Difference in USB ports on front or back of computer?

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My System is a Dell Precision Tower 5810 running Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit.

I have a couple of older WD My Book Essential External 2 TB Hard Drives.
This is the WD Drive before the current My Book came out.

When I connect either WD My Book Essential External 2 TB Hard Drives to the 1 USB 3.0 Port on the front of the Tower, my System does not recognize that it is attached.

When I instead connect it to either of the 3 USB 2.0 Ports on the front of the Tower, my System does recognize that it is attached.

WD told me to try a USB 3.0 Port on the back of the Tower.

I did that & Viola, my System now recognizes that it is attached.

Since the WD My Book Essential External Hard Drives do support USB 3.0 I would of course rather use a USB 3.0 Port for the additional speed.
But, there are only 3 USB 3.0 Ports on the back of the Tower and I use all three (2 Monitors and the UPS).
I had to disconnect my UPS to be able to use that USB 3.0 Port.

I researched my problem and there seems to be conflicting opinions as to whether or not it matters if you use a USB 3.0 Port on the front or the back.

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Steven,

Do USB 2.0 devices work on that front port?

According to the spec sheet:

I/O Ports Front : 3 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, 1 Microphone, 1 Headphone, Internal: 3 USB 2.0, 4 SATA 6Gb/s, 2 SATA 6GB/s (for
optical drive(s)), Rear: 3 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.0, 1 Serial, 2 PS2, 1 RJ45 (intel Gigabit Ethernet)

It’s always possible that the ports on the front were wired wrong and the one labeled as USB 3.0 is wired to a 2.0 header which would probably mean that one of the ones labeled 2.0 is really 3.0. Just a thought.

HTH :cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Steven,

Do USB 2.0 devices work on that front port?

According to the spec sheet:

It’s always possible that the ports on the front were wired wrong and the one labeled as USB 3.0 is wired to a 2.0 header which would probably mean that one of the ones labeled 2.0 is really 3.0. Just a thought.

HTH :cheers:

USB ports drive me up the wall, too.

I have two older HP laptops, which only have (4) USB 2.0 ports. Since everything seems to be going to USB 3.0 (and I have even seen some USB 3.1 devices) I felt that I had better upgrade and join the crowd. I found an adapter that plugs into the ExpressCard 54mm port and gives me one USB 3.0 port and a SATA port, for an external HD. Then I ordered a 7 port USB 3.0 router, to give me a total opf 7 USB 3.0 ports. That should hold me for awhile, and if I need more ports I can always add another router. This was quite inexpensive since most of it came from China. I spent less than $30 for the two pieces! I just wanted to toss this out there for anyone else in a similar position.

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USB ports drive me up the wall, too.

Then I ordered a 7 port USB 3.0 router, to give me a total opf 7 USB 3.0 ports.

I’m guessing you mean a 7-port USB hub which in turn connects to the single USB 3.0 port of the Express card adapter thingy? Cheers!

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I’m guessing you mean a 7-port USB hub which in turn connects to the single USB 3.0 port of the Express card adapter thingy? Cheers!

Thanks Marvin! I gets me devices mixed up sometimes. Hub just SOUNDS better, anyway! It’s a thingy with seven USB sockets on it. Since USB can hold, what, 128 ports, you can hook up a whole SLEW of these together. Hooray!

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Thanks Marvin! I gets me devices mixed up sometimes. Hub just SOUNDS better, anyway! It’s a thingy with seven USB sockets on it. Since USB can hold, what, 128 ports, you can hook up a whole SLEW of these together. Hooray!

Yeah, i know a guy who needed some extra USB ports for his PC, but he sneered at the idea of connecting a hub. “Hah, sharing the bandwidth between that many ports means there’s hardly any bandwidth available on one port!” So, i reminded him that usually only one, or at most two, ports would be transferring data at any given time and, therefore, bandwidth-hogging would not be a problem. He snorted at this suggestion and changed the subject, yet a few months later i noticed a USB hub tucked behind his PC ….

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I have a Win10 computer without USB 3.0 support so to gain it I added a USB 3.0 PCIe X1 card, got 2 ports on the back, have another computer I probably will do the same to since more storage devices are going that way.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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Some time ago I bought a USB 3.0 Corsair 256 GB Survivor flash drive. I had nothing but problems with it when using the front USB 3.0 plugs when trying to move a lot of data at once, so I emailed support and they said to try it in a back USB 3.0 plug.
I did and it worked fine there. Support said that the rear plugs go directly to the MB and the front plugs are cabled to the MB connections and it does make a difference in efficiency.
The front USB 2.0 plugs work fine and also the USB 3.0 plugs as long as it’s not an intensive operation.
YMMV

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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The front USB port probably isn’t connected. Does it work with USB2 devices?

cheers, Paul

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I just tried it.

The USB 3.0 Port on the front of the Tower does recognize a USB 2.0 Flash Drive when I put it in that port.

I do not get any error message (USB Device Not Recognized, etc.)
The connected USB Flash Drive just does not show up as a Drive in “This PC”

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Started poking around under Device Manager

Under the Universal Serial Bus Controllers (last 3 items), I have 2 USB Root Hub & 1 USB Root Hub (xHCI)

Both of the USB Root Hub did not have the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” checked
But, the 1 USB Root Hub (xHCI) did have that checked

So, I unchecked that, restarted my Tower 5810 and now the WD My Book Essential External Hard Drives are recognized as a Drive in “This PC” when they are connected to the 1 USB 3.0 Port on the front of the Tower.

So, after restarting my Tower 5810 I went back under Device Manager.

I have 2 Generic SuperSpeed USB Hub
Both of those had that item checked – so I unchecked both of them.

I have 4 Generic USB Hub
But only 2 had that item checked – so I unchecked both of them.

I restarted my Tower 5810 again.

QUESTIONS

Why would some have the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” and not the others.
I have just had this Tower 5810 since late Sept 2015 & I assure you, “I” did not set those that way.

Did I mention I hate all forms of “Power Saving” & always set everything to stay on 100% of the time (i.e. No Sleep, Hibernation, etc.)
I do turn off my Tower 5810 totally off every night – so that is enough power saving for me.
Besides, the electrical rates around here are extremely low anyway.

And, I have found (like in this case) that Power Saving settings have a tendency to “conflict” with some operations.

What is the difference(s) between a USB Root Hub and a USB Root Hub (xHCI)
I plan on researching that as soon as I post this.

Is there any reason why the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” canNOT remain UNchecked all of the time in all of the 5 locations where I UNchecked it?

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Started poking around under Device Manager

Under the Serial Bus Controllers, I have 2 USB Root Hub & 1 USB Root Hub (xHCI)

Both of the USB Root Hub did not have the “Allow the computer to turn off the device to save power” checked
But, the 1 USB Root Hub (xHCI) did have that checked

So, I unchecked that, restarted my Tower 5810 and now the WD My Book Essential External Hard Drives are recognized as a Drive in “This PC” when they are connected to the 1 USB 3.0 Port on the front of the Tower.

So, after restarting my Tower 5810 I went back under Device Manager.

I have 2 Generic SuperSpeed USB Hub
Both of those had that item checked – so I unchecked both of them.

I have 4 Generic USB Hub
But only 2 had that item checked – so I unchecked both of them.

I restarted my Tower 5810 again.

QUESTIONS

Why would some have the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” and not the others.
I have just had this Tower 5810 since late Sept 2015 & I assure you, “I” did not set those that way.

Did I mention I hate all forms of “Power Saving” & always set everything to stay on 100% of the time (i.e. No Sleep, Hibernation, etc.)
I do turn off my Tower 5810 totally off every night – so that is enough power saving for me.
Besides, the electrical rates around here are extremely low anyway.

And, I have found (like in this case) that Power Saving settings have a tendency to “conflict” with some operations.

What is the difference(s) between a USB Root Hub and a USB Root Hub (xHCI)
I plan on researching that as soon as I post this.

Is there any reason why the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” canNOT remain UNchecked all of the time in all of the 5 locations where I UNchecked it?

I’m with you, Steven. I always set my computer so that it is always on, and that it never sleeps or hibernates unless I tell it to. The only thing I set to turn off after a certain amount of time is my monitor, so I don’t get a burned in image. I’ve heard that these days burn in is not a problem; but I do it anyway, out of habit, I guess.

My thought is that if the computer can turn off the port after a while, or if the port can turn off the computer after a while, connections can break, and they might not reestablish correctly. So I always uncheck all of those boxes.

Why are they checked by default? Perhaps the environmentalists have convinced the computer companies that they need to do that; that would be my best guess. (I’m not offering an opinion as to whether that is good or not, so let’s not start an argument about that!)

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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The only thing I set to turn off after a certain amount of time is my monitor, so I don’t get a burned in image. I’ve heard that these days burn in is not a problem; but I do it anyway, out of habit, I guess.

That “burn-in” was a huge problem back in the days of Interlaced CRT/Cathode Ray Tube monitors which lead to creation of screen savers. The later Non-interlaced monitors didn’t have such a problem as they were constantly being redrawn/refreshed. It’s all because of the phosphorous on the inside of the tube. TVs used the same type tube but the images were constantly being changed. The LCD and LED monitors of to day don’t use those tubes so don’t have the problem.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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The LCD and LED monitors of to day don’t use those tubes so don’t have the problem.

Berton Sure as heck they do! I have worked in an industrial setting and have seen something that had the look of burn in, call it what you want.

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Berton Sure as heck they do! I have worked in an industrial setting and have seen something that had the look of burn in, call it what you want.

:cheers:

Transient image persistence. As its name suggests, it’s (usually) reversible.

Setting the monitor to turn off when not in use is a good idea.

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Transient image persistence. As its name suggests, it’s (usually) reversible.

Setting the monitor to turn off when not in use is a good idea.

How would one do that?
Turning off in the setting would just confuse the operators and hide info they should be watching.

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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How would one do that?…

Control PanelPower OptionsChange plan settings

Choose a setting from the “Turn off display” list (e.g.: “30 minutes”).

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How would one do that?
Turning off in the setting would just confuse the operators and hide info they should be watching.

:cheers:

If you needed the monitor on all the time, I suppose you’d just have to live with it. I’ve heard of software that slowly rotates the image back and forth ever-so-slightly (just a few pixels or so). I’ve never looked into it though.

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Transient image persistence. As its name suggests, it’s (usually) reversible.

Coochin
What I was asking was how to reverse Transient image persistence.

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Coochin
What I was asking was how to reverse Transient image persistence…

See the Wikipedia article in jwoods #17 post.

Seems to me that setting Windows’ power options to turn off the display after a reasonably short period of user inactivity would have much the same effect.

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Coochin
What I was asking was how to reverse Transient image persistence.

:cheers:

I think what you have to do is cover the whole screen with a black or white image; turning it off works too, I’m told. The downside is it can take several days. The problem is caused by the pixels not releasing their charge, and it can take a long time to drain.

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I’ve heard of software that slowly rotates the image back and forth ever-so-slightly …

Older television cameras which used an image orthicon tube also did this. It was called orbiting.

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What is the difference(s) between a USB Root Hub and a USB Root Hub (xHCI)

Not sure if you got an answer to this or not. USB Root Hub is the older 2.0 standard and xHCI is 3.0.

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Not sure if you got an answer to this or not. USB Root Hub is the older 2.0 standard and xHCI is 3.0.

THANKS for the reply.
I had not yet researched it, but figured that was what it had to be

Thanks again for the confirmation.

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Vendors create system images for the lowest common denominator so the image can be used on many configurations. They probably captured their image with the “rear” USB ports enabled and the state configured at that time. Then any system with any additional USB ports, say front USB, gets the default state when Windows enumerates the ports.

Setting up a system for power savings and reliably maintaining that capability is not simple. It is one of the reasons many low power laptops and tablets have only one or two USB ports.

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Sounds like the usual software and hardware foibles. If you have a setting that works, stick with it.

cheers, Paul

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So no one thinks that rechecking those boxes is necessary?

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Thanks to both! Missed that link the first tie around.
:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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I researched my problem and there seems to be conflicting opinions as to whether or not it matters if you use a USB 3.0 Port on the front or the back.

Not all USB 3.0 implementations are created equal.

[indent]Does The USB 3.0 Controller On Your Motherboard Matter?

USB 3.0 Speed Tests: 7-Way Host Controllers Roundup

Google: usb 3.0 chip|controller implementation|differences[/indent]

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I had that happen with either my Toshiba USB or Seagate USB external drive. Drove me crazy with the drive not being found. Then I connected it to another USB port (rear) and it worked. I then moved back to a front USB port and I was in business again. Seems like the front USB forgot about the drive and needed that relocation of the drive to ‘jog its memory’, so to speak.

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One approach for LCD’s is a solid white screen saver image.

I sometimes use an all white screensaver as a “night light”. I’m able to switch off all the room lights and have soft illumination from it.

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This just seems to be something of an oddity. I’ve noticed the same thing with an HP machine with two front 3.0 USB ports. I had my external hard drive backup connected to the front port and it was amazingly slow, I moved it to the back port and it is amazingly fast. So, there’s something about the front ports though I have no idea what. I now just use them for occasional things like syncing tools or loading something brand new, like Adele’s CD. :^) That works fine, just not the more intensive operations backup requires.

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I discovered this problem with my HP tower a while back and kept forgetting it. I finally wrote a note in sharpie on my backup drive so that I won’t forget it again.

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USB Tree Viewer is a useful free program for displaying your USB configuration, including whether a particular port, or a device attached to it, will support USB3. Have a look at http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtreeview_e.html .

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Tip: Some USB devices do NOT work well, or sometimes NOT at all, when connected to a USB hub.

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Tip: Some USB devices do NOT work well, or sometimes NOT at all, when connected to a USB hub.

but don’t most (desktop) pcs use a hub for built-in ports?

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but don’t most (desktop) pcs use a hub for built-in ports?

The ports on the rear of a computer are soldered onto the motherboard. The ports on the front panel on the computer are attached to pins/sockets on the motherboard by cable from the front panel. A device called a hub can be added in one of the drive bays and it should show as such in Device Manager, mine does, but that will identify differently from the Root hub seen there.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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…snip…

But, there are only 3 USB 3.0 Ports on the back of the Tower and I use all three (2 Monitors and the UPS).
I had to disconnect my UPS to be able to use that USB 3.0 Port.

I suspect the UPS can get along nicely on a USB 2 port, and does not need USB 3, so why not keep your HDD on the USB 3 where you found it works, and plug the UPS into any open USB 2 port?

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I suspect the UPS can get along nicely on a USB 2 port, and does not need USB 3, so why not keep your HDD on the USB 3 where you found it works, and plug the UPS into any open USB 2 port?

If I find any noticeable speed difference between the front and back USB 3.0 Port, I will do just that.
I do have an open USB 2.0 Port on the back where I can move the UPS connection to.

But, it is much more convenient to just use the front USB 3.0 Port – & I would rather do that.
But speed trumps convenience – so we shall see.

When I make that decision, I will come back & post it here.

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As mentioned, some devices don’t seem to work as well on a Hub – I have a couple of them. On some (many/most) desktops the USB ports on the back are on the motherboard and those on the front are part of an internal HUB. Why this should matter is well beyond what I know about USB.

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the rear plugs go directly to the MB and the front plugs are cabled to the MB connections

Afaik this is the answer to the various questions here re “Why it should make a difference” [“MB” = motherboard]. I have always found in practice that front USB glitches get resolved when the device is changed to a rear port, so I assume there’s a significant difference in signal quality between direct-to-MB and via cable.

I connected it to another USB port (rear) and it worked. I then moved back to a front USB port and I was in business again. Seems like the front USB forgot about the drive and needed that relocation of the drive to ‘jog its memory’, so to speak.

I have also experienced this. So if a glitchy front device works when changed to a rear port, I always try it again in front, to see if it’s magically ‘woken up’. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

some devices don’t seem to work as well on a Hub

Agreed. My ‘in practice’ testing led me to some general conclusions:
1. Always connect external drives directly to the PC, not hub–USB3 is much better than USB2;
1a. I’ve never used USB for monitors but I assume the sometimes heavy data transfer loads will be more stable if connected directly, ie not via hub. USB3 is better than USB2 for continuous large data transfer, eg movies or games, at higher resolutions–or for general work on multiple monitors.
2. A USB2 hub is all that’s needed for devices like mouse, keyboard, headset, recharging operations etc.
3. Get a powered hub, much better than the cheaper unpowered ones.
4. A laptop docking station should be on USB3 direct.

Lugh.
~
Alienware Aurora R6; Win10 Home x64 1803; Office 365 x32
i7-7700; GeForce GTX 1060; 16GB DDR4 2400; 1TB SSD, 256GB SSD, 4TB HD

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