Member Avatar for bossy marmalade

hi i have a Toshiba satellite a205-s5843 laptop that runs windows vista home premium and thats been running fine, yesterday when i tried to connect my iPod to iTunes i noticed it wasint charging or even being recognized by my pc and after replugging and unplugging and restarting the apple mobile device service it would finely work this has happend before thats the old fix, i thought it was just the cable since it was old and mangled i got a new one and it was working fine and then yesterday the same happened but it wouldn't work at all this time i then wanted to see if it was the the new cable or my iPod or if it was in fact the ports themselves so i plunged my ps3 controller into the port and sure enough that didint get recognized neither ive tried all four ports and nothing and when it does work it only charges my iPod i cant put anything on it and the auto play thing don't pop up and its not all the ports some just dont work at all i tried taking the battery out and unplugging the power source and just leaving it for awhile and nothing ive rebooted and i just dont know what to do you guys and gals on here helped me out of a pretty big fix awhile back so i know you know what your doing please help me i really need these to work oh btw for the short time it was working yesterday i kept getting a meassage saying "this device can run faster plug it into a usb 2.0 port"

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 191 Views
  • 6 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by bossy marmalade

Dani AI

Generated

Brief, practical checklist to narrow this down and fix it

When a laptop shows USB ports that supply power but won’t enumerate devices, the cause is usually software/driver or the USB host controller (not always a physical power failure). Start with the lower-risk checks and move toward hardware tests only if those fail. As suggested, Device Manager is the first place to look; and as noted, physical debris and heat can matter — both are worth checking.

Try these steps in order:

  • Check Device Manager (Control Panel → Device Manager). Expand “Universal Serial Bus controllers.” Look for unknown devices or yellow warnings. Note whether an “Enhanced” or “eXtensible” host controller is present (this shows USB 2.0/3.0 support).
  • Uninstall all entries under “Universal Serial Bus controllers” (right‑click → Uninstall) then reboot so Windows redetects them. This often fixes corrupted drivers.
  • Turn off USB power-saving: open each “USB Root Hub” → Properties → Power Management → uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.” Also disable “USB selective suspend” in Power Options → Change advanced power settings → USB settings.
  • Update chipset/USB host-controller drivers from Toshiba (or the chipset vendor) rather than relying on generic Windows drivers. If a BIOS/firmware update exists that mentions USB fixes, evaluate it carefully and back up before updating.
  • Test outside Windows: boot a Linux live USB (no install) and see whether the ports enumerate devices. If they work in Linux the problem is almost certainly Windows/driver related.
  • Try a powered USB hub and other devices (phone, flash drive). If a device charges but never enumerates, the data lines or host controller may be failing. Inspect ports for bent pins or debris and use compressed air—do not stick metal objects into ports.

Note on the “This device can run faster…” message: Windows is telling you a high‑speed device is on a full‑/low‑speed bus or hub. That points to a host-controller or hub limitation rather than the device itself.

If these steps don’t restore normal enumeration, the USB controller or its board connection is likely failing and professional repair or motherboard service is the next practical step.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for 07knev

Hi
you have wrote
when it does work it only charges my iPod i cant put anything on it and the auto play thing don't pop up and its not all the ports some just dont work at all

Does this mean some ports of USB works and others not working?
Also let us know when you plug any usb device ( pendrive) there should be recognization pops at the taskbar, do you see that
when you plug the device, on the device manager you seen any yellow cross marks?

Member Avatar for rubberman

Sounds like the hardware is starting to go "wonky" - technical term for random failures. Vacuum/blow the dust out of the system. Let it cool down totally (shut down for at least 1 hour). If the problem persists, then it's time to take it to the repair depot!

Member Avatar for bossy marmalade

yeah thay are working now and sorry for the late reply it was vista i just updated to windows 7 now all four ports give power thanks

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.