Can't get USB devices to work

[wijames]

I'm running a windows XP system with a VIA chipset and my USB mouse and keyboard work fine as well as my USB printer but I can't get a jumpdrive, card reader or external hard drive to work. The machine won't even see them but my laptop see's them right away. What can be wrong?

Thanks
Butch

[slgrieb]

Have you tried the non-working devices in the USB ports used for your mouse, etc or only different ports? If the answer is B, try the known-good ports. If the ports you've tried are front mounted or mounted on a bracket, I'd open the case and check the connectivity. Ports may not be connected or may be misconnected.

Some BIOS let you select how many USB ports are enabled. Have you checked your documentation and BIOS settings to confirm the ports you want to use are active?

[JeffO93]

Ditto, but also...
What is your operating system, and what is your Service Pack version?
For modern USB/Firewire, ideally, you should to be at Windows XP with at least SP1a.

Maybe there's registry corruption or driver corruption. Either way, updating your VIA all-in-one drivers should help.
Also, if you go into Device Manager and delete everything under USB, and then tell Device Manager to "scan for new hardware", it should force a refresh and may fix your problems.

[3fingersalute]

You're not using device that require USB 2.0 are you??