My Peripherals Stop From Time To Time

XtreamWolfy

Commendable
Jul 28, 2016
8
0
1,510
Help Please,
I've been away from my PC for 2 weeks and now whenever I plug in a USB Modem my peripherals stop giving input from time to time Please help me as I am missing critical moments

It has never done this before and if I dont connect a USB Modem it never goes wrong
 
Solution
Thank you. The photographs are helpful. Lets set aside a virus for the moment. No harm in running a couple of virus scans if you wish to do so.

Based on the photographs I have some general observations that are not to be taken as criticism. Most certainly you are simply working as best you can with what you have.

First of all I do not see a Ubee Modem. I see what appears to a white colored wireless USB network adapter on the top front of the desktop case. Could not identify it. Nor can I really determine the condition of your USB ports. There are internal connections there that might be loose. You can check the internal connections by opening the case - if you are not sure how to do that then find a friend or family member...

XtreamWolfy

Commendable
Jul 28, 2016
8
0
1,510

All My Peripherals: USB Keyboard , USB Mouse , VGA Monitor , Speakers

Only Keyboard and Mouse stop giving input

No USB Hub is being used

It is a USB Modem confirmed

 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
What make and model are the USB modem, the USB keyboard, and USB mouse?

My first thought was perhaps some USB power problem.

However, your reply makes it appear that something else is going on.

Can you provide a couple of photographs of your setup. Thanks.
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Thank you. The photographs are helpful. Lets set aside a virus for the moment. No harm in running a couple of virus scans if you wish to do so.

Based on the photographs I have some general observations that are not to be taken as criticism. Most certainly you are simply working as best you can with what you have.

First of all I do not see a Ubee Modem. I see what appears to a white colored wireless USB network adapter on the top front of the desktop case. Could not identify it. Nor can I really determine the condition of your USB ports. There are internal connections there that might be loose. You can check the internal connections by opening the case - if you are not sure how to do that then find a friend or family member to help.

Second the other photograph shows quite a cluster of knotted/coiled cables. Lots of tight turns. The power plug does not appear to be tightly plugged in. Some of the other cable plugs appear to not to be fully seated: for example the green 3.5 mm sound plug. Twists and bends will damage cables and plugs or degrade performance. Loose connections interrupt processing and peripherals will stop and may not necessarily restart when the connection is remade. Only a small amount of movement is necessary to cause problems.

Third, it appears to me that there is some build up of dust inside and on the case, cables, and ports. The subwoofer and walls may be interferring with airflow and cooling. Together the dust and lack of airflow may be causing some overheating problem.

The subwoofer for the speaker system should probably be on the floor and all of the wire drapped down behind if at all possible. It does look as if you are working on a fixed desk or counter of some sort.

My suggestion is that you shut down, unplug, and untangle the cables. Open the case and used a can of compressed air to blow out any accumulated dust, debris, paper bits, hair, etc.. All of that accumulates over time via the air currents and sticks due to electrostatics. Low airflow creates larger "no air" place where buildups occur. Dust insulates, components get hotter, and things start mis-behaving. Be sure to follow the instructions for using the compressed air: e.g, do not shake the can, do not blast full speed to spin the fans as that can damage bearings.

Untangle the cables and stretch them out along the wall if you are unable to loosely drape them down behind.. Reposition the subwoofer a few inches away from the computer case. Add a bit more room between case and wall. For now the idea is to fix the problem. You can make things "pretty" later on. (You can find many low cost/free cable management ideas online. Just google the topic.)

The plan is to eliminate possible physical causes and see what happens. If the problem continues then you can look for software problems - there are built in logs that capture system and software events.... That will be the next step.
 
Solution

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Overheating seems to remain a possibility.

Were you able to open the case, check the cables, plugs, connections - all tight and snug? Cards, memory, and chips all should be firmly seated and tight.

Plus were you able blow out any dust accumulations?

The other consideration is that after a two week "shutdown" the computer is trying to download various updates and that process is not working as it should because of the load. That though should generate one or more specific/explicit error messages on your screen.

The next step will be to check the Event Viewer logs. What you will be looking for are any error codes or warnings that get logged just before or at the time the USB peripherals stop working. Some process or service may be stopping. Errors are flagged with a red circle enclosing an exclaimation mark.

The Event Viewer takes some time to undertand but once you learn how to work through the log folders and individual logs it gets easier. You do not need to immediately do anything just look about at first. Right clicking a log entry will provide more details with respect to the selected log entry.

Start with the Applications and Services folder and the Hardware Events log.

However, Windows is complex so scan through the other logs as well.
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Well if the problem is less frequent then I would lean towards some continued overheating. Listen to the fans, monitor the speeds and temperatures if your system supports doing so.

A problem USB plug or port remains suspect as well but likewise just happening less often without the stress of the original "knot".

You might start changing peripherals to other USB ports one at time and waiting to see if the problem remains the same, gets worse, or dimishes. That could narrow it down to a specific USB port or perpherial plug or the peripheral even.

At the same time start monitoring the Event Viewer logs and watch for entries at or just before the time of the stopages.

Key is to be very methodical and only change one thing at a time if you make a change. Once you identify or find a pattern that you can duplicate at will then you will be able to further narrow things down.

 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
You can type "Event Viewer" (without the quotes) in the Search the web and Windows box.

Or press WIN + R and type "eventvwr" (without quotes) in the Open box.

No matter how you access Event Viewer do not let it overwhelm you. No harm in opening up things and exploring the folder and logs. Right-clicking a log entry will provide more details. Lots of details and information - more than many people realize or even expect.

Will not take you long to see how the log information is organized and presented. Red circles are errors and often have error codes associated with the event being being logged. Look for entries that occurred just before or at the time the peripherals stop.

In your case, the relevant log entries may be easier to pick out because the problem stopped for a while. That means there will be errors up until you did the cable rearrangements and the dust removal. Then no or far fewer errors up until the problem reappeared. Look at the date and times on the logs entries but you might even be able to see the change in error patterns just by the symbol colors (red, yellow, white) and shapes.

Take your time, look around, then do some things as best you can on your computer, then check the logs again.