Internal card reader not working until reconnect

johnny_boy

Junior Member
Sep 29, 2012
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I have a strange problem. My internal card reader won't read a card until I unplug the reader from the motherboard usb port, and then plug it back in. However, the USB port on the card reader always works. It's just with other flash media, like an SD card.

If that didn't make sense, here's more detail. I plug an SD card into the reader while the computer if off. I turn computer on. The card cannot be read (and the green indicator light does not go on). I unplug card reader from motherboard, and plug it back in. SD card can be read (and green light goes on).

There is also a red indicator light showing which is always on, so the reader always has power. Hence the usability of the USB port on the reader.

Any ideas? Could it be a mainboard issue rather than a reader issue?
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,352
10,050
126
sounds like the USB device for the card reader gets de-activated during bootup, and thus when you hot-plug, when it gets plugged in and powers up, it works again.

Which version of Windows are you running?
 

johnny_boy

Junior Member
Sep 29, 2012
24
0
0
Strange that the USB port works though. I guess they're separate somehow.

I'm running Kubuntu 12.10, the KDE derivative of Ubuntu linux. All of this was tested before booting into the OS, though, to avoid "driver"-related issues. (I would enter the boot menu and then start hot-plugging the card reader.)
 
Feb 25, 2011
16,790
1,473
126
I had that. Eventually the reader stopped working altogether. I just tossed it; never verified that it wasn't a driver problem (which was probably dumb on my part, but I had an external that worked fine.)
 

yefi

Member
Nov 15, 2012
48
0
66
Not the Icy Box is it? Had the exact same problem with that. Had to get a replacement from Amazon.