Laptop Help Needed

My laptop has 4 USB ports. Not a single one of them is working all of sudden. When I plug in a device such as a mouse, printer, memory stick etc., the device will light up, but the machine won't read the input. I uninstalled the drivers from the system menu and let XP reinstall them automatically. I also re-ran the Utilities disk that came with the machine. Nothing. This is pissing me off. I can use the laptop, but I have to use the touchpad. I cannot print anything or save anything to external sources. Anyone out there have any ideas??? Thanks in advance.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/f...name=c00035553

see if that helps

What kind of laptop is it? Operating System? How old is the laptop? Did you change anything recently that you think could affect it?

My recommendation, not knowing any of the above, would be to find drivers made by the manufactorer. If I had to wager a guess, I'd think that windows updated something transparently, and that affected your USB somehow.

Hopefully Dickson's link will help and you won't need to worry about it.

I just got through fighting my desktop for not seeing my daughter's new ipod through known good usb ports. Even after updating the drivers from the mobo mfg site, it still wouldn't work. I stumbled across someone else's solution to a similar problem and it worked for me. Turn off the computer and disconnect any and all power sources (battery, wall plug, etc) and let the residual power drain (I hit the power button a few times). Reconnect the power, fire it back up and then reconnect your usb device. I don't know why, but it worked for me.

Reinstall drivers from the manufacturer without letting windows do it. OEM laptops can be REALLY picky about drivers. And windows screws up my driver installs even when its right to install them that way.

which windows are you running?

you could check this out

go to

START/CONTROL PANEL/SYSTEM/HARDWARE/DEVICE MANAGER

Then scroll down to usb controllers and click the + to drop down items. Look for any devices in trouble and delete them from there and restart.

High jack:
I downloaded the new explorer 7 browser and now I am getting error notices. It says that yahoo has no solutions to fix the problem but I should up date my yahoo browser now. That should be easy but I just can not find where the new browser to download is. :smiley13:

I fixed my problem. INTERNET explorer 7 is not meshing with a lot of different programs. I unloade it and all is back to normal. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bassfever

you could check this out

go to

START/CONTROL PANEL/SYSTEM/HARDWARE/DEVICE MANAGER

Then scroll down to usb controllers and click the + to drop down items. Look for any devices in trouble and delete them from there and restart.

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If that does not work call the tech support that your PC is associated with I found them to be the most helpful. I know it is like when a guy is lost he hates to stop and ask for directions but just think of the tech support as a GPS unit...very private. :smiley36:

Thanks for all of the advise everyone. Unfortunately, none of this worked and my problem is not uncommon with Dell Inspiron laptops. After hours of troubleshooting, they recommended that I replace the motherboard to the tune of $450-600. Screw that! I ended up ordering a PCMIA USB card off of ebay with two ports. Then I ran to Walmart and picked up a small self-powered USB hub to run to the card. Everything is up and running. I now how 5 ports (more than before) at a total cost of $35

Very good! My brother in law was trying to talk me into a Dell laptop and I said two years ago you said they sucked and now that I can afford to by a laptop your telling me to buy a Dell? Screw that I bought a Toshiba so far so good we will see..:smiley27:

When USB ports quit working like that, the USB controller is usually to blame. If reinstalling drivers doesn't work, it's hardware related. The two parts to a USB port are the power and data leads, so even if you're getting power, it doesn't mean the data transciever is working. On most PC's, particualarly on a laptop, the USB controller is integrated into the main board. Good for a smaller footprint and lower purchase price, but bad for a parts replacement price. The work around you have in place is the most cost effective solution. Good job! :smiley20: