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This article was excerpted from: PC Upgrading and Troubleshooting QuickSteps

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For your USB printer, mouse, or other device to work properly, the USB bus must be working properly. Here's a list of things to check:

1. First, disconnect and reconnect both ends of your USB cable. If you are using a USB hub, disconnect the device from the hub and plug it directly into the back of your PC. Disconnect any other USB devices from your computer. Now turn off the USB device— if it can be turned off—and restart your computer. If the device now works, reconnect other USB devices one at a time to see if one of the other devices is causing the problem.

2. If you are using a USB hub, reconnect it. Theoretically, all USB devices should work properly when attached to a USB hub, but the truth is that some USB devices won't; they have to be plugged directly into the computer.

   

   If your USB hub is a self-powered hub, make sure the hub's power adapter is plugged in and the hub is receiving power. See “USB Power Problems” later in this chapter.

3. Confirm that USB is properly installed in Windows XP. Open Device Manager by going to Start, right-clicking My Computer, selecting Properties, and selecting the Hardware tab. Click the Device Manager button. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and double-click Universal Serial Bus Controllers (see Figure 1). It's usually the last entry in the list.

4. If a red X appears next to any of the listings for a USB controller or USB root hub (see Figure 2), double-click that entry and, on the General tab under Device Usage, select Use This Device (Enable) from the pull-down menu.

5. If a yellow circle is next to any of the listings, look under Device Status on the General tab for notification of any conflicts (see Figure 3).

6. If there is no entry in Device Manager for Universal Serial Bus controllers, check your computer's BIOS settings. Search through the menus for any USB settings. Make sure any On/Off or Enable/Disable setting for USB is set to On or Enable.

   

   Try reinstalling the USB entry in Windows XP by deleting it in Device Manager and restarting your computer. Windows XP should automatically reload it.

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