Question I have 16 USB 2.0 ports and 2 USB 3.0 ports but my PC only recoginze the USB 3.0 ports.

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Nov 26, 2023
18
1
15
Hi there! I have a problem with my Desktop PC that is running Windows 11. I have 18 USB ports in total (16 in the back + 2 on the front). two of the USB ports that are in the back are USB 3.0 and only them works out of the 18 I have. I have tried multiple OSes like Windows 10, 11 and Ubuntu but in all of them the 16 USB ports don't work. I also tried checking in the BIOS but I saw that all of the USB ports are listed as 'Enabled'. On another note, I have another problem, I have 4 slots of DDR3 memory (2 black and 2 blue) I have connected 2 4GB DDR3 sticks but only 4GB of single channel RAM is showing up on Windows. I can assure you that the ram sticks are working because they came from another PC.
The PC specs for anyone that is interested:
Intel DP67BA
i7-2600 3.40Ghz
'4' GB of RAM (should be 8)
GTX 750 TI
Windows 11
 
Nov 26, 2023
18
1
15
I have disconnected all of the USB adapters and run the computer again but still no luck. After that I tried to put the RAM sticks in the blue sockets and the computer didn’t boot at all. All I got was 3 beeps, silence, 3 beeps in a loop. This PC is more hard than I think it was but yet again I got it for free so it’s all good. Thank you for anyone that replied so far!
 
Last edited:
I have disconnected all of the USB adapters and run the computer again but still no luck. After that I tried to put the RAM sticks in the blue sockets and the computer didn’t boot at all. All I got was 3 beeps, silence, 3 beeps in a loop. This PC is more hard than I think it was but yet again I got it for free so it’s all good. Thank you for anyone that replied so far!
I would put them in the blue slots, and then do this.

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for about three to five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes while the CMOS battery is out of the motherboard, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 15-30 seconds, in order to deplete any residual charge that might be present in the CMOS circuit. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

It is probably also worth mentioning that for anything that might require an attempt to DO a hard reset in the first place, IF the problem is related to a lack of video signal, it is a GOOD IDEA to try a different type of display as many systems will not work properly for some reason with displayport configurations. It is worth trying HDMI if you are having no display or lack of visual ability to enter the BIOS, or no signal messages.

Trying a different monitor as well, if possible, is also a good idea if there is a lack of display. It happens.
 
Nov 26, 2023
18
1
15
I would put them in the blue slots, and then do this.

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for about three to five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes while the CMOS battery is out of the motherboard, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 15-30 seconds, in order to deplete any residual charge that might be present in the CMOS circuit. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

It is probably also worth mentioning that for anything that might require an attempt to DO a hard reset in the first place, IF the problem is related to a lack of video signal, it is a GOOD IDEA to try a different type of display as many systems will not work properly for some reason with displayport configurations. It is worth trying HDMI if you are having no display or lack of visual ability to enter the BIOS, or no signal messages.

Trying a different monitor as well, if possible, is also a good idea if there is a lack of display. It happens.
Okay Will try it now. Thanks :)
Edit: After reading again I think I will first try to install a fresh copy of Windows 10 and then continue with this guide.
 
Nov 26, 2023
18
1
15
Can you tell us what BIOS version is currently installed for your motherboard? You will need to look in the BIOS to find that information OR in Windows by running msinfo32.exe from any "Run" dialogue, such as on the start menu.
Oh I did that before following that guide you sent me and I think that the BIOS version is 0082. Will check for sure after I am done with the guide.
 

Tac 25

Estimable
Jul 25, 2021
1,391
421
3,890
Hi there! I have a problem with my Desktop PC that is running Windows 11. I have 18 USB ports in total (16 in the back + 2 on the front). two of the USB ports that are in the back are USB 3.0 and only them works out of the 18 I have. I have tried multiple OSes like Windows 10, 11 and Ubuntu but in all of them the 16 USB ports don't work. I also tried checking in the BIOS but I saw that all of the USB ports are listed as 'Enabled'. On another note, I have another problem, I have 4 slots of DDR3 memory (2 black and 2 blue) I have connected 2 4GB DDR3 sticks but only 4GB of single channel RAM is showing up on Windows. I can assure you that the ram sticks are working because they came from another PC.
The PC specs for anyone that is interested:
Intel DP67BA
i7-2600 3.40Ghz
'4' GB of RAM (should be 8)
GTX 750 TI
Windows 11

my i7-2600k also had a similar problem when I got it years ago.
the usb ports, usually the ones at the front were losing power randomly.

I solved the problem by buying a new PSU.

the reason is the old PSU is already too weak, so the front ports were losing power randomly. The USB ports started working well after I changed the PSU.
 
Nov 26, 2023
18
1
15
I would put them in the blue slots, and then do this.

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for about three to five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes while the CMOS battery is out of the motherboard, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 15-30 seconds, in order to deplete any residual charge that might be present in the CMOS circuit. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

It is probably also worth mentioning that for anything that might require an attempt to DO a hard reset in the first place, IF the problem is related to a lack of video signal, it is a GOOD IDEA to try a different type of display as many systems will not work properly for some reason with displayport configurations. It is worth trying HDMI if you are having no display or lack of visual ability to enter the BIOS, or no signal messages.

Trying a different monitor as well, if possible, is also a good idea if there is a lack of display. It happens.
I followed that guide and I still hear the same beeps :(
 
Nov 26, 2023
18
1
15
my i7-2600k also had a similar problem when I got it years ago.
the usb ports, usually the ones at the front were losing power randomly.

I solved the problem by buying a new PSU.

the reason is the old PSU is already too weak, so the front ports were losing power randomly. The USB ports started working well after I changed the PSU.
I think I have an 650W PSU laying around on my garage Which is an upgrade from the 400W that is currently on the PC but I don’t know if it is compatible with my PC. Thanks for your reply!
 
Nov 26, 2023
18
1
15
Are your memory modules identical part numbers or are they different, not same model/part number? Do you know if they came together in one kit or were originally purchased separately?

Have you had the CPU out of the motherboard at ANY point, ever?
Nope, and I don’t think anyone else who ever had the PC did.
 

Tac 25

Estimable
Jul 25, 2021
1,391
421
3,890
I think I have an 650W PSU laying around on my garage Which is an upgrade from the 400W that is currently on the PC but I don’t know if it is compatible with my PC. Thanks for your reply!

you're welcome.

just be sure the PSU you are going to install is working properly. Preferably newer than the one already installed on the pc.

I still use the 2600k. The usb problem did not come back after I installed a new PSU on it. As you can see, it is the backup pc on my sig.
 
So, you already have the most recent BIOS version that exists for that board. Nothing more that can be done there aside from a custom BIOS and that is a fool's venture if we're being honest because they are always full of pitfalls and maybes. Not saying it never helps, but in this case, very unlikely and probably not even in existence since it's an OEM style Intel board. Might be a little more likely if it was an aftermarket board.

I still think drivers are the issue though, so let's stick to that idea until we know otherwise OR unles COLgeek or somebody else happens to have a better idea, which they might.

Doesn't resolve the memory issue though, which, I cannot help but believe is due to memory that won't work in this machine or another issue which I will explain next.

Since these modules did not originally come from this machine and you have never had them BOTH work in this machine, it would be really helpful to know the exact model or part numbers of both memory modules. The reason why is, there is a problem that is directly related to the age of your machine and that is the transition from low density to high density memory. In some cases low density memory WILL work, kind of, in a board that should be using high density memory, but it will cause crashes and usually won't even work, but we've seen it work in some, but it DEFINITELY won't work if used on a board that does not support low density memory when used in conjunction with another module that isn't. Just a thought there. Knowing the exact model or part numbers of these modules would help to clear up or eliminate that as a possiblity.

The other thing I might try is removing the graphics card and using just the integrated graphics from the CPU by removing the GPU card from the board and connecting your display to the output on the motherboard. It would not be unusual for a problem with the graphics card to cause ALL MANNER of weird problems. And given the age of your graphics card, even more likely.

If none of that helps and we can't get it sorted via drivers, then it might just be a motherboard problem and if that is the case then I'd suggest it's time to move on. A new platform, even a very basic but more modern one, won't be terribly expensive and would make WORLDS of difference in performance.


Something like this would give you magnitudes better performance than you have now, and barring the possibility that the problem is one of your peripherals, eliminate the issues you are currently experiencing.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial CT2K8G4DFRA32A 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL22 Memory ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $227.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-26 22:56 EST-0500
 
Last edited: