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| Thread ID: 77992 | 2007-03-30 02:56:00 | strangest USB crash - total lock-up | bill marek (12062) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 536932 | 2007-03-30 02:56:00 | Hi, I have a toshiba celeronM laptop with 512gig RAM. Win XP SP2 Occasionally when I plug in a normal 2.5" external drive (I have a few different ones - does not seem to matter which), the computer dies. Really dies - just goes blank. And I cannot reboot or anything, until I remove the power connector and take out the battery. Unless I completely disconnect from all power, it remains a chunk of lead - scary the first time!! If I temporarily remove all power it boots just fine... No data loss or anything Help please? Bill p.s. - just to make clear - most of the time it works fine... |
bill marek (12062) | ||
| 536933 | 2007-03-30 03:30:00 | Hi Bill | jamesmcphersonvrx22rochel (11915) | ||
| 536934 | 2007-03-30 03:31:00 | Damnit, pressed tab then enter. sorry Sounds like it could be a power overload on the USB hub. How many other things are plugged in at the time of the problem? Thanks James |
jamesmcphersonvrx22rochel (11915) | ||
| 536935 | 2007-03-30 03:54:00 | Hi Thanks, How many USB things? None the last time it happened. I do have a pcmcia 4port USB card in, but I am sure that I had this problem before i used it. And there is nothing turned on on that usb card anyways. Over the next month, I shall be away from home and not using the pcmcia card, so I can find out for sure about that. But as I said, it has happened before I had the card, and with no other device attached... Bll p.s. I am not sure if this helps - sometimes XP does not immediately recognize my usb devices (hdds, flash drive, mouse & KB)- I have to go through the whole driver install process. But not always... |
bill marek (12062) | ||
| 536936 | 2007-03-30 04:26:00 | Hi Thanks, How many USB things? None the last time it happened. I do have a pcmcia 4port USB card in, but I am sure that I had this problem before i used it. And there is nothing turned on on that usb card anyways. Over the next month, I shall be away from home and not using the pcmcia card, so I can find out for sure about that. But as I said, it has happened before I had the card, and with no other device attached... Bll p.s. I am not sure if this helps - sometimes XP does not immediately recognize my usb devices (hdds, flash drive, mouse & KB)- I have to go through the whole driver install process. But not always... I think your answer is there, the usb port is failing! |
SolMiester (139) | ||
| 536937 | 2007-03-30 04:28:00 | Well sometimes when you plug lots of USB devices in it can cause a large amount of power to be drawn from the computer, which in turn can cause a overload and shutdown. You might have already done this but try update all your drivers on your machine. Also run through Microsoft Update (In IE point to toolsthen Windows update Occasionally i have problems with USB devices not installing properly with XP, i find just unplugging them and trying another port fixes the problem. Let me know how you get on. Also, what model of laptop are you using? |
jamesmcphersonvrx22rochel (11915) | ||
| 536938 | 2007-03-31 03:34:00 | I have bought an external USB power adapter to power my pcmcia hub. It does sound like a power crash, doesn't it? Everything just dying and needing to completely disconnect all power sources before it can reboot. Thanks for the advice. I will give it some time and see if I get any more crashes. Sincerely, Bill Mark p.s. I have a Toshiba Satellite A-50 CeleronM - about 2 1/2 years old |
bill marek (12062) | ||
| 536939 | 2007-03-31 04:30:00 | Have you got any drives which will accept external power, rather than taking it fom the USB port? If it never happens when the drive is not pulling power from the port . . . ;) It does look like an overload on the PSU . Although USB ports are rated to supply only 500 mA, it would be easiest (and cheapest) for them to be connected directly to the main 5V supply . :D Any disk drive will pull quite a lot of current when it is connected, and when a power supply does an overload shutdown it should stay down . I don't think software drivers will be the problem . :thumbs: |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 536940 | 2007-03-31 06:14:00 | Yes - it all makes sense, doesn't it! QUESTION: Can I hook up an external USB power supply to an external notebook drive? You know the kind of connector they have - one USB tied to another USB power only . So if I hooked up an external power adapter to the 'power only' connector, and the main USB connector to the computer - it would be getting 5volts from both sources . WILL I FRY MY POWER SUPPLY? (I shout on purpose!) . ie: Will the two power supplies interfere with each other? Again, thanks for all the input - the power issue certainly sounds correct to me . . Bill |
bill marek (12062) | ||
| 536941 | 2007-04-03 08:04:00 | If there's a "power only" socket, the supply terminals will be isolated so the supplies don't conflict.. Obviously if they have such a socket they are aware of the possibility of an overload problem. ;) | Graham L (2) | ||
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