Dell support was not very helpful with this issue. After 8 hours on 5 phone calls and two chat sessions they sent a tech out to replace the motherboard. Still no fix. Seemed to be a driver issue. So I went into the Device Manager and updated all the USB drivers and the Intel WiUSB. This solved my issue. Hope it works for you. I was quite pissed at both Dell and myself as this was an easy fix that both of us should have found early in the troubleshooting phase. When you look at your USB ports in Device Manager see if there are any USB 3.0 ports listed. If not it is definitely a driver issue. Seems there is a step missing during configuration at the factory. Good luck and don't hold your breath waiting for Dell to solve the issue. Good luck.
Thanks - I think we had slightly different problems. My issue was that the USB ports on the back of the laptop itself aren't working when docked.....I keep at least one if not two USB devices in all the time but when docked, they don't work. The side usb port works fine when docked.
i tried many ways to resolve it, but always fail, when i tried to re-install the OS(i formatted the HD and install windows 8.1 pro) this problem has been solved. i guess it should be the driver problem.
Thanks Zithro, for the suggestion to update USB drivers. I have been plagued with this same exact problem, on my company-owned laptop: a Dell M4500, ever since I was issued this laptop approx. 6 months ago. All USB ports in the docking station were dead. I finally decided it was time to do something about it. I tried a different docking station, but had the same results. That's when I decided it was likely a laptop related problem. I was hoping it was just a driver issue, since this is easier to fix. I found your posting, tried it out, and all is working good now. However, on the M4500, I see no evidence of "USB 3.0" in the Device Manager listing, after updating the driver.
Bizarrely I have the same problem but caused by the supposed solution. All three of the USB ports on the left and the two at the back were fully functional up to the point I had a spring clean and updated most of my drivers now only the three on the side work. I have tried rolling back the drivers, uninstalling them etc but cannot get back to a point at which they are working.
Hi Zithro, I was told by Dell that the functionality you are experiencing is the way the E7240 was designed to behave. The rear USB ports are designed to be disabled when docked.
It seems the rear USB ports on the laptop are disabled when the laptop is docked and this is a DELIBERATE design feature by Dell. However the rear and left-hand side USB ports on the dock SHOULD work fine. If they don't, install the latest Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller from Intel.com (not Dell.com) When I checked my laptop I had version 2.5.4.40 so the left-hand side and the rear USB ports on the dock did NOT work. After I upgraded to version 3.0.2.54, the rear and left-hand side USB ports on the dock started working.
Sorry, but this is just wrong. The 5 USB ports on the docking station absolutely should work when your computer is in the dock. Otherwise, there is no reason to have them.
Perhaps I misunderstood your post but just to clarify, the rear and left-hand side ports on the docking station DO work AFTER installing the latest Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller (version 3.0.2.54) from Intel.com.
Prior to installing the latest Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller (version 3.0.2.54) from Intel.com, the ports did NOT work with Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller (version 2.5.4.40)
My apologies, I was actually responding to an earlier post. You are absolutely correct, installing the latest Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host controller (version 3.0.2.54) solved the problem. For reasons totally unclear to me, this did create a problem with my Mac mobile devices. To fix that, I needed to update "Apple Mobile Device Support". To do that, I went into Control Panel-Programs-Programs and Features, right clicked "Apple Mobile Device Support" and selected "repair".
Thank you all for your help!! I followed Zithro's advice and didn't see anything about USB 3.0's, so downloaded the Intel driver update utilitiy directly from Intel for my laptop / docking station and it corrected my problem of my docking station usb's not working!!
Happy day for me today!! Thank you all for your suggestions and help!
pprice1
4 Posts
0
January 6th, 2014 14:00
I'm seeing exactly the same thing - very much the same configuration. I have the A06 BIOS installed.
Any resolution for this?
zithro
2 Posts
1
January 6th, 2014 14:00
Dell support was not very helpful with this issue. After 8 hours on 5 phone calls and two chat sessions they sent a tech out to replace the motherboard. Still no fix. Seemed to be a driver issue. So I went into the Device Manager and updated all the USB drivers and the Intel WiUSB. This solved my issue. Hope it works for you. I was quite pissed at both Dell and myself as this was an easy fix that both of us should have found early in the troubleshooting phase. When you look at your USB ports in Device Manager see if there are any USB 3.0 ports listed. If not it is definitely a driver issue. Seems there is a step missing during configuration at the factory. Good luck and don't hold your breath waiting for Dell to solve the issue. Good luck.
pprice1
4 Posts
0
January 10th, 2014 12:00
Zithro,
Thanks - I think we had slightly different problems. My issue was that the USB ports on the back of the laptop itself aren't working when docked.....I keep at least one if not two USB devices in all the time but when docked, they don't work. The side usb port works fine when docked.
Oliver-K
2 Posts
0
February 28th, 2014 04:00
Hi
i have got the same problem like u
vaderag
2 Posts
0
March 1st, 2014 15:00
I have this problem too... if anyone has found a solution, would love to hear!
Oliver-K
2 Posts
0
March 18th, 2014 02:00
i tried many ways to resolve it, but always fail, when i tried to re-install the OS(i formatted the HD and install windows 8.1 pro) this problem has been solved. i guess it should be the driver problem.
chirag.rathi
1 Message
0
April 28th, 2014 12:00
I have the same problem... All three USB ports stop working when the laptop is docked. I am using Windows 7 and not Windows 8.1
tom.wickerath
1 Message
0
May 2nd, 2014 17:00
Thanks Zithro, for the suggestion to update USB drivers. I have been plagued with this same exact problem, on my company-owned laptop: a Dell M4500, ever since I was issued this laptop approx. 6 months ago. All USB ports in the docking station were dead. I finally decided it was time to do something about it. I tried a different docking station, but had the same results. That's when I decided it was likely a laptop related problem. I was hoping it was just a driver issue, since this is easier to fix. I found your posting, tried it out, and all is working good now. However, on the M4500, I see no evidence of "USB 3.0" in the Device Manager listing, after updating the driver.
Tom Wickerath
Bellevue, WA.
GorgieB
1 Message
0
June 5th, 2014 02:00
Bizarrely I have the same problem but caused by the supposed solution. All three of the USB ports on the left and the two at the back were fully functional up to the point I had a spring clean and updated most of my drivers now only the three on the side work. I have tried rolling back the drivers, uninstalling them etc but cannot get back to a point at which they are working.
marlonturner
2 Posts
0
June 9th, 2014 08:00
mikeahene
2 Posts
0
January 15th, 2015 09:00
It seems the rear USB ports on the laptop are disabled when the laptop is docked and this is a DELIBERATE design feature by Dell. However the rear and left-hand side USB ports on the dock SHOULD work fine. If they don't, install the latest Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller from Intel.com (not Dell.com) When I checked my laptop I had version 2.5.4.40 so the left-hand side and the rear USB ports on the dock did NOT work. After I upgraded to version 3.0.2.54, the rear and left-hand side USB ports on the dock started working.
espi1
2 Posts
1
January 15th, 2015 10:00
Sorry, but this is just wrong. The 5 USB ports on the docking station absolutely should work when your computer is in the dock. Otherwise, there is no reason to have them.
mikeahene
2 Posts
0
January 15th, 2015 10:00
Espi1,
Perhaps I misunderstood your post but just to clarify, the rear and left-hand side ports on the docking station DO work AFTER installing the latest Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller (version 3.0.2.54) from Intel.com.
Prior to installing the latest Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller (version 3.0.2.54) from Intel.com, the ports did NOT work with Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller (version 2.5.4.40)
espi1
2 Posts
0
January 15th, 2015 11:00
My apologies, I was actually responding to an earlier post. You are absolutely correct, installing the latest Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host controller (version 3.0.2.54) solved the problem. For reasons totally unclear to me, this did create a problem with my Mac mobile devices. To fix that, I needed to update "Apple Mobile Device Support". To do that, I went into Control Panel-Programs-Programs and Features, right clicked "Apple Mobile Device Support" and selected "repair".
Now things work well.
Thank you for your post. Saved a lot of time.
scooteranne
1 Message
0
March 6th, 2015 07:00
Thank you all for your help!! I followed Zithro's advice and didn't see anything about USB 3.0's, so downloaded the Intel driver update utilitiy directly from Intel for my laptop / docking station and it corrected my problem of my docking station usb's not working!!
Happy day for me today!! Thank you all for your suggestions and help!