Lockup with iPod Touch in USB 2.0 Cardbus Card

My Dell Inspiron 8200 recognizes an NEC 2-port USB 2.0 Cardus Card in the PCMCIA slot but as soon as I connect an iPod Touch or a Garmin GPS device, my laptop locks up, i.e., I can't move the cursor using either trackpad or mouse and the activity light stops blinking but remains on. The computer returns to normal when I pull out the card. I can use the ports on the card to print but that's all. Dell technical support "thinks" that the problem is inherent in the computer's architecture, that it can't handle those devices power requirements. Could they be right? Is there anything I can do to solve this problem?

It could be many things, but check out power issues first.

Does it do that when using the power-pack ?

Do you have an externally powered USB devices to test with ?

edit: Ubuntu BUT note the disabling ACPI worked! http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=633463

CCT, you may be on to something but you're way over my head. I don't have a power pack for either my iPod Touch or my Nuvi GPS device. I could buy an AC adapter to charge the Touch. I already have one for the Nuvi which is fully charged although it doesn't require USB 2.0 as the iPod Touch does. Are you wondering whether a fully charged unit might not freeze the system? Was your second question about an externally powered USB device an elaboration on your first question? Should I see what happens when I connect the fully charged Nuvi GPS even though it does not require USB 2.0? If charging is causing the problem, is there any way to overcome that power issue? I went to the ubuntuforums thread but I just learned what ACPI means in wikipedia and don't know how to turn it off or if that would create other, perhaps worse, problems. In the meantime, thanks for giving this a shot.

I can now avoid lockup. My computer recognizes the cardbus card and at times (according to the device manager) it recognizes that there is an apple mobile device connected. But by the same token it doesn't seem to have a driver associated with it and when I try to install one it takes forever and never finishes. Maybe that's why I never get a message that the iPod has been recognized and that it never interacts with iTunes which is necessary to sync, register, etc. Any suggestions?

My first question was regarding using your laptop Power Block instead of battery alone.

All of this happens when my laptop is plugged into an AC outlet. Thanks for the follow-up. I won't be able to work on this problem for about a week so there's no hurry in responding again until then.

'slight progress

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I can now avoid lockup. My computer recognizes the cardbus card and at times (according to the device manager) it recognizes that there is an apple mobile device connected. But by the same token it doesn't seem to have a driver associated with it and when I try to install one it takes forever and never finishes. Maybe that's why I never get a message that the iPod has been recognized and that it never interacts with iTunes which is necessary to sync, register, etc. Any suggestions?'

What did you 'do' to get the slight progress?

Try using the Ipod as a storage device. Then switch it back.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61131

Also, have a look through here (note there was a software 'update' for january):

http://www.apple.com/support/ipodtouch/

I was never able to get the cardbus card in the PCMCIA slot to work with the iPod Touch. Dell never acknowledged an inherent limitation at the socket or motherboard but it seems likely. A Geek Squad member at my nearest Best Buy got the iPod Touch to work simply by using the native USB 1.1. ports after experiencing the same problems I had using the card in the PCMCIA slot. In desperation, as I was about to leave, he just plugged the iPod Touch into the back and click click - it came to life and was able to sync with iTunes. I guess it's not operating as fast as it would in a genuine USB 2.0 port but it's working fine. Perhaps SP2, which I've been using for quite some time, boosts the speed, as someone at Dell told me in the beginning. I don't know. Anyway, I'm moving on. Thanks for your help. My next computer will be an iMac or a MacBook Pro. No more Windows for me.