USB Cord is Too Sensitive

[Matthew McCortney]

Hello, I have been having a problem regarding the sensitivity of a USB cord that I use to connect my 3 TB Seagate external drive to my laptop. The drive itself works great, but the cord is much too sensitive. The drive comes disconnected from my computer even if the cord is touched in anyway, like if I accidentally touch the cord while I'm inserting or removing another USB cord from the other port right next to it. Seriously, even moving the USB connector for the drive a millimeter will cause it to disconnect from the laptop, even though the cord is still physically inside the port. I don't think most people run into this problem, because they are probably using a desktop where you don't need to interact with the cords that often since they are in the back. However, like I said, I use a laptop, with the drive plugged into one of the two USB 3.0 ports on the left side, requiring me to come very close to the drive's cord when trying to use the other port.

I have already replaced the cord that came with the drive for a better one from Fry's that uses a gold plated tip, which has significantly reduced the sensitivity of the cord, and I have also tried the other USB port. I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to use electrical tape to keep the cord in a secure connection with the laptop, or if there is some kind of other apparatus that can clamp the cord to the laptop, or something that just improves the connection. It's not that the sensitivity is an inconvenience, but I'm worried that the drive could malfunction if I accidentally remove it from the computer too much.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[getochkn]

Could it be the USB port is loose on the laptop or the connection on the back of the drive is the problem and not the cable itself??

 

[Matthew McCortney]

Could it be the USB port is loose on the laptop or the connection on the back of the drive is the problem and not the cable itself??

Well I don't think so. The port that the cord connects to on the laptop works great with other USB cords for other devices, with no connectivity issues. The port on the drive itself, where the cord goes into, is also very secure, and I doubt that is the problem as well.