External HD Connection

Hi,

I have 3 Maxtor external hard drives that I have firewired. I recently purchased an additional external hd that I have connected to a USB 1.1. When I boot up, I receive a message that says:

I'm attaching a portion of a Belarc Report about my hardware.

I have 2 front and 2 rear ports that I can connect this drive to (drive j) but I receive the same message for each one. What am I missing?

Denise

 

You need to reinstall your USB drivers.
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/bus/USB/USBFAQ_intro.mspx

 

I checked out the web page and followed the directions.

I opened Device Manager and it shows that I have "Via USB Advanced Host Controller."
On the General tab, it says

On the Driver tab, I clicked on "Update Driver" and it said

Again, am I missing something?

Denise

 

If you are hooking the drive into an actual USB 1.1 plug, you will get that message. USB 1.1 is not a high speed connection. There is nothing wrong with the drive. It will still work, but will only transfer at USB 1.1 data rates, not the faster USB 2.0 data rates. The "USB Enhanced Host Controller" would indicate to me a USB 2.0 hub, but I may be wrong. With SP2, you should have the proper drivers in that case.

 

I understand that is what will happen if I plug into a 1.1 hub. What I don't understand is the reason my pc "thinks" that the hubs are 2.0 but when I connect to them, they are 1.1. Device Manger confirmed that I have USB Advanced Host Controller and also that it's enabled, that they are 2.0 hubs, that the the drivers are current, and Troubleshooting found no problems.

I don't know much about pc hw but I'm going to find out if I have an empty PCI slot so I can get a PCI USB 2.0 hi speed with 4 slots. I'll check it out. There used to be a guy at Staples near me who would usually help me out with things like this . . . I'd bring my machine with me and I tell him what I want, he'd get it off a rack and shows me where it should be placed and how to install it. It seems like my best option.

Thanks for your advice and help.

Denise

 

You might try going to your computers manufacturer's website and see if any driver updates are available.

Steve

 

Out of my league but maybe you need a powered hub (AC power), not just the power supplied by plugging it into the PC? Bazza

 

Hi Matacumbie and bigbazza, and thanks for your suggestions.

I wish I could go to my pc's manufacturer but my pc was made for me by someone who is no longer available to answer questions about it. As to a powered hub, it may be what I need, I really don't know but it's something I'll check into.

Denise

 

You're welcome. I can't guarantee it will make any difference, so do as much research as you can before shelling out $$$. Bazza

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