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General discussion

USB Ports Not Working

Jun 25, 2010 4:52AM PDT

Windows Vista on an HP notebook. One USB port does not work at all. When I plug in a wireless mouse to the other USB port, the green light comes on, but the mouse does not work.

This is my daughters PC and I'd like to fix this problem while she is home on leave from the USAF.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Discussion is locked

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Here's the test I use.
Jun 25, 2010 5:04AM PDT

Because USB ports can be "blown" I learned about UBUNTU to boot that from CD (NO INSTALL REQUIRED) and with it running from CD I can plug in some USB mouse from port to port and see if the mouse works. If that fails I often find that the results match what we find in Windows.

This test avoids having to reload Windows or install another OS. That's the first test to see what's up.
Bob

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If...
Jun 25, 2010 7:24PM PDT

...you go to Device Manager [Control Panel> System] you may find a yellow triangle at one of the USB Bus listed... and at "System Information" [Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools], you may find it listed at 'Problem Devices'.