# USB hardware failure?

## jterhune

A friend of mine asked me to capture some video off his camera for him, and I aggreed to give it a shot. However, when I plugged the camera into a USB port, I got this error:

```
usb 3-1: new full speed USB device using address 3

usb 3-1: device not accepting address 3, error -110

usb 3-1: new full speed USB device using address 4

usb 3-1: device not accepting address 4, error -110

hub 1-0:1.0: over-current change on port 2

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 2.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 2.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

hub 1-0:1.0: over-current change on port 3

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 3.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 3.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

hub 1-0:1.0: over-current change on port 4

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 4.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 4.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

hub 1-0:1.0: over-current change on port 5

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 5.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 5.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

hub 1-0:1.0: over-current change on port 6

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 6.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

hub 1-0:1.0: Cannot enable port 6.  Maybe the USB cable is bad?

```

I assumed this error message was probably correct, and handed it back to him with my apologies. 

However, later when I tried to plug in my USB gamepad, it was not recognized at all. I tried rebooting, but after I rebooted my USB mouse no longer worked. 

I tried booting to my other kernel, I tried booting to knoppix, and I tried booting to windows, but nothing would detect the mouse.

After trying every USB port, I have found one that still works which my mouse now resides in. This is, however, not exactly the situation I would like. I'm now missing 5 USB ports which I did use regularly.

USB related contents of dmesg are as follows:

```

usbcore: registered new driver usbfs

usbcore: registered new driver hub

ehci_hcd 0000:00:02.2: nVidia Corporation nForce2 USB Controller

ehci_hcd 0000:00:02.2: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1

ehci_hcd 0000:00:02.2: USB 2.0 enabled, EHCI 1.00, driver 2004-May-10

hub 1-0:1.0: USB hub found

ohci_hcd: 2004 Feb 02 USB 1.1 'Open' Host Controller (OHCI) Driver (PCI)

ohci_hcd 0000:00:02.0: nVidia Corporation nForce2 USB Controller

ohci_hcd 0000:00:02.0: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 2

hub 2-0:1.0: USB hub found

ohci_hcd 0000:00:02.1: nVidia Corporation nForce2 USB Controller (#2)

ohci_hcd 0000:00:02.1: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 3

hub 3-0:1.0: USB hub found

USB Universal Host Controller Interface driver v2.2

usbcore: registered new driver usblp

drivers/usb/class/usblp.c: v0.13: USB Printer Device Class driver

Initializing USB Mass Storage driver...

usbcore: registered new driver usb-storage

USB Mass Storage support registered.

usbcore: registered new driver usbhid

drivers/usb/input/hid-core.c: v2.0:USB HID core driver

HUB0 HUB1 USB0 USB1 USB2 F139 MMAC MMCI UAR1

usb 3-3: new low speed USB device using address 2

input: USB HID v1.10 Mouse [Microsoft Microsoft 3-Button Mouse with IntelliEye(TM)] on usb-0000:00:02.1-3

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

usb usb1: string descriptor 0 read error: -19

```

If I plug a device into a dead port, I get no output. However, if I booted with the mouse in a dead port, it got an error that suggested the cable was bad.

If anyone has any ideas as to a fix for this, I would greatly appreciate it. If its dead, I guess I may be investing in a hub or controller card soon.

----------

## nephlim

I think you should invest then, 'cause if all the different OS cannot detect USB hardware on the dead ports, I cannot see another reason for it than that they're dead.

Best regards

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## dsf

One other thought, even if a little off the wall.

I have a serial DB-9->USB adapter. Great stuff.

If I power on the system, it is detected. If I subsequently reboot, it is not.

(Easily seen from 'lsusb' output and from the dmesg output -- instead of a vendor string, there's some USB errors for that device, in my case.)

My tentative thoughts is that I may have a BIOS bug of some sort that does not properly re-initialize something during a reboot. I don't think I could 'blame' Linux since the default is to do a cold restart at reboot time.

If I turn the power off (through a normal shutdown, of course), and then turn it back on, the system will see my USB device every time.

So... something to try -- if you shut down the system, move the USB device to the preferred location, then power on the system, is it visible?

If yes, then you have an initialization issue of some sort, but probably not a hardware problem.

If no, then you have a potential very real hardware problem with the USB device.

----------

