[x3n0cid3]

I built this system a while back and its been running fine, but the rear USB ports have not worked for quite some time now. I had just been using a USB hub connected to one of the front USB ports, but the slots are looser in the front, causing the cord to fall out on its own sometimes.
I used usbready.exe, but it said everything was working fine. Is there anything else I can do to check and see if its a hardware issue, or a driver issue? I also went and made sure that they are not powered down to conserve power.

My motherboard is an ECS 945P and I'm running Windows XP. Also, when I do try to plug anything into the USB ports in the back, the system freezes up and I have to restart. Any ideas of whats wrong?

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Also, I would like to be able to get this fixed without formatting if possible. I have too much that I would need to back up.

[x3n0cid3]

Also, I would like to be able to get this fixed without formatting if possible. I have too much that I would need to back up.

[Troy]

I have too much that I would need to back up.

You mean you don't have any backups???

[x3n0cid3]

That isn't very helpful. The issue is the USB ports.

[Troy]

Rather, it's very helpful - if something decides to go bust and you don't have any backups, you will lose all your data. Having backups of the data files that matter to you is one of the most important things one can do. If I experience any kind of computer failure, I have quite a few options to restore my data once the issue is fixed - DVD's, backup hard drive, extra copies on separate partition, and also re-download important files from web storage. It's a little time consuming making sure I update everything, but I've lost data before and I wasn't very impressed - I learnt the hard way. Nonetheless...

As for your USB issue, "the ports on the back" - does this mean on the motherboard, or do you have a separate USB card installed also?

Do you have SP2 installed for Windows XP?

[x3n0cid3]

Yes, I meant all USB ports are on the motherboard. And yes, SP2 for XP is installed.
Since when I try plugging something into the USB ports on the rear of the board and the system locks up, does that mean that they're probably not dead and it is a driver problem?

Thanks for your help so far.

[Neil Jones]

Systems falling over when a USB device is plugged in on the back usually indicate an issue with said ports but it can also indicate an issue with the Windows. Does it do this on all USB devices or just some of them? Does the system even boot if something is plugged into them?

You can obtain separate PCI USB cards that go inside the computer and provide four new ports on the back. You can then turn off the onboard USB ones in the BIOS.

[Troy]

Also, I once had a system do this to me - every time I plugged in a USB device (doesn't matter where or what type), the whole system would perfectly freeze. No error message, no BSOD, no movement, nothing. Eventually, I tracked it down to my Microsoft Wireless Keyboard and Mouse drivers. After I uninstalled them (and used a corded keyboard/mouse set), the problem went away.

So the point here is that there may be something installed on your system that is causing the issue, you may not have the Microsoft Wireless set like I had, it could be something different that's causing the same problem...

[x3n0cid3]

Hmmm.. well that does make me feel better since I know its probably not a hardware problem. It will just be difficult tracking the problem down. I'll start by uninstalling all software that makes use of the USB ports and let you know how it goes.
Thanks for the help again.

[Troy]

Sounds like a good start

It took me two motherboards, a new set of RAM, a new power supply, and about 6 months of freezing before I finally found out the problem... Luckily everything was replaced for me under warranty!