Question What is going on with my PC ?

[jon96789]

Back in the beginning of December, my PC was acting weird. I have a 200 Mb/s download speed from Spectrum. The PC will show 200 Mb/s on Speedtest to any local server but when connecting to any distant server in the continental US (I live in Hawaii) it would show a speed of only 30 Mb/s. I could not figure the issue out and had to do a Windows 10 full repair which got me back up and running.

This morning, my PC recognized any storage device connected to the front panel of the case with no issues (there are four USB ports, two USB 1.0 and two USB 2.0 ports. But this afternoon, it would not recognize any devices at all in any of the USB ports. The PC would make the sound when a device is inserted into the USB port but Explorer showed nothing. Device Manager and Disk Management did not show anything either. I reset the BIOS but that did not work. The BIOS still did not recognize any storage device plugged into the USB port in the boot menu, it only showed the boot C: drive.

Luckily, I saved an image of the C: drive and was able to restore the C: drive back to what it was when I reinstalled Windows. After that, Windows recognized devices connected to the USB 2.0 ports with no issues, but now, both USB 1.0 ports are "dead". Nothing happens when I insert anything in the USB 1.0 ports, no sounds, nothing.

I shut down the PC and double checked the USB front panel connector to the mobo and it was fine. The BIOS also now recognized devices inserted in the USB port. Why would the BIOS not recognize a drive in the USB port even after a reset but then work after Windows is repaired? Why would the two USB 1.0 ports suddenly not work? It's been a bad month.

configuration:

ASUS ROG Crosshair HERO VIII B570 AM4 motherboard
AMD 5950X CPU
MSi RTX2070 graphics card
Samsung 970 M.2 1TB SSD
Samsung 970 QVO 2TB SSD
WD 4TB Red Plus drive
Toshiba 5TB hard drive (3) for 15TB storage
Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM 3200MHz (4x 8GB)
Corsair Obsidian 750D case
Corsair CX850M power Supply
Corsair H115i RGB PLatinum AIO Cooler

<mod edit> OS: Windows 10

 

[Colif]

(there are four USB ports, two USB 1.0 and two USB 2.0 ports.

not on your board there aren't. Unless you seeing 2 USB 3.1 gen 1 as USB 1..

Page 2-15 here shows the USB connectors on back of mb- https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...ERO/E15379_ROG_CROSSHAIR_VIII_HERO_UM_WEB.pdf

AMD Ryzen™5000 Series / 4000 G-Series/ 3000 Series Processors :
AMD Ryzen™3000 G-Series / 2000 Series / 2000 G-Series Processors :
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel connector port(s)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port(s)
6 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)
AMD X570 chipset :
4 x USB 2.0 port(s)

https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-crosshair/rog-crosshair-viii-hero-model/spec

Do you have the latest BIOS and chipset drivers?

 

[jon96789]

not on your board there aren't. Unless you seeing 2 USB 3.1 gen 1 as USB 1..

Do you have the latest BIOS and chipset drivers?

connected to the front panel of the case with no issues (there are four USB ports, two USB 1.0 and two USB 2.0 ports

Yes, the BIOS and all drivers are up to date....

 

[Colif]

oic

I wonder what you attached the usb 1 cables to from front of case. Motherboard doesn't have any

when you tested ports before, did you try any on backplate? or is just the front ones that have stopped now.

Did you make PC?

 

[Colif]

Motherboard has
4x USB 2 for front panel
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 for front panel
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 for front panel

No USB 1. you must be running a 1 using a 2 or higher. Not sure if that could be cause.

 

[Colif]

what case are you using that has USB 1 on it? It can't be new?

https://www.lifewire.com/usb-physical-compatibility-chart-2624585
i don't think its the connectors fault if it was working earlier.

BIOS not seeing USB means its hardware of some sort

Do USB slots on back of board work?

 

[jon96789]

All the USB ports on the back work. The case is a Corsair 750D so it is quite old, pre-USB 3.0. There is a single cable that connects the front panel ports to the USB 3.2 connector on the mobo. I built the PC in 2018 and had no issues since then until the internet speeds slowed down in December. The board only has the one 3.2 Gen 1 connector (connected to the case front panel USB ports), one USB 3.2. Gen 2 (which is unused) and two USB 2.0 connectors(one connected to the Corsair AIO pump and the other to the Corsair Commander XT hub for the five RGB fans) on the motherboard other than the ones on the rear I/O planel.

 

[Aeacus]

The case is a Corsair 750D so it is quite old, pre-USB 3.0.

Need to pitch in here and state that, 750D is not pre-USB 3.0. I have the very same PC case in use with my Haswell build (full specs with pics in my sig) and it does have 2x USB 3.0 and 2x USB 2.0 ports on front I/O (only minor difference is, that my 750D is Airflow Edition, where front panel isn't solid, instead has gille, but the rest of the case is identical to 750D).

Sure, it may be somewhat old, by coming out back in 2013, but it still has USB 3.0,
review: https://www.anandtech.com/show/7359/corsair-obsidian-750d-case-review

As far as your other issues go; USB not working anymore and net speed drop; former is usually due to the MoBo fault and can be fixed with MoBo replacement, while the latter is to do with your ISP. Contact your ISP and ask what is going on.

Oh, if you suspect that the USB issue is to do with PC case, you can buy and replace the front I/O. New front I/O comes with an upgrade as well, where one USB 3.0 is replaced with USB 3.1 type C,
specs: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...3-1-Type-C-I-O-Panel-Upgrade-Kit/p/CC-8900138

With my 750D AF Edition, i had to do the front I/O replacement. Not because USB stopped working, but because power-on button was DOA.

 

[Vic 40]

You have latest chipset drivers and bios?

 

[jon96789]

Sorry... They are two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports. The USB 2.0 ports are the ones that are dead. The mobo does have the latest BIOS and chipset drivers.

 

[Aeacus]

two USB 2.0 connectors(one connected to the Corsair AIO pump and the other to the Corsair Commander XT hub for the five RGB fans)

The USB 2.0 ports are the ones that are dead.

If you use MoBo USB 2.0 headers to control your AIO and Commander Pro, then there's nothing left for USB 2.0 in front I/O.

There is a single cable that connects the front panel ports to the USB 3.2 connector on the mobo.

Yes, from front I/O, there's one cable to connect to USB 3.0. But there are cables to connect USB 2.0, HD Audio (mic and headphone jacks), reset switch and power switch as well. So, if you haven't connected USB 2.0 cable from front I/O, since you're already used up the internal USB 2.0 headers on your MoBo, then of course the front USB 2.0 ports doesn't work.

 

[jon96789]

The front panel connector is connected to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 connector, not the USB 2.0 connectors on the mobo.

 

[DRagor]

The front panel connector is connected to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 connector, not the USB 2.0 connectors on the mobo.

Well, that's what Aeacus was trying to say: your USB 2 ports on front panel are not connected. A single cable (no matter if USB 3 or 2) can run only 2 ports. So if your case has a total of 4 ports on front it also has 2 cables, each running 2 ports. If you connected only one of those cables ... the result is USB 2 ports are not working (and never were).

 

[jon96789]

Then why would all four ports work for the past three years and suddenly not work? Some new cases have three+ USB ports on the front panel. Why would the manufacturers have additional ports if only two USB ports can be used? I am so confused...

 

[DRagor]

Then why would all four ports work for the past three years and suddenly not work? Some new cases have three+ USB ports on the front panel. Why would the manufacturers have additional ports if only two USB ports can be used? I am so confused...

You know, I have a blue and black port on front on my case. I like to think both of them work. But in reality, I always used the blue port, so I don't really know if black is working. Got my drift?
A case with more then 2 USB ports will simply have more then one cable to be connected to motherboard. There can be even more then 2 cables: if case has panel with two USB type C ports and two type A ports it would need a grand total of three cables to make them all work.

 

[Aeacus]

Then why would all four ports work for the past three years and suddenly not work?

When did you install your AIO and/or Commander Pro?

Some new cases have three+ USB ports on the front panel. Why would the manufacturers have additional ports if only two USB ports can be used?

"three+" equals 4 and many PC cases have USB ports in even number. 2, 4, 6, 8 etc. Since it's not the PC case that defines how many USB ports can be used in "single" cable. It's the MoBo.

Internal USB 2.0 or 3.0 ports, on MoBo, have two USB channels per header. So, connecting a cable to one of them, that leads into 2 USB ports, means that both ports can be used in full bandwidth. Now, USB 3.1 type C needs dedicated header per one port (due to much higher bandwidth) and those aren't combined into single internal header.

Sure, you can connect a cable to single USB 2.0 or 3.0 header that splits into more than 2 USB ports, e.g 4, but if you do that, each port only has half the maximum bandwidth. The more ports you add to single internal header, the greater your bandwidth loss will be.

 

[jon96789]

I installed my AIO when I built my system in 2018 with the Commander Pro. I replaced the Commander Pro with the Commander Core XT in November.

 

[Aeacus]

I replaced the Commander Pro with the Commander Core XT in November.

Lets make it simple:

Your MoBo has two USB 2.0 internal headers.
Now, what do you have connected into both headers?

Based on what you're telling us, one header is used by your AIO, while other header is used by your Core XT.
If so, there is nowhere where to plug the USB 2.0 cable coming from front I/O and hence, USB 2.0 ports on front I/O doesn't work.

 

[jon96789]

The Corsair AIO USB is connected to one USB 2.0 port
The Corsair Commander Core XT is connected to the second USB 2.0 port
The front panel connector in the case is a 19-pin cable, it is connected to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 connector on t he motherboard. The connector on the motherboard looks like the image below.

 

[jon96789]

BTW, I tried ordering a new front panel cable for the 750D. It is no longer available...

 

[DRagor]

If I remember correctly, Core XT has a cable that allows connecting another USB 2 cable to the same header as XT. Maybe that's how you connected the second case cable? If so, there would be two reasons front ports don't work: cable got loose; or current version of ICUE is causing trouble.

 

[jon96789]

No... I am not using the Core's USB cable...

 

[Vic 40]

Your MoBo has two USB 2.0 internal headers.
Now, what do you have connected into both headers?

The Corsair AIO USB is connected to one USB 2.0 port
The Corsair Commander Core XT is connected to the second USB 2.0 port

So you have two internal usb 2.0 headers, which both are used,and not by the frontpanel which means that the front panel usb 2.) isn't connected, this has it's own cable which is seperate from the usb 3.0 cable you keep on mentioning.

You know, I have a blue and black port on front on my case. I like to think both of them work. But in reality, I always used the blue port, so I don't really know if black is working. Got my drift?
A case with more then 2 USB ports will simply have more then one cable to be connected to motherboard. There can be even more then 2 cables: if case has panel with two USB type C ports and two type A ports it would need a grand total of three cables to make them all work.

This says it all.

 

[Aeacus]

The Corsair AIO USB is connected to one USB 2.0 port
The Corsair Commander Core XT is connected to the second USB 2.0 port
The front panel connector in the case is a 19-pin cable, it is connected to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 connector on t he motherboard. The connector on the motherboard looks like the image below.

We do get what you are saying:
1st USB 2.0 internal port is used by AIO
2nd USB 2.0 internal port is used by Core XT
and you have connected front I/O USB 3.0 cable to your MoBo.

However, what you do not get, is that front I/O also has USB 2.0 cable, that has to be connected, for front USB 2 ports to work.

.....

(Drastic measures require drastic actions) and the following is my last ditch effort, to make you understand what the issue with USB is and what we all have been saying all along.

Below is the front I/O panel of Corsair 750D. Since i replaced mine, i have the spare that i took the picture of:

Yes, it has the big fat USB 3.0 cable, which is connected in your PC. However, there is also cable for USB 2.0 ports, labeled as USB, next to HD AUDIO cable. Can you see it?

Since you do not have a free USB 2.0 header on your MoBo, that USB 2.0 cable isn't connected anywhere and in turn, two USB 2.0 ports on your front I/O does not work.

Do you get it now?
If not, i don't know how to explain it to you.

 

[jon96789]

I now see what you are saying... I will take apart the front panel and verify the USB 2.0 cable connectors. Thanks for everyone's patience...