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Major USB driver problem


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#1
gkaye

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I previously posted this problem regarding a logitech mediaplay wireless mouse. Since getting some assistance from some of the members here I have tried a bunch of things, listed below and I have had no luck. PLEASE HELP!

my previous post was in regard to the fact that I could not unplug the wireless USB mouse adapter from the back of my Dell 8600 laptop without the system freezing. Additionally, if the system was booted without the device plugged in, it would freeze after a few minutes. After trying to solve that problem with clean installs and other BIOS option changes, I formatted the hard drive but windows would not install without the device plugged in. It was believed that the actual USB hardware on the laptop was the problem because the mouse worked perfectly fine on another system and could be "hot-swapped" without any complications. After replacing the motherboard, which included the USB plugs, the problem still remains. I've recently figured out that the system is looking for ANY usb device. A usb flash drive had the exact same reaction as the mediaplay wireless adapter. I believe that when I first plugged in the mouse adapter, it rewrote the USB drivers. I booted in safe mode uninstalled all the USB devices in the system manager so that windows could reinstall them but that did not make a difference. Please help.
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#2
makai

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I've read over your previous thread, and while it's generally frowned upon to create a new thread rather than continuing with the previous one, it appears nobody got back to you in 13 days... so, I guess we start all over.

After trying to solve that problem with clean installs and other BIOS option changes, I formatted the hard drive but windows would not install without the device plugged in.

This one sentence tells me that this is not a windows os problem, but rather a bios problem.

Let me ask you a few questions...

1) After you changed the motherboard, did you reinstall windows again, or did you use the old windows installation since the motherboards are identical?

2) If you did reinstall windows, did you still run into the problem that you couldn't install without the device plugged in?
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#3
gkaye

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No i havent tried reinstalling windows since we assumed it was a hardware problem. I can give that a try next if you think it might work. I'm pretty much willing to do anything since i already spent a ton on this new mobo.

Thanx
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#4
dsenette

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sorry gkaye...i was one of the ones that was watching that thread..looks like i lost it....i see your response to my suggestion of disabeling the boot to usb....i notice that you disabled the usb selection from the boot menu (cdrom, floppy, network, usb that list)...there is another option somewhere in the bios (or at least there should be) that actually enables or disables usb booting...not just whether it's in the boot order....can you find that option in your bios? sometimes even if you remove something from the boot order...it will still try to at least check that device during boot....also...don't remember if we had you ensure that "enable legacy usb" was enabled or not?
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#5
gkaye

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legacy support is on i believe

I am not quite sure what you mean by having another option. In my boot order list, if a device is enabled it has an arrow next to it. I disabled the boot from usb. Is that the same thing because I see nothing else anywhere in the bios regarding USB other than the legacy thing.
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#6
dsenette

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it's possible (in your bios) that that is the same thing....but...in every usb bootable bios that i've gotten into...there are two places...one in the boot order where "usb device" is an option in the boot order....but there's also an option (sometimes in on board peripherals or...heck a bunch of other places) to completely disable the ability to boot to usb....i'm sure that you've gone through every screen available in the bios looking for this...so i'm gonnna trust that it's not there and that you've got a bios version that i haven't had the opportunity to play with..all of the issues that you describe involving this mouse happen BEFORE windows loads...so..it's got to be something there....but what...
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#7
gkaye

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exactly, we have no idea what this could possibly be. Anyways, please let me know if you come up with anything and i will post anything that i find or try. Just fyi my bios is Dell Version A14. We seem to think that the USB drivers have been rewritten but cant figure out what. The most confusing part is if it was something in the bios then wouldnt replacing the motherboard change that? Unless something in windows writes to the bios on the initial boot up. I dont know enough about computers to know the connection between the OS and the bios. Any thoughts?

Thanx again.

also, the oddest thing is when i do boot up without any usb device plugged in, it will take like 3-4 minutes before the system freezes. I know i've mentioned it before but its just so weird. When in windows with the device connected, i remove it and it instantly freezes, yet there is a delay when booting up without it connected.
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#8
dsenette

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trying to remember exactly what's been done here

you replaced the motherboard? a dell replacement of the exact same board?

have you updated the bios?
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#9
gkaye

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i replaced the motherboard with the exact same number, found the part number, ordered from a parts supply site, apparently there are two different versions of the motherboard, one that has parallel and serial ports and one that doesnt. the bios was already updated to the latest version A14 when i booted it up initially

thanx.
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#10
dsenette

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have you tried smashing it with a hammer? j/k....PERPLEXING!!
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#11
gkaye

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MANY MANY TIMES!!!

I was about to throw it off the 12 story dorm at my school.
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#12
dsenette

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makai sent me this in PM as a response that he was going to post...but didn't because he wanted to see where i was going...at the moment his optioni sounds pretty much like something that might work

QUOTE
No i havent tried reinstalling windows since we assumed it was a hardware problem. I can give that a try next if you think it might work.
No, reinstalling windows at this point would probably not do anything.



Here are my thoughts...

The reason I ask those questions is because I'm wondering if something in windows wrote to the bios on your original board.

If something did write to the bios, and changed it, then that would explain what happend when you tried to reinstall and couldn't without the device plugged in. The bios should not require any mouse to be plugged in on power up.

Now, if you used the same windows installation after you changed the motherboard, and again, something wrote to the bios, then you would see the same conditions.

Here's what I think you need to do...

You need to reflash your bios. (outside of windows... meaning floppy, or CD)
You need to reformat the drive and reinstall windows.

After you have done this, do not connect the Logitech mouse to the computer and instead borrow another USB mouse, (microsoft ... NOT Logitech) to see if the problem reoccurs.

I really don't know if that will fix your problem, but my experience with building computers tells me you bios was written to... at least that's what I gather from the information you posted.


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#13
dsenette

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my only variation on that suggestion would be that durring the install...don't use a usb mouse at all...if you can get a ps/2 mouse and use that for the install and setup of windows...i think it would be safer..
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#14
gkaye

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thanx guys, i will definately give that a try, unfortunately dell screwed me over by not giving a ps/2 port, hopefully the touchpad will work.

also, if i did some sort of windows backup to save the programs i have installed so i dont have to spend a solid day reinstalling everything, would that save whatever windows is writing to the bios? Im just trying to save myself some trouble but if i must i will start from scratch if necessary.

thanx again.
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#15
dsenette

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well...you won't be able to back up software...that just doesn't happen...you can back up configuration data for the programs and what not...but you'll have to reinstall all the programs once you format
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