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Posted on Apr 10, 2008
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"USB not recognized" then freezes my laptop

So I have been searching countless hours now trying to find a solution to my problem. I have a Compaq Presario R4000 with the original Windows XP Home edition along with SP2. Everything is up-to-date as far as Windows update and automatic driver downloads windows preforms after a reformat.

This has been a recent problem with nothing i can think that triggered it. Any USB device i plug in, whether is is my external hard drive, mouse, flash drive, ipod, HP printer........ literally anything to USB will not be recognized and most of them freeze my laptop instantly.

I have tried reformating, installing all sorts of USB hub controller drivers, working in safemode to remove all USB entries then letting Windows re-install them by itself (and from Windows CD). Nothing seems to work. I am convinced that it is a physical problem, as i read in a forum it could be inadequate power to run everything, but i dont know how it "just happened" all of a sudden.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I am loosing hope
Dino

  • 1 more comment 
  • dvaldez Apr 17, 2008

    So I took my laptop to Best Buy today to try to have them diagnostics on the situation. I mentioned about the external usb hub adapter that you mentioned to me but they said that would not fix the problem because it still yet plugs into a usb port (is there a possible usb hud that does not connect to another usb outlest?).

    He metioned that my mother board might be fried so then it would cost around $400 at least. Ironically someone else mentioned that to me as well; not enought power going to the usn add-ons.

    If that is the cause then I was told that I would be better of buying a new one (Im saving for a mac book anways so if you have any advice please inform me....)

    Besides all the drivers updated and BIOS updated, and original OS and reformats, nothing seemed to have worked.

    Thank God the CD-Rom and internet still work. i just hate not having a mouse!

    Please any information good or bad would be most helpful.

    Also thanks for the reply so quickly alocenar!

    *Dino*

  • dvaldez May 07, 2008

    i have yet to buy an external usb hub to try to fix the problem. i did however adjust the properties that "turns off the usb device" when inactive but that didnt work. I dont know why an external usb hub would work because it plugs into the usb port itself right? also i have a usb LED light for reading and such and that powers up when it is plugged into the pc so wouldnt that signal that the usb ports are still being powered?



    My last resort is the external usb especially since it would plug into a not working usb.



    any other suggestions?



    one more thing, in addition to the usb problem, my Epson Stylus CX4800 printer just took a **** on me too. I just bought genuine ink cartradiges via internt from Epson and since i installed them my printer has not been printing. It acts like its printing and sounds like it and everything but the pages come out blank???



    i tried re-installing the drivers/software for it and tried to see if there was anything physically halting it from printing but i could not find any answer. Can you please give me some suggestions as of why it was printing before these new cartradiges fine and now not?

    Thanks much

    dino

  • D Duf Jan 20, 2009

    I also have a cx4800 that i installed new ink and now will only produce blank pages. It sounds like it is printing and moves the paper through but the pages are blank. It also will not copy anything. The same think happens, sounds like it is copying but paper comes out blank.

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  • Posted on May 01, 2008
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Link to similar problem
Try the same solution it worked for him

  • Anonymous May 07, 2008

    If the USB "freezes" your laptop, try plugging in a cardbus card in your PCMCIA slot. If this also freezes the laptop then the chip set controller for the USB host and PCMCIA host is bad on the motherboard, (I have a JetBook that has the same problem and it is my motherboard...so I use it as a network appliance and save data on my sd card or burn it on cd.

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  • Posted on May 01, 2008
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Buy USB hub that plugs into your PCI slot, about 30.00$

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  • Posted on Apr 10, 2008
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Did you try to buy a usb hub with power adapter? maybe it needs enough power to supply the devices.

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