none of the USB ports/devices work.<p>Is it the unplugging? I've been doing that for years with no problems.<p>I

first saw this problem coming with a UDMA card reader (usb2) that gave me red x's in the middle of a shoot. I had

to plug it into a

different port and then all was fine. But within a month all the usb ports went bad (all usb2). (The card reader

works fine on other computers). <p>I took it to a shop that recommended re-installing windows ($90). Same

problem. Took it back they said it works fine??? I took it back to the studio plugged it in and it DID work fine.

Re-loaded, worked great. Came back the next day... dead usb ports. Did that last scenario again. Same exact

results. I am about an hour or $50 away from rippin out the D and E drives and throwin

the thing in the dumpster (figuratively speaking... I'll recycle responsibly) cause I am suspecting the

motherboard. Any suggestions? Replace the USB

ports? Bad stick of ram? <p>Please refrain from recommending I change to Mac, thank you... t

[twmeyer]

oh yeah, Device Manager says everything is fine... I'm thinkin fubar motherboard = new computer... t

[rnt]

It might be the card reader... It might also be the motherboard. The card reader may be intermittent which is why it worked on another machine. Try leaving the reader unplugged and plug something else in (memory stick, external drive, scanner, etc) and see if the same thing happens.

 

Try rebooting without the card reader and then plug it in after boot is complete. It may be some boot time hardware issue with the reader.

 

Good luck!

[richsimmons]

Did you reset the BIOS? Even more, did you see if there is a firmware update for your motherboard? Maybe the problem is already known and there's a fix for it out there already. Also, how many drives are you using? Even without going on line, is the computer on a network? Maybe the drive letters for the USB ports are being taken over by the system. It happens sometimes.

[rjkdds]

Dead BIOS backup battery??? You mention you UNPLUG the machine, maybe lose BIOS parameters and go back to

default because the battery is dead. How old is the machine? USB 1.1 or USB2? Reflashing the BIOS might be wise

before you find the trash heap.

[will_daniel1]

Tom,

 

I like the last part of Rich's comment about the drive letters being taken over by the system. With a known good device in your USB port, go to Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Computer Management | Disk Management and see if the drive is visible. If so, select the drive, right-click on it, and select "Change drive letter and paths..."

 

There are other things you can do in Disk Management. Mouse around until (hopefully) you find something that works.

 

I suspect there is something in the Startup item in your start menu, or something in "Services" that is launching on boot-up and conflicting with your drive letters. Also, it could be something in administrator privileges that has changed or needs to be changed.

 

Any of the above could be caused by a number of things, especially the installation of a new application. The first thing I would suspect is Windows automatic updates. It seems that everytime I get a major new update, something quits working. I'm on the verge of disabling automatic updates.

 

Will

[steven_clark]

Almost sounds like a really bad USB controller to me. You could try buying an addon card and plugging in though that. If it works you may have found your problem.

[henryp]

FWIW, I installed SP3 for XP w/out first uninstalling my anti-virus software and the SP disabled any USB port that didn't have an active device attached at the time of the install.<p>

--<br>

Henry Posner<br>

<b>B&H Photo-Video</b>

[twmeyer]

<i>Dead BIOS backup battery??? You mention you UNPLUG the machine, maybe lose BIOS parameters and go back to

default because the battery is dead.</i><p>AHA! I have noticed my clock does not keep time on this computer.It

could be because all the unplugged time has overtaxed the battery. Hmmmm. Can you replace the battery? Does

"flashing the bios" fix a dead battery? and how do I "flash the bios"? It's an older Acer Aspire AMD Anthon x2 64

Dual Core 380+ 2.01 GHz with 2gig ram, Service Pack 2.<p>It's not a drive issue, as ANY usb port doesn't work,

which includes mouse and keyboard and an old Graphire Wacom tablet.<p>It's not the card reader, cause while doing

all this other work (re-installing software), and during subsequent failures the card reader wasn't

connected.<p>I checked each drive and usb device by installing the latest driver for every device before plugging

it in and testing it. I have been using the card reader all day today with my laptop.<p>I like the bios battery

theory the best. How can I fix this?... t

[twmeyer]

I found the battery and am going to replace it today... cool... t

[rjkdds]

After you replace the BIOS battery,( its a silver colored watch type battery on the motherboard) you will have to reenter the BIOS setup screen to restore parameters and see if USB is ENABLED..

To reflash the BIOS, go to the ACER website and look for support. Reflashing BIOS is just a fix or patch to correct bugs after the motherboard is manufactured. Think of it as a driver update. HOWEVER, make sure you follow the instructions correctly or else you may end up with a board that is a paperweight or DOA.

Hope this helps, maybe maybe not, but seems like a cheaper first alternative.

[twmeyer]

woooo kay..<p>Replaced the battery. Determined the MB, but it's from 2005. Next to the Acer site to see if they support anything that old. Thanks Bob. <p>And um,the Bios setup screen is where? hit del on startup? I got the Phoenix - Award Workstation Bios CMOS Setup Utility, but there's nothing about USB there... t

[twmeyer]

Found Integrated Peripherals > Onboard Device Setup and usb mouse and keyboard are enabled, but no other USB

devices or hubs or

anything mentioned. OnChip USB is v1.1 and v2.0 so that is good. USB memory type is Shadow. God knows what that

means... t

[twmeyer]

should I "Load Default Settings"? jeeze... t

[steven_.]

FWIW I had the same problem and had to replace the motherboard.

[rnt]

"Load default settings" is probably the best place to start. They may have already been loaded by -er- default...

[twmeyer]

Next day: Brought it home last night, and this morning, all usb ports are working and remain functional after

several reboots. I downloaded and installed a CPU upgrade, and asked Acer about the bios... they recommend

against flashing or doing anything unless the MB manufacturer specifically suggests it, which I haven't been able

to determine. <p>I am going to unplug the thing and take it back to my studio, and reconnect all the devices I

normally use, external drives, tablet, the LCD and card reader. Then I'll check it out. <p>I'll probably get a

UPS to avoid this battery issue (thanks again, Bob). Will post updates for the database if this exercise remains

actually successful and for more options if not.... t

[mike_young1]

If problem repeats you need to isolate it to either software or hardware. You can go to start, run, type in mfconfig and hit enter. Then select the diagnostic startup and apply and ok. Now reboot. If the problem is gone then you have a software problem most likely. You can also start up in safe mode. You get to safe mode by pressing the boot up option key during restart just as you did to get to the bios. I do not know which key Acer uses. Again if the problem does not repeat you probably have a software problem

Good Luck

[mike_young1]

Sorry typo. You must enter msconfig.

[twmeyer]

Took it back to the studio and all seems good, all devices are recognized and no issues. Will be working again today (and taking a laptop, just in case). Thanks for all your help, will verify outcome... t

[kelly_flanigan1]

In about all USB issues I have messed with its a software issue. Folks that replace the motherboard often save time and money; the problem goes away. Then I get the free broken motherboard from the friend; and use an older OS and all works well.:)

[twmeyer]

Well it seems to be solved. I think it was, as Bob Krogan suggested, the battery that keeps bios memory while the

computer is off/unplugged. <p>My studio is in an old building, and the power in my studio is not on

it's own circuit. And here in the South, major thunderstorms frequently cause trouble. I had a UPS on it, but

it kept failing with alarms that just alarmed my neighbors. So I started unplugging it whenever I left the

building. At times, this was for several days and I have been doing this for over two years. <p>'ll be adding

some major surge protection and leaving it plugged in, not to mention replacing the battery every couple of

years.<p>Thanks again to everyone who chimed in, and especially to Bob. When he mentioned the battery, I

instantly thought of the date/time issue that I have had with that computer and that seemed a good corroboration

of his diagnosis. Can't wait to tell the guys who charged me a hundred bucks to re-install Windows

that they were wrong. The satisfaction I derive from that, plus two bucks will get me an 12oz Americano at the

local bistro.<p>Thanks again to all, I hope someone else can benefit from this trial (my best guess is about 20

hours "invested" driving the computer around, installing software, pulling my hair and staring at nothing)... t

<p>Remember when

photography was 99% moving furniture?

[rjkdds]

Sometimes I get it right...as in a broken watch has the correct time twice a day.