Motherboard USB headers not working
 

I'd appreciate any help I can get eith this as it's really starting to bug me!

I built my dad a PC, using a MSI KT6V motherboard. Aside from a lot of trouble getting the temperatures under control, the only problem left is that the motherboard USB headers don't seem to work.

The system has 4 USB ports on the back. These work fine (USB2.0). There are also two headers on the motherboard - for a total of 4 further ports which can be on the case, or two of which can be on the handy 'J Panel' which sits in a spare PCI blanking plate. These ones are causing trouble.

Connecting a device to them (via either the front case USB ports, when connected, or the J Panel USB ports at the back) results in:

"Found New Hardware"
"USB Device Not Recognised - One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognise it. For assistance in solving this problem, click this message."
Clicking the message indicates that an 'Unknown Device' is connected. On moving it to one of the hardwired ports it identifies itself correctly (as a USB card reader in this case).

The ports are all turned on in the BIOS (ie set to 8 USB ports).

Any ideas? My dad is quite keen on having front USB ports as the computer sits way under the desk.

Thanks!

I'll hazard a guess and say that he may need to double check that the usb headers are plugged in properly by checking the mobo manual, I've noticed that it's very easy to flip the connectors.
I'd say that verifying that the pin 1 matched up on the connector and the mobo is a good start.

The only other possibility that I can think of is that the front usb ports are bad.

Yeah, it sounds like the USB headers might be plugged in wrong. It's very easy to fuck'em up if they are the seperate positive and negative wires that go on the motherboard. Getting 10 of those on the motherboard correctly is tough. Some motherboards have those USB headers that are all built together so you simply plug it in with no problems (VERY convenient). If the motherboard has the built-together USB headers, then I'm not really sure what the problem could be (you can't really plug them in wrong).

Maybe you need to install the USB drivers for the motherboard in Windows? The USB ports on the motherboard near the chipset are different than the onboard USB near the keyboard/mouse slots. I'd check Device Manager and see if anything has a yellow exclamation on it. If it does, I'd try to update the driver automatically. Oddly enough, this fixes problems like the USB issues many times.

-Lasereth

I've come to the conclusion it may be the motherboard - 2 complete reinstalls of XP later and still no better; the back ones have even stopped working!

As for the pinout - I tried swapping the data+ and data- lines in response to advice from a friend, but that made no difference. I'm not keen to play with the +5v and ground lines for risk of frying the thing.

So current diagnosis is knackered motherboard - sound reasonable?

Hi,

hey, I'll bet you a nickel that the headers are USB 2 and that you either don't have them enabled in BIOS or that you don't have the USB 2 drivers installed from the drivers CD that came with the motherboard.

tropple - there's no setting in the BIOS for USB2 (there's one to configure no. of USB ports, currently set at 8, and one for 'legacy devices' which I've tried at various settings). The drivers I installed claim to be USB2 and there's a "USB Enhanced Controller" listed in device manager - which I've heard means USB2 - is that correct?

So, you've tried the plug on both JUSB1 and JUSB2?

Are you absolutely sure that the plug was not 180 out? I only ask because it doesn't seem to be a keyed connector.

One final check would be to zero the cmos and try it once more.