Help with USB Problem

[mjalt2005x]

Hello. I just had a question with regards to a problem I am having with my USB devices.I was wondering if anyone would be able to help me with my current problem.

So my situation is that every time I plug in a new device in the USB port, it installs the device, but the device does not work. An example is a new mouse that I bought. When I plugged it in my computer, it installed it properly, and the mouse's optical light lights up. However, the cursor does not work. I tried using the mouse on two other computers, and it works fine. I have had this problem for a couple of months now.

Some of my older USB devices that I've installed a longer time ago still work. I have a mouse (that I actually broke, hence the new mouse) that still works. I can also still update my phone using an old USB cable that I had; however, the newer cables to not seem to work. I also still have an older USB charger that still works fine as well. This has me wondering what the problem really is.

I have tried a couple of things:
-I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the USB Root Hub in the device manager, but it still fails.
-I have tried doing system restore, but it did not do anything either.
-I also tried using the mouse in Safe Mode, but it does not work there either.

I don't know whether or not it is related to my other problem, which is that Vista does not update properly. When I try to shut down my computer, it says it is "installing updates 1 out of 3," but it says it fails and it does not install properly.

So I was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to fix this?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Tmagic650]

You might want to reload Vista fresh. The OS is most likely corrupt... or try upgrading to Windows 7

 

[LookinAround]

Hi @mjalt2005x

I received your PM. See you also posted here so took a look.

As Tmagic suggested, a clean install is probably best approach if possible as it sounds as like there could be a good bit of corruption.

That said, have you checked your version of BIOS? Does your computer vendor supply a later version?

What about other USB devices? Any problems with flash drives or disks? You can try downloading and burning a Linux type LiveCD like Knoppix. Boot from it and test your mouse. If it fails under Knoppix, it's a hardware or firmware issue. (I would guess your phone wouldn't be supported under knoppix but certainly your mice and flash drives and USB disks should)

 

[mjalt2005x]

Hello @LookinAround and @Tmagic650. Thank you for your response.

I apologize for the noobie questions that I am about to ask. I'm not very adept at these kinds of things.

How would I go about reloading Vista fresh? Would this mean I would have to basically clean out my computer and start fresh?

Also, how would I go about checking my BIOS? I have been able to access my BIOS by restarting my computer and hitting F2, and I checked if there was anything that said anything about USB's. There was nothing that I found.

Other devices that I have (e.g. my old USB connection for iPod) still works fine. However. newer USB sync cables do not work as well. This is why I believe there may be something wrong with the installation system with my OS.

I will try downloading and Linux Knoppix and will try my mouse on it as soon as I can tomorrow.

Again, thank you so much for you guys' help!

 

[Tmagic650]

"How would I go about reloading Vista fresh? Would this mean I would have to basically clean out my computer and start fresh?"... Yes, of course you should back up your documents, pictures and important downloads first... Maybe a computer savvy friend or computer shop can handle this for you

 

[LookinAround]

After backing up your personal data, you need a Windows installation CD/DVD. There's several steps to follow to prepare before doing a reinstall. So get help and/or let us know before you try to proceed down that path.

As for your BIOS, to check current version number: click the Start button (lower left icon on the screen) then type msinfo32 into the search box. Hit Enter. It will pop up a display of information about your version of Windows, computer and also show the current BIOS version and date installed.

Next, you need to go to the site for your computer or motherboard vendor. Look for a link on their site for Support then look at Drivers and Downloads for your computer model. There should be one or more versions of BIOS listed. Do you have the latest version installed?

 

[mjalt2005x]

Hello again, @Tmagic650 and @LookinAround. I apologize for the late replies once again. Finals is coming up soon -.-.

@Tmagic650 - Oh okay. I will definitely consider it once I have tried every option that I can possible take. Thanks!

@LookinAround - I checked my msinfo32, and for BIOS Version/Date, it says "American Megatrends Inc. 206, 8/25/2009". I then checked the ASUS website and looked for BIOS drivers, and the newest one says: BIOS 209, 12.15.2009. I will try downloading that right now, and I will let you know how it goes.

Edit: I downloaded the newest BIOS file in the ASUS website (http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=N61Vg&os=30) for Vista 32-bit. After downloading the file, it gave me a file named "N61VAS.209" that I extracted to my desktop. I do not know how to open the file, however, as it is a ".209" file, as stated in the properties of the file. Any suggestions as to what to do next?

Thanks again, guys!

 

[Tmagic650]

You have to unzip the bios file and get into the bios flash utility. Point the utility to the bios file location and follow the instructions to update the bios