Re: usb port, front vs back?

Well, first of all, using USB for networking, while perhaps expedient, is simply not the way to do it. You should use an Ethernet connection.

On a number of older machines (and perhaps even some newer machines), there are some USB ports on the chipset and other USB ports on an extra USB controller chip on the motherboard. So all USB ports, even all ports on the motherboard, are not created equal. I know at the school where I teach Information technology, I just had an experience this week where a USB flash drive worked on the rear port but not on the front port, and I ***KNOW*** that this was a power problem .... the USB ports on the rear have more available power. Since all of the ports are not necessarily (quite often not, in fact) on the same USB controller, drivers can be another issue (it's possible in fact that the drivers for the USB controller chip that service the front ports are not even installed). So there are a number of issues .... the ports can be hardware different (on some machines, some ports are USB 1 and other ports, also on the motherboard, are USB 2), it can be a driver issue and it can be a power issue. But, bottom line, the scenario that you describe is most certainly possible.


buddyb@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:51:57 -0700, z <gzuckier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Um, sorry, don't remember the model number, but it was a new Dell home
desktop, Xmas 2005.

Anyway, I was trying to help a friend get their new wireless network
working, which Comcast couldn't do, and failed. So Comcast got another
whack at it and solved it, by plugging the wireless network adapter
into the USB port on the back of the Dell, instead of the one on the
front.
WTF? Is there any reason for them to be different, or is this just
some sort of defect?

Is the wireless adapter self powered?
I wonder if some of the usb ports are inactive?

Regards buddy b
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: aAttention MSVPs. USB 2.0 Drivers not recognised - XP is defective !
    ... my mother board has 12 USB ports available; ... I have repeatedly tried puttingUSB2.0 drivers on a floppy. ... Have you tried to install the USB2 drivers instead of running the ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • Re: USB Printer Port Problem
    ... Maybe not the latest drivers, ... I suppose what I was asking is that because the USB controller is a ... There are no yellow question marks listed in Device Manager. ... And how does this compare to un-installing the Ports that the ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: How to Upgrade USB 1.1 port to USB 2.0 port
    ... Be sure that USB 2.0 is turned ON in the BIOS... ... unused ports - inserting ... USB2.0 drivers. ... |>> download them from Microsoft and install them. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics)
  • Re: AHCI - remove probing of ata2
    ... ACPI: bus type pci registered ... registered new interface driver hub ... USB Universal Host Controller Interface driver v3.0 ... hub 1-0:1.0: 2 ports detected ...
    (Linux-Kernel)
  • Re: Printing stopped
    ... it may be necessary to remove and reinstall the Windows USB ... trying the USB ports tomorrow). ... I have removed the drivers from ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.print_fax)