ANNOYING USB port gives power but doesn't work

Hi
Have you installed the USB drivers from the disc you got with the motherboard ?

You might want to try this as a quick and dirty workaround... First, I suggest you install Linux on a flash drive, then boot your system and run Linux to test ALL of your USB ports. This is MUCH easier than you might think, and you can do it without harming your existing Windows installation. Even better, you can use the same flash drive to test any other flaky hardware in the future. Keep it handy and you will find yourself using it whenever something goes wrong. For example, if your optical burner stops working, boot into Linux and use the burner. If it doesn't work, the hardware is defective. If it works properly, you have a Windows (OS) problem or a software (APP) problem.

You can download a good (older, easy to use) version of Ubuntu Linux here:

http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/releases/10.04.3/ubuntu-10.04.4-desktop-i386.iso

it is a 700 MB file. Save it someplace easy to find it, maybe the Windows Desktop.

Next, you'll need an installer program to put Ubuntu on the flash drive. I recommend the YUMI

installer, which works with the most popular Linux distributions here:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multiboot-usb-creator/

There is a link to the installer file on that page, along with a pictorial on how to use YUMI to

install Ubuntu on your flash drive.

Follow the pictorial to create the Ubuntu flash drive, then boot your system with the

Ubuntu flash drive and test the USB ports. If they work properly under Linux, there is nothing wrong with your hardware, so you might have to run Windows update to find a patch you need, or reinstall the motherboard chipset drivers, in order to solve the problem.

Good luck with this, please let us know what happens...

Hi
The power and the data are on separate pins of the USB plug,so you have power but no data by the look of it.
This is what made me suspect a driver problem.
Could be a motherboard hardware fault though this would be quite rare.
You could try Linux as detailed above and you could try downloading drivers from the Asus website.

Actually, I doubt you will find anything helpful on the Asus website, UNLESS there is a known problem with your motherboard or the chipset. In that case, you might find an updated BIOS or updated chipset drivers, but from what you've posted, you already have the latest BIOS. The chipset drivers MIGHT be the problem; it is possible that yours have been corrupted and need to be reinstalled to correct this, but we don't have enough information yet to make that determination.

As makkem mentioned, power and data are not carried on the same pins, because that would require more complicated signal processing. At the risk of oversimplifying things, the outer pins provide power and ground, while the inner pins are for data transmit and data receive. Although the USB ports might seem unrelated, they share connections on the motherboard. Individual ports can malfunction from normal usage; over time, solder joints can become brittle. Eventually, the connection can degrade enough to affect the function of the port. That might be what you are experiencing right now, but again, we don't know enough to make a call on that one way or the other.

I hope you will try using Linux to diagnose the problem; it won't affect your Windows installation by running it from the flash drive, but you will know immediately whether or not you have a physical problem with the hardware or a problem related to the Windows OS or related software. You can save yourself a LOT of time and aggravation using the method I suggested, and of course, you can use the same trick to test any other hardware in the future. For example, if your optical device stops working, is it a problem with Windows, a problem with a driver, a problem with an app, or a problem with the hardware itself? Using an entirely different operating system to test it immediately tells you the condition of the hardware; if it works under Linux, you have an OS / software problem, but if it also fails in Linux, the hardware is defective.

Keep punching, ashrafohm; obviously, neither makkem nor I can test that system for you. All we can do is try to give you advice to help you diagnose the problem and figure out a way to solve it. I suggested using Linux first to determine the physical function of your hardware, which will either confirm that it is working, or confirm that it is defective. Once we know that, we'll have a better idea of what you should do next.

This is up to you; you won't have any problems figuring out how to use Ubuntu as long as you know how to use a mouse. Linux is different from Windows, but similar enough that you will quickly figure out how to use it to test your hardware. It also has built-in utilities for testing your hard drive and RAM, along with other useful programs.

Let us know what you learn, then we can put our heads together and try to help you figure out the best way to resolve this.

I'm not sure what you mean by this:

"but I tried to connect usb to ide cable and connect an HDD using this connection .. the computer gave the blue screen stating hardware problem and after restart the MB gave a warning to disconnect but i didn't know that it was this damn connection problem till i disconnected it and found it toooooooo hot"

but I have a BAD feeling about it. If something got hot, it might have gotten hot enough to damage the motherboard or chipset, which you will NOT be able to repair.

Please explain what happened, we need to know EXACTLY what you did, and EXACTLY what happened to cause the overheating problem, before we can help you decide what to do next.