[mlwjackson]

I have an older Gateway with USB ports on the front but they are older version slow ports. I have seen a PCI card made by Ultra that will provide 4 external USB 2 ports and 2 internal USB ports. I don't currently have a need for the two internal ports unless they can be linked to the existing external ports on the front of the machine for convenience.
Is there some sort of connector that would allow me to disconnect the jack from the mobo header and connect it to the internal port of the PCI card?

I realize that just getting a USB hub would be a simpler solution but it would add one set of exteranal wires to the rats nest that already exists.

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If the physical ports only run at USB 1.1 speeds plugging them into USB 2 stand-offs will not convert them into USB 2 speed ports. Its very unlikely that separate cards have USB stand-offs in any case and there would be no real ability to wire them in any other fashion.

To answer the other part of the question though - a USB 2 hub, plugged into a USB 1.1 socket, will not run at USB 2 speeds. The maximum throughput would be limited by the 1.1 USBs. Therefore if you intend to plug USB 2 devices and have then run at USB 2 speeds transfer-wise, you need USB 2 ports in the first place. A solution is a separate card, but some devices and hubs don't like this.

[Neil Jones]

If the physical ports only run at USB 1.1 speeds plugging them into USB 2 stand-offs will not convert them into USB 2 speed ports. Its very unlikely that separate cards have USB stand-offs in any case and there would be no real ability to wire them in any other fashion.

To answer the other part of the question though - a USB 2 hub, plugged into a USB 1.1 socket, will not run at USB 2 speeds. The maximum throughput would be limited by the 1.1 USBs. Therefore if you intend to plug USB 2 devices and have then run at USB 2 speeds transfer-wise, you need USB 2 ports in the first place. A solution is a separate card, but some devices and hubs don't like this.

[Troy]

Hi mlwjackson! I'll try to further clarify this for you, as I'm not sure what Neil means by "USB stand-offs".

The PCI card will allow USB2.0 speeds on your computer. The "internal" ports can be connected to the ports on the external front of your case. You will need to move the correct cable from the motherboard to the new PCI card for this. Your computer's manual should identify which is the correct cable.

This should leave you with a total of 6x USB2.0 ports - four on the back of the card you install, and (hopefully - if you wire it right) two on the front of your machine. Or a local computer shop should be able to install it for a small fee.

[Neil Jones]

Where I say USB stand-offs, I'm referring to the block of connectors that you can plug USB cables into, usually from the front of the case but some separate PCI cards have their own set of connectors so you can wire front panel USB to those instead.