Question USB device over current status system will shutdown in 15 seconds after inserting USB mouse dongle

silversmithy

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[Moderator edit to break up two large paragraphs.]

I picked up a very old Supermicro computer setup complete with Asus Mobo with an AGP slot. The case is massive and really ahead of its time with a fan for the HDD that you can slide out to move up or down.

Anyway no HDD. I fired it up and booted to Asus screen no issues, but of course it shows no OS msg.

I installed an old PATA HDD and planned on installing either XP or 98 for retro stuff. This has both SATA and PATA PSU connections. I disconnected the floppy drive as I doubt I will need as I needed the 4 pin power connection for the different GPU I was installing.

At this point I also installed the USB dongle for my mouse which went in cleanly and fired it up again and got an error msg that no IDE master present.

I restarted the PC again and booted to set up and changed boot order to the HDD 1st. I exited BIOS and saved changes. PC booted to Asus screen and went right to the USB over current status and shutoff in 15 seconds.

I have never had this before, and the USB dongle is not bent or damaged, in fact I am using it in another older machine.

This error message only showed up after I did all the above mentioned changes, but I am guessing it has to do with only the addition of the dongle. Like I said it went in clean, was not forced or bent.

I also looked at the ports themselves and they looked dusty but aside from that no obvious damage. The I/O backplate does have little metal tabs but they do not seem to be touching the inside of any of the USB ports.

Again this error did not occur the first time I fired this PC up, and only after installing HDD, different GPU, disconnecting floppy, and inserting USB dongle.

I don't see how I could have broken it, and I never thought to check the USB ports for dust, but I messed up somewhere apparently.
Would appreciate any help. I will also try to post Mobo model number later on today.

Thanks.
 
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Paperdoc

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First, the connection from the PSU to a floppy drive of the smaller 3½" size is a unique connector for a floppy drive ONLY. It can NOT be used for anything else like a graphics card. So I am wondering why you disconnected that from the floppy and somehow though you needed it for the new graphics card? MAYBE you have in there a much older wider 5¼" floppy drive? Those did use a female 4-pin Molex output connector from the PSU.

Have you tried booting with the USB dongle NOT inserted? Does that still give you the overcurrent message? If so, there is something else wrong.

Your inspection of the rear panel reminds me of the one time I DID have a problem like that. As I completed installing the mobo in the case, luckily I inspected the rear panel. I spotted one socket where a springy contact from the cover panel that was supposed to fit over the outside shell of a mobo connector socket actually had slipped inside the socket and was making contact with its innards. I had to shift the mobo back out and re-position so no such fingers go into the wrong place. So re-examine those sockets just in case ....

Are there any other devices plugged into USB ports? Are there USB headers on the mobo that have plugged into them cables leading to other devices or sockets?
 
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silversmithy

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The GPU is a very old x1650 pro and has the small 4 pin power connector similar to or the same, (it looks anyway), to the connection to the floppy. Not a molex connection on the GPU at all. There are 2 at least 2 of these coming from the PSU, and only the one connected to the floppy is long enough.

I will hopefully have a chance to work on it tonight, and fire it up with nothing connected to any of the USB ports and see what happens. Again I don't know what I could have done but I hope I did not damage it simply by carefully inserted the USB dongle.☹
Thanks for your help.
 

silversmithy

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Well I fired up the PC again with nothing connected to any of the USB ports. Same error msg and 15 second shut down.
It is an old Asus Mobo and I cannot find a definite model number anywhere so far.

I did plug in a USB keyboard and tried it out in all 4 back USB ports, and also in the front 2. It recognized it in all 6, but of course same error msg and 15 second shut down after each.

This started after I installed and x1650 pro, and then plugged in a USB keyboard into one of the back ports. I am really not sure what else to do at this point. Any other help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 

Paperdoc

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What you describe says that there must be something conected to the USB port system that is drawing significant current. Yet you say that even with NOTHING plugged into any USB port (not a normal keyboard nor a wireless keyboard dongle), you get this problem. The only other recent change is the addition of the new graphics card, and its connection to the power cable that used to feed the floppy drive. So, try NOT making that power connection to the graphics card, but leaving the card installed. The system should try to boot but NOT be able to feed any display to the monitor. However, if there is still a real USB overload problem it WILL shut itself down in 15 sec. If that shut-down does NOT happen, then you know somehow the power connection to the card is part of the problem.
 
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