Spontaneous USB port failure

[jbc]

Approximately once a week one of the USB ports will fail on my PC requiring me to reboot the PC. One possible problem is that I have a whole lot of USB appliances on few USB ports, so the problem may be that I have simply too many appliances on the ports. On the port in question I have a 8 port USB hub and seven of those eight hub ports used. The remaining port on the USB hub has another hub with eight more ports and all of eight of those second level eight ports are filled so I have a grand total of 15 appliances on that one port and that may be too much. What do you think?

 

[Slaymate]

I'm no USB expert but I'd say your overloading the USB Bus.

What I want to know is just what USB Devices are you using that require so many ports? My theory is, if I'm not using it unplug it.

 

[jbc]

I had a feeling that is the problem. What is the limit in the number of appliances that I should put on one port?

 

[Slaymate]

I really have no idea, as I said I'm not a USB expert, I'm just a guesser on this subject.

 

[jbc]

Understood slaymate. The trouble is that that I have so blasted many USB appliances: a keyboard, a mouse, two external hard drives, a printer and a wireless router and that's not the half of it. Would anyone else care to take a stab at tis issue?

 

[KSoD]

USB has a device connect limit of 255 devices. So my guess is that the 8 Port USB Hub that you are using is not self powered and is trying to draw the power from the USB of the PC. So it is drawing to much power and failing. Since you can draw enough power for 7 devices from 1 USB port of the PC.

Get yourself a self powered hub. One that has a power source of its own and you should be good to go.

 

[jbc]

Please tell me more about these self powered hubs, how does the self powered hub get its electricity? Does it run on batteries? Will I be supplying batteries to the hub on a regular basis? This is fine if I can understand what size battery it needs.

 

[KSoD]

Self powered hubs get power from a power outlet just like your monitor and PSU of your PC.

Newegg.com - self powered usb hub

There are several of them on NewEgg jsut by searching for self powered USB Hub. I have owned several of them myself. Just not to such an extent. I got mine from Walmart with 4 ports.

 

[jbc]

How about an A/C Powered hub? I have seen a great price on one but its A/C powered.

 

[carnageX]

Those are A/C powered hubs . Wall outlets = A/C.