«

All 6 USB sockets have gone dead. A message came on the screen saying that a
surge had overloaded a usb socket and from then on the pointer froze and the
keyboard stopped working. Once the screensaver came on I was in the dark so
I turned off with 4 seconds on the button.
I went and bought the cheapest SP/2 mouse & K/bd which put things back in
action - except the usb sockets.
I'm running Windows XP/SP2. Motherboard Gigabyte GA-81848PM; Pentium 4 -
3.4g.
Any ideas?? Please go easy on the tech-speak my knowledge is limited!
Thanks in advance
KB

"KB" <> wrote in message
news:...
> All 6 USB sockets have gone dead. A message came on the screen saying that
> a surge had overloaded a usb socket and from then on the pointer froze and
> the keyboard stopped working. Once the screensaver came on I was in the
> dark so I turned off with 4 seconds on the button.
> I went and bought the cheapest SP/2 mouse & K/bd which put things back in
> action - except the usb sockets.
> I'm running Windows XP/SP2. Motherboard Gigabyte GA-81848PM; Pentium 4 -
> 3.4g.
> Any ideas?? Please go easy on the tech-speak my knowledge is limited!
> Thanks in advance
> KB
If you`ve got a spare PCI slot on your Mboard, then
fit a USB2-PCI card.
That`ll give you some USB2 slots to work with.
example here..
http://www.amazon.co.uk/NISIS-extern.../dp/B000684LDS

On 2007-11-07, KB <> wrote:
> All 6 USB sockets have gone dead. A message came on the screen saying that a
> surge had overloaded a usb socket and from then on the pointer froze and the
> keyboard stopped working. Once the screensaver came on I was in the dark so
> I turned off with 4 seconds on the button.
> I went and bought the cheapest SP/2 mouse & K/bd which put things back in
> action - except the usb sockets.
> I'm running Windows XP/SP2. Motherboard Gigabyte GA-81848PM; Pentium 4 -
> 3.4g.
> Any ideas?? Please go easy on the tech-speak my knowledge is limited!
> Thanks in advance
> KB

If the USB sockets are part of the motherboard, it sounds rather as though
you'll be shopping for a new motherboard. The USB circuits may not be the
only parts knocked out by the "surge".

Where did the surge come from? Have any of the USB peripherals which were
connected at the time shown signs of damage or malfunction?

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks meerkat, that could the answer once and for all if I could get away
with fitting more than one card to make up the original 6 slots (or more). I
have 2 spaces. Would that be OK do you know??

"meerkat" <> wrote in message
news:GJpYi.12117$...
>
> "KB" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> All 6 USB sockets have gone dead. A message came on the screen saying
>> that a surge had overloaded a usb socket and from then on the pointer
>> froze and the keyboard stopped working. Once the screensaver came on I
>> was in the dark so I turned off with 4 seconds on the button.
>> I went and bought the cheapest SP/2 mouse & K/bd which put things back in
>> action - except the usb sockets.
>> I'm running Windows XP/SP2. Motherboard Gigabyte GA-81848PM; Pentium 4 -
>> 3.4g.
>> Any ideas?? Please go easy on the tech-speak my knowledge is limited!
>> Thanks in advance
>> KB
> If you`ve got a spare PCI slot on your Mboard, then
> fit a USB2-PCI card.
> That`ll give you some USB2 slots to work with.
> example here..
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/NISIS-extern.../dp/B000684LDS
>
>
>

Hi Whiskers
The sockets are at in three pairs a long way apart on the m/bd.
The surge may have come from a Topfield PVR which connects to the PC by USB
for transferring files (mp3's, videos..). The connection failed some time
ago for no apparent reason and at the time I tried a different lead and a
laptop which also had the software. Neither worked so it was put on hold for
the time being.
I needed to use the facility again a couple of days ago so I plugged the
lead into a socket on the PC and then went out the room to plug the other
end into the Topfield. When I me back to the PC there was the message! I can
only assume that was the cause.
All else seems to work OK. In the meantime I found that according to the
Device Manager under USB Controllers everything is fine and in working
order. I also found some free tests on-line and they also found things OK
but there is no response whatever I plug into any of the usb sockets. The
printer & scanner etc all work with the laptop.
KB

"Whiskers" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On 2007-11-07, KB <> wrote:
>> All 6 USB sockets have gone dead. A message came on the screen saying
>> that a
>> surge had overloaded a usb socket and from then on the pointer froze and
>> the
>> keyboard stopped working. Once the screensaver came on I was in the dark
>> so
>> I turned off with 4 seconds on the button.
>> I went and bought the cheapest SP/2 mouse & K/bd which put things back in
>> action - except the usb sockets.
>> I'm running Windows XP/SP2. Motherboard Gigabyte GA-81848PM; Pentium 4 -
>> 3.4g.
>> Any ideas?? Please go easy on the tech-speak my knowledge is limited!
>> Thanks in advance
>> KB
>
> If the USB sockets are part of the motherboard, it sounds rather as though
> you'll be shopping for a new motherboard. The USB circuits may not be the
> only parts knocked out by the "surge".
>
> Where did the surge come from? Have any of the USB peripherals which were
> connected at the time shown signs of damage or malfunction?
>
> --
> -- ^^^^^^^^^^
> -- Whiskers
> -- ~~~~~~~~~~

On Wed, 7 Nov 2007 21:59:02 -0000, "KB" <> wrote:

>Hi Whiskers
>The sockets are at in three pairs a long way apart on the m/bd.
>The surge may have come from a Topfield PVR which connects to the PC by USB
>for transferring files (mp3's, videos..).

That sounds more like an overload than a surge. Check your manual and see what
it says. There would be no use putting up an alert screen if it wasn't easily
fixable.
Once you get it fixed, you might want to try a powered usb hub.

On 2007-11-07, KB <> wrote:
> Thanks meerkat, that could the answer once and for all if I could get away
> with fitting more than one card to make up the original 6 slots (or more). I
> have 2 spaces. Would that be OK do you know??
>
If you get a PCI USB port, then you can get yourself a hub or two
and chain them together and have as many out the other end as you want.

--
All I know is what the words know, and dead things, and that
makes a handsome little sum, with a beginning and a middle and
an end, as in the well-built phrase and the long sonata of the dead.
-- Samuel Beckett

Thanks Shel-hed
I'm sure the word 'surge' was there in the message. It said 'Click this
box...etc' but at the time that wasn't possible as the pointer (usb mouse)
was frozen and the k/bd didn't work. So I also assumed at that stage that it
would be repairable. I don't see anything in the manuals relating to this
problem. I will read up about a 'powered usb hub' tomorrow - I'm not sure
what it is (pardon my ignorance) or what advantage i would gain?!?
KB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Shel-hed" <mush-> wrote in message
news:...
> On Wed, 7 Nov 2007 21:59:02 -0000, "KB" <> wrote:
>
>>Hi Whiskers
>>The sockets are at in three pairs a long way apart on the m/bd.
>>The surge may have come from a Topfield PVR which connects to the PC by
>>USB
>>for transferring files (mp3's, videos..).
>
> That sounds more like an overload than a surge. Check your manual and see
> what
> it says. There would be no use putting up an alert screen if it wasn't
> easily
> fixable.
> Once you get it fixed, you might want to try a powered usb hub.
>
>
>

Get the card and a USB hub.

--

Newsgroup Trolls. Read about mine here http://www.pcbutts1.com/downloads
The list grows. Leythos the stalker http://www.leythosthestalker.com, David
H. Lipman, Max M Wachtell III aka What's in a Name?, Fitz,
Rhonda Lea Kirk, Meat Plow, F Kwatu F, George Orwell



"KB" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Thanks meerkat, that could the answer once and for all if I could get away
> with fitting more than one card to make up the original 6 slots (or more).
> I have 2 spaces. Would that be OK do you know??
>
> "meerkat" <> wrote in message
> news:GJpYi.12117$...
>>
>> "KB" <> wrote in message
>> news:...
>>> All 6 USB sockets have gone dead. A message came on the screen saying
>>> that a surge had overloaded a usb socket and from then on the pointer
>>> froze and the keyboard stopped working. Once the screensaver came on I
>>> was in the dark so I turned off with 4 seconds on the button.
>>> I went and bought the cheapest SP/2 mouse & K/bd which put things back
>>> in action - except the usb sockets.
>>> I'm running Windows XP/SP2. Motherboard Gigabyte GA-81848PM; Pentium 4 -
>>> 3.4g.
>>> Any ideas?? Please go easy on the tech-speak my knowledge is limited!
>>> Thanks in advance
>>> KB
>> If you`ve got a spare PCI slot on your Mboard, then
>> fit a USB2-PCI card.
>> That`ll give you some USB2 slots to work with.
>> example here..
>> http://www.amazon.co.uk/NISIS-extern.../dp/B000684LDS
>>
>>
>>
>
>

"Baba O'Reilly" <> wrote in message
news:47325104$0$5295$...
> On 2007-11-07, KB <> wrote:
>> Thanks meerkat, that could the answer once and for all if I could get
>> away
>> with fitting more than one card to make up the original 6 slots (or
>> more). I
>> have 2 spaces. Would that be OK do you know??
>>
> If you get a PCI USB port, then you can get yourself a hub or two
> and chain them together and have as many out the other end as you want.
>
> --
> All I know is what the words know, and dead things, and that
> makes a handsome little sum, with a beginning and a middle and
> an end, as in the well-built phrase and the long sonata of the dead.
> -- Samuel Beckett

Thanks for the info, Baba O'Reilly, It sounds as though this could be the
easy option.

KB