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Wireless Adapter Damaging my USB Ports?
Nineteen Hundred
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, I'm being forced to use a wireless adapter instead of just plugging my computer directly into the router for reasons I won't bother going into. The thing seems to work fine, except for a little problem: I'm worried it might be damaging my precious USB ports. When I first got the thing a few weeks ago, I was using an old computer. After about a week, it started to malfunction on me. I would suddenly get this notification stating "This device would work faster using a high-speed USB port," or something along those lines, and I wouldn't have a stable connection. After some fiddling (unplugging and replugging, mainly) I got it going consistently by switching USB ports. I didn't think anything of it since the computer was 6+ years old and I was just going to toss it anyway.
Then, I got a new computer and it was running just fine for a while, but then I started getting an error stating, "the USB device has malfunctioned and is not recognized." Something like that. More fiddling didn't fix it and on a whim I used a different USB cable to connect the device, even though it came with the thing and was brand new. Somehow, that fixed it. I decided the faulty cable was the reason it was having trouble even on the old computer.
Unfortunately, just now, it started crapping out again. I was having network troubles (the router's fault, but I fixed that) and decided I should do some more fiddling. Then I started getting the "malfunctioning device" warning again. After several computer restarts, driver reinstalls and cable switches, I decided to switch USB ports and that got it going again. Unfortunately, I seem to now have two busted USB ports. One is slow (gives a "this device would work faster" thing when I stick a flash drive in there) and the other doesn't seem to work at all. Now, this is a brand spanking new computer, so I'm more than a little pissed off here. Is it even possible for a wireless adapter to break USB ports? And why would it damage two when I've only used one? Is this a software problem, or is something physically wrong with the ports now? Can I fix this?
I didn't mean for this to get so wordy, but any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Then, I got a new computer and it was running just fine for a while, but then I started getting an error stating, "the USB device has malfunctioned and is not recognized." Something like that. More fiddling didn't fix it and on a whim I used a different USB cable to connect the device, even though it came with the thing and was brand new. Somehow, that fixed it. I decided the faulty cable was the reason it was having trouble even on the old computer.
Unfortunately, just now, it started crapping out again. I was having network troubles (the router's fault, but I fixed that) and decided I should do some more fiddling. Then I started getting the "malfunctioning device" warning again. After several computer restarts, driver reinstalls and cable switches, I decided to switch USB ports and that got it going again. Unfortunately, I seem to now have two busted USB ports. One is slow (gives a "this device would work faster" thing when I stick a flash drive in there) and the other doesn't seem to work at all. Now, this is a brand spanking new computer, so I'm more than a little pissed off here. Is it even possible for a wireless adapter to break USB ports? And why would it damage two when I've only used one? Is this a software problem, or is something physically wrong with the ports now? Can I fix this?
I didn't mean for this to get so wordy, but any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
There was something important here. It's gone now.
Nineteen Hundred on
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Check your System Hardware to see if there are any errors/warnings about the hardware. But if the USB port is physically not working when you plug something into it now, I suspect it's fried.
Obviously you don't want to plug that wireless adapter into anything else. Depending on how old it is you could try to get a refund/replacement/RMA from the manufacturer.
I know you said you didn't want to go into it, but why are you using a wireless USB adapter instead of plugging into the router?
If you absolutely need to go wireless you might have better luck with a PCI wireless card with an attached antenna. You will likely get better signal from this so it should work better than a USB adapter anyway.
And the only reason I'm using a wireless adapter is because my router has to be directly connected to another device which is outside cable reach of my PC, but it's going down until I get a new wireless adapter, I guess.