USB ports on monitor will not work

The monitor is a Dell 1905FP flat panel monitor.  It has 2 USB ports on the left side.  The cable is good - I had it checked on another PC.

What kind of monitor?

There isn't much to try, except another device, and another cable from the PC to the monitor to see if it's the USB hub in the monitor or the connection from the monitor to the PC.

I have installed, literally, dozens of Optiplex systems with this monitor and not a single one of them has had the USB ports work.

I have combed these forums for any reasonable solution, but I get are the usual silly and totally not useful answer of making sure the cable connects the pc and the monitor.

I have already done that, but the technology still doesn't work. I have gone as far as to remove via device manager and scrubbing windows irritating prefetch options/system restore so that windows will "rediscover" the hardware and set it up properly.

Still doesn't work.

Does anyone have a sensible, reasonable and above all WORKING fix to get these USB ports on the monitor to work properly?

If it's not possible, just say so. If it is possible, then please p-lease please, put it in a sticky message at the top of the Monitor forums so that people don't have to spend 2000 dollars in manhours hunting for a solution for a 2000 dollar computer.

Thanks in advance for any useful help.

Hiya Speed, thanks for the inquiry.

I do the same as you - the provided cable from the back of the Optiplex, to cable specific socket on the bottom of the LCD monitor.

But I'm not connecting mouse or keyboard - my clients are interested in using the monitor USB sockets for USB memory sticks. Perhaps that is the problem?

Where those monitor sockets made to be used with mice/keyboards only?

There are 2 common problems.  1 is with mapped drives.  The other is with power.

The mapped drive Issue is addressed by doing START, RUN, DISKMGMT.MSC

When you plug in a memory key and it doesnt seem to show up its because it replaced a mapped network drive.  You must use disk management and assign it a drive letter like M or N or O etc.

For each Brand of device you must ASSIGN it a different Drive letter or it will be invisible to your system.

However if the device does not show up in diskmgmt then its a power issue.

The problem with many memory sticks is that they need more power than a mouse or some other 100MA device.


Try using A drbott T3 hub inbetween. If that works its definitely a power problem.

http://www.drbott.com/prod/db.lasso?code=3105-T3IB

or get a usb 2.0 hub with power supply.

I recently got one at WALLMART that did the trick.

Cyberpower USB 2.0 - 4 Port Powered Hub $29

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20477

 

Message Edited by SpeedStep on 06-28-2005 12:00 AM

Okay, I can see power being a possible issue. I'm pretty certain mapped drives is not.

The USB sticks are just *not being seen* by the computer, when plugged into the monitor USB ports. They are recognized as soon as they are plugged directly into the computer.

I went back yesterday to a couple of them, and tried mouse and keyboard. In one case the keyboard worked, but in the rest nothing worked off the monitor ports.

The units are usually setup without the monitor present and it's added to the system when it's delivered to the client's desk. Perhaps the who shebang has to be connected when the unit is first fired up and Windows does it's hardware enumeration? If that's so, though, I would have thought that yanking the drivers et all would have allowed Windows to re-detect the USB pieces and set them up properly.

Another thought - the OPtiplexes have 6 ports on the back - 2 are right under the NIC port and the other four beside it. I usually use the two by the NIC port for the keyboard and mouse. I notice the others are labeled with little lights "a b c d", and into one of those is when I usually plug in the USB extension cord to the monitor.

Would the use of those 4 ports be part of the problem? Should I plug the USB extension into one of the two ports by the NIC port? Do you supose that would make a difference?

Thanks again for the help?

Put a powered hub in the mix somewhere. Whether off the back or off the front or at the end doesnt matter. You just cannot cascade passive hubs.

Again I have no issues with this when proper power is used and cable lengths are to spec etc. The voltage and current spec is very tight which is why usb extensions are not allowed under most circumstances.

Disconnect the power cable from the monitor and push for 30 sec. the start button of the monitor. You make with this a hard reset of this monitor and after this must the USB connecter work fine.

Hi I recently got the usb ports working on my monitor but when i use my memory keys they always try & use the newtork drive letter, I have changed them using disk management which works until i remove them, they then try to use the network drive letter again when put back in. Can anyone advise me how to permanently assign the drive letters to these so I don't have to use disk managemnet everytime. I don't want to have to change network drive letter - will cause alot of problems with certain linked files i use

Unbelievable!!!!!  Held the power button in, unplugged monitor, kept power pushed for 30 seconds, let go of power button, plugged USB cable into computer, then into monitor, plugged power to monitor.  My USB now works.  Axioma, you da man (or gal).  No insult intended, it's just unknown. 

I thought I bent or messed up the squarish piece on the back of the monitor.  I purchased the monitor a month ago and was so bummed that the USB's on my monitor quit working.   Axioma, thank you very much for the good advice. 

Hey Axioma! Thanks for your help. All of a sudden my usb ports on my 17inch LCD monitor stopped working. I was clueless and luckily I found this thread. Thanks again. I just unplugged the back power and reconnected it after 30 seconds and everything checks out great now.

Jeff

I do not know who Axioma is but I thank nsgators and SpugenBoy for repeating his/her advice!!  I unconnected the USB cable, unplugged the monitor and turned off the power for 30 seconds.  I did keep the keyboard and mouse plugged into the monitor.  After 30 seconds, I turned on the power, reconnected the USB cable and then plugged the monitor back into the power source.  All works fine now - the monitor is the 1704FPV.

You are awesome!!!! I have spent hours today frustrated because of the same problem...different monitor (2001FP).  I tried your fix after finding it and....works great now.

Thanks again!!!!

Lisa:smileyhappy: