Question "Over Current Has Been Detected On Your USB Device!!" + a series of issues ?

[nickbeef]

Ok, short version:

When I restart my PC, I now get the message "Over Current Has Been Detected On Your USB Device!! System will shutdown after 15 seconds to protect your mainboard!!" and the PC won't boot. Unplugging all my USB devices used to help, but now I will get the message even when no USB device is plugged in. Shutting down, and unplugging the PC and waiting some time seems to fix the issue.

Long version:

I initially thought the problem was related to a Drobo NAS that I have connected to my computer, as I first noticed the issue when it went off line after waking up from sleep and I tried to restart my PC in order to get it back online. Thats when I saw this "Over Current" warning. This issue (both Drobo going offline and PC "Over Current" error on restart) started becoming more common. But I seemed to have a work around where I shutdown the Drobo, shut down the computer, disconnected the Drobo USB, then started PC back up, plugged in USB, then started the Drobo.

Anyway, the issue seemed to be spreading (sort of) - I started getting "Over Current" warning on boot-ups when the Drobo wasn't plugged in. I stared unplugging all USB devices. This seemed to fix it. But it got worse - now even when all USB devices are unplugged I still might get "Over Current" warning. Only solution is to shut down PC, unplug, wait a few minutes, then reboot, then plug all USB devices back in.

On a side note, I've developed other strange anomalies related to booting or USB - when I restart my PC, my wifi is messed up. Windows is connected to my modem but there is "no internet", even though my laptop is connected just fine. Usually a combination of time and running "troubleshooter" seems to fix this. Also, similar to my initial Drobo issue, connected USB drives would occasionally go offline, and unplugging them and plugging them back in Windows wouldn't recognize them - not visible in Disk Management, however the "ping" sound of a drive connecting and disconnecting would be made....

So I did manage to do some research. Most suggestions seem to revolve around unplugging USB devices, which is the first thing I did. There was mention of disconnecting my front USB ports (my case ports?). Also suggestions for making sure I'm not "missing jumpers" on my internal ports? I don't know what that means. Other possible issues could be BIOS issues or motherboard issues.

We'll, because there seems to be a number off issues - "Over Current" error, USB drives coming offline or not being recognized, Wifi issues - I'm starting to think maybe this is a motherboard issues. Is there any way I can check? Or troubleshoot?

A sign of hope - right before I posted this, I was experiencing the "Over Current" issue. So I decided to try one of the suggested solutions - disconnecting my front "case" USB ports. It's connected by an internal USB 3 connector, which is long and blue tipped. Well, it seems to be stuck - so stuck that in trying to pull it out, it started separating the blue tip from the surrounding plastic. There is no latch to this type of connector. I decided "screw it" and just kept pulling until it ripped out the connector's pins (damaging the cable, not the motherboard), and now the blue tip remains. The PC started back up and so far all my USB drives are connected. Thoughts?

CPU - AMD Ryzen 7 300X 3.6 GHz
Motherboard - MSI X570-A Pro ATX
Memory - G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB (2x 16GB) DDR4-3600
Boot drive - Inland Premium 1TB M.2-2280 NVME SSD
Case - NZXT H500i ATX Mid Tower

 

[Lutfij]

You forgot to mention the make and model of your PSU. Add the age of the unit as well. The issue might be with the front panel connector itself but I think we've come to the conclusion after you've ruined the USB internal header. If you're handy and patient, you could just reinsert the jacket atop the bare pins on the motherboard, after you've separated it from the front panel connector of the case.

For the sake of relevance, can you see what your current BIOS version is for your motherboard?

 

[nickbeef]

sorry about that. For some reason, I didn't think the PSU would be relevent, but now that I think of it, it very likely might be where this issue lies.

PSU - SeaSonic Focus Plus Gold 850w 80+

All the parts are new from 2019.

I'm not sure the best way to find my BIOS verion, but in System Information it is listed as
American Megatrends Inc. H.60, 11/6/2019

Also, for what it's worth, I don't believe I damaged anything on the motherboard itself when I pulled off the USB 3 header cable, just the cable itself that runs to the front panel.

Lastly, since I last posted, I have restarted my PC a few times, and still getting the same issue.

 

[nickbeef]

Ok, slight update:

I've basically just been avoiding restarting my computer, so far things have been pretty fine. I have had to restart my PC a few times for trouble shooting reasons. Before I do this, I shutdown and disconnect the Drobo, then restart. I get the same "Overcurrent" error on restart, so I think I can rule this out as causing the issue. Once the PC has shutdown again, I flip the power switch and unplug the PC. I unplug all USB devices. I wait a few min and then plug the PC back in, flip the power switch and try to restart - seems like if I don't wait long enough I still get the "Overcurrent" error. This is making me feel like the issue might have something to do with the PSU, and I have to wait until it fully discharges.... does this seem to make sense? Any other suggestions?

 

[nickbeef]

I have an older PC that I built, so I'll try swapping out the PSU, see if that helps...