Expert: Mike Rigsby - 11/6/2009

Question
sometimes my usb ports don't recognize that i have plugged in a keyboard, scanner etc. i unplug and replug and sometimes that works. do usb ports come as a card and do i need a new one? any help at all will be greatly appreciated.  thanks.
winxp, compaq

Answer
You can get add-on USB cards, which are pretty easy to install. Here is an example:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=USB+card&um=1&ie=U...

However, something you should also try is to just Uninstall your computer's USB ports and let Windows XP reinstall them, which is does automatically so you won't need to do anything but restart.

To do this,
1. Right-click on the My Computer icon
2. Select Manage
3. Open Device Manager by double-clicking it on the list
4. Go down to Universal Serial Bus controllers, click the + to expand the list
5. Right-click on each item and select Uninstall for any that have that option.
6. Restart your computer.

During the computer restart, XP will find and reinstall the USB hubs, which may well take care of that problem without the need to purchase anything.