Question USB ports selectively damaged?

[marvindash]

My PC has stopped recognising my two external HDDs. They come up as CD drives when I plug them into any USB port. They work normally on other PCs. I've had similar issues in the past, which lead me to believe that the drives are fine and it's something to do with the PC. The HDDs work normally when plugged into my laptop or another PC.

My question is this: do I need a whole new computer or is it a single-component failure (e.g. motherboard)?

There are eight USB ports on the PC in total. Previously it was only the front two that recognised the HDDs as CD drives. Now it's all eight. Yet strangely (at least strange to me as a non-techie) the USB ports work for anything other than an HDD (e.g. mouse, keyboard, wireless Internet adapter).

 

[Lutfij]

You could try and make sure your BIOS for the motherboard is to the latest available. Following that, the OS is up to date. Following that, you could try and reinstall your chipset/USB drivers in an elevated command.

My question is this: do I need a whole new computer or is it a single-component failure (e.g. motherboard)?
When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
please include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model.

 

[The_Rickster]

I had a similar problem with my PC a year or two ago, turned out to be the supply.

It took a while to diagnose, at first it appeared a Windows update had caused it. What I do now is keep an old hard drive with a fresh install of windows which doesn't have any updates installed, then if anything plays up I can plug it in and see if the same issue occurs and save time / money etc.