Edward Arrowsmith wrote:
Good morning
Is it possible that a USB port can suddenly stop working?
My PowerBook has two USB ports, one has decided to stop working but the
other is fine. Any clues please?
Yes, it can happen. If they're both connected to the same USB root hub
it'd be most likely caused by a faulty connection on one port (eg the
solder attaching the connector to the motherboard failing). If they're
on different root hubs it could also easily be a failed or damaged chip.
The issue could also easily arise due to software problems. If the Mac
OS X boot CD supports USB, I'd test it out from there. Try using system
profiler if it can be run from the CD.
Of course, you should also follow all the usual "shotgun" Mac
diagnostics - repairing permissions, checking the file system, and of
course rebooting the machine.
Speaking of system profiler, have a look there and see if the device
appears at all when attached to the failed port. System profiler looks
"deeper" into the system, and might see the device even if some layer
above is having a problem.
--
Craig Ringer
