Question No USB ports working on PC

[bzj2235]

I bought a surplus Dell 5040 from my job to give to my Aunt/Uncle to replace my grandad's old PC. He passed and had everything on his PC. I moved all his data from an old hard drive to a new SSD using Macrium. Everything with the data went well, no hiccups. However, on the new 5040, none of the USB ports on the front or rear i/o work, neither the 2.0 or 3.0 ports. I've done some research and eliminated some possible causes. It can't be the USB controller because the lights on the keyboard work. Its almost impossible for it to be the part of the CPU that controls the USBs because the PC had been in the school system for a few years and then put in a warehouse for a few weeks before I bought it, I never messed with any parts other than the HDD/SSD. So what I'm guessing is one of 2 things. The drivers on the new ssd are in conflict with the ones that were on the old HDD. Or there is an issue with windows. I'm not totally sure. Before you respond please remember I CAN NOT USE A KEYBOARD OR MOUSE so please do not offer solutions that involve the words "click" or "press this key" because I will leave a mean sarcastic comment under your response. Any and all help is appreciated thank you!

 

[Richj444]

I bought a surplus Dell 5040 from my job to give to my Aunt/Uncle to replace my grandad's old PC. He passed and had everything on his PC. I moved all his data from an old hard drive to a new SSD using Macrium. Everything with the data went well, no hiccups. However, on the new 5040, none of the USB ports on the front or rear i/o work, neither the 2.0 or 3.0 ports. I've done some research and eliminated some possible causes. It can't be the USB controller because the lights on the keyboard work. Its almost impossible for it to be the part of the CPU that controls the USBs because the PC had been in the school system for a few years and then put in a warehouse for a few weeks before I bought it, I never messed with any parts other than the HDD/SSD. So what I'm guessing is one of 2 things. The drivers on the new ssd are in conflict with the ones that were on the old HDD. Or there is an issue with windows. I'm not totally sure. Before you respond please remember I CAN NOT USE A KEYBOARD OR MOUSE so please do not offer solutions that involve the words "click" or "press this key" because I will leave a mean sarcastic comment under your response. Any and all help is appreciated thank you!

Does the pc have a PS2 port available and can you find a PS2 keyboard and/or mouse? If so check the BIOS and see if somehow USB was disabled.

You say you moved all his data using Macrium. Did you clone the drive or what? Where is the OS on the new computer, was it cloned as well? Maybe a clean install of Windows is worth a shot provided you can use a non-usb keyboard and mouse.

 

[bzj2235]

Does the pc have a PS2 port available and can you find a PS2 keyboard and/or mouse? If so check the BIOS and see if somehow USB was disabled.

You say you moved all his data using Macrium. Did you clone the drive or what? Where is the OS on the new computer, was it cloned as well? Maybe a clean install of Windows is worth a shot provided you can use a non-usb keyboard and mouse.

No PS2 KB/M available. I was thinking it had something to do with windows but I've got no way of entering the BIOS. Any other ideas? The HDD was cloned. I didn't clone the new OS. And I'm guessing the OS on the new PC is connected to the motherboard? Which is where the issue would be? I reset the CMOS battery and now none of the display ports are working 😔.

 

[Richj444]

No PS2 KB/M available. I was thinking it had something to do with windows but I've got no way of entering the BIOS. Any other ideas? The HDD was cloned. I didn't clone the new OS. And I'm guessing the OS on the new PC is connected to the motherboard? Which is where the issue would be? I reset the CMOS battery and now none of the display ports are working 😔.

Possibly the new 5040 is just defective. I'd suggest opening the case and checking to make sure those front USB connectors are connected to the motherboard. There should be a cable coming from the front of the case that plugs in to the USB connector(s) on the motherboard. The rear USB ports are actually part of the motherboard so there's no connection to make there. The fact that those aren't working makes it a pretty long shot that it's just a cable issue with the front ports, but worth checking.

How did you install the new OS if you didn't clone it? For that matter, what exactly do you mean the USB ports don't work? You say the lights on your keyboard come on. What symptoms exactly are you experiencing?