How do I make my USB 2 devices connect at HiSpeed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter x-eyed-bear
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x-eyed-bear

I have some USB 2 devices attached to my computer. When I examine the
ports information report from SiSoft Sandra I find 2 things which puzzle me:

1. No devices are listed as connected to the VIA Enhanced USB Host
Controller. This is where I expect to see any devices that are USB 2

2. All USB 2 devices which are listed are shown as connected to one of
the 3 VIA Universal Host Controllers (USB 1.1 - yes?) and shown as
operating at Full Speed (12 Mbps) and not HiSpeed (480 Mbps).

Why are there no devices connected to the Enhanced Controller? Why are
the USB 2 devices running only at FullSpeed?


My motherboard is an ASUS Socket 939, model A8V. I have 6 out of
possible 8 USB ports installed (4 native, 2 by a header). The BIOS
options are a little strange:- to get USB 2 support at all I have to
set at least 2 USB posts to 1.1. Any of the 6 ports that I do not set to
USB 1.1 do not work and are not listed in the Device Manager.

It seems like I have USB 2 capability on the motherboard (which is also
what it says on the box), but all ports only work at 1.1 performance.
How do I correct this?
 
x-eyed-bear said:
I have some USB 2 devices attached to my computer. When I examine the
ports information report from SiSoft Sandra I find 2 things which puzzle
me:

1. No devices are listed as connected to the VIA Enhanced USB Host
Controller. This is where I expect to see any devices that are USB 2

2. All USB 2 devices which are listed are shown as connected to one of
the 3 VIA Universal Host Controllers (USB 1.1 - yes?) and shown as
operating at Full Speed (12 Mbps) and not HiSpeed (480 Mbps).

Why are there no devices connected to the Enhanced Controller? Why are
the USB 2 devices running only at FullSpeed?


My motherboard is an ASUS Socket 939, model A8V. I have 6 out of
possible 8 USB ports installed (4 native, 2 by a header). The BIOS
options are a little strange:- to get USB 2 support at all I have to
set at least 2 USB posts to 1.1. Any of the 6 ports that I do not set to
USB 1.1 do not work and are not listed in the Device Manager.

It seems like I have USB 2 capability on the motherboard (which is also
what it says on the box), but all ports only work at 1.1 performance.
How do I correct this?
Click to expand...

When you look in the downloadable user manual, there are "default"
settings shown for the BIOS and its USB settings. Those would be
the settings as they appear from the factory. I would restore the
settings to the default, as the first step.

From this page:

http://www.usbman.com/USB 2 News.htm

there is a link that shows how to check for USB2. You can verify
things later, using the examples here:

http://www.usbman.com/Guides/checking_for_usb_2.htm

The procedure on this page, involves deleting everything involving
USB, from the Device Manager, while in Safe Mode. Then reboot,
and Windows will redetect the hardware.

http://www.usbman.com/Guides/Cleanup Device Manager Safe Mode.htm

For hardware tests, try the ports on the back of the computer, just in
case the computer case USB wiring is done incorrectly.

Also, read up in the user manual, where it explains how to install the
USBPWRxx jumpers. USBPWR12 for example, is a 1x3 header, and the
jumper goes to 1-2 or to 2-3. In the case of USBPWR56 and USBPWR78,
those are two 1x3 headers which are close together. Make sure you have
turned the jumpers, to be consistent with how you install them on
USBPW12 -- lengthwise. If is also possible to turn the jumpers sideways,
and if you do that, those two USB interfaces would not get any power.
This is in section 2.2.3 of the A8V manual titled "Motherboard Layout".

For a tool to play with, get a copy of UVCView from Microsoft (download
link on upper right):

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/stream/vidcap/UVCViewdwn.mspx

Paul
 
I can confirm that I have the latest drivers from ASUS - but there seems
to be later ones from VIA, with caveats. I cannot confirm that they are
correct - that's beyond my ability.
 
This is a most useful and informative set of information (both your
posting and the URLs you have directed me to). I particularly note the
excellent advice about the jumpers for USB ports 5/6 and 7/8. Yes, I see
what you mean - it would be quite easy to cross connect the jumpers 5-7
and 6-8. This seems like a slight design flaw by ASUS.

I have put a few hours into reading and trying things out (short of
re-installing the OS, which takes a few hours - theoretically- but in
practice takes more than a day, IFF things go well).

The conclusion is:

1. My system appears to be set up correctly in BIOS and jumpers.
2. It definitely has USB2 hardware capability and all the necessary
drivers to support this.
3. It has some USB 2 devices attached.
4. NONE of them run at HiSpeed; NONE of them show as being attached to
an Enhanced (USB 2) Controller; ALL USB devices appear in Device Manager
as being attached to a Standard Host Controller (USB 1.1) and run at
FullSpeed (if it is a USB 2 device ) or normal (i.e. punched paper tape
speed) if USB 1.1
5. I still have the problem and seem to have run out of places to look
and things to try.


Any additional suggestions?
 
x-eyed-bear said:
This is a most useful and informative set of information (both your
posting and the URLs you have directed me to). I particularly note the
excellent advice about the jumpers for USB ports 5/6 and 7/8. Yes, I see
what you mean - it would be quite easy to cross connect the jumpers 5-7
and 6-8. This seems like a slight design flaw by ASUS.

I have put a few hours into reading and trying things out (short of
re-installing the OS, which takes a few hours - theoretically- but in
practice takes more than a day, IFF things go well).

The conclusion is:

1. My system appears to be set up correctly in BIOS and jumpers.
2. It definitely has USB2 hardware capability and all the necessary
drivers to support this.
3. It has some USB 2 devices attached.
4. NONE of them run at HiSpeed; NONE of them show as being attached to
an Enhanced (USB 2) Controller; ALL USB devices appear in Device Manager
as being attached to a Standard Host Controller (USB 1.1) and run at
FullSpeed (if it is a USB 2 device ) or normal (i.e. punched paper tape
speed) if USB 1.1
5. I still have the problem and seem to have run out of places to look
and things to try.


Any additional suggestions?
Click to expand...

Hmmm. I feel so dumb. If I look at the A8V BIOS screen in the manual
again, at the entry:

USB2 Controller Mode [FullSpeed]

That is the default, but FullSpeed is 12Mbit/sec. That one should be
HiSpeed for 480Mbit/sec. I guess I wasn't paying attention when I
read that. So in fact the factory default is not correct.

Try that one as:

USB2 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]

and see if it is any better.

I've pretty well exhausted all the easy things I can think of.
Another avenue to investigate, is to get a Linux "live" distro
like Knoppix (my favorite) or Ubuntu. Those distributions are
a 700MB download, and you burn a CD with them. The CD is bootable
and you don't even need a hard drive connected when you boot.

You can do two things with Linux. You can watch the text messages
as the system boots. But, since source code is available for
everything in there, there are more opportunities for debugging.
If Windows won't tell you what is going on, by looking at device
properties, then maybe with a lot more work, a Knoppix environment
(knopper.net) may allow you to figure out what mode the hardware is in.

Sorry about messing up the "USB2 Controller Mode" setting.

Paul
 
Paul said:
Hmmm. I feel so dumb. If I look at the A8V BIOS screen in the manual
again, at the entry:

USB2 Controller Mode [FullSpeed]

That is the default, but FullSpeed is 12Mbit/sec. That one should be
HiSpeed for 480Mbit/sec. I guess I wasn't paying attention when I
read that. So in fact the factory default is not correct.

Try that one as:

USB2 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]

and see if it is any better.

I've pretty well exhausted all the easy things I can think of.
Another avenue to investigate, is to get a Linux "live" distro
like Knoppix (my favorite) or Ubuntu. Those distributions are
a 700MB download, and you burn a CD with them. The CD is bootable
and you don't even need a hard drive connected when you boot.

You can do two things with Linux. You can watch the text messages
as the system boots. But, since source code is available for
everything in there, there are more opportunities for debugging.
If Windows won't tell you what is going on, by looking at device
properties, then maybe with a lot more work, a Knoppix environment
(knopper.net) may allow you to figure out what mode the hardware is in.

Sorry about messing up the "USB2 Controller Mode" setting.

Paul
Click to expand...

Thanks for the further device. As it happens I had run all my tests with
the BIOS setting at HiSpeed. I repeated them at FullSpped. It makes no
difference.

I finally bit the bullet and uninstalled everything vaguely connected
with USB - both the hardware and software, following the instructions to
use SAFE mode that usbman gives. I installed all the latest drivers and
utilities I could find from ASUS and VIA. These made no difference to
the USB 2 performance.

Now comes the crazy part: I got into this jungle a week ago because I
could not connect my Nikon D80 camera (a USB 2 device). The failure mode
was the usual error message of 'USB Device not recognized' - with
additional advice from Microsoft that my D80 was defective and should be
replaced.

Just out of interst I disabled USB 2 support in BIOS. The camera was
immediately detected by Windows.

I repeated the test with USB 2 support enabled in BIOS but disabled in
Dev Mngr. Same result: camera conected no problem - but only as 1.1
speed (12 Mbps). So as soon as USB 2 support is enabled, USB 2 devices
will not work!

What is likely to cause this behaviour? I have eliminated the
possibility of not enough current on the +5V supply by removing the USB
header for ports 5 and 6 and allowing only 2 USB ports to be enabled in
BIOS. This makes no difference: USB 2 'ON' = device 'OFF'. USB 2 'OFF' =
device 'ON'.

Beats me!
 
Paul said:
Hmmm. I feel so dumb. If I look at the A8V BIOS screen in the manual
again, at the entry:
Click to expand...
USB2 Controller Mode [FullSpeed]
Click to expand...
That is the default, but FullSpeed is 12Mbit/sec. That one should be
HiSpeed for 480Mbit/sec. I guess I wasn't paying attention when I
read that. So in fact the factory default is not correct.
Click to expand...
Try that one as:
Click to expand...
USB2 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]
Click to expand...
and see if it is any better.
Click to expand...
I've pretty well exhausted all the easy things I can think of.
Another avenue to investigate, is to get a Linux "live" distro
like Knoppix (my favorite) or Ubuntu. Those distributions are
a 700MB download, and you burn a CD with them. The CD is bootable
and you don't even need a hard drive connected when you boot.
Click to expand...
You can do two things with Linux. You can watch the text messages
as the system boots. But, since source code is available for
everything in there, there are more opportunities for debugging.
If Windows won't tell you what is going on, by looking at device
properties, then maybe with a lot more work, a Knoppix environment
(knopper.net) may allow you to figure out what mode the hardware is in.
Click to expand...
Sorry about messing up the "USB2 Controller Mode" setting.
Click to expand...
Paul
Click to expand...

Thanks for the further device. As it happens I had run all my tests with
the BIOS setting at HiSpeed. I repeated them at FullSpped. It makes no
difference.

I finally bit the bullet and uninstalled everything vaguely connected
with USB - both the hardware and software, following the instructions to
use SAFE mode that usbman gives. I installed all the latest drivers and
utilities I could find from ASUS and VIA. These made no difference to
the USB 2 performance.

Now comes the crazy part: I got into this jungle a week ago because I
could not connect my Nikon D80 camera (a USB 2 device). The failure mode
was the usual error message of 'USB Device not recognized' - with
additional advice from Microsoft that my D80 was defective and should be
replaced.

Just out of interst I disabled USB 2 support in BIOS. The camera was
immediately detected by Windows.

I repeated the test with USB 2 support enabled in BIOS but disabled in
Dev Mngr. Same result: camera conected no problem - but only as 1.1
speed (12 Mbps). So as soon as USB 2 support is enabled, USB 2 devices
will not work!

What is likely to cause this behaviour? I have eliminated the
possibility of not enough current on the +5V supply by removing the USB
header for ports 5 and 6 and allowing only 2 USB ports to be enabled in
BIOS. This makes no difference: USB 2 'ON' = device 'OFF'. USB 2 'OFF' =
device 'ON'.

Beats me!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -
Click to expand...

I was having a similar, but different problem to you. I couldn't get
my IDE port to run at UDMA5, even though it should.
I posted a question to the technical help part of the mobo
manufacturer (GigaByte) website, and they sent me an updated BIOS,
which made UDMA5 suddenly spring to life!

So, have you tried asking your question on the ASUS website technical
help? If nothing else makes sense, it *could* be a BIOS issue.

Good Luck.
BarryG
 
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