Computer hangs when trying to verify usb controller when booting

joe1 · April 13, 2012, 11:25am

Hello,

with the Plugable USB 2.0 10 Port Hub (with Power Adapter) connected when booting, my computer hangs on the usb controller verification step. If I disconnect the Plugable Hub, the computer will boot normally.

Thank you,
joe

Roze_Padamadan · April 13, 2012, 3:44pm

Hi Joe,

Thanks for posting here! I’m sorry to know that you are having trouble booting up your system when the hub is connected.

We’ve had reports of this issue a couple of times, but every time on further troubleshooting, we’ve found that it was a device that was plugged into the hub that was causing the system to hang and not the hub itself. So let’s figure out what is the root cause of the issue and possible solutions.

Could you do some quick tests given below and let me know what happens?

Plug in just the Hub to your system with no devices or the power adapter plugged in to the Hub and reboot the system. Does the system reboot without any issues?
Plug only the AC Power Adapter to the Hub and connect the Hub to the system. Try rebooting the system. Does the system reboot?
Plug in only one device to the Hub. Do not plug in the power adapter. Connect the hub to the system and try to reboot. Does the system reboot? If not, could you let me know the make and model (or spec) of the device plugged in to the Hub?
Plug in the same device as in the test above (test 3). Plug in the power adapter to the hub, connect the hub to the system and try rebooting. Does the system reboot?
Can you try out the tests 3 and 4 with all your devices, one at a time and let us know on which combinations (model and make of the device and power adapter attached/ not attached) you see the inability of the system to boot.

If you could let us know the model and make (or specs) of the devices that you plug into the hub, it would be very helpful.

Please do these tests and let us know the results either by posting it here or by shotting us an email at support@plugable.com .

Thanks for your patience while we try to resolve this issue!

Regards,
Roze

ltw246 · May 3, 2012, 11:38pm

I have the same or a similar problem. I have a Microsoft wireless mouse and a dell Bluetooth keyboard. When the plugin components for these devices are in the USB hub the computer hangs during booting. When they are not in hub the computer boots fine. If I have only my iPhone connected to the hub, the computer will boot as it should. If I start the computer with the mouse and Bluetooth plugged directly in to the computer it boots fine. If I then move those devices to the hub everything continues to work. I do not, however, consider this a satisfactory solution.

Roze_Padamadan · May 4, 2012, 7:41am

Hi ltw246,

Thanks for posting here! I can totally understand your frustration with the BIOS freeze and your confusion on seeing that the BIOS freeze only occur when either the wireless mouse or the Bluetooth keyboard are plugged in to the hub and not when directly plugged into an inbuilt USB port on your system.

When you start your computer, the booting process typically involves performing power-on self-test, locating and initializing peripheral devices, and then finding, loading and starting an operating system.

During booting the BIOS expects a response from input devices. A wireless keyboard/mouse adapter provides a slower response than a wired keyboard and wired mouse. The adapter is a complex device with its own firmware to manage, and it also needs time to establish a wireless connection with the devices.

The wireless adapter does however provide a quick enough response to the PC’s BIOS when directly connected to a USB port on the system. When its connected to a hub, there’s an extra delay as the system needs to recognize the hub before recognizing devices like the adapter on the hub. This additional delay can make the response time a little too long during startup for the BIOS on some systems, causing it to hang.

The first thing I’d recommend is to check if the system manufacturer has released a BIOS update that solves the problem. If yes, please do update the BIOS.

Another option that is available if your system is a PC with PS/2 mouse & keyboard attached or a laptop is to disable “USB keyboard and mouse support” in the BIOS if it is enabled. This option is known to help resolve the problem for a lot of people.If your system is a PC that only has USB keyboard and mouse, then this option is not recommended.

If either of the above do not fix the issue, then attaching these devices directly to the system during start-up rather than through the hub may be the only workaround possible even if it is not a satisfactory solution. Sorry about that!

Regards,
Roze

ltw246 · May 4, 2012, 5:37pm

Do I understand this correctly?

(1) The product does not perform the simple function it was built for

and

(2) The response from customer support boils down to “tough luck.”

Tom

bernieplug · May 4, 2012, 5:58pm

Hi Tom,

I understand your frustration. This is a tough problem that we see from time to time with certain BIOS (that wireless keyboard/mice cause BIOS to hang, if connected through a hub).

It’s not specific to our hub. Here are some other threads from users with the same problem with other brands of hub:

* http://www.sevenforums.com/installati…
* http://www.daniweb.com/hardware-and-s…

The problem is system specific (specifically, the system BIOS – this is where the hang is happening, we suspect when input devices don’t respond in an expected period of time).

But we will not leave you hanging - while we can’t solve problems that are out of our control, we’ll either find a solution, or make sure you get a full refund. We never want customers stuck with hardware that can’t work for them.

If you’re within 30 days of purchase, returns are easy and no hassle. Just visit http://www.amazon.com/gp/css/returns/… And after 30 days, just contact us directly.

If you’re still interested in trying what we can to find a solution, we need to focus in on your BIOS version and options. Are you able to go into your BIOS at boot, and let us know what maker and version of BIOS your system has? If not, can you let us know your system brand and model?

We’ll try to look for a manual for the BIOS on your system, and look for options (“USB 1.1 mode” and “USB resume” features) that have sometimes worked around this issue for other users.

Thanks for your patience, and just let us know which way you’d like to go!

Bernie