Is there a way to check my USB ports? I have two and they have been working fine for many months. Now, neither of them works. I checked Control Panel/System and under USB controllers I have 2 entries - Intel (r)82801AA USB Universal Host Controller and USB Root Hub. Neither has a red "x" through it or a yellow exclamation point. When I check the Properties on each of them, they say they are working properly. Yet several devices that I connect to either USB port are non functional. Can both of the ports cease to function simultaneously? Or am I missing some simple test? Thanks for any help. I'm at the end of my rope and am considering using a large hammer. :)

If you have a red X that means Windows removed that device to preserve the system. Yellow exclanation point usually indicates no drivers or incorrect drivers. Both remarks mean the hardware is not working properly. Remove the devices from device manager after unplugging any USB hardware from the ports and reboot. Windows should reinstall the devices. To install the drivers for each USB device you have follow the instructions for the device. One other point. Usually there are two ports connected to each USB controller. Your MBoard may have a combination of USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. I can't remember if win2000sp1 supports USB 2.0. I believe you need a later sp for that support. This may be the cause of your problems. Download sp4 and the updates after that.

As I indicated, there is no red "x" nor yellow "!" next to the two entries above. As you suggested, I removed any connection to either USB port and rebooted. Now there is a third entry: "USB Device" that DOES have a yellow "!" by it. When checking the Device status via Properties, I see "the drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28). I then click the "Reinstall Driver" button. This takes me through a Wizard. This looks encouraging. I leave the radio button checked that says "search for a suitable driver for my device". I leave all checkboxes relating to optional search locations unchecked. The next screen says the wizard found a driver more suitable in "C:\winnt\inf\usb.inf". I click "Next". Still encouraging. I then get the following message: "An error occurred during the installation of this device. The installation failed because a function driver was not specified for this device instance." I chose all the recommended options and get the error. Any further suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks, Steve

Additional information: I have an identical PC. After rebooting both PCs, if I connect one of the USB devices to the other PC, I get the message, "Found New Hardware" and it goes on to correctly identify the device I just connected. When I take the same device and plug it into the problem PC, I get the message, "Found New Hardware", BUT the message says "Unknown Device", after which I get the error indicated in my last message about "...function driver not specified..."

Sorry, I misread your post. Try booting to safe mode and removing all instances of the hardware there. You may find multiples of the same device. Question for you. Have these ports worked in the past? Ports connected to MBoard headers may be installed in software but not physically connected, or connected improperly. If this is the case take care not to connect these ports wrong. Connecting a device to an improperly wired USB port can result in a fried USB controller. Unfortunately the industry has not seen fit to totally standardize the connections. Also older MBs may have been configured differently. It is best to have a diagram. Even then it can be confusing due to different IDs assigned to the wires.

Both USB ports have been working for years. I downloaded and ran the hardware diagnostics for Dell and they indicated no hardware problems. So, basically, all the hardware and software indicators show no problem but it still doesn't work. It must be SOMETHING! Thanks for any help and suggestions. Steve

The next step would be to remove and let window replace the USB controller(s). Before doing this you may want to have the USB controllers driver files available for the reinstall. If you have two identical machines, check the driver versions on both to be sure they are the same. Depending on how many controllers and what type (USB 1.1 or 2.0) You will have several or more listings under USB controllers. In your case the easiest method would be to check the working version, write down all subcatagories and drivers for each. Look at driver dates also. You may want to see if the resources used are the same for each machine. Depending on the origin of the existing drivers you may need to supply a win2000 disk, a motherboard disk or a third party disk. I had a similar problem recently. In my case the same error you are getting was generated by a defective USB hardware lock. You say your USB device works on one computer and not the other. Do you have any other devices that could be used for test purposes. Something else, the port itself could be at fault. As I stated in an earlier reply, there are usually two ports per controller. Have you tried all ports? You will be looking for the drivers for your 82801AA USB Universal Host Controller. Hope this reply isn't too confusing.