Member Avatar for fopetesl

ASUS M2V Mobo; 1GB RAM; six? months old. XP SP3
Every time I plug in a USB device like, say a USB2 Flash Drive, I get the message "This device can perform faster ... blah, blah" :(
There are no errors/warnings in Hardware Manager.
'Upgrading' to SP3 didn't change anything.
Do I have to reload XP to get around this annoyance or is there a suggested fix? :?:

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 124 Views
  • 9 Months Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by LaptopNomad

Dani AI

Generated

Short summary: that Windows balloon means the flash drive is running at USB 1.1 speeds (Full Speed, ~12 Mbps) instead of USB 2.0 Hi‑Speed (480 Mbps). The usual causes are (a) the system is using only a USB 1.1 host driver, (b) a hub/cable/front‑panel is forcing the low speed, or (c) the device itself fails to negotiate Hi‑Speed.

Start here (quick checks, in order):

  1. In Device Manager expand "Universal Serial Bus controllers". Look for an entry named something like "Enhanced USB Host Controller" or vendor-specific EHCI/UHCI/UHCI entries. If the Enhanced/EHCI entry is missing, the OS only has 1.1 support.
  2. As @jbennet pointed out, install the motherboard chipset/USB drivers from the ASUS support page for the M2V (they install the EHCI driver). Reboot and retest.
  3. Try the rear I/O ports (not front panel) and plug the device directly—no hubs or extension cables. Cheap front panel modules or passive hubs often limit devices to 1.1.
  4. If the Enhanced controller is present but the device still shows the warning, uninstall the USB Root Hub / Enhanced controller entries in Device Manager and reboot so Windows redetects them. Do this only if you have a non‑USB keyboard/mouse available or can remote in; uninstalling can temporarily remove USB input if your keyboard/mouse are USB.

Extra notes:

  • Some poorly made devices or cables fail the USB 2.0 “chirp” handshake and will always fall back to 1.1 even on a healthy controller (as observed). To confirm, try the same stick on another known-good USB2 port/machine.
  • If all else fails, update the motherboard BIOS and chipset package, or test with a different flash drive/cable to isolate the fault.

Recommended path: confirm EHCI exists, update drivers/BIOS, test direct rear port with a known-good cable/device. If the device still runs slow on multiple machines, replace the device.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for jbennet

You need to install your motherboards chipset drivers

Member Avatar for LaptopNomad

Not all USB 2.0 devices are compliant with USB 2.0 specs. USB 2.0 Hi-Speed detection is known as chirping, it defaults to USB 1.1 Full speed. Reads about my experience with a USB 2.0 memory card:

This device can perform faster.

Good luck!

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.