My computer wont detect anything i plug in to it?

One thought on “My computer wont detect anything i plug in to it?”

1. jessemac12 says:

   July 25, 2010 at 6:54 am

   I do not know how old your system is, but in many cases, the one driver software that many people do not reinstall on their system is the one that counts the most, their motherboard drivers. This is the driver set that allows WindowsXP Home/Pro/Media Center to update the USB ports from 1.0 to the 2.0 spec. This only happens on systems build in the last three years with WindowsXP. WindowsXP’s built-in USB port drivers only handle accessing USB 1.0 ports, not 2.0 ports. So you need to install the latest drivers for your system’s motherboard. An example is if you have a Dell, HP, Sony Vaio, or Gateway, you need to go the manufacturer’s official website and go to their "support" section. There is usually a link or area for downloads. Go to this area and download the drivers for your system BIOS/CMOS/motherboard chipset there. Most PC’s built in a factory are identified on the front of the system by a "badge number." This is usually related to the model of the system (example: my Dell desktop is a Dimension 8400 so therefore around the top of the system, or around the front or power-button area is the Dell Dimension 8400 logo). If you have a laptop, then the "badge number" is located either on the system’s palmrest area where the touchpad is located, on a hinge-cover or the LCD monitor’s bezel. If you built your own desktop system, then you need to remember the model of the motherboard and it’s ATI/Intel/nVidia chipset model and then go to the motherboard manufacturers official website and download their drivers from there. Without the correct motherboard drivers, no amount of configuring the Windows Registry will work, and even the other drivers may not install correctly for video and audio from the system. Personally, I would format the hard drive using the WindowsXP installation CD after you have successfully downloaded and backed-up the motherboard drivers to CD. After installing WindowsXP, the next thing I would do is to install the motherboard/BIOS drivers, then install the drivers for the audio card and video and the iPod and other devices later. This usually makes for an error resistant, if not error-free installation.

   PS…..You do not necessarily need to be on your current computer to download and these drivers. You can download these files to a directory for "burning" to CD or DVD. Just make sure when downloading, you specify a download that "saves" the file to hard drive, not a live-update download. This way, if you have any problems with your PC down the road, you always the downloaded drivers on hand as well for your system. Usually, the PC manufacturers have options for live install or for you to "download" the files for later installation.

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