Q Is it possible
to upgrade my USB 1.1 ports?
A No. It may be possible to install a
PCI card in your PC
or a PCMCIA Cardbus in your laptop, but the existing ports are not capable
of anything more than they are doing now.
Q Is there an
external device that will give my computer USB 2.0 performance?
A No. The USB
specifications are backwards compatible so a USB 2.0 hub will work for
instance, but if your computer only has USB 1.1 installed that will be the
maximum performance your computer is capable of.
Q. My
laptop only has USB 1.1, is it possible to upgrade it to USB v2.0?
A.
Yes, as long as your laptop/notebook has a 32-bit cardbus slot and meets the
minimum system specification, you may install a
USB 2.0 PCMCIA
cardbus and have the benefit of USB 2.0.
Q. How
do I know if my laptop can support a 32-bit PCMCIA card?
A.
Details are given in the product descriptions of all
PCMCIA Cardbus
cards, on how this can be checked.
Q.
Will using a USB 2.0 Hub improve the performance?
A
Although the hub would work you would still need to install
PCI card in your PC
or a PCMCIA Cardbus in your laptop
to obtain the true benefits of USB 2.0. The USB specification incorporates
backwards compatibility but the Universal Serial Bus (USB) will only run at
the speed of the slowest part.
Q. I
have heard that the NEC chipset is the one I should use in any device, why?
A
The USB 2.0 drivers for Windows XP that are currently included in Windows
Update only recognize devices using the NEC USB 2.0 EHCI controller chipset.
The industry specification for Hi-Speed USB is called the Enhanced Host
Controller Interface (EHCI ). That doesn't mean however that you have to buy
an NEC-brand controller. The NEC chipset is fairly ubiquitous in the USB 2.0
world. That chipset is also the first one to be certified by the independent
USB 2.0 testing body. Although the USB 2.0 drivers currently available on
Windows Update only support the NEC controller, there should be an update
soon that supports all EHCI-compliant controllers. In the meantime chipset
suppliers are also supplying any necessary drivers independently.
Q.
Windows is telling me i need to add a hi speed USB controller to my PC to
get the best out of it. What bit of kit do I need?
A
What is required is either a
PCI card for
a PC
or a PCMCIA Cardbus
for a laptop. There is no need to remove or disable existing USB ports
unless it is for space reasons.
Q.
What is "Hi-speed USB"?
A
We are cautious about using the phrase "Hi-Speed" on its own as there is the
potential for confusion between "Full speed" and "High-Speed).
The three "speeds" are as follows:-
Low Speed (USB v1.0) = 1.5 mbps
Full Speed (USB v1.1) = 12 mbps
High-Speed (USB v2.0) = 480 mbps
(For comparison, Firewire runs at 400mbps)
Q. How
do I troubleshoot my USB drivers on XP?
A
The Microsoft USB 2.0 driver may not be listed as an available update if
third-party USB 2.0 drivers are installed on your computer. You may have to
remove the third-party USB 2.0 drivers, and then install the Microsoft USB
2.0 driver from the Windows Update Web site.
The USB 2.0 drivers for Windows XP that are available in Windows Update
currently only recognize devices using the NEC USB 2.0 EHCI controller
chipset. The industry specification for Hi-Speed USB is called the Enhanced
Host Controller Interface (EHCI ). That doesn't mean you have to buy an
NEC-brand controller. The NEC chipset is fairly ubiquitous in the USB 2.0
world. That chipset is also the first one to be certified by the independent
USB 2.0 testing body. Although the USB 2.0 drivers currently available on
Windows Update only support the NEC controller, there should be an update
soon that supports all EHCI-compliant controllers. In the meantime chipset
providers are supplying any drivers necessary.
If you've made sure that everything on your computer is USB 2.0-compliant,
and you're still getting low-speed results, you may not have the right
drivers. Symptoms in Windows XP can include error messages such as “The
Generic USB Hub is a HI-SPEED USB device and will function at reduced speed
when plugged into a non-HI-SPEED port,” or “A HI-SPEED USB device is plugged
into a non-HI-SPEED USB hub.” You may also see your high-speed controller
card tagged with a yellow exclamation icon in Device Manager. The problem is
that although you have a Hi-Speed hub or controller, Windows XP doesn't
recognize it. (See the Knowledge Base article,
Universal
Serial Bus 2.0 Support in Windows XP for more detailed information).
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Q Is USB and
Firewire the same thing?
A No. Although
they provide similar performance, they operate completely differently and
are not compatible.
Q Is there an
adapter to convert Firewire to USB so I can plug a Firewire device into my
USB port?
A No. As
mentioned above, they are not compatible and conversion devices are not (as
far as we are currently aware) available.
Q Is
it possible to have both USB and Firewire?
A
Yes. Although the two standards are incompatible, there is no reason why
your computer could not have both fitted. PCs could have both a USB and
Firewire PCI card fitted, and combo cards are available for both PCs and
Laptops. Fitting two cards to a Laptop is a little problematic purely due to
the need to have a connecting block on the end of the card, which would
prevent the insertion of a second USB or Firewire card. Combo cards are
however available.
Q Are
drivers required for Firewire cards?
A
Not normally. For Windows users the drivers are already included in the
operating system so it is really a question of inser the card and turn on
the computer (PC or Laptop). With Mac users however, drivers are generally
required in order to obtain USB 2.0 performance and is only supported on OSx.
Q My
computer only has a 4 pin connection, is there an adapter available?
A
Yes. Most host connections (i.e. computers) have 6 pin connections whilst
the devices have 4 pin connections. For this reason the standard 6-4 pin
cable is by far the most popular. However some computers such as the Sony
Viao have a 4 pin connection. 4-4 pin cables are readily available but for
those with, for instance, an iPod cable, there is also a 6-4 pin adapter
available so that a standard 6 pin plug can be connected to a 4 pin socket.
It should be noted however that the two "missing" pins are the power pins so
devices will no longer be able to draw power from the Firewire port.
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