by Orlando C. Fernando
version 1; August 25, 2001
You've come home carrying a new inkjet printer, a new digital camera, or some other fun computer add-on that says that it's a USB (universal serial bus) device. You follow all the instructions in it's manual, plug the device in and start up your PC. To your shock, your computer doesn't say anything about recognizing the device. What in the world is happening??? One thing the manual may not tell you is to be sure your USB Port is enabled. How in the world do you do that? This troubleshooting tip will try to help you do just that, so you can get on to enjoying your new peripheral. Although this tip is done based on a Tyan motherboard and in Windows '98, this tip should work similarly for other motherboards and newer Windows operating systems. I do make an assumption that your new device is in excellent condition and that you have your device plugged into a USB port, either directly in the back (or front if applicable) of your PC or indirectly through a separate USB hub powered separately and hooked to the back of your pc. Please use this tip at your own risk. I am not a technical support person. I recommend that you contact your technical support should this solution not work. This guide assumes you have a simple knowledge of Windows 98 or newer. (Also note that Windows '95 has been known to work very poorly with USB devices. So if you are still using Windows '95 today, I strongly suggest you upgrade to Windows '98 or better.)
Start your computer with your new USB plugged-in device plugged in your PC (or your USB hub). Once entering Windows, you should get an immediate message saying that a new USB device has been detected. In fact, several USB elements may be detected, such as the USB Universal Host Controller. If these do all occur, you are in good shape to continue with any remaining installation steps of your new USB device. If you get no new activity and just get to the desktop, proceed to the next step. If you do not feel confident enough to access the BIOS settings yourself on your computer, proceed to step 2a. If you do (and it's not that hard to do), proceed to step 2b.
Step 2a: Shut down & provide a motherboard manual to a computer guru to help.
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This is your first USB device isn't it? It's most likely that the USB
port isn't enabled. It is sort of an odd situation because other ports
that you have to plug into for other stuff (parallel port, serial port,
keyboard port, etc.) all simply work when you plug those in. USB was an
exception. The factory settings on your PC might have included keeping
the USB port disabled (common in PCs made in the late '90's). Well, we
are going to try to get someone to enable it. Shut down your PC. Find the motherboard (or system board) manual that came with your PC. It's most likely among the stack of manuals that came with your PC that you left on a shelf somewhere or in the original computer box. Can't find the manual? No problem. There are websites that have online versions of motherboard documentation. One good site (as of this writing) is http://webhq.netfirms.com/motherboard/intro.htm. Select the manufacturer of your motherboard. Uuuh, who manufactured your motherboard??? Your computer box packing list or maybe the sales clerk at your computer store might say what kind of motherboard you have in your computer if you purchased the whole computer as one buy. In any case, you should be taken to the manufacturer's site where you can find the manual. Print out this manual (or save it for sending e-mail). Present this manual to a computer expert you know nearby or at work and tell him/her that you need to enable your USB Port. A good manual should have pages like the one shown on the right that describe what all the original settings are for the different BIOS options. In this case from a page in the Tyan motherboard manual, we see that the USB setting is called the OnChip USB and has a setup default of Disabled. This is what you want your expert to get enabled for you. Once solved, your device should be recognized the next time you reboot and you should be all set to finish your installation and enjoy your new device. All done! |
This is your first USB device isn't it? It's most likely that the USB port isn't enabled. It is sort of an odd situation because other ports that you have to plug into for other stuff (parallel port, serial port, keyboard port, etc.) all simply work when you plug those in. USB was an exception. The factory settings on your PC might have included keeping the USB port disabled (common in PCs made in the late '90's). Well, we are going to try to enable it.
Shut down your PC (not restart). Wait a couple of seconds, and turn it back on. We are going to access a computer hardware factory settings screen called the BIOS which doesn't look anything like Windows. In fact, you can always access this screen no matter what version of Windows you have. Pay attention to the opening screens to find out what key you have to press to get to the BIOS (also called the Setup) screen. Typically it is the DELETE key or F8. Your BIOS screen could vary from computer to computer depending what motherboard you have, such as a Tyan or Asus. They carry different BIOS programs (mine is the Award BIOS).
Step 3a: Enable the USB Port and exit.
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In your BIOS menu, try to find the option which describes changing device features. On the Award BIOS, it is called Chipset Features. Choose that option. You will get a screen similar to this. Look for the option that describes your USB port. On the Award BIOS, it is called OnChip USB. Use the arrow keys to go down to that item and hit the key to toggle the setting to Enabled (such as Page Up, Page Down, +, or - ). Hit ESC and choose to save the settings and restart the PC If successful, you should now get to Windows with an immediate message saying that a new USB device has been detected. In fact, several USB elements may be detected, such as the USB Universal Host Controller. If these do all occur, you are in good shape to continue with any remaining installation steps of your new USB device. You are done! |
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If this guide does not help, contact technical support.
Copyright 2001 by Orlando C. Fernando. This page is for personal use only. It may be openly distributed for nonprofit in whole or part, but authorship must be credited.
