Windows 7 - Both USB ports on laptop suddenly stopped working

I have an older Dell Inspiron 5100 that's been rock solid since day one.

I recently transferred all my music from my PC to my Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex so I could organize my files while I was out of town on business. When I got to my hotel and plugged the Seagate into the USB port the laptop would not recognize it.
There's two USB ports, one of the USB ports does nothing at all when I plug the drive in (not even a 'Ding-Dong' sound). The other port at least responds but still not recognized. By "responds" I mean Windows responds with a "Dunn..." sound; not the happy two tone sound of a device actually being recognized and available, just a "Dunn..."

I've used this drive before on this laptop on several occasions so I know it's compatible. I also came home and plugged to drive back into the PC to see if the drive itself responds. It does, and all files are there and happy.

Also, when plugged into the non-responsive USB slot the light on the drive blinks a couple times, the platters spool up for 15 or so seconds then goes out.
When plugged into the other USB slot (the one that goes "Dunn...") the light comes on and stays on and the platters spin untill I unplug the device. But it's still not recognized.

Nothing shows up under the Disc Management tool either.

Normal USB thumb drives work normal still.

This procedure USB Selective Suspend - Turn On or Off has helped others with issues similar to yours.
Try it and see if it helps. You would want to turn the feature OFF, or disable.

The procedure suggested did not work.
This drive is still not recognized. All USB ports in Device Manager look okay (no yellow exclamations).

Any other suggestions?

Have you tried anything else in the USB ports? I'm thinking something low powered like a thumb drive or perhaps a printer (that doesn't get its power from the USB port).

Are there any other anomalies on your laptop? Sound works ok? Touchpad working? I think that the audio device and touchpad are connected to the internal USB bus.

Kent

I like where Lava King is going.
The FreeAgent GoFlex is powered entirely through the USB port (no external power supply). If the laptop's USB ports are not putting out enough power then that would explain the symptom - provided all settings are correct.

If low power devices like thumb drives work then that would help to zero in on the problem. Let us know.

Also: when this happens, are you on pure battery power or plugged in?

Yes, as mentioned in my first post, standard USB thumb drives work just fine.
No other anomalies; touch pad works fine, sound is fine, display is... displaying. This Free Agent drive USED to work with this laptop, now suddenly it does not.
I would agree, I think its definitely power related. Not enough juice going to the USB ports. As mentioned though it's worked before.

Also: when this happens, are you on pure battery power or plugged in?

Plugged in. The battery on this laptop is shot so I'm 100% AC powered.

Is that "shot" battery removed from the laptop?

It's still in the laptop. When I say "shot" I mean it'll only last 30-45min unplugged with light usage (no videos or heavy streaming/internet).

I have not tried the drive with the battery removed...