adding USB ports

My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to use my
laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers run WinXP). I
have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been using a powered
Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well, however. I can't use my
mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard (an old one) works but is
acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the laptop? I
hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130 for a docking
station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep the laptop as my
main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to use my
laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers run WinXP).
I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been using a powered
Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well, however. I can't use my
mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard (an old one) works but is
acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the laptop?
I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130 for a docking
station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep the laptop as my
main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do you maybe
have one from another external device that's the same voltage/polarity/plug
size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got from Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet
USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for about a year, then started acting
flaky with my game controller and mouse. Through trial and error, I found
out that the power supply for it died. I had another one that was the same
voltage and wattage, but I had to splice the plug from the old one to the
new one. I haven't had any trouble with it since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to use
my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers run
WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been using a
powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well, however. I can't
use my mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard (an old one) works
but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the laptop?
I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130 for a docking
station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep the laptop as my
main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do you
maybe have one from another external device that's the same
voltage/polarity/plug size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got from
Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for about a
year, then started acting flaky with my game controller and mouse. Through
trial and error, I found out that the power supply for it died. I had
another one that was the same voltage and wattage, but I had to splice the
plug from the old one to the new one. I haven't had any trouble with it
since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I'll see if I can find another power supply to try. If
not, maybe it's time to buy a new hub. Mine is at least a couple years old.

Jo-Anne

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to use
my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers run
WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been using a
powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well, however. I can't
use my mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard (an old one) works
but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the
laptop? I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130 for
a docking station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep the
laptop as my main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do you
maybe have one from another external device that's the same
voltage/polarity/plug size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got from
Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for about a
year, then started acting flaky with my game controller and mouse.
Through trial and error, I found out that the power supply for it died. I
had another one that was the same voltage and wattage, but I had to
splice the plug from the old one to the new one. I haven't had any
trouble with it since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I'll see if I can find another power supply to try. If
not, maybe it's time to buy a new hub. Mine is at least a couple years
old.

Jo-Anne

You can check it with a volt meter if you or the hubby have one, or have
access to one, or one of those cheapie probe lights if you can find one that
registers voltage as low as the power supply puts out (probably around 5V).
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to use
my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers run
WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been using
a powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well, however. I
can't use my mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard (an old one)
works but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the
laptop? I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130 for
a docking station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep the
laptop as my main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do you
maybe have one from another external device that's the same
voltage/polarity/plug size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got from
Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for about a
year, then started acting flaky with my game controller and mouse.
Through trial and error, I found out that the power supply for it died.
I had another one that was the same voltage and wattage, but I had to
splice the plug from the old one to the new one. I haven't had any
trouble with it since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I'll see if I can find another power supply to try. If
not, maybe it's time to buy a new hub. Mine is at least a couple years
old.

Jo-Anne

You can check it with a volt meter if you or the hubby have one, or have
access to one, or one of those cheapie probe lights if you can find one
that registers voltage as low as the power supply puts out (probably
around 5V).
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


We do have a volt meter, and it definitely is worth checking. Thank you!
I've also been looking at Amazon's collection of hubs, and I can get a new
Belkin 7-port for as little as $16 or a 4-port for $14 (or even $7 for one
without its own power).

Jo-Anne

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to
use my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers
run WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been
using a powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well,
however. I can't use my mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard
(an old one) works but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the
laptop? I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130
for a docking station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep
the laptop as my main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do you
maybe have one from another external device that's the same
voltage/polarity/plug size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got
from Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for
about a year, then started acting flaky with my game controller and
mouse. Through trial and error, I found out that the power supply for
it died. I had another one that was the same voltage and wattage, but I
had to splice the plug from the old one to the new one. I haven't had
any trouble with it since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I'll see if I can find another power supply to try.
If not, maybe it's time to buy a new hub. Mine is at least a couple
years old.

Jo-Anne

You can check it with a volt meter if you or the hubby have one, or have
access to one, or one of those cheapie probe lights if you can find one
that registers voltage as low as the power supply puts out (probably
around 5V).
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


We do have a volt meter, and it definitely is worth checking. Thank you!
I've also been looking at Amazon's collection of hubs, and I can get a new
Belkin 7-port for as little as $16 or a 4-port for $14 (or even $7 for one
without its own power).

Jo-Anne

I would opt for a powered one just for the fact that it takes the load off
your laptop's power supply. The more devices added, the more drag on the
internal PS, and most laptops don't have a lot to spare.
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to
use my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers
run WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been
using a powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well,
however. I can't use my mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard
(an old one) works but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the
laptop? I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130
for a docking station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep
the laptop as my main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do you
maybe have one from another external device that's the same
voltage/polarity/plug size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got
from Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for
about a year, then started acting flaky with my game controller and
mouse. Through trial and error, I found out that the power supply for
it died. I had another one that was the same voltage and wattage, but
I had to splice the plug from the old one to the new one. I haven't
had any trouble with it since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I'll see if I can find another power supply to try.
If not, maybe it's time to buy a new hub. Mine is at least a couple
years old.

Jo-Anne

You can check it with a volt meter if you or the hubby have one, or have
access to one, or one of those cheapie probe lights if you can find one
that registers voltage as low as the power supply puts out (probably
around 5V).
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


We do have a volt meter, and it definitely is worth checking. Thank you!
I've also been looking at Amazon's collection of hubs, and I can get a
new Belkin 7-port for as little as $16 or a 4-port for $14 (or even $7
for one without its own power).

Jo-Anne

I would opt for a powered one just for the fact that it takes the load off
your laptop's power supply. The more devices added, the more drag on the
internal PS, and most laptops don't have a lot to spare.
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you again, SC Tom! But what about when the laptop is kept plugged
in--which is how I'm using it right now.

Jo-Anne

On 9/13/2010 7:09 PM, Jo-Anne wrote:
"SC wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
"SC wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
"SC wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to
use my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers
run WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been
using a powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well,
however. I can't use my mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard
(an old one) works but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the
laptop? I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130
for a docking station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep
the laptop as my main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do you
maybe have one from another external device that's the same
voltage/polarity/plug size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got
from Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for
about a year, then started acting flaky with my game controller and
mouse. Through trial and error, I found out that the power supply for
it died. I had another one that was the same voltage and wattage, but
I had to splice the plug from the old one to the new one. I haven't
had any trouble with it since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I'll see if I can find another power supply to try.
If not, maybe it's time to buy a new hub. Mine is at least a couple
years old.

Jo-Anne

You can check it with a volt meter if you or the hubby have one, or have
access to one, or one of those cheapie probe lights if you can find one
that registers voltage as low as the power supply puts out (probably
around 5V).
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


We do have a volt meter, and it definitely is worth checking. Thank you!
I've also been looking at Amazon's collection of hubs, and I can get a
new Belkin 7-port for as little as $16 or a 4-port for $14 (or even $7
for one without its own power).

Jo-Anne

I would opt for a powered one just for the fact that it takes the load off
your laptop's power supply. The more devices added, the more drag on the
internal PS, and most laptops don't have a lot to spare.
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you again, SC Tom! But what about when the laptop is kept plugged
in--which is how I'm using it right now.

Jo-Anne



Some USB widgets draw as much as 250 mA. The danger, whether your
laptop is plugged in or not, as what happens to the chipset that
drives the USB ports when you overload the power rails; some chipsets
semi-destruct, making the whole MoBo as flaky as a good pie crust.

I vote for a powered external hub for almost any USB widgets other
than keyboard and mouse. Better safe than sorry.
--
Cheers, Bob

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to
use my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers
run WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been
using a powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well,
however. I can't use my mouse plugged into it at all, and my
keyboard (an old one) works but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the
laptop? I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130
for a docking station for this laptop), given that I hope not to
keep the laptop as my main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do you
maybe have one from another external device that's the same
voltage/polarity/plug size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got
from Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for
about a year, then started acting flaky with my game controller and
mouse. Through trial and error, I found out that the power supply for
it died. I had another one that was the same voltage and wattage, but
I had to splice the plug from the old one to the new one. I haven't
had any trouble with it since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I'll see if I can find another power supply to try.
If not, maybe it's time to buy a new hub. Mine is at least a couple
years old.

Jo-Anne

You can check it with a volt meter if you or the hubby have one, or
have access to one, or one of those cheapie probe lights if you can
find one that registers voltage as low as the power supply puts out
(probably around 5V).
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


We do have a volt meter, and it definitely is worth checking. Thank you!
I've also been looking at Amazon's collection of hubs, and I can get a
new Belkin 7-port for as little as $16 or a 4-port for $14 (or even $7
for one without its own power).

Jo-Anne

I would opt for a powered one just for the fact that it takes the load
off your laptop's power supply. The more devices added, the more drag on
the internal PS, and most laptops don't have a lot to spare.
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you again, SC Tom! But what about when the laptop is kept plugged
in--which is how I'm using it right now.

Jo-Anne
What Bob said.
The reason I bought a powered USB hub was that at the time, I had a USB
keyboard, wireless mouse dongle, and an external sound card. Then I bought
an Xbox360 game controller and plugged it into the PC ports along with all
the rest of that stuff (I have 7 ports on my PC). As soon as I fired up a
game that used the Xbox controller, the sound would come out like Jimi
Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner. The only way to get it right again
was to unplug the controller, reboot, then plug it back in. But then, the
sound would mess up again on the next usage. After checking in Device
Manager, I found that the darn thing draws 500mA! Add that to what the rest
of the devices were drawing, that had to be close to the limit, I would
think. So I bought the powered hub and have my keyboard and mouse plugged
into the PC and everything else into the powered hub. All is well now in USB
land.
Much as I like Jimi, I prefer to listen to him when I choose :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.

You likely need a self powered" hub, e.g. one that includes it's own power
cable. Otherwise the 500 Ma the pc provides for ONE port is not enough for
the hubs many ports. Something has to go if the power requirements of all
attached devices exceeds that 500Ma. Self powered hubs provide the 500Ma to
each port separately, e.g. 500 x "#of ports", using nothing from the pc for
power.

Although most devices today use relatively little power, a Logitech
RunblePad uses 500Ma just itself. You can go into device manager and look
under the usb branch for a dialog says Power, each port listed will have it.
Add up what the various devices you use require.

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to use my
laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers run WinXP).
I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been using a powered
Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well, however. I can't use my
mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard (an old one) works but is
acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the laptop?
I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130 for a docking
station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep the laptop as my
main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

"Bob Willard" wrote in message
...
On 9/13/2010 7:09 PM, Jo-Anne wrote:
"SC wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
"SC wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
"SC wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to
use my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both
computers
run WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've
been
using a powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well,
however. I can't use my mouse plugged into it at all, and my
keyboard
(an old one) works but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the
laptop? I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130
for a docking station for this laptop), given that I hope not to
keep
the laptop as my main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do
you
maybe have one from another external device that's the same
voltage/polarity/plug size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got
from Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for
about a year, then started acting flaky with my game controller and
mouse. Through trial and error, I found out that the power supply
for
it died. I had another one that was the same voltage and wattage,
but
I had to splice the plug from the old one to the new one. I haven't
had any trouble with it since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I'll see if I can find another power supply to
try.
If not, maybe it's time to buy a new hub. Mine is at least a couple
years old.

Jo-Anne

You can check it with a volt meter if you or the hubby have one, or
have
access to one, or one of those cheapie probe lights if you can find
one
that registers voltage as low as the power supply puts out (probably
around 5V).
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


We do have a volt meter, and it definitely is worth checking. Thank
you!
I've also been looking at Amazon's collection of hubs, and I can get a
new Belkin 7-port for as little as $16 or a 4-port for $14 (or even $7
for one without its own power).

Jo-Anne

I would opt for a powered one just for the fact that it takes the load
off
your laptop's power supply. The more devices added, the more drag on the
internal PS, and most laptops don't have a lot to spare.
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you again, SC Tom! But what about when the laptop is kept plugged
in--which is how I'm using it right now.

Jo-Anne



Some USB widgets draw as much as 250 mA. The danger, whether your
laptop is plugged in or not, as what happens to the chipset that
drives the USB ports when you overload the power rails; some chipsets
semi-destruct, making the whole MoBo as flaky as a good pie crust.

I vote for a powered external hub for almost any USB widgets other
than keyboard and mouse. Better safe than sorry.
--
Cheers, Bob


Thank you, Bob! You've clarified the issue for me, and I'll definitely look
for another powered USB hub.

Jo-Anne

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to
use my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both
computers run WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop,
and I've been using a powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working
very well, however. I can't use my mouse plugged into it at all,
and my keyboard (an old one) works but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the
laptop? I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130
for a docking station for this laptop), given that I hope not to
keep the laptop as my main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Is it possible that the power brick for the hub isn't working? Do
you maybe have one from another external device that's the same
voltage/polarity/plug size? I have a small 7-port powered hub I got
from Amazon for ~$16 (Zonet USB2.0 Powered Hub) that worked fine for
about a year, then started acting flaky with my game controller and
mouse. Through trial and error, I found out that the power supply
for it died. I had another one that was the same voltage and
wattage, but I had to splice the plug from the old one to the new
one. I haven't had any trouble with it since :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I'll see if I can find another power supply to
try. If not, maybe it's time to buy a new hub. Mine is at least a
couple years old.

Jo-Anne

You can check it with a volt meter if you or the hubby have one, or
have access to one, or one of those cheapie probe lights if you can
find one that registers voltage as low as the power supply puts out
(probably around 5V).
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


We do have a volt meter, and it definitely is worth checking. Thank
you! I've also been looking at Amazon's collection of hubs, and I can
get a new Belkin 7-port for as little as $16 or a 4-port for $14 (or
even $7 for one without its own power).

Jo-Anne

I would opt for a powered one just for the fact that it takes the load
off your laptop's power supply. The more devices added, the more drag on
the internal PS, and most laptops don't have a lot to spare.
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you again, SC Tom! But what about when the laptop is kept plugged
in--which is how I'm using it right now.

Jo-Anne
What Bob said.
The reason I bought a powered USB hub was that at the time, I had a USB
keyboard, wireless mouse dongle, and an external sound card. Then I bought
an Xbox360 game controller and plugged it into the PC ports along with all
the rest of that stuff (I have 7 ports on my PC). As soon as I fired up a
game that used the Xbox controller, the sound would come out like Jimi
Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner. The only way to get it right
again was to unplug the controller, reboot, then plug it back in. But
then, the sound would mess up again on the next usage. After checking in
Device Manager, I found that the darn thing draws 500mA! Add that to what
the rest of the devices were drawing, that had to be close to the limit, I
would think. So I bought the powered hub and have my keyboard and mouse
plugged into the PC and everything else into the powered hub. All is well
now in USB land.
Much as I like Jimi, I prefer to listen to him when I choose :-)
--
SC Tom
-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.


Thank you, SC Tom! I had no idea the various USB devices could use so much
power. I'll definitely look out for at least a powered hub--but maybe will
splurge on the docking station so I can at least get my old printer into a
parallel port instead of having to use a USB to parallel cable for it...

Jo-Anne

Jo-Anne

On 12/09/2010 9:14 PM, Jo-Anne wrote:
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to use my
laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers run WinXP). I
have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been using a powered
Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well, however. I can't use my
mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard (an old one) works but is
acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the laptop? I
hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130 for a docking
station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep the laptop as my
main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

I've often had a lot of problems with various USB hubs of mine. One
which was powered seemed to be very flakey, until I took the external
power supply off it, and let it get powered by the system's own USB
ports. It got more stable after that, for a while at least.

Yousuf Khan

"Yousuf Khan" wrote in message
...
On 12/09/2010 9:14 PM, Jo-Anne wrote:
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to use
my
laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers run WinXP).
I
have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been using a powered
Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well, however. I can't use my
mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard (an old one) works but is
acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the laptop?
I
hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130 for a docking
station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep the laptop as my
main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

I've often had a lot of problems with various USB hubs of mine. One which
was powered seemed to be very flakey, until I took the external power
supply off it, and let it get powered by the system's own USB ports. It
got more stable after that, for a while at least.

Yousuf Khan


Thank you, Yousuf Khan! I've often heard that USB hubs get flakey over time.
I guess I'll try another one (after I check the power supply, as suggested
by SC Tom).

Jo-Anne

Thank you, pjp! I now understand why a powered port is essential. I suspect
my printer alone uses a lot of power (I have a parallel printer connected
directly to the laptop right now through a usb-parallel cable)...

Jo-Anne

"pjp" wrote in message
...
You likely need a self powered" hub, e.g. one that includes it's own power
cable. Otherwise the 500 Ma the pc provides for ONE port is not enough for
the hubs many ports. Something has to go if the power requirements of all
attached devices exceeds that 500Ma. Self powered hubs provide the 500Ma
to each port separately, e.g. 500 x "#of ports", using nothing from the pc
for power.

Although most devices today use relatively little power, a Logitech
RunblePad uses 500Ma just itself. You can go into device manager and look
under the usb branch for a dialog says Power, each port listed will have
it. Add up what the various devices you use require.

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
My desktop computer isn't functioning well, and I've been forced to use
my laptop--a Dell Precision--as my main computer (both computers run
WinXP). I have only three USB ports on the laptop, and I've been using a
powered Kensington USB hub. It's not working very well, however. I can't
use my mouse plugged into it at all, and my keyboard (an old one) works
but is acting flaky.

Is there something that would work better to add USB ports to the laptop?
I hesitate buying a docking station (Dell wants around $130 for a docking
station for this laptop), given that I hope not to keep the laptop as my
main computer too much longer.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne