In my old laptop, the USB ports had become loose as in they won't hold a USB plug in place. When I bought my new Dell XPS 15z laptop, the USB ports were really tough and required a but of pushing to get a USB plug in, now after a year or so of use they are softer but still "hold" whatever is inserted in them.
What can I do to prevent the USBs from becoming loose?
It is normal for the connection to get looser over time, but too loose could cause problems.
To minimize the normal aging, avoid inserting or removing the USB plugs at an angle. If you are 'twisting' the connector up as you remove it you are forcing the plastic "tongue" inside the metal collar into the socket bottom with lever action. This can crush the contacts inside the socket. The contacts are thin strips of metal that hump up in the middle slightly to create friction and positive contact. Once crushed down there will be contact, but it will not feel tight.
Always try and insert and remove the connector (any connector- not just USB) straight in or out.
Yeah, it's critical to plug things in and unplug them in a perfectly straight line.
I agree, a little finesse is in order instead of "whacking" then in and out. I have a USB panel that is 4 years old and still tight.
Thank you for the advice. I try to input/output data in other ways like the CD, wifi or bluetooth. I even bought bluetooth mouse ( yes bluetooth and not just USB wireless) to prevent wear from using a USB mouse
May I butt in here> I would if it were mine and I didn't move the machine around a great deal would be to get of those small three or four port hubs (powered or un-powered) and leave it plugged in. Then you can whack the sticks or whatever in as much as you like:)
The alternative is to dissemble the machine and put in new ports - VERY difficult. The problem is I have found netadict is the small tongue (that holds the contacts for data and power) inside the port gets loosened over time and even sometimes a slight downward or upward clout with a stick in can break that tongue off - or the whole inner assembly from the motherboard.
Option one would be what I would do mate and to make it even safer use an extension lead so the hub is not hanging off the side of the machine. Actually the extension cable would be an idea to use anyway as it gets the plugging in away from the machine:).
Yes well they are cheap as chips to buy even the powered ones - usually they are the ones that take SD XD - all sorts etc etc as well and I thought it will save the machine port any more wear than necessary.:)
There is aton of them in here even 3.0 ones Newegg.com - Hubs, USB
I thought of the USB hub idea which is good except for one thing, it has a usb plug that has to be pushed into one of my laptop's ports therefore making it go soft
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