Windows 7 - USB Device Problem?

I continue to get the following message regarding a USB device:

---------------------------
This device can perform faster.
This USB device can perform faster if you connect it to a HI-Speed USB
2.0 Port.  For a list of available ports, click below.
----------------------------------

I click below and it shows my USB2 ports, but no where does it tell me
the device that it is referring to!  How can I determine the device in
question?

I have an 8 port USB2 Controller.  All my USB devices are plugged into
it.

All my devices work, but I keep getting this message.  If the message
would identify the device it has a problem with, then I could research
it.  I checked in Device Manager and the port is listed as ""Intel(R)
82801EB USB2 Enhanced Host Controller 24DD".

Then message is random and does not come up all the time, but every now and then - about
twice a day.

Any insights are appreciated.

charliec

Your 8-port (do you really mean 7-port?) USB hub is your problem. Hubs
are terribly unreliable, it is better to attach devices directly to a USB
port on the computer rather than through hubs. Hubs are okay for a few
low-priority devices that do not really require high speeds, such as
keyboards and mice and stuff. But you should try to attach storage
devices like flash drives and hard drives directly to the computer on
their own separate ports.

Yousuf Khan

He's referring to the ICH5 Southbridge of his motherboard, and the
logic block inside there associated with USB2. That is the

Intel(R) 82801EB USB2 Enhanced Host Controller 24DD

that controls USB2 operation on up to eight USB connectors on
the motherboard.

And I do not have a clue why it would be doing that, unless
there are USB bus resets, followed by an incorrect negotiation.
It still implies a hardware malfunction, as the software and
hardware would be attempting to run at USB2 rates, but for whatever
reason, the attempt fails and the hardware connected to the port ends
up at USB 1.1 rates. So you would  have a bus reset (which is a normal
part of the protocol, but needs an event to kick it off), followed
by a failed negotiation.

Even if you had a copy of UVCVIEW or equivalent, I doubt it would
tell you anything.

There was at least one motherboard, that had a "drive strength" setting
in the BIOS for the USB ports. Changing that, affects the current flow in
USB2 mode. But such a setting has not been made available in years, implying
tuning it is not necessary. On the motherboard I spotted that setting on,
the hardware never needed any adjustment of that value, and worked as well
as any other motherboard with USB2 I have got.

I'd be more concerned, if a USB2 PCI card was added to the PC, and the
symptoms continued. Using a USB2 PCI card, allows testing with another
USB chip. If it cures the problem, then you would  know there was something
about the motherboard and its ICH5, which was at fault.

Since the ICH5 has the "latchup failure" problem associated with the
USB ports, I'd insert and use a USB2 PCI card anyway, just to protect
the motherboard. It would be hard to find a nice replacement motherboard,
if the ICH5 burns up.

(ICH5 after failure related to USB ports... That's a burn mark.)
http://onfinite.com/libraries/179057/2ea.jpg

Paul

Thank you both for your comments/input.
I just wish it would tell me which one it is referring to!

charliec

You can use a copy of UVCView, to examine what is going on,
but I cannot promise it will shed any light on the problem. There
should be enough information (not printed in plain English) to
figure out the current running mode (1.1 or 2.0) of any USB
device which is connected directly to the computer.

This is from a post I made earlier today.

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg/9f0b99de2c88868e?hl=en&dmode=source

See the part "UVCView is shipped with the Windows Driver Kit",
for more info.

Paul

Can you tell use if your USB peripherals are connecting to your computer
directly, or if they are going through an external hub? There seems to
be some confusion as to what you are setup looks like. As Paul said, the
UVCVIEW program is extremely good at telling how USB devices are
connected to each other. I do not know why Microsoft does not make it
available anymore for download.

Yousuf Khan

That is easy to find out Charlie. Just unplug them all and then plug
them in one at a time. One or more will report the following:

----------------------------------
This device can perform faster.
This USB device can perform faster if you connect it to a HI-Speed USB
2.0 Port.  For a list of available ports, click below.
----------------------------------

By the way, I too have seen this message from time to time on some
computers having all USB 2.0 ports. And sometimes I believe this is from
an USB device drawing near the maximum amount of current when first
powered. Which in turn, somehow sometimes results in the port switching
to USB v1.1 speed.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v3.0
Centrino Core Duo 1.83G - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

Thanks for the info.
charliec