I have similar odd behavior with a Microsoft keyboard and mice. Actually I have irregular behavior with many USB devices when I use standby, power off, hot-unplug and re-plug, etc. The Dell USB ports seem rather flaky in this regard.
After reading through many posts on this forum, I discovered one that seems to fix my problem...well, 90% anyway. Based on that post and my experimentation, it seems that if I have the notebook plugged in on startup then the mouse is recognized and runs fine. If it is on battery power upon startup, I have to unplug the mouse first and then replug the mouse for the system to recognize it. Some say this has something to do with the USB power needed on startup that a battery startup falls short on. Anyone know how this can be fixed? It is a strange issue, but livable for me, since my notebook is used more as a desktop and will be booted attached to a wall much more than from a battery.
As a side issue: I read somewhere that you can adjust the USB port power schemes somewhere. Anyone have any idea on how I do this? I know where to change settings for display, hard drives, etc. but can't seem to find the settings for adjusting power to the USB ports. Some have suggested this could solve my problem.
The power delivered to the ports is fixed in hardware; you can't change it. It seems quite odd that you'd get less power to the USB ports on battery, since the power supply is regulated to the same voltage no matter the power source in use.
You cannot adjust the power output to the USB ports, but you can allow/disallow Windows to turn them off when they are not being actively used. To do this Open Device Manager->USB Controllers->USB Root Hub(s)->Power Management Tab. By selecting the Power tab you can see how much power your devices are drawing.
Updating/changing BIOS settings, changing the Power Management settings, updating the system chipset or other system updates... nothing works.
Looks to me like an inferior quality of the Inspirion's internal USB hub. I'm having a somewhat related problem: see post 'USB Logitech Cordless Optical Mouse for notebooks needs REPLUGGING' (24/3/2004).
The problem has mysteriously gone away on my machine. I don't recall doing anything that should have fixed it, but in general I've applied every latest chipset driver and Windows update.
I guess it's another example of getting what you pay for. The 8600 was a great bargain. Stunning screen and great performance. Lots of annoyances like this, the unusable pointer stick buttons, etc. Next time I'll go back to HP and spend the extra money.
SwampNut
220 Posts
0
March 18th, 2004 11:00
bacillus
2 Intern
•
14.4K Posts
0
March 18th, 2004 12:00
alittlernr
10 Posts
0
March 18th, 2004 14:00
After reading through many posts on this forum, I discovered one that seems to fix my problem...well, 90% anyway. Based on that post and my experimentation, it seems that if I have the notebook plugged in on startup then the mouse is recognized and runs fine. If it is on battery power upon startup, I have to unplug the mouse first and then replug the mouse for the system to recognize it. Some say this has something to do with the USB power needed on startup that a battery startup falls short on. Anyone know how this can be fixed? It is a strange issue, but livable for me, since my notebook is used more as a desktop and will be booted attached to a wall much more than from a battery.
As a side issue: I read somewhere that you can adjust the USB port power schemes somewhere. Anyone have any idea on how I do this? I know where to change settings for display, hard drives, etc. but can't seem to find the settings for adjusting power to the USB ports. Some have suggested this could solve my problem.
Thanks!
SwampNut
220 Posts
0
March 18th, 2004 14:00
jk79
412 Posts
0
March 18th, 2004 15:00
You cannot adjust the power output to the USB ports, but you can allow/disallow Windows to turn them off when they are not being actively used. To do this Open Device Manager->USB Controllers->USB Root Hub(s)->Power Management Tab. By selecting the Power tab you can see how much power your devices are drawing.
JK
wannes
8 Posts
0
March 24th, 2004 08:00
Hi
Updating/changing BIOS settings, changing the Power Management settings, updating the system chipset or other system updates... nothing works.
Looks to me like an inferior quality of the Inspirion's internal USB hub. I'm having a somewhat related problem: see post 'USB Logitech Cordless Optical Mouse for notebooks needs REPLUGGING' (24/3/2004).
Regards & succes in finding a solution
SwampNut
220 Posts
0
March 24th, 2004 13:00
I guess it's another example of getting what you pay for. The 8600 was a great bargain. Stunning screen and great performance. Lots of annoyances like this, the unusable pointer stick buttons, etc. Next time I'll go back to HP and spend the extra money.