Member Avatar for patsyc47

I'm new to this forum thing, so please forgive me if I'm in the wrong place!

I have an Acer TravelMate 4050LCi Laptop, just over a year old, running XP home. Although, when I plug my optical mouse into the USB ports its light comes on, it won't work. Nothing will work, printer, phone, camera etc. I've been searching through the web for fixes and have tried all the ones I can find, including uninstalling and reinstalling, updating drivers, editing the registry, working through some DOS commands, but still nothing. In Device Manager all seems OK, no errors. I'm now tearing my hair out! Any ideas, please!

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Given that has already tried driver/registry/DOS fixes and Device Manager reports no errors, and that suggested a hardware fault while pointed to Microsoft troubleshooting, focus next on hardware-level diagnosis and an OS-independent test. The symptom "device LED on but not working" usually means Vbus power is present but the data lines (D+ / D-) or the USB controller are not enumerating the device.

Try these steps in order to narrow the cause:

  • Boot from a Linux live USB/CD (do not install). Plug the mouse/printer in while running the live system. If they work there, the problem is in Windows; if they do not, the laptop hardware is almost certainly at fault.
  • Enter BIOS/Setup and confirm all USB controllers are enabled (reset to defaults if unsure). A disabled USB controller will leave ports powered but inactive.
  • Inspect ports visually and with compressed air. Bent pins, debris or corrosion can provide power but break data connections.
  • Test with a self-powered USB hub or a different host interface (PC Card/ExpressCard USB adapter) to see if an external controller will enumerate devices. That both diagnoses and provides a practical workaround.
  • In Windows, check Event Viewer for USB/device installation errors and use Device Manager -> View -> Show hidden devices to find ghost devices if Windows-only issues remain.

If hardware failure is confirmed, repair usually means replacing the port assembly or motherboard; for an out-of-warranty laptop a USB card/hub is often the most cost-effective solution. When updating BIOS or doing repairs, follow Acer's instructions and back up important data first.

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Member Avatar for DenisOxon

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds to as if USB port has failed. Have you any other USB ports you could use ?

Denis

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