USB ports seem to be underpowered

Hello.
I have a Patriot USB flash drive that frequently cannot mount when plugged into my iMac (OS 10.4.11). The drive mounts fine in my Macbook and Dell PC. If I let the drive sit in the port long enough, it sometimes accumulates enough power to work. And this is with all other USB periferals (except keyboard and mouse) unplugged.
And I have other problems with other USB devices, where the devices cannot be seen by the computer because they are not receiving enough USB power.
Any thoughts?
Thanks

Thanks for the suggestions, but yes, I have tried all three USB ports, and the behavior is exactly the same.
Also, the drive is properly formated. It works absolutely fine on my Macbook. Never any problems.
I have also had erratic performance with my USB Hub (D-link DUB-H7). And a quick scan of the reviews for this product at Amazon indicates that those with iMacs have erratic performance also, while those using it with other computers seem to have zero problems. Perhaps there is an iMac specific problem that develops (at least with certain iMacs) and USB ports.
I wonder if resetting power management will help?

Similar Messages

All USB ports seem to stop working "randomly" but some remain functioning until unplugged and plugged back in. [WINDOWS 8.1]

The devices that die right away are the network adapter and any USB memory stick plugged in, they still have their lights and all running but aren't recognized in "This PC" and the network adapter isn't found in "Control Panel\Network and
Internet\Network Connections".
My keyboard, wireless mouse that runs through the keyboard's USB ports and the external HDD remains functional UNTIL I pull the plug on them, after that plugging them back in does nothing.
I put randomly in quotations because it seems to fail more often when I download something at speeds over 3Mb/s, for an example downloading Hearthstone through the Battle.Net client will more often than not make the issue happen after a little bit. BUT it still
happens randomly during NO network load what-so-ever.
Parts:
CPU| FX-8350
GPU| Radeon 5850
Motherboard | Crosshair IV Formula
RAM | 2x DDR3
PSU | 700W Gold
SSD| Evo 850
OS | Windows 8.1
I HAVE:
* [Downloaded these chipset drivers](http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/chipset?os=Windows%208.1%20-%2064)
* Installed all Windows 7 drivers I could find except the BIOS ones due to lack of Windows 8.1 drivers from http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/CROSSHAIR_IV_FORMULA/HelpDesk_Download/
* Turned off "Allow this computer to turn off this device to save power" in Device Manager for ALL devices in the USB tab that had the option, and the Network tab.
* Set the Power Options to high performance and disabled "USB Selective Suspended Setting"
I simply don't know what to do anymore and it's breaking me down, I need this fixed before the weekend or the LAN I'm planning to go to will be a disaster and I'll probably go insane trying to solve this myself.
Just tell me whatever more information you could need and I'll supply it, I'm desperate to get this solved.
**I never had any of these issues on my old PC that had different parts but the same network adapter and external HDD so they are not to blame for this, same for keyboard and mouse.**

Hey, I hope this helps you out a bit... I have had the same issue on my Asus K55A notebook with Win8.1 Pro x64 from the beginning! Thru my extensive research I found something interesting and the possible cause to all this! What I found was that by design
the xHCI Host Controller has virtual HS 2.0 Ports linked to the 3.0 Ports... Enabling compatibility with 2.0 devices ok... What happens is that the xHCI stack is unstable just like you say... The ONLY WAY I was able to fix the problem was by unlocking the
UEFI/BIOS to allow me full access to USB Configurations... I had to disable 2 of the HS ports under the xHCI Controller since I have only 2x 3.0 ports... This allowed 3.0 devices to be enumerated correctly under the xHCI stack and 2.0 devices now were enumerated
under the EHCI 2.0 stack... That's what worked in my case... I'm still digging around for more info about this issue because I find it so odd that no one discovered this when designing xHCI stacks and drivers at MS for Win8/8.1 x64... I hope I shed some light
on this issue... Good luck and keep us posted!
Hi, Sebastian. I have the same problem but i'm getting crazy trying to solve it. Can you help me to unlock the UEFI to access full USB config? and give me some suggestions on how to solve the problem?
My mail is roquen(at)gamail(dot)com
Thanks in advance!

HELP ! My USB ports seems to be deads !

Hello,
For my weekly back-up, I use an USB external HDD that have to use 2 USB ports.
In order to use only 1 port, I've connected my external HDD to a power supply.
Unfortunately, it seems that the power suplly I used wasn't the goos one for my HDD and when I've connected the HDD to the MacBook, the MacBook as turned off. So, I quickly have unplugged the USB and I've reboot the MacBook but it told me that the USB port was using to much energy and that it will be disabled.
So, I've unplugged all the rest on the USB (my keyboard with my mouse plugged-on) and I've reboot the MacBook. Unfortunately, it told me again that the USB port was using too much energy.
So, I turned off the MacBook, unplugged the power supply and removed the battery and I plugged my mouse to the 2 USB ports in order to unload a possible capacitor too much loaded and I turned my MacBook back on.
Now, I don't have any message but the 2 USB ports are not working. Here is a capture of my System Informations :
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/331131/info_sys.png
I searched how to activate my ports on the Internet but the only solution I found was to reboot the laptop, and it's not working for me...
Do you know how to activate manually the USB ports or do I have to make my mourning ?
Thanks,
-Pit
----French version----
Bonjour,
Pour mon back-up hebdomadaire, j'utilise un disque dur externe en USB.
Malheureusement, celui-ci m'oblige à le branché sur les 2 ports USB de mon MacBook, ce qui fait que c'est assez chiant de bosser dessus pendant que le disque dur est branché.
J'ai remarqué que mon boîtier de disque dur avait une prise pour alimentation externe. J'ai donc branché la première alimentation qui m'est tombée sous la main et qui semblait être faite pour lui. Comme ça, j'avais l'intention de ne brancher le boîtier qu'à un seul port USB et ça aurait dû fonctionner...
Sauf que voilà, de toute évidence, l'alimentation utilisée n'était pas la bonne et lorsque j'ai branché le boîtier, le MacBook s'est éteint.
Je me suis empressé de le débranché et j'ai redémarré le MacBook.
Au démarrage, celui-ci me dit qu'un port USB consomme trop d'énergie et qu'il sera désactivé. Et effectivement, il l'est. Je redémarre donc en débranchant tout ce qu'i y a sur les ports USB (mon clavier et la souris qui est branchée dessus) et je redémarre. Rebelotte, le même message qui revient. Je l'éteint donc, le débranche, enlève la batterie, branche ma souris en USB pour "décharger" un éventuel condensateur trop chargé et je relance la bécane avec la batterie et l'alimentation.
J'ai plus le message, donc j'ai un peu d'espoir qui revient et je rebranche ma souris pour tester le port... rien.
Je redémarre, re-test... rien.
Je vais dans les informations système, et j'ai ça :
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/331131/info_sys.png
J'ai cherché comment ré-activer mes ports USB mais la seule solution que j'ai trouvée c'est de redémarrer la machine, ce qui ne marche pas dans mon cas.
Avez-vous une solution pour ré-activer mes ports ou dois-je faire mon deuil ?
Merci.
-Pit

Try to reset the parameter random access memory (PRAM) and nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) on your computer. Turn off your computer, then restart it and immediately press and hold the "Command," "Option," "P" and "R" keys on the keyboard. Release the keys after you hear the startup chime for the third time and your computer should boot normally.
To avoid such issues you may use a self-powered USB hub (one that comes with a separate power brick).

USB port seems a lot quicker than my tower?

I just noticed that transferring files from my usb key on my new MacBook Pro seems a lot faster than doing this on my old G5, even though they both use the same speed USB 2.0 port.
Is there something about this notebook that makes it quicker?
Thanks.

Most likely it's through better driver support.

Neither usb port seems to be working

Any ideas? Have tried to use my usual memory stick this am but it will not work in either port. was working on Friday.

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. Am away from home and only have this stick with me. However, has tried in another computer, working fine.

Usb ports seems loose

I just bought a new console, soon as I plugged my controller into the Ps4 console for the *first few setting* i thought they were maybe defect.
I see some old posts about that, just wanna know if thats normal, am I the only one with that problems these days?

I think its the whole socket, connector looks fine and connect well but i can move it up-down and left-right about 3mm
Edit: went to the retailer and tried a new controller, same *problem*

HT1533 i have no control of my new imac as windows 7 starts suggesting system repair and usb ports seem to be

how do i regain control of my mac to unhang it from needing system repair (windows7)
should osx on an sd card work (only option?)!
any response would greatly encourage success.

If you are having Windows issues then you need to be in touch with a Windows forum for assistance. You did not state how you run Windows (Boot Camp, Parallels, Fusion, etc....) so I'm afraid I can't provide any more help than that. If you happen to use Boot Camp, there is a Boot Camp forum available which is where the Boot Camp and Windows gurus tend to hang out. The same would hold true if you use virtualization apps such as Fusion or Parallels.
Good luck.

Underpowered USB ports on new MBP with retina display?

I just recently bought a MBP as described in the title and ran into an issue that I has not been yet reported with the USB ports. Basically both USB ports seem to have power issues and frequently shut down with mention of a device drawing too much current. The ports are unable to support my HP lapdesk (a fan/speaker combination) and cannot charge my 3GS iphone and use it to tether at the same time. Both devices that do this work just fine on my wifes 2011 3" MBP and my old 2010 15" MBP (actually both of those can support a mouse, headphones, an i phone and a fan/speakers in the same USB port without extra power). Is this a known issue or do I need to talk to apple about a hardware issue specific to my laptop?

No. This is not normal.
You can return a new Mac within 14 days of purchase.
A new Mac comes with 90 days of free tech support from AppleCare.
AppleCare: 1-800-275-2273
Call AppleCare.
Genius Bar reservation
http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/

USB Ports on 3 month old Satellite C655-S5049 do not work-even after Recovery to "Out-of-Box" state

Hello - Hoping someone can help with another suggestion- it doesn't look good.
Both USB ports on my wife's 3 month old Satellite C655-S5049 are non-functional with any USB device. Flash drives, wireless mouse, and external hard drive (powered) that all work on all of my other computers, do not work in either of this laptop's USB ports.
This problem seems to have developed gradually, and became noticeable previously as non-responsiveness in the wireless mouse, which gradually became a concern, with the computer appearing to freeze or lock-up - probably because of the number of times the mouse was clicked on shortcuts and executables before something happened.
The ports are now completely "dead"- no recognition of anything inserted once the computer is up and running.
There appears to be a thermal component involved, since I was able to get the devices recognized and working for up to a minute when booting the computer with the devices in the ports after it had been off for several hours after I did the default state recovery. The flash drive and mouse were recognized, drivers loaded message, but they then went to "unplugged" before I could get the cursor moving. I was able to access the flash drive, since I did it as soon as the driver loaded, but then it disappeared ("un-plugged" itself in the driver loaded message box). I can also get them recognized from this COLD boot state when I immediately plug them in once Windows 7 (64) loads, but they quickly disappear. If I wait a few minutes before re-booting, they flash during the Windows boot, but drop-out before it completes. If I wait 3-4 hours to re-boot, they flash (are recognized) for about a minute (Windows completely loads), but then they drop out.
I tried all of the suggestions on this board (and others) before doing a Recovery to Factory Default state. I have tried it with the original version 1.20 Bios, and with the version 1.50 Bios update. All driver updates have been downloaded and installed. The laptop does occasionally lock-up at the Toshiba screen during boot, and is verrrry slow in some operations (2 hours to do the recovery discs). The only other noticeable problem (at this time) is an occasional drop-out of wireless (Atheros AR9285) connectivity, which I have been blaming on the router since it is sporadic and infrequent (not consistent with the thermal argument). These problems are all after the Factory Default State recovery operation, so my assumption is that they are hardware based.
Any suggestions for a solution? This is a standard spec Satellite C655-S5049 that I was considering adding another 2GB memory to, but now I am unsure of its' future. A laptop cooler that runs from a USB port seems counter-productive.
I am technically capable, so you can be much briefer in your response than I have been in trying to fully detail the problems. This isn't the NVidia chip, but it does bring back memories of laptops past.
Thanks for any help,
G

I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME MODEL. I GOT THE SERVICE
MANUAL AND I'M THINKING TO OPEN IT AND SEE IF THERE'S SOME PHYSICAL BAD CONNECTION
INSIDE. BUT LIKE YOU SAID. IT'S ONLY THREE MONTHS OLD.!!! I DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE WARRANTEE.
BUT THIS IS VERY FRUSTATING. I WANDER IF TOSHIBA DOES THIS ON PURPUSE.!!! KEEP IN TOUCH AND
IF YOU NEED THE SERVICE MANUAL CONTACT ME AT [email protected]
THANK YOU.!!!!

USB Ports work Intermittantly on Pavilion Notebook

I have a HP Pavilion dv7-2270us Entertainment Notebook PC that is running Windows 7. The USB ports seem to work intermittantly. There are two regular USB ports on the left hand side and one on the right. I have an iPhone, Adidas miCoach, and wireless mouse that I usually have plugged in, and lately nothing is recognized.
Sometimes I get an error that the USB device is not recognized, sometimes I get nothing at all as though the ports aren't even there.
I have tried taking out the battery, replacing and rebooting. I have also tried uninstalling the USB Root Hub, and then the Root Hub plus controllers. When I did this it seemed like it worked - I plugged my mouse in and it worked! I plugged my iPhone in and now nothing works again.
I have Norton 360 Installed (in case that is an issue), and I also have some old Sony Ericksson software that I've recently uninstalled because someone told me that it wreaked havoc on their machine in terms of their device drivers.
The laptop is just out of warranty (Dec 2010) so this is a relatively new machine. But I love all my gadgets and need to be able to use them all!

Right Click on all devices which are recognized as unknown and Choose Uninstall one by one.
Please ensure you also do this for any and every item under Universal serial bus controllers as well. After this restart your computer and you should be good to go.
//Click on Kudos and Accept as Solution if my reply was helpful and answered your question//
I am an HP employee!!

Using USB port to charge Pearl

I can't find the original post I wanted to comment on so I am just sharing this as a new post. Belkin and several other companies make USB hubs that have AC (110 V) adapters that power them. If you use one of these you will never have the underperformance issues with the 3 volts your PC's USB ports seem to be able to muster. I had problems powering up multiple USB drives and my two phones at the same time before I adopted this fix. Don't have a take on the laptop / phone charger scenario.

The AT300se is really recongnized by the laptop (same when using USB 2.0 or 3.0 port).
I dont have any SDHC or SDXC card on the tablet.
i see a difference with my mobile phone when it s connected i have a new window which appear withe a new letter drive for it.
Nothing happens with the tablet but when i open the explorer on the laptop i see the disk of the AT300 and a new lines appear with removable peripheral .
Thanks for your help
Message was edited by: tf

After update to OS X 10.7.5 on my Mac Pro (2009) USB ports don't work at all after wake up from sleep mode; with 10.7.4 there was (nearly) any problem.

hello,
after update to OS X 10.7.5 on my Mac Pro (2009) USB ports don't work at all after wake up from sleep mode; with 10.7.4 there was (nearly) any problem.
the used ports appear to be "killed"; the unused USB ports seem to work, but the Mac works in slow-motion.
The only "solution" is to restart my Mac.
- SMC-reset, PRAM-reset or repairing user rights had no positive effect; what is the solution - a bug-fix-update???

I have a mac mini (A1283) with OS 10.7.4. Upon upgrading to 10.7.5 it did not start up again. Instead, the light was on and the hard drive did not start up. The light on the connected USB mouse was not lit.
My solution:
Cold start with Command-v pressed.
This should start Verbose mode (see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1492 ).
What happened on my mac mini was that the grey startup screen with the Apple logo appeared for a long while before the login screen came.
Maybe Cmd-v set open firmware params and fixed some corruption.
Anyway: my mac mini works again.

USB port power failure?

I'm a user of Macbook Pro 13'' Early 2011, OS X Lion pre-installed. I'm having a tiny problem with my USB port located the nearest from the front. Everytime I freshly boot-up to either Mac OS X or Window with a pre-plugged optical mouse I cannot move the cursor with my USB Mouse light show there is power on under the mouse. However, after I restart the computer again it able to moves with the mouse still plugged in.
And this USB port seem to confuse keyboard driver with USB flash under my Window 7. Thus I cannot properly eject my flash when I plug everything to this port or I lose the built-in keyboard.
P.S: I already try resetting every RAM configuration and do a clean install of Mac OS X. But still not working.
Desperately NEED HELP!!!
Any suggestion, would be appreciated.

Did you try both USB ports? Apparently on a MacBook the front port is the one to use, as the back port shares its bus with the trackpad, camera, bluetooth, etc. See this web page:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/05/the-macbook-all/
That said, I am investigating this topic on behalf of two clients whose MacBooks appear to have intermittent USB connectivity.

Q190 USB Port Power

I have had a Q190 for about a month. In spite of the reviews/comments that I have seen on the Q180, I am greatly satisfied with this machine. I've even become accustomed to Windows 8! :-)
Here's my issue: When the machine is in Sleep Mode, the USB Ports seem to go into a reduced power state. I want to charge my Iphones. etc., but the USB Ports (which will charge it normally) will stop charging in Sleep Mode.
I know that there is SOME power to the ports during sleep mode, because I have an LED Backlit Keyboard, and THAT remains lit during sleep mode. So, presumably, the USB Ports are going into some sort of "reduced power state" on System Sleep.
I have made (what I think), are all the proper OS changes (usb controllers are set to not allow the PC to turn off the usb, (box unchecked) and the usb selective suspend mode in advanced power settings is set to disabled). I'm also using the High Performance Power Plan. I see NO option for USB Power in the BIOS.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep the USB Ports on Full Power during system sleep. I know this can be done on many Windows Systems, as I have colleagues who do it regularly.
TIA! :-)

hi LeonS,
Can you try to:
1. Press the Winkey+R > type devmgmt.msc
2. On the Device Manager, navigate to Human Interface Devices
3. Do a right click > properties on all HID-compliant device and USB input Device and enable Allow this device to wake the computer under the Power Management Tab.
4. Close the device manager, put the computer to sleep and try to connect a gadget that supports USB charging
Let me know your findings
Cheers
Did someone help you today? Press the star on the left to thank them with a Kudo!
If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution"! This will help the rest of the Community with similar issues identify the verified solution and benefit from it.
Follow @LenovoForums on Twitter!

Flash drive is physically stuck in one of my USB ports (HP 2000)

There is a flash drive that has been physically stuck in one of the USB ports of my HP 2000 for a few days now.
(1) I've tried using physical force to pull it out (e.g. pulling while moving the flash drive in a circular motion, pulling straight, pulling to the sides) but that has not worked.
(2) I even took out all the screws on the bottom of the laptop and slightly cracked open the part of the computer than contains the two USB ports so I could try to fix the problem from inside the laptop. That also did not work since I couldn't reach the internal chamber that holds the USB ports.
(3) I also tried using tools to dislodge the flash drive. That did not work either.
And help or tips to offer?

After I went through the Apple Support Community, I tried the easiest and simplest suggestion first: restart my MacBook. Well I did it and the USB port seems to be working again and it reads my pendrive. Hope it will stay that way and never go wrong again. I really don't like going to Apple store because none is nearby.
Thanks for the reply by the way.

USB ports seem to be underpowered

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for