usb port problem

blue5000

First time on here so pls understand I'm no bill gates, Do the usb ports on a laptop wear out? I have a dell 6400 laptop that is about 5 yrs old and I use a mouse in the usb port. The connection seems loose, and it is impossible to connect to a printer with usb.

Is it possible to replace/repair the usb ports on a laptop?

Lundar.

hi blue5000,

USB ports can wear out or suffer from wear and tear , as they are a physical connection for data .

as far i can see there are 4 usb ports on a dell 6400 laptop .



2 on the right hand side



2 on the back of the laptop

Hopefully the 2 spare ones at the back should be still working ok

danjo-xx

I often wondered this as anything mechanical will eventually develop faults Only 2 ports on my laptop and I use two usb hubs to prevent wear n tear on the laptop ports and also to give extra ports.

Might be worth using a hub or two with any of your remaining good ports.

blue5000

Yeah, hub is a good idea, I am down to one ok port on the RHS. Thanx for the replies.

Firblog

If you do run out of USB ports you can also install a PCMCIA espansion card in the slot available ( on the upper pic to the furthest to the left of the USB ports)

http://cgi.ebay.ie/2x-USB-PCMCIA-Card-/330604309522?pt=UK_Computing_LaptopAccessories_PCMCIACards&hash=item4cf98d6c12

PapaQuebec

blue5000 wrote: »

First time on here so pls understand I'm no bill gates, Do the usb ports on a laptop wear out? I have a dell 6400 laptop that is about 5 yrs old and I use a mouse in the usb port. The connection seems loose, and it is impossible to connect to a printer with usb.

Is it possible to replace/repair the usb ports on a laptop?

If I had a euro for every time I've seen this on a Dell laptop......

I see this problem (especially with Dell systems) several times a week. The main cause is "dry joints" where the USB assy is soldered to the mobo.
Caused mainly by constant plugging-in and out of USB devices or devices being bumped against whilst attachet to the laptop.
NOt a cheap repair I'm afraid as the laptop had to be fully disassembled to get access to the soldered joints!

PlanIT Computing

blue5000 wrote: »

Yeah, hub is a good idea, I am down to one ok port on the RHS. Thanx for the replies.

You can pickup USB 1.1 4 port hubs in the Euro shops for €2 each if on budget!

blue5000

Thanks Firblog, seems to be the easiest solution to the problem