Front USB port not working

[amanbhati17]

Dear friends,
my PC's front USB port is not recognizing any device. before a week both ports were working fine. I didn't change any hardware nowadays.when I connect my smartphone both port recharges it already but nothing else.
I have tried my best but in vain.please help me. my mobo is G-41 on windows 7 64 bit.please guide me. thanks

 

[whitestar_999]

Front usb ports are located in cabinet & if it is the usual cheap Rs.500-600 local brand cabinet older than 3-4 years then chances are usb ports are deteriorating because of junk,dust etc.You can also check for loose connection of front usb connector cables to mobo front usb connectors pin.

 

[patkim]

Since the ports charge connected mobile but do not recognize a USB device, most likely the Data Connections are lost and somehow +5V and GND are intact. However both failing at the same time may point to some special cause!!
Did you notice any unusual force to be applied when inserting or removing USB devices in the front panel off lately?
Things to try
1. Spray IPA cleaner directly into the USB ports, This will clean them and remove dust and any such particle accumulation therein
2. Check the wires that connect to mobo, try to refit them again
3. Carefully inspect USB port using a magnifying glass. Do you see uneven metallic contacts? When the PC is completely off, (i.e. Off from the Mains and power chord removed) using a small flat screwdrivers try to slightly push or pull the contacts. Do this delicately and do it on your own risk if you want to!!
4. You may want to buy a USB bracket (usually available for about 100 - 200 Rs) and route the USB ports from mobo to back panel. If this works your connections on Mobo are intact and it's a cabinet bracket circuit problem.

If nothing works and you still want front USB, one crude solution is to buy a USB Bracket and route both USB ports from mobo to back panel and route a quality USB extension cable to front side of the cabinet.

I am assuming that your Front USB is USB 2.0 if it's 3.0 there are quite a few CD/Floppy tray brackets for USB 3.0 available online that you can buy and insert in free CD/Floppy tray and route the cables back to mobo.

 

[amanbhati17]

thanks, bro, for your valuable help, but my problem still persists. my pc is branded from hp. I don't feel any unusual force for inserting or removing. I have thoroughly checked everything is ok, no loose connection, cables are intact. one more thing not only the front USB ports but the memory card inserting port is also not working. only 3.5 mm audio ports are working. from device manager, i have removed other device option with a yellow exclamation mark. I think it may be my mistake. please help thanks

 

[whitestar_999]

Open device manager,click on your pc name at top then click on Action menu & select "scan for hardware changes". If any device appears then let windows guide you to install drivers.

 

[patkim]

If all USB ports are not working at the same time may be it's some driver or registry issue.
What happens when you connect a USB Communication device like USB mouse, does it work properly?
If YES then you might have a classic issue where the USB Mass Storage driver is not working or due to some registry corruption Windows does not access it.

What is the set value of registry REG_DWORD named Start at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor ? It should be Hex 3. If not set it to 3 and restart the PC.

 

[amanbhati17]

dear friends,
reg value is already set 3. as you said for mouse port, not all the ports just front port is not working. the rear ports are working fine.in device manager, there is an unknown device with a yellow mark is present which I have deleted earlier.
thanks

 

[patkim]

Try booting using a Live Linux CD/DVD/USB and check if you can mount a pen drive connected to the front USB Port. If it mounts successfully, you have a local issue with may be drivers on Windows.

On Windows when you connect USB mouse to front USB, does it work or even that one fails too?

If System Restore is enabled on system drive i.e. C:, try restoring to available restore point in past and see if the issue gets resolved.