USB ports broken - any alternatives?

[mibaup]

Hello,

all the usb ports were broken. I wanted to know if there is a way to connect a USB in some way, instead of fixing the USB ports.

I was thinking about: My laptop has DVD drive, so maybe there is a special hub or caddy that connects to sata port with USB ports? (So I will remove the DVD drive and replace it with the USB thing)
Or, maybe there is such thing as a "SD card to USB hub" device? (If not, I think it's a good idea for the hardware companies to make )

If some of them do exist, can you name them or give me some links?
Or maybe you have any other suggestions?

Thank you!

 

[carwiz]

USB ports in a laptop are set up differently than desktops. There are no "headers" to speak of depending on the brand. All the space is used up or designed to stay thin. Some have USB plug modules that can be replaced. Your best bet is to have it repaired if a replacement laptop is out of the question. Some of the laptops are very delicate and can't survive gorilla pawing.

 

[mibaup]

Thanks !
I just found out this :
Amazon.com: StarTech.com USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable w/ UASP - SATA to USB 3.0 Converter for SSD/HDD - Hard Drive Adapter Cable: Computers & Accessories

And I wanted to ask you if maybe after all this might work ?

*Edit: I noticed it's a male connection, and for what I need it should be female in order to be connected to the internal laptop's sata connection. So there is not even one device that convert the internal male SATA connection to some USB ports? I mean, it does seem possible, no? It's an input and output connection not just output like 3.5mm jack.. Or I'm wrong?

 

[carwiz]

Even if you found or made a connector, you would have to have drivers for it. USB devices are controlled via a HUB that lets Windows know when a device is plugged in and carries out various communications routing for the I/O controller. A SATA port is connected directly to an I/O controller. While you can attach a disk or disc to a USB port, you cannot attach a USB device to a SATA port. There's no firmware or drivers to emulate a USB hub.

 

[mibaup]

Thanks!