Both the front USB 2 ports and the front USB 3 ports on my desktop computer are malfunctioning.
The USB 2 ports seem completely dead. On its own, would have taken this simply to indicate a hardware failure in the case, but since the USB 3 ports are also not working properly, I feel less sure that this is definitely the problem.
In more detail:
My hardware is an Asus Sabertooth 990FX rev. 1 motherboard and a Fractal Design R4 case. I acquired the motherboard just a few months ago to replace an ASRock motherboard that had died. The case I have had for around 7 years, although I have never treated it roughly and I have only used the front USB sockets relatively infrequently.
The 2 front USB 2 ports seem completely dead. If I connect a USB mouse, the laser doesn't light up. Connecting the ports to the other USB 2 connector on the motherboard makes no difference. The rear USB 2 ports seem to work OK. Or at least two of them work OK, since I haven't tested them all.
Of the two front USB 3 ports, one of them seems to work fine. I can connect my keyboard/mouse receiver to it, and I can boot from a USB key inserted in it.
The other USB 3 port is behaving more strangely. In both Windows and Linux I can use it to connect a hard disk without problem. However, when I connect a USB mouse to it, it doesn't like it. In Windows, the laser lights up, but I get the "device connected" alert playing endlessly every 3 seconds, and the mouse doesn't work. In Linux, it simply doesn't work. In BIOS setup, no mouse or bootable flash drive is detected at that port, even though both are detected at the other port. A device (audio interface), connected to a USB 3 socket at the back of the computer works fine.
I have tried unplugging and reseating the USB 3 connector on the motherboard, but that has made no difference.
The problem with the USB 2 ports must have started only fairly recently, but the problem with the USB 3 ports could have gone unnoticed for a while, since I normally only use them for connecting hard drives, which still work fine with it.
So, are the failing USB 2 and USB 3 ports connected, or is this just a coincidence? Is there anything I can do about it?
The USB 2 ports seem completely dead. On its own, would have taken this simply to indicate a hardware failure in the case, but since the USB 3 ports are also not working properly, I feel less sure that this is definitely the problem.
In more detail:
My hardware is an Asus Sabertooth 990FX rev. 1 motherboard and a Fractal Design R4 case. I acquired the motherboard just a few months ago to replace an ASRock motherboard that had died. The case I have had for around 7 years, although I have never treated it roughly and I have only used the front USB sockets relatively infrequently.
The 2 front USB 2 ports seem completely dead. If I connect a USB mouse, the laser doesn't light up. Connecting the ports to the other USB 2 connector on the motherboard makes no difference. The rear USB 2 ports seem to work OK. Or at least two of them work OK, since I haven't tested them all.
Of the two front USB 3 ports, one of them seems to work fine. I can connect my keyboard/mouse receiver to it, and I can boot from a USB key inserted in it.
The other USB 3 port is behaving more strangely. In both Windows and Linux I can use it to connect a hard disk without problem. However, when I connect a USB mouse to it, it doesn't like it. In Windows, the laser lights up, but I get the "device connected" alert playing endlessly every 3 seconds, and the mouse doesn't work. In Linux, it simply doesn't work. In BIOS setup, no mouse or bootable flash drive is detected at that port, even though both are detected at the other port. A device (audio interface), connected to a USB 3 socket at the back of the computer works fine.
I have tried unplugging and reseating the USB 3 connector on the motherboard, but that has made no difference.
The problem with the USB 2 ports must have started only fairly recently, but the problem with the USB 3 ports could have gone unnoticed for a while, since I normally only use them for connecting hard drives, which still work fine with it.
So, are the failing USB 2 and USB 3 ports connected, or is this just a coincidence? Is there anything I can do about it?
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