MSI Z97 GAMING 7 USB 3.0 port issue

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Danamano

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Jan 1, 2014
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I purchased an MSI GAMING 7 motherboard last year, and I had this issue from the get-go. The motherboard has eight USB 3.0 slots, two USB 2.0 slots, and a port to connect case USB 3.0 slots to.

The USB 2.0 slots work fine, as do the two USB 3.0 slots on my case (plugged into the motherboard). However the eight remaining USB 3.0 slots (on the motherboard itself) do not register any device attached to them.

Things to note:
-When I open device manager, and review all of the USB ports, they all appear to be "working properly".
-I have had the Asmedia ASM104x USB 3.0 Host Controller Driver installed since the installation of the motherboard last year. Today, I uninstalled it, and reinstalled it, in hopes that was a 'driver out of date issue' (to no avail)
-I just picked up a Corsair k70 RGB keyboard, when I plug it into any one of the 8 non-functioning USBs, the lights on the keyboard light up (after about 10 seconds time), but they continue to cycle the demo lighting pattern that appears when the keyboard first attempts to establish a connection with a motherboard.
-I am running Windows 8.1
-CPU is Intel i7-4770K

I have googled the issue, but no one seems to have the exact same issue as I do. All of the answers I've found either don't relate to my OS or motherboard, or point to the installation of the Asmedia ASM104x USB 3.0 Host Controller Driver, which I already have.

My headphones require 2 slots, mouse requires 1, and keyboard has 2 USBs, but it appears to work when only one is plugged in. Which means that the 4 working slots I have suite me for now, however I can't attach anymore devices until this problem is fixed.

I believe my mobo is still under warranty, but I would really love to not have to go through the hassle of removing it, shipping it to MSI at my cost, waiting 2 months for them to RMA it, installing it again, calling Microsoft and begging for a new license, only to find out that the issue still exists. (I swear I have the worst luck with computer components, or maybe I'm just not that smart)

Any help, or advice would be great.
Thanks
 
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digitaldoc

digitaldoc

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Oct 31, 2003
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I would uninstall and reinstall the USB 3.0 host controller driver.

I think this is ultimately a hardware issue though. While you can RMA the board, there are some other options. One would be to attach a powered USB hub to one of the working ports to get the additional ports that you need to connect everything. The other option is to add a separate uSB 3.0 board via an open PCI slot. Depending on RMA shipping costs, these may be less expensive in the end, and avoid the downtime. I've suggested some products below.

http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-4-Port-Individual-Switches-HB-UM43/dp/B00JX1ZS5O/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1425774964&sr=1-1&keywords=usb+3.0+hub

http://www.amazon.com/Anker%C2%AE-Express-Connector-Desktops-Chipset/dp/B005ARQV6U/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1425775008&sr=1-1&keywords=usb+3.0+pci+card
 
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Danamano

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Jan 1, 2014
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Thanks for the advice, you helped confirm what I suspected. When the need arises, I'll look into a USB hub for my device needs.

Something else to note that I found interesting and should have mentioned:

This is an MSI motherboard. When I was searching for a solution, I found a link to the ASMedia USB 3.0 Host Controller driver. I downloaded, and didn't notice that the link was from the ASUS website.

So then I went to the MSI website and downloaded their ASMedia USB 3.0/3.1 driver package. When I uninstalled the current 'Asmedia ASM104x USB 3.0 Host Controller Driver', and tried to install the newly downloaded file from MSI, the installation process would fail, with the message "The ASMedia Hub Controller was not found.". I then attempted to install the file packet I downloaded from the ASUS site. It was the same installation wizard, the difference being that it actually installed the "Asmedia ASM104x USB 3.0 Host Controller Driver". Although, even with it installed the USB 3.0s don't work.

Why would the MSI ASMedia USB 3.0 driver package not be able to find the ASMedia USB Hub Controller, when the ASUS ASMedia USB 3.0 driver package did?
 
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Danamano

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Jan 1, 2014
14
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10,510
Thanks for the response. By Intel USB 3 drivers, I assuming you mean ASMedia USB 3 drivers, as there's no Intel USB 3.0 Host Controller Driver to download in that link you posted. In my earlier post I mentioned that I have already downloaded that driver and when I try to install it, the process fails, and I get the message "The ASMedia Hub Controller was not found.".

Looking in my device manager, I see an Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller - 0100, but I do not see an ASMedia Hub controller. The MSI driver CD that came with the motherboard has no drivers for the USB 3.0 ports.

Also, looking at my device manager, my Intel USB 3.0 eXentsible Host Controller is up to date.

My OS is Windows 8.1 64bit (I neglected to mention whether it was 64 or 32 bit, before).
 
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Danamano

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Jan 1, 2014
14
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10,510
AHH!! I had a break through. Previously, I did not have ASMedia USB 3.0 eXtensible Hot Controller listed under my Universal Serial Bus Controller. I decided to enter my BIOS to see if something in there would affecting my ability to use the USB 3.0 ports at the back of my computer. I entered the USB tab, and found an option call XCHI Hand-off [Enable]. I disabled that, and when I restarted and got to the desktop, I opened device manager, and there at the top of the list under Univeral Serial Bus controllers, was ASmedia USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller - 0100. All of my USB 3.0 ports are registering devices now (my keyboard at least). Hopefully this will come in handy for someone else.

Thanks for the help!
 
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