Inspiron 9200 USB made by the Devil Himself!

Question

I have come to the conclusion that my USB ports on my Inspiron 9200 were either made by the Devil, or some group of multinational terrorists. About two or three weeks ago I tried to plug in a camera to my USB ports. My computer instantly shut down, but I was able to start it back up with no apparent problems. However, I then found out that my USB ports would not work. I reinstalled the drivers, and ran diagnostics. The diagnostics claimed that no errors existed and that everything checked out fine. The USB ports seem to transmit power, but the computer fails to acknowlege any devices that I plug into it. I also have two usb ports on the left and two in the rear. None work. I am at my wit's end (not a very long trip) but I have run out of ideas. All test indicate that my computer thinks the USB ports are fine, but nothing will work. I would offer a reward of $50,000 to whomever could fix this, but that money has been spent on the booze and hookers that I have had to drink and hire since this problem has started. (Hookers are a poor investment since none of them seem to understand anything about computers.) I do have about $1.38 I found in my couch. Please help me!!!

bacillus · Answer

don't have an answer but a workaround for such a problem would be to get an usb 2 pcmcia card. it's much cheaper than booze and hookers...  :smileyvery-happy:

BBraxton · Answer

Perhaps you already tried doing a manage hardware (properties) and remove all the USB devices and re-boot to let them be re-discovered.

olsont7675 · Answer

Tried the removing/rebooting idea with no luck. Have a pcmcia card on the way. Still miss the hookers though. Their thoughts on world peace were actually well thought out. Or maybe it just seemed that way because of the booze!

enigma-2 · Answer

Reload the drivers.

toughluck701 · Answer

I have just had the exact same problem. Though I was attempting to hotsync a palm pilot, the result was the same -- my computer (inspiron 9200) shut down and when I restarted it I noticed that my wireless mouse didn't work. I went on to discover that my printer and device to connect the palm pilot also didn't work. I have spent hours following troubleshooting and technical support advice but nothing seems to work. I have sent an email request to DELL but don't hold out much hope.

Did the pc card you mentioned fix the problem? If yes, where did you get it and how much did it cost?

My laptop is, of course, just over a month past warranty. When I looked on the message board here I was more than a bit disturbed to learn that this is not an uncommon problem.

olsont7675 · Answer

Yes. Thanks to a $20 pcmcia card from Tiger Direct, I now have two working USB ports, to go along with my 4 dead ones. Seems like an easy fix to a impossible problem. I agree that Dell should at least look into this, but I bet they really don't care. Even though I love my lap top, I hate having to deal with Dell Customer Service. Anyway, For around 20 to 30 bucks you too can enjoy USB freedom once again.

enigma-2 · Answer

Seems I read somewhere else that if you plug in a device that draws too much power, it will cuase the chipset controlling the USB ports to fail. (Perhaps the camera was turned on when it was connected?) Anyway, from your description, I would guess you need to replace the ic that controls the UBS ports; probably failed when you connected the camera.

As a precaution I always make certain that my camera is turned off when I connect it (actually everything except the mouse is off when connecting. But I'm paranoid.)

PS if you have any hookers left over I might be interested. Offer $15.66 but you will have to cover shipping.

toughluck701 · Answer

I went to Staples, bought a pcmcia card with two usb ports and a 4 port hub for under $100 in total.  I installed both without professional help -- and virtually no advice from the DELL tech support people in Manilla or Panama -- and I now have use of my printer, wireless mouse, etc.  The four usb ports that came with the Inspiron 9200 are still useless, but at least I found a way to create new ones.  Maybe a few years from now DELL will find a solution and I will have a glut of usb ports.  For now, I am grateful to BELKIN and STAPLES.   What makes no sense to me is why this is not listed as a solution to this apparently common problem -- although not 'known' to DELL because they don't read their own message boards.  I would have saved myself hours of frustration if I had been able to find this out three days ago.  In addition, two of the technicians that I spoke to were ready to sell me a new motherboard for $500.    I hope this will be of some help to the rest of you that invested in a DELL laptop.  If you are investigating prior to purchase -- buy a Mac!

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