USB Ports not working

[imported_asby]

Just built a computer using Gigabyte GA-EG31M-S2 motherboard (G31 chipset). Installed Windows XP, motherboard drivers, etc. and everything was working fine until I shut down and connected the front audio to the motherboard. Rebooted and now I get the message "Unknown USB device" and my USB keyboard and mouse do not work anymore. Everything else seems to be working fine with PS2 keyboard and mouse. Did I kill my motherboard USB ports? Also, I have unplugged the front audio. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[humanure]

did you accidentally connect the audio to a USB header? Check to make sure that USB is still enabled in BIOS and unplug any USB devices, sometimes a flash drive or ipod can cause problems like that.

 

[Modelworks]

At worst your chipset for the ports are still good, but it may not be a easy fix for the average user.
When you short a port on 95% of the boards there is a fuse for each port. Sometimes those blow. You need a meter to find out. They are usually green in color and labeled starting with F, like F1
If it is blown you can replace it using a soldering iron.

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

I would start with some basic troubleshooting before you declare the ports dead.

1) have you tried booting from a USB stick? If not, create one and see if it boots...at the very least you should be able to see the usb stick in the BIOS under boot devices.
2) can you use your USB keyboard or mouse in BIOS?
3) try booting off CD/DVD to a ubuntu or other live disk to see if they work that way.

Basically we are isolating if this is an OS issue or a HW issue.

4) try swapping ports etc to isolate if the issue if happening on specific ports.

If you get nothing from the BIOS or other OS loads, then it's likely you burned your ports. RMA and repeat. (not the bad part this time).

If you find that it works in the BIOS but not the OS, then you have to start working through the OS stack to find where the issue is. That's a whole nother discussion.

 

[imported_asby]

Thanks for replys. Without going into a lot of detail the problem ended up being the front audio-usb module on the case. I have ordered a new one from coolermaster.