Solved Failure of USB hardware??

[PHPsteve]

I'm new here...thank you in advance.

I am using a Dell desktop, approx. 1 year old, with Win 7, SP1. I bought it last year, directly from Dell. I've had a lot of odd experiences with it and have managed to fix them all, but the current problem has me stumped.

I used the machine a good bit yesterday and I shut it down completely when I was done. Today, when I started it, it booted up but stopped on the screen where the user would click his/her icon and then be allowed to use the correct desktop and icons. FWIW, I am the only user with an account on that machine and I am also the only actual user, unless the dog is smarter than I think...

I've seen that screen before and have always just clicked through to my desktop. Today, I found that neither the mouse nor the keyboard, both of which are wire-connected USB devices, would work. I tried swapping the keyboards and the mice from another machine without any change in symptoms.

I used another machine to try to get some help and was not successful...found lots of answers but most of them involve using "Safe Mode". I found that I could not get to that mode - tapping F8 wouldn't get me there, so was unable to try any other fixes.

Other info -

As I mentioned, the machine stops on the screen described above. Today, the screen displayed a small rectangular icon in the lower-left corner. In the rectangle is a square and in the square is a small circle of what appear to be dots, like the face of a clock, and there are lines that seem to be positioned to indicate three o'clock. Those lines do not move, so I guess that it's telling me something, but I don't know what, and I don't recall seeing that icon before.

The mouse (optical, of course) seems to be a Dell product - it came with the machine. While the boot-up is in process, the red light on the bottom is lit, but it shuts off after coming to the screen I described.

The KB also came with the machine. I activated "Num Lock" months ago; for some reason, the "Num Lock" light stays ON even when the KB seems dead.

I can't do diagnostics or use the control panel or any other function on the machine. I will appreciate any information and/or assistance that might be provided to me. Many thanks!

Steve E.

 

[fireberd]

It sounds like the POST (Power On Self Test) works OK or you would get an error and not boot up. If this is a 1 year old PC then it came with Windows 10 and installing another OS MAY have wiped out the Dell diagnostics that are on the drive (accessed by F12 at power on). I didn't get from your post that the keyboard and mouse either work or do not work at power on???

On some new systems that have been "downgraded" to Win 7 special drivers are needed for some USB. Could this be the issue with this model? and that the drivers have been corrupted? I have an ASUS Z170 chipset motherboard from 2016 and ASUS provides a special driver for this to work with Win 7.

 

[Megahertz07]

Welcome to the Forum.

As Fireberd mentioned, a i5-6400 is an Intel 6th gen (Skylake). The USBs, controled by Skylake chipsets, are all USB 3.0 and win 7 doesn't have built in USB 3.0 drivers. You must add them to the installation disk to be able to use USB mouse and USB keyboard.

My questions are:
- who has installed Win 7 on the Dell?
- Can you enter into BIOS as soon as you turn the computer on?
- What is the model of your Dell desktop?

 

[PHPsteve]

Hi, and thank you for the replies. Answers to the questions follow -

First, both replies asked about the Win 7 installation. The system is a year old but it came to me with Win 7 installed. Honest! I ordered two machines at the same time and they are both Win 7. (The other one has given me some trouble as well, but nothing like the one we're discussing now.)

To Fireberd - At power on, the system boots up, the red light on the bottom of the mouse comes on and the "Num Lock" indicator on the KB lights up. However, repeatedly pressing F8, to open in "Safe Mode", does not work. Then, after the boot is complete and the system is at the screen I described, the light on the mouse goes out. So, given that the keyboard doesn't seem to work at all, and the that the red light goes out on the mouse after boot-up, my guess is that neither of them works - but they did work the day before.

To Megahertz07 - I don't think I tried to enter the BIOS, so I can't say for sure. I think that I would NOT have been able to do so because entering the BIOS requires the use of one of the "F" keys, and I had already found that I could not use F8. But that is the only "F" key I tried. As to the model #, it is 3650.

The machine we're discussing came with an upgrade disc to bring it up to Win 10. I'm not enough of a techie to know if I should upgrade and hope for the best, or if the current problems should be fixed first.

Thank you again.


Steve E.

 

[Megahertz07]

On BIOS there is probably a Fast Boot setting. Fast boot can be the problem. If you can, disable it.
Does it has a PS2 mouse port?

 

[PHPsteve]

No, there is no PS2 port.


Any thoughts on upgrading using the disc that Dell supplied? I could remove the drive, back it up, reinstall it and then upgrade...


Thanks again...


Steve

 

[fireberd]

What is the specific Dell Model? e.g. Inspiron 530, XPS8900, etc.

 

[PHPsteve]

Sorry...thought I had that - it is a Dell Inspiron 3650. God willing, there's a .jpg of the manufacturer's packaging with this message.


Thank you...

 

[fireberd]

I would have expected a 2016 PC to only be Win 10, but I see Win 7 and Win 8 drivers, along with Win 10 on the Dell site.
It has USB 2.0 ports on the rear (where the mouse and keyboard should be connected). The two front panel USB ports are 3.0.

Since the mouse and keyboard do not work at POST (Power On Self Test) but it passes the POST, reset the BIOS and see if that helps. With the PC powered off, open the case and locate the CR2032 CMOS backup battery on the motherboard. Remove the battery for at least 10 minutes. Reinstall the battery, observing polarity. Power on and see if this makes any difference.

 

[PHPsteve]

YESSS!


I'm thankful to be able to report that resetting the BIOS worked. Many thanks to fireberd and to megahertz07 for their assistance. The only remaining question, in my mind, is whether I should now upgrade to Win 10 using the disc that Dell included with the machine in the first place. It might go well, but it might be a disaster. Will appreciate anyone's thoughts.


Again, thank you! I will mark this as solved later - I don't want to get in the way of any replies.


Steve E.

 

[fireberd]

Win 10 is up to you. Personally I like it and what I have.

I would first make a complete drive back up (disc image) of all partitions to a separate (USB connected or internal) drive. Then if things go bad or you don't like Win 10 you can restore back to Win 7. You should be making periodic full drive backups anyway - not for IF its ever needed but for WHEN its needed. The free and popular Macrium Reflect (what I use) is suggested for a disc image program.

Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free

 

[PHPsteve]

Hope I didn't speak too soon...

The machine ran it's self-analysis and decided that I needed to upgrade a couple of drivers -

Urgent - Intel USB eXtensible Host Controller Driver
Urgent - Dell Inspiron 3650/3250 System BIOS

So I let it go ahead. It's ready to restart now so this will be either really good or really bad. But I know what to do the next time!

Thanks to all...


Steve

 

[Megahertz07]

YESSS!


I'm thankful to be able to report that resetting the BIOS worked. Many thanks to fireberd and to megahertz07 for their assistance. The only remaining question, in my mind, is whether I should now upgrade to Win 10 using the disc that Dell included with the machine in the first place. It might go well, but it might be a disaster. Will appreciate anyone's thoughts.


Again, thank you! I will mark this as solved later - I don't want to get in the way of any replies.


Steve E.

In my opinion, Win 10 is a downgrade. Remember: The best software is the one you know how to use.
To try win 10, replace the HDD and use the disks that Dell included with the machine.