external USB hdd not detected first time plugged in

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nubc
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external USB hdd not detected first time plugged in

#1 Post by nubc »

I have a computer that is giving good service. Because the motherboard has only USB 1.1 ports, I had to modify this computer by installing a PCI card with 4 USB 2.0 ports. Those ports are inconveniently located in back of the computer, and the computer is in a tight space. When I plug an external USB hard drive into the 2.0 ports, the device is not detected by Pmount the first time. So I have to create another event by removing the plug and plugging into another 2.0 port on the same card. This is very inconvenient because of the location in back of the computer, plus the plug is physically upside down because of the card. I have initially plugged in under all circumstances (external hdd not spinning, external hdd already spun up, plugging into the same port twice) but I always have to plug it in a second time into another port, and even occasionally a third time. Any suggestions?

watchdog
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#2 Post by watchdog »

Could it depend on low current got by only a usb port? I have an external hd with a particular cable with two usb adaptors at an end: one for data transferring and one for power. In some situation plugging only one usb the hd does not work. I have to plug both usb. Alternatively I can use a second cable with jack for usb-jack powering. Can you power the hd independently from data-usb?

bark_bark_bark
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#3 Post by bark_bark_bark »

In some motherboards, they don't like those USB 2.0 Cards at all.
....

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Flash
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#4 Post by Flash »

Odd that eventually it is seen, but only after plugging it into another port. How long do you wait after plugging it in the first time before you unplug it and plug it into another port?

What happens if you plug it in then use the Mount icon on Puppy's desktop? Does it show up there?

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nubc
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#5 Post by nubc »

@ watchdog
The external hdd has it's own power supply from mains.

@ bark_bark_bark
Do you think some cards are better than others, or is the motherboard just intolerant to all cards?

@ flash
When I say Pmount I am referring to the small applet called by the 'mount' icon on desktop. The icon for the USB device doesn't usually appear unless Pmount is called and subsequently refreshed. I don't believe that waiting for the drive to be detected is a course of action, because I have waited for over a half hour and detection never occurred. I typically connect the USB external hdd a second time within a minute of the first insertion, after which the drive is detected by refreshing Pmount. Refreshing Pmount after the second insertion causes the USB device icon to appear. When this odd behavior first occurred I mistakenly believed that the port on the card went dead, but this is not true. It seems that the (unmounted) USB device icon does not appear until Pmount is refreshed to detect the second insertion.

If the USB external hdd were detected at the first insertion I could use a USB extension cord to make the operation more convenient. But since proper detection requires a second insertion I have to reach around back, blindly, to re-insert the USB connector, which can be occasionally quite tedious.
Last edited by nubc on Thu 17 Jan 2013, 21:43, edited 2 times in total.

watchdog
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.pup_event

#6 Post by watchdog »

A thing I should try is deleting /root/.pup_event and reboot...

bark_bark_bark
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#7 Post by bark_bark_bark »

As far as I know I had a Motherboard that was intolerant with any USB2.0 card.

EDIT: This could be the case for you or not. But your motherboard may be acting the same way towards usb2 cards. But my Motherboard had only USB 1.0 ports, not USB 1.1. But I got rid of the motherboard a while ago.
....

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nubc
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#8 Post by nubc »

I've seen similar behavior in Windows when I try to connect with a USB ethernet adapter. After the first insertion, Windows detects the adapter and then chokes, giving a message that the device has problems and might not work. If I re-insert the adapter, preferably into another USB port, the problem clears and the connection begins working, without any more complaining from Windows and without having to reboot.

This motherboard has the same model number as another motherboard which has USB 2.0. The only difference between the two boards is the version number, so this problematic motherboard was manufactured just before USB 2.0 became standard.

bark_bark_bark
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#9 Post by bark_bark_bark »

okay. The motherboard I was talking about was made in 1998, obviously our motherboards were from two different decades.
....

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nubc
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#10 Post by nubc »

From a forum post:
Note: If your machine has built-in usb 1.1, then enter pc bios setup and disable it before installing this USB 2.0 pci card into the machine.
Could this be the problem, that onboard USB 1.1 is not disabled?

http://forums.driverguide.com/showthread.php?t=3723

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Flash
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#11 Post by Flash »

I doubt it. The PCI bus is a completely different animal from the USB controller. What does Hardinfo have to say?

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