How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

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pepperminty
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How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by pepperminty »

My Thinkpad has 3 usb ports. One USB port doesn't seem to work . I plugged in a mouse there and it doesn't work. But the mouse works in the two other USB ports. How can I tell why this USB port isn't working?

Same thing can be said when I plug in my ereader. The ereader doesn't work in ProblemPort but works in the two other ports.
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by deepakdeshp »

Does lsusb command report the port?
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by pepperminty »

~$ lsusb
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 5986:2109 Acer, Inc Integrated Camera
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0cf3:e500 Qualcomm Atheros Communications
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 04b3:310c IBM Corp. Wheel Mouse [this is one of the 3 USB ports]
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 2237:4229 Kobo Inc. eReader-4.23.15548 [This is another of the 3 USB ports]
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

I then unplugged the mouse and plugged it into the problem USB port and got this:
$ lsusb
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 5986:2109 Acer, Inc Integrated Camera
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0cf3:e500 Qualcomm Atheros Communications
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 2237:4229 Kobo Inc. eReader-4.23.15548
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by SMG »

I don't know the age of your Thinkpad, but some have had problems. Is your ThinkPad's USB-C port not working? Upgrade its firmware.
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by pepperminty »

SMG wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 6:03 pm I don't know the age of your Thinkpad, but some have had problems. Is your ThinkPad's USB-C port not working? Upgrade its firmware.
My E570 is not in the linked list.

A portion of inxi -Fxz is below.
Machine:
Type: Laptop System: LENOVO product: 20H5009HUS v: ThinkPad E570
serial: <filter>
Mobo: LENOVO model: 20H5009HUS v: SDK0J40705 WIN serial: <filter>
UEFI: LENOVO v: R0DET95W (1.95 ) date: 06/16/2018
My thinkpad does not have any USB-C ports. Just the rectangular ports.
Last edited by pepperminty on Fri Sep 11, 2020 7:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by pepperminty »

deepak,
based on what I posted, what do you think is going on? Is this a hardware issue (unfixable... boohoo) or a software issue (fixable... yahoo)?
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by antikythera »

Your BIOS is way out of date. There's a newer version that fixes security issues and a battery drain problem among other things. Use the bootable CD download and then you don't need to bother with windows. Look at the readme and you will see what I mean, the changelog is down the bottom of the file.

https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/gb/en/prod ... IOS%2FUEFI

Also which port is failing to detect devices? The single USB 2.0 (Always ON charging enabled) port on the right or one of the USB 3.0 ports on the left?

The manual implies it may be turned off in BIOS anyway:
USB problem
Problem: A device connected to the USB connector does not work.

Solution: Ensure that the USB port is enabled in the ThinkPad Setup
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by pepperminty »

Thank you for your response.
antikythera wrote: Fri Sep 11, 2020 7:53 pm Your BIOS is way out of date. There's a newer version that fixes security issues and a battery drain problem among other things. Use the bootable CD download and then you don't need to bother with windows.
Windows? Once I got my Thinkpad, I did a clean-install of Linux Mint. Not a trace of Windows.
or maybe you meant I need to use a Windows computer... https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles/r0duj33w.txt (a readme in your link) says
HOW TO CREATE A BOOTABLE BIOS FLASH USB MEMORY KEY

1. Refer to the "HOW TO INSTALL" Section 1 to 7.
2. Attach a USB memory key to your Windows system, then format the USB memory key.
Note: A medium formatted with NTFS or exFAT is not supported by this Flash Update process.
Use FAT32 or FAT16 as a file system of the medium.
3. Open command prompt with administrator right, then move to a directory of this
package.
4. Run mkusbkey.bat in the directory with following command format, then finish
creating BIOS flash USB memory key.

Syntax : mkusbkey.bat [Drive]

[Drive]
D:,E:,F:... : Drive letter assigned to the USB memory key
Example : mkusbkey D:
antikythera wrote: Look at the readme and you will see what I mean, the changelog is down the bottom of the file.

https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/gb/en/prod ... IOS%2FUEFI
Should I get the BIOS update utility or the BIOS Update (Bootable CD)? I discarded the CD-tray hardware (to make the laptop lighter). Can I update BIOS by a USB stick?
antikythera wrote: Also which port is failing to detect devices? The single USB 2.0 (Always ON charging enabled) port on the right or one of the USB 3.0 ports on the left?
One of the USB ports on the left.
antikythera wrote: The manual implies it may be turned off in BIOS anyway:
USB problem
Problem: A device connected to the USB connector does not work.

Solution: Ensure that the USB port is enabled in the ThinkPad Setup
Is this solution only for the right-sided Always-on USB port?

IIRC, all 3 USB ports were working just fine. Or maybe I just don't remember that this USB port has always been a problem. Anyway, I'll check out the BIOS.
Anyway, we're talking about one of the ports on the left. I'm also having this problem when my laptop is booted into Mint (and not just powered off, with a battery/AC connected).
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by SMG »

pepperminty wrote: Fri Sep 11, 2020 8:23 pm
antikythera wrote: Also which port is failing to detect devices? The single USB 2.0 (Always ON charging enabled) port on the right or one of the USB 3.0 ports on the left?
One of the USB ports on the left.
That would mean that one of the USB 3.0 ports doesn't seem to be registering based on what you are observing. Yet from what you posted earlier, both items (Kobo and mouse) are plugged into Bus 001 which is listed as USB 2.0 ports.
pepperminty wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 12:02 pm ~$ lsusb
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 5986:2109 Acer, Inc Integrated Camera
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0cf3:e500 Qualcomm Atheros Communications
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 04b3:310c IBM Corp. Wheel Mouse [this is one of the 3 USB ports]
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 2237:4229 Kobo Inc. eReader-4.23.15548 [This is another of the 3 USB ports]
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
I'm not sure what is happening here.
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by SMG »

I found a bit more information on lsusb Deep Hardware Discovery With lshw and lsusb on Linux. It says, "The root hub is a virtual device that represents the USB bus.".

It lists an example and says, "The above output is on an older system that includes both 3.0 and 2.0 controllers, which may seem odd because USB standards are always backwards-compatible. But some 2.0 devices had problems with 3.0 controllers, so it made sense to have both."

So I think your devices are showing in the USB 2.0 hub because they are USB 2.0 devices even though they may be plugged into USB 3.0 ports. Which may well mean there is a hardware issue if there isn't a BIOS setting which can turn on or off USB ports.
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by pepperminty »

I have access to a Windows 10 computer. I borrowed a USB drive.

I booted up the Linux Mint Thinkpad and entered the BIOS. For reference, here's the present information (before I update BIOS):

Under the Main tab:
UEFI BIOS version: R0DET95W (1.95)
UEFI BIOS Date (2018-06-16)
Embedded Controller Version: R0DHT95W (1.95)
ME Firmware Version (11.6.0.1126)

Under the Config tab>USB subsection:
USB UEFI BIOS Support: [Enabled]
Always on USB: [Disabled]


Now it's time to update BIOS.
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by pepperminty »

SMG wrote: Fri Sep 11, 2020 8:53 pm I found a bit more information on lsusb Deep Hardware Discovery With lshw and lsusb on Linux. It says, "The root hub is a virtual device that represents the USB bus.".

It lists an example and says, "The above output is on an older system that includes both 3.0 and 2.0 controllers, which may seem odd because USB standards are always backwards-compatible. But some 2.0 devices had problems with 3.0 controllers, so it made sense to have both."

So I think your devices are showing in the USB 2.0 hub because they are USB 2.0 devices even though they may be plugged into USB 3.0 ports. Which may well mean there is a hardware issue if there isn't a BIOS setting which can turn on or off USB ports.
I guess this means that updating the BIOS wouldn't fix the problem, would it?
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by pepperminty »

From https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/gb/en/prod ... IOS%2FUEFI I downloaded both the 7.62MB BIOS Update Utility exe and the 16.36 BIOS Update (Bootable CD) iso. I software-mounted the iso, and it shows as blank on the Windows 10 computer, even though file explorer says it's 16MB big. As for the exe file, when I double click it, I get a message saying that IT has disabled running the exe file. Lol. I guess I'll just use the 2 working USB ports.
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by antikythera »

Since you state the port is on the left it is most likely a bad solder preventing it from working which a BIOS update would not fix. The two USB 3 ports on that side are on the same controller. The BIOS update would address some of the battery drain. It would be worth creating the boot media from the ISO file regardless of the software mount telling you there's nothing in the ISO. There is but it's hidden in the EFI partition.
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Re: How can I figure out why one USB port on laptop isn't working?

Post by pepperminty »

antikythera wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 12:40 pm Since you state the port is on the left it is most likely a bad solder preventing it from working which a BIOS update would not fix. The two USB 3 ports on that side are on the same controller. The BIOS update would address some of the battery drain. It would be worth creating the boot media from the ISO file regardless of the software mount telling you there's nothing in the ISO. There is but it's hidden in the EFI partition.
On CinnaMint 20, in the File Manager, I right-click the iso, and select "Make Bootable USB stick". I choose "/devsdb" ("16GB", which is the size of the USB stick" and click "Write". After 2 seconds, I see "The Image was successfully written".

I reboot the ThinkPad, press Enter to interrupt the boot sequence. I then press F12 to choose boot medium. In the "Boot Menu" list there are 5 things:

1. ubuntu (This is like the default bootup of Linux Mint)
2. Windows Boot manager (choosing this does nothing. The screen flashes and I'm taken back to this same Boot Menu list.)
3. ATA HDD0: ADATA SP550 (this must by SSD)
4. USB HDD: Generic USB device (when i choose this, the screen goes black for a moment and the light in the 16GB thumb drive flashes, but I'm taken back to this boot menu)
5. PCI LAN: Realtek PXE B04 D00
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