PCMCIA USB2 problem on notebook running XP

Hi

I've just added a PCMCIA 4-port USB2 card to my AJP notebook so that I can run an external hard disk to back up my data.

The hard disk works perfectly in the in-built USB1 port, but it's very slow, that's why I bought the PCMCIA USB2 card.

However, as soon as I turn on the HD when it's plugged into the USB2 port, the indicator light on the HD goes to red, and my computer freezes.

Any advice, please?

Thanks.

Susie

 

did u unplug the main power source from the back b4 u did it? did u make sure and check connections on the motherboard maybe u unplugged something?

 

Yes, power was disconnected. I don't know how to check the motherboard, the notebook is sealed and I'm not qualified to take it apart. In any event, everything else is working fine, it's just the USB 2 port connection that isn't.

 

The PCMCIA card doesn't appear to be working at all. Nothing that I attach to it functions, and the computer locks up.

 

There are also known issues with USB2 expansion cards and a recent hotfix for XP. This may be causing a problem... although I'm still trying to figure out how to resolve it

 

The PCMCIA card came with a small cable, USB2 connection at one end, and a single spikey thing at the other. What is it for, do you know? Where is it meant to be plugged into? There were no instructions as to what to do with it.

 

Sorry, I don't do laptops. BUMP!

 

Is there any hole on the USB pcmcia card that looks like it will accept the "little spiky thing"? It could be that the card needs to draw additional power from the old usb1 slot. My usb 2-1/2" external hard drive enclosure powers off 2 usb ports.

 

Ah yes, thanks, I have found a place to put the little spiky thing into. Is it OK to push the card into the laptop when it is powered up, or not?

 

The only pcmcia device I have is a compact flash card adapter, and I've never had a problem (running XP Home) plugging it in with computer booted up.

 

Now that I've connected the PCMCIA card via the cable to the USB 1 port, at least the printer and mouse are working off the card, but the computer is still freezing when I try to use the external HDD. Any suggestions, please?

 

Are you trying to run the printer, mouse and external hd all at the same time? Could be too much draw for the laptop 5volt usb power? Is the laptop plugged into AC outlet when trying? If it has a touchpad, unplug the mouse and try the external drive ony and see what happens. Is the usb hard drive a notebook hard drive in an enclosure? Usually only these will run off the usb port without any external power supply -- regular size (3½") hard drive enclosures usually come with an AC adapter.

 

I was trying to run just the HDD from the USB2 port. Everything goes along nicely until I get into the XP back-up facility, and once I ask it to start the back-up the HDD light goes to red and the computer freezes. The notebook is running from mains power.

What is an enclosure? My HDD is in a silver box about 10" x 6", and has its own power supply. It works perfectly plugged into the USB 1 port, but takes for ever.

The USB2 port is happily running mouse, printer and scanner simultaneously.

So the USB2 port is working; the HDD is working from the USB1 port. It's the combination of the two that is the problem.

 

The enclosure is the silver box.

Can you transfer any file(s) to the external hdd? Try opening it in my computer, then open your laptop's hard drive in a second window and see if you can "drag and drop" any file to the external hd.

You might see if there are any driver updates for your external hd or your USB adapter available from their respective manufacturer sites.

 

I can't open the external HDD without the computer freezing. When I attach the HDD to the USB2 port, the computer pingles to say it has recognised a new piece of hardware, but as soon as I switch the HDD on, its light turns red and the computer freezes.

There don't seem to be any new drivers for the HDD, but I've written to the manufacturers for advice, and as for the USB2 card, I can't find any contact details.

 

Try turning the power to the external hard drive on before you plug it into the usb port. With my external hard drive, I do not get a "new hardware found" message -- just the arrow icon appearing in the task bar to "safely remove hardware".

 

Sorry -- couldn't figure out how to edit my previous post to add to it.

You're running XP. Have you updated to SP2?

If you go to control panel>System>Hardware tab>Device manager and expand the headings for "universal serial bus controllers" and "pcmcia adapters", are there any with an exclamation mark? In USB controllers, does it show any as "USB 2.0" or "enhanced"?

 

Hi

Thanks for all your advice.

Yes, I have updated to SP2.

I tried powering on the HDD before attaching it, same result - computer froze.

In the Device Manager, I have:

NEC PCI to USB Open Host Controller
NEC PCI to USB Open Host Controller
SiS 7001 PCI to USB Open Host Controller
Standard enhanced PCI to USB Open Host Controller
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub

PCMCIA adapters
Texas Instruments PCI-4410 CardBus Controller

No exclamation marks anywhere.

 

Have you tried connecting it back to the USB1.1 port on the laptop itself to see if it is still recognized? Since you said a "found new hardware" window popped up, I'm wondering if the driver is corrupted/missing. Did the hard drive come with a driver disk? If so, try going into device manager and deleting the external hard drive, rebooting and reinstalling the driver from disk when prompted during "found new hardware". Do you have access to a friend's computer with USB 2 that you could try it on as a check to see if works there? Does the USB cord from the hard drive have dual male plugs on one end (mine does so it can draw 5V power and data at the same time more efficiently)? If so, plug them each into a USB 2 port at the same time. Sorry I'm not able to pinpoint this easily. Surprised someone else hasn't jumped in.

 

It still works fine from the USB 1 port.

I can't find it under Device Manager.

No, there isn't any other cable on the HDD, just the USB that plugs into the port. I don't know anybody with a USB2 port that I could use.

I found an Installation CD which is just marked Hi-Speed USB2.0 1394, for USB1.1, USB2.0 and Firewire. I thought it might be something to do with the HDD, so I put it in the drive. (I think it must be the CD that came with the drive, but I'm not certain.) Next thing I knew my computer shut down, and refused to power up again. I pulled out the PCM card and after a few minutes was able to switch the machine on again, and my heart restarted.

There's another funny thing: when I put a CD in the drive, it usually won't load, or play, unless I've got the Flash stick in the USB1 port.

I'm beginning to think that I might damage the computer by trying to use the combination of the PCMCIA card and the HDD, and that I should just be content to do slower backups via the USB1 port.