USB controller flagged in Device Manager

[Warpspasm]

I just noticed that when I go into the Device Manager of Windows XP Pro, my Other Devices has a question mark on it. I honestly don't know if it has always been like this or it's something new. If I open it I see a question mark on RAID Controller and Universal Serial Bus Controller. I'm not using RAID, but as far as I can tell, my USB is working fine. If I go a bit deeper it says the drivers aren't installed for the USB device and it gives me the option to reinstall them. Which sadly to say I can't figure out how to do. Where the heck are they on the Windows XP Pro disk? Do I even need to do that?

Here's the pertinent info on my homebuilt system:
Antec 1080 case
ASUS P4P800 Deluxe mobo
Intel 2.8 gig 800 fsb

I have the front USB ports active on my Antec case and they seem to be working when I plug my camera into it. I'm also using a back USB port for my IPAQ cradle. I have the Firewire port on front of the case activated too, but I don't own any Firewire products so I don't know it's working or not.

Any ideas on what gives? Does it need to be fixed?

Thanks.

 

[Toejam31]

Hvae you installed the <A HREF="http/www.asus.com/support/download/selectftp.aspx?l1_id=1&l2_id=15&l3_id=19&m_id=2&f_name=inf5001012.zip~zaqwedc" target="_new">chipset drivers</A> for the mainboard, and <A HREF="http/www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/pro/downloads/servicepacks/sp1/default.asp" target="_new">Service Pack 1a for WinXP</A> (which contains USB 2.0 drivers)?

You'll see extra information about the Microsoft USB 2.0 Drivers in the middle of this page: <A HREF="http/www.usbman.com/USB 2 News.htm" target="_new">USB 2.0 Latest News and Information</A>

I'd start with these items, and then see if anything else needs updated from within the Device Manager.

You'll find other information on the mainboard (latest BIOS, Utilities, and the User Manual) located on this page:

<A HREF="http/www.asus.com/support/download/item.aspx?ModelName=P4P800" target="_new">P4P800</A>

Here's a direct link to the <A HREF="http/www.asus.com/support/download/selectftp.aspx?l1_id=1&l2_id=15&l3_id=19&m_id=2&f_name=e1324_p4p800.pdf~zaqwedc" target="_new">P4P800 User's Manual English Version E1324 .PDF File</A>. You'll need the <A HREF="http/www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html" target="_new">Adobe Acrobat Reader</A> to view it. This should help you configure the BIOS settings, including the RAID/IDE controllers.

Toey

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[Warpspasm]

The thing is, I really don't want to install the SP1. I've heard too many bad things about it. Isn't the driver available as a stand alone download?

 

[Toejam31]

I wish there was another option available, but ASUS isn't offering a WinXP USB 2.0 driver for the mainboard, simply because SP1 already has integrated USB 2.0 driver support. There's a <i>Win2K SP4</i> driver, but from what I've read, this won't work in WinXP.

Right now, I'd suspect that your USB Host Controllers are functioning as USB 1.1, instead of 2.0, which cuts the data transfer speed down from 480mbps (megabits-per-second) to 12mbps. If you are using USB 1.1 peripherals, you wouldn't notice the slower port speed. But if you intend to install a USB 2.0 device in the future, you'll want the controllers to be functioning correctly, and that's going to require SP1, unfortunately.

My suggestion, if you want SP1 to cause the least amount of problems, is to install it on a fresh installation of the operating system, before you use Windows Update for anything else, such as the listed hotfixes and other updates. After that, very selectively, install only the updates actually needed for the OS. For instance, Service Pack 1 for Internet Explorer 6.0 is already included in SP1 for WinXP, so you should avoid installing the separate update for the browser <i>and</i> the Service Pack for the OS. That can cause unnecessary complications.

Note: By the way, SP1 for I.E. 6 is not the same as the latest cumulative security updates for the browser.

Toey

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[Warpspasm]

I just looked at my driver disk that came with the P4P800 Deluxe mobo and there are USB 2.0 drivers on there. When you click it, it says if you have SP1, USB 2.0 drivers are installed already. I used the Device Manager driver update button to install the ASUS provided drivers. I got the message that the drivers weren't signed by MS, but let it do the install. Everything seems to have gone well. Of course I don't know for sure because I don't have any USB 2.0 devices yet, but at least the big yellow question mark is gone! I just hope other things don't start acting up as a result of using the dreaded "Unsigned Driver"!

 

[Toejam31]

That's great!! ... because there were no downloadable WinXP drivers on the ASUS site. Because of that, I assumed that there would also be none on the mainboard driver disk. My mistake.

Are you certain that the drivers were for WinXP, and not for Win2K? Otherwise, you might be looking at a BSOD at some point, especially when a USB 2.0 device is connected. I've seen USB 2.0 drivers released for PCI cards and a few devices, but very few driver sets from mainboard manufacturers.

Using an unsigned driver is no big deal, as long as it is well-written, and compatible with the operating system. Not everything has to be WHQL in order to function correctly.

Toey

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[Warpspasm]

Hmmmm. . . I'm not sure if the drivers are for XP or not. I assumed they were. I'll have to look and see if it says anything on the disk.

 

[mbtech]

Thanks!