USB 3.0 Host Controller Not Found

NewtG · 21 May 2014

OK I don't understand this but here is the situation now. Hub works fine after it is kept plugged in and laptop is restarted. Last week I tested each USB port to see just one was problem.
No USB ports populated laptop started fine and I could populate all USB ports with all devices working correctly.
One USB 3.0 port with wireless mouse receiver in it, restarted laptop and USB 3.0 host controller stopped functioning.
One thumb drive in other USB 3.0 port restarted laptop and USB 3.0 host controller stopped functioning.
USB 2.0 with thumb drive in it and no other ports populated restarted laptop and laptop started fine when I plugged in 7 port hub to USB 3.0 all lights on the hub came on and all thumb drives and mouse worked fine.
Restarted laptop with external hard drive in USB 3.0 port and USB 3.0 host controller stopped functioning.

Posted problem here, accessed BIOS (No area with USB Legacy option, there was three USB options (did not mark down what they were but something like Power over USB, USB enable, and one other) either to enable or disable and all were enabled and I left them there.) Found BIOS A06 as update over BIOS A00 and installed. Tested all ports again with same results.

Now I shut down the laptop just now, and started to retest all ports starting with USB 3.0 and the wireless mouse receiver which was inserted into the USB 3.0 port and rebooted laptop. Mouse worked. Put the 7 port USB hub into a USB 3.0 port and restarted (mouse wireless receiver was in hub with 2 thumb drives like I had originally) mouse worked fine, computer saw thumb drives. I restarted computer with hub populating a USB 3.0 port and put the external hard drive in the other USB 3.0 port and rebooted, lost all USB 3.0 functionality. I then rebooted with the USB 3.0 7 port hub in the spot the hard drive was in and started laptop and everything worked. Plugged external hard drive into the hub and restarted laptop and everything worked fine.

So at this point I am lost as to what happened, but it seems to work as long as I do not put the external hard drive into one of the USB 3.0 ports. It is a WD 1tb My Passport Ultra HD, I have had it on a USB 3.0 port for the last 3 months without any problem. I wonder if the last update to the WD software had anything to do with my situation. I don't know how that would keep the laptop from rebooting correctly when I tested without the HD.

I can still recreate the problem if I have the hard drive populating a USB 3.0 port.

Thank you for all input and advice, I will come back to this if anything changes in the next couple days. Maybe laptop just knew it should give in when it saw me coming here

Britton30 · 21 May 2014

The BIOS update likely changed some things.
The full model number should be on a sticker on the bottom of the laptop or inside the battery compartment.

Layback Bear · 21 May 2014

I don't understand this from post #4.

Ok after trying several different BIOS PW crackers I eventually just purchased the BIOS PW to unlock BIOS setup,

I thought one needs proof of purchase and other documentation to get the password into bios. It seem to me buying a password from Dell defeats the purpose of password protection.
As far as I know you can't buy a password.

Could someone explain this to me.

Britton30 · 22 May 2014

Jack, Dell does do it and the user would have to prove ownership, place and date of purchase, etc.

From post #3.

NewtG said:

I remember realizing this problem shortly after laptop was out of warrenty, and when I called Dell support they said I would have to pay for them to unlock it. I was pretty upset (and still am) about that. So I will try to figure out a way to get past this with the least cost, as a college student funds are low especially for something like this.

Layback Bear · 22 May 2014

Thanks Gary.

ComputerGeek · 22 May 2014

Found BIOS A06 as update over BIOS A00

I would also guess upgrade A00 -> A06 could have helped (but, in any case, a good thing to do)

Re: Your hub
Hubs doesn't require any special drivers. Their drivers are included in Windows

I'm glad to hear things are behaving better. My next suggestion would have been (which you can still try if need be). Buy a different USB 3.0 hub with a 30-day return policy. Try it to see if the problem if the problem might be your current hub itself.

p.s. "Bus powered" hubs (hubs that have no AC connection) can only draw power from the computer USB port. IMHO I stick to self-powered hubs (they're connected to an AC outlet).