USB Devices screw up Windows XP.

Sonix7

Member
Jun 27, 2001
140
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0
Hello everybody,

---Please give it a read, and help me cause this is about to get me nuts---

I have a VAIO notebook model PCG-FR285E Specs read here specs. The laptop has Windows XP SP2 installed, and three USB 2.0 ports built in. I use them mostly to connect common USB devices like flash memories, an optical mouse, and lately a HDD.

The problem started few months ago when i was transfering files between a USB memory and the internal HDD and suddenly the laptop hung up (totally freezed). After this, I restarted it and windows came up with this message: "Windows\system32\config\system File Is Missing Or Corrupt". I used a Boot-CD which provided me a tool to read the contents of this folder and of course all the files inside was missed. First I thought it had been a virus, so i decided to just format the disk and reinstalled everything from the scratch. I also cleaned up and scanned the usb memroy with an Antivirus, and nothing was found. It kept working normally some days, but once again while i was doing the same thing, now with a brand new usb mem. the problem happened in the same way.

Since i didn't find anything wrong in windows (i mean everything seemed good: drivers, apps..) This time I began to test every single hardware component of my laptop, run memtest to check RAM, prime95 to test CPU, and other windows independent tools to check other parts. Finally, given that even VAIO support nor in the web was some knowledge about this problem, I decided to purchase a pcmcia card with USB ports..... But as you'd expect, yes!.. It happened again.

Thanks in advance, really appreciated.


 

Alopez777

Member
Dec 15, 2002
48
0
0
Sonix7,

I suggest some saltine crackers to go with those nuts--- maybe a bottle of wine :0

Really, get a life... LOL!

nahhh... really,

Navigate to My Computer> Properties> Manage>

go to Event Viewer

C~ System

Check for Errors.... Google error msg. (Google will B your best friend tonight)

hey... Keep-it-real Hollyfield.


good luck

alan
 

Sonix7

Member
Jun 27, 2001
140
0
0
Thanks for your suggestion. But nothing revelant to an error appears in the event viewer, Once the problem happens it freezes the laptop and that's it, after restarting comes the error msg i talked before.

Any other idea. In fact, i've done a lot of hardware testing and supposedly everything is fine. I'll give it a try to linux. Maybe it's a weird conflict between the OS-drivers-hardware.

 

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,340
10,859
136
If the USB ports were working fine up until recently & you had XP service pack 2 installed then I'd say its unlikely you have a driver problem & the most likley culprit is a hardware failure on your laptops motherboard despite the testing you've done saying nothing is wrong.

Installing Linux just to 100% rule out a software issue is a good idea ... report back & let us know how it works out.