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PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition
book

PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

by Robert Bruce Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson
July 2003
Beginner to intermediate content levelBeginner to intermediate
874 pages
38h 13m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Configuring USB

When you are installing new USB devices or troubleshooting existing USB devices, you may need to determine detailed configuration information about your USB interfaces, drivers, hubs, and ports, including the following:

USB HCI

It’s frequently necessary to know which USB HCI your system uses. For example, the system requirements for a USB peripheral may state that it is incompatible with certain USB HCIs. Also, if you have occasion to troubleshoot a USB problem, knowing which USB HCI your system uses may allow you to pinpoint the problem more quickly because various USB HCIs have known limitations and incompatibilities.

USB driver information

Although Windows generally installs a suitable USB driver, there are times when upgrading (or downgrading) the default driver is required to allow USB devices to function properly.

USB power information

A USB port provides 500 milliamps of current, which is shared by all devices connected to that port. Connecting several unpowered devices to a port can exceed the maximum allowable current, which may cause problems ranging from sporadic operation to complete failure of all connected devices. Windows allows you to view the total power consumption for each USB port as well as the power consumed by each device connected to that port.

The following sections detail the steps necessary to view and change USB configuration.

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 059600513XErrata Page