Disabling USB port

radiohead_1 · Mar 31, 2015

Hey guys,

I've got a Lenovo Y510p laptop running Windows 8.1. Although it changes depending on where you check specs, my laptop came with 2 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0 ports.

Recently, my laptop fell with a memory stick plugged into one of the ports, and now it's physically broken.

I've purchased an (unpowered) USB hub, but multiple devices don't work, likely due to lack of power (I should've known this). However, when checking my device manager (with the external hub removed), under USB controllers, I see 2 instances of "Generic USB hub", as well as 3 instances of "USB Root Hub" (one labelled as "xHCI"). A couple questions:

1) Any chance my USB ports themselves are already hubbed, and if so, can I disable it to increase the output power to the external hub?

2) My broken USB has had the blue "bar" pushed all the way in. I can only assume it's snapped off. Should I disable this device to reduce the chance of a short? If so, how would I know which device to disable?

Thanks for the help!

DavidGP · Apr 1, 2015

Hi

Its possible that within the laptop a few USB ports are hubs in their own right, and what you can do is if you look at in Device Manager the Generic USB Hubs, and click Properties then Advanced tab you should see what devices are using that port and the power requirements and draw from a device.

From that you could test disabling the ports using something as simple as a USB stick to plug in and disable a USB Hub until the device no longer is usable then you have the correct one (so a bit of trial and error to find the most applicable ones to turn off), the one that's damaged with a blue tongue is USB3.0

Also winthin Power Settings > Change Plan Settings > Advanced are a lot of options and some for USB to allow devices to turn off if not used.

This is a brill app for telling you what a USB device is doing http://www.majorgeeks.com/mg/get/usb_device_tree_viewer,1.html or what is hooked up, which could allow you to work out what the USB ports are.

In the end there may still not be enough power to an external unpowered USB hub, but look in Device Manager and USB Tree View for one with the most power and if any devices plugged into it move then to another HUB, but my first option would be not to have any USB devices in the Laptop and then try the hub on all ports, and see if it works.

plodr · Apr 1, 2015

Notes for me on the Lenovo Y510p:
USB 2 is yellow, on the right and always on
USB 3 are blue and are the two left ports.

DavidGP, thanks for the link to that USB program. I fired it up and had a look.

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Disabling USB port

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DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member

plodr MajorGeek Super Extraordinaire Moderator Staff Member