Flaky USB ports (only one works half the time.)

[Hakubi]

Hello all,

I have had my thinkpad T61p 6459CTO for a few months now and have always had a problem where only ONE USB port works and even the one working port has problems with a few devices that work 100% fine on other computers.

system is up to date with the following:

fully Windows updated (sp3 and all fixes)

thinkvantage system update fully up to date including newest BIOS

newest graphics/sound drivers

running off AC power with all power management in bios/windows/thinkpad power manager disabled (including powering off of USB in device manager for every hub)

and yet ... IT STILL DOESN'T WORK properly.

single usb port on the left side of the laptop: dead (USB device not recognized error for EVERYTHING)

top right USB port: dead (USB device not recognized error for EVERYTHING)

bottom right USB port: partially working  depending on device here is a small list of what does and does NOT work on this port.

PS2 (game controller) -> USB converter (works 50% of the time with partially working button input then cuts out and device fails to respond after a while, some times gives USB device not regonized error when plugged in, works on 4 other computers 100% of the time ... just not on this laptop)

Digital Camera via mini-USB to USB cable (works fine from what i have seen)

keyboard + mouse (works fine)

microSD USB card reader (works fine)

Remote Wonder reciver (works fine)

old Intel USB webcam (works fine)

500GB external HDD (USB DEVICE not recognized in all ports)

my questions are:

1) is there anyway to enable the left side port + top right side port?

2) why won't a select few devices work on the only working port on this laptop?

I remember people having alot of problems with the USB ports a few months ago but i cannot search the forums for some reason so here i am making a new post, any help or workarounds would be much appricated.

[ajkula66 Guru]

Try downloading/borrowing a copy of a "live" Linux CD and booting from it.

If the issues persist, send the machine in for repair, you have a motherboard problem.

Should everything work fine in Linux, I'd suggest saving all the important stuff and installing Windows from scratch.

Good luck and let us know.

[DastardlyDon]

Don't change the motherboard or scrap your Thinkpad!   My Thinkpad T60P, Type 2613-CTO

After getting hit with a destructive virus, I completely formatted, restored my system, and re-installed XP Pro with all microsoft and lenovo drivers and updates.  The computer then worked flawlessly with one exception.  The USB port on the left side would only work with my USB wireless mouse and the  2 USB ports on the right were completely dead -- this sucked, big time!

After reading all of the posts on this forum site blaming the motherboard and IBM/Lenovo, I started thinking that it would be ridiculous to automatically blame a hardware (USB) malfunction to the motherboard which had been working just fine until the o/s crapped out.  I am not a computer expert, but I am a retired engineer and I do things a little more ploddingly than some of today's technicians.  I went back to the drawing board and reformatted the hard drive and installed a new O/S using a different Win XP Pro then the one used above.  Voila ---- all of my USB ports are now working perfectly!

It is possible that my original XP Pro was corrupted so I threw it away.  It is also possible that the virus referenced above had so corrupted my system that it required two reformattings and reinstalls of the O/S.  Either way, I am a happy camper.

My advice to you is to acquire another OEM copy of WinXP -- it's a hell of a lot cheaper than changing your motherboard or trashing your computer.