USB 3 front ports stopped working AND DVD drive stopped on ALL ports

DocDJ · Dec 24, 2023

My Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.2861, MSI MEG Z390 ACE BIOS 7B12v1B, 32GB RAM, Intel 9700K system was working fine until this past week (about Dec 16). The front USB 3 gen 2 ports do not recognize ANY USB device (USB 1, 2 or 3). My USB 3 DVD drive powers up in ALL ports but is not recognized on any of them ,so the ports DO have power. Everything (except the already noted DVD) works on all my rear panel ports. The DVD drive works fine on my laptop, so it is good. I have re-booted. Event viewer reports:
The driver \Driver\PxHlpa64 failed to load for the device USBSTOR\CdRom&Ven_HL-DT-ST&Prod_DVDRAM_SP60NB50&Rev_1.00\KX1E7P73718_________&0.
I suspect there is a driver problem, although I don't see why it blocks everything in my front ports, but only the DVD on the rear. I have Memory protection ON, but no errors have been detected in Protection History. I have all the latest Windows updates. Could the ASMEDIA USB 3.0/3.1 driver have anything to do with it? Windows says I have the latest CDROM.SYS.

Any suggestions?

IanMosley · Dec 24, 2023

Have you checked in your BIOS to if they are listed? as 'ACTIVE'? run a hardware test on them?

trumpy81 · Dec 24, 2023

Are you sure the front panel USB3 cable is properly plugged into your motherboard?

It can be very easy to bump the cable while cleaning and dislodge the connector enough to cause some pins to lose connection. This would easily explain the front panel USB connectors not working.

Try uninstalling the USB driver/s, reboot and then re-install the manufacturers USB driver/s or simply let Windows install the driver/s.

glasskuter · Dec 24, 2023

There can be many reasons the usb ports bit the dust. Usually it is driver or power related, but file corruption can also cause it. And of course, while not likely, your ports could be damaged.

Is your keyboard and mouse working. If so, Do your testing with only keyboard and mouse connected and use one known good usb flash drive. Don't use the dvd drive to test with until after all the usb ports are known to be working as there is a substantial difference in power draw to run a dvd drive. Since the dvd drive quit on all ports I would think that is a separate issue.

I would first do these things before going through all the troubleshooting steps listed in the below article.

Open a command prompt as administrator and type sfc /scannow
Pay attention to the scan results to see if SFC found anything it could not repair. If it found corruption it could not fix followup with this command (note the spaces)
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
Restart computer

Go to your motherboard manufacturer site. Download and install any updated chipset drivers and any updated third party usb controller driver. Download and install any bios update.

Then try the suggestions listed here.

How To Fix Front (Case) USB Ports That Are Not Working On Your PC

Case USB Ports are as practical as they are prone to failure. Here's how to troubleshoot and fix your front USB Ports when they're not working as intended.

www.cgdirector.com

If none of that fixes the problem, try a repair install. Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade Tutorial

FYI you say they quit working around the same time the Dec. update came out. You could also uninstall the update to see if it makes any difference.

DocDJ · Dec 24, 2023

glasskuter said:
There can be many reasons the usb ports bit the dust. Usually it is driver or power related, but file corruption can also cause it. And of course, while not likely, your ports could be damaged.

Is your keyboard and mouse working. If so, Do your testing with only keyboard and mouse connected and use one known good usb flash drive. Don't use the dvd drive to test with until after all the usb ports are known to be working as there is a substantial difference in power draw to run a dvd drive. Since the dvd drive quit on all ports I would think that is a separate issue.

I would first do these things before going through all the troubleshooting steps listed in the below article.

Open a command prompt as administrator and type sfc /scannow
Pay attention to the scan results to see if SFC found anything it could not repair. If it found corruption it could not fix followup with this command (note the spaces)
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
Restart computer

Go to your motherboard manufacturer site. Download and install any updated chipset drivers and any updated third party usb controller driver. Download and install any bios update.

Then try the suggestions listed here.

How To Fix Front (Case) USB Ports That Are Not Working On Your PC

Case USB Ports are as practical as they are prone to failure. Here's how to troubleshoot and fix your front USB Ports when they're not working as intended.

www.cgdirector.com

If none of that fixes the problem, try a repair install. Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade Tutorial

FYI you say they quit working around the same time the Dec. update came out. You could also uninstall the update to see if it makes any difference.

SFC found nothing. The above answer doesn't address the concurrent problem with my DVD drive. The drive appears to be seen by my BIOS. I'll have to see if it can try to boot from it to verify it really is visible. The keyboard and mouse are connected to the rear USB ports, so they work properly.

spapakons · Dec 24, 2023

If it is a Blu Ray or UHD Blu Ray drive it will hardly work on USB 2.0 ports (black plastic). It needs USB 3.0 (blue plastic) or higher ports to provide the required power. My UHD Blu Ray drive only works directly to a USB 3.0 port. If I use an extension cable it might have difficulty detecting the disc due to reduced power. Also reinstall/upgrade the chipset drivers and if there is a USB 3.0 drivers upgrade these as well. You may also leave the computer with the power cable disconnected for a few minutes to discharge any charge left on the USB ports causing the issue.

Anibor_11 · Dec 24, 2023

spapakons said:
You may also leave the computer with the power cable disconnected for a few minutes to discharge any charge left on the USB ports causing the issue.

And, with the power cable disconnected, keep the power button pressed for 30 seconds.

glasskuter · Dec 24, 2023

DocDJ said:
The above answer doesn't address the concurrent problem with my DVD drive

You gotta deal with one thing at a time. As I said in post #4, I suspect the dvd drive is a separate issue to the front ports not working since the dvd will not work on the rear ports either. Maybe those ports do not carry enough power or there may be some irq conflict with the dvd drive. If device manager detects it on one of the rear ports, look in properties in device manager to see if it leads you to the problem. If it were me, I would put the dvd drive problem on the back burner until I got my usb ports working.

I haven't used an external dvd drive in years, but when I did, I used nothing but a powered drive. USB power proved too unreliable for me. You must keep in mind also that in modern systems Windows updates/and UEFI bios sometimes change the way hardware handles power delivery to usb devices. Trying to run permanently connected external drives nearly drove me nuts until I began using an externally powered USB hub.I then set all my usb controllers to never allow windows to turn them off to save power (properties of each controller, power management tab, uncheck the box to allow windows to turn off power)

spapakons · Dec 25, 2023

Avoid permanently connected 2.5" drives. I have lost my data some months ago due to power surge. For some reason we had a power outage every couple of days. Until one of the times the power returned messed with the external drive. It could not be detected properly and eventually died. Upon connecting it I hear it power up, spin for a few seconds and then stops dead before the computer has any chance to detect it properly (it shows as an empty drive in Disk Management).

DocDJ · Dec 25, 2023

spapakons said:
If it is a Blu Ray or UHD Blu Ray drive it will hardly work on USB 2.0 ports (black plastic). It needs USB 3.0 (blue plastic) or higher ports to provide the required power. My UHD Blu Ray drive only works directly to a USB 3.0 port. If I use an extension cable it might have difficulty detecting the disc due to reduced power. Also reinstall/upgrade the chipset drivers and if there is a USB 3.0 drivers upgrade these as well. You may also leave the computer with the power cable disconnected for a few minutes to discharge any charge left on the USB ports causing the issue.

It's not Blu-ray. Just an LG slim DVD writer/reader. Works well on my laptop and WAS working fine on my desktop. I have it plugged into a USB 3.0 extender which is plugged into a USB 3.1 my rear port. All my other USB devices work there. NOTHING works in my front ports.

spapakons · Dec 25, 2023

Sounds like a driver issue. Update your chipset and USB drivers

DocDJ · Dec 25, 2023

glasskuter said:
You gotta deal with one thing at a time. As I said in post #4, I suspect the dvd drive is a separate issue to the front ports not working since the dvd will not work on the rear ports either. Maybe those ports do not carry enough power or there may be some irq conflict with the dvd drive. If device manager detects it on one of the rear ports, look in properties in device manager to see if it leads you to the problem. If it were me, I would put the dvd drive problem on the back burner until I got my usb ports working.

I haven't used an external dvd drive in years, but when I did, I used nothing but a powered drive. USB power proved too unreliable for me. You must keep in mind also that in modern systems Windows updates/and UEFI bios sometimes change the way hardware handles power delivery to usb devices. Trying to run permanently connected external drives nearly drove me nuts until I began using an externally powered USB hub.I then set all my usb controllers to never allow windows to turn them off to save power (properties of each controller, power management tab, uncheck the box to allow windows to turn off power)

Thanks. I probably should put the DVD on back burner. PS. My extenders (I have 2) are all externally powered. I learned that lesson many years ago!!

MachineLanguage · Dec 25, 2023

DocDJ said:
Thanks. I probably should put the DVD on back burner. PS. My extenders (I have 2) are all externally powered. I learned that lesson many years ago!!

Have you checjed that your usb power supply has not accidentally come partially unplugged. It can happen.

rickhd · Dec 25, 2023

I had an issue with a USB 3.0 extender with this build. When I sttarted up got this USB waning message. Unplugged the extender no problems. Wonder is it a build issue?

DocDJ · Dec 25, 2023

I went to my BIOS and changed USB standby power (S4/S5) to ENABLED, rebooted and my front ports work now. The portable DVD player is still a mystery. Works fine on my laptop, but not on any desktop port. I *DO* have an exclamation mark for it in Device Mgr, but uninstalling and deleting the driver, then plugging it back in didn't help. Maybe I need to reboot before replugging it? I was also able to re-install the ASMedia USB Host controller, but I may need the reboot before it gets picked up.

Catnip · Dec 25, 2023

It could be a driver issue related to the last update. Windows knocked out the drivers for my Corsair headset on the last update as they were "incompatible". I went and got new drivers and all is well.

I have had trouble with Asmedia USB3 drivers on my last build (ASUS board), but no problem with my new Gigabyte mobo. I would suggest getting a new set of Asmedia drivers and seeing what happens, if you haven't done that yet. Failing that, uninstall the last set of updates and re-install the drivers and see what happens.

Also, there used to be a problem with DVD drives that you had to fiddle in the registry to get them to work again. Something about a High/Low setting, but I am sorry, I can't remember the specifics. Perhaps someone else does.

glasskuter · Dec 25, 2023

If it has an exclamation mark, look around in it's properties for a clue. You may have to poke around in details tab.If it's an irq conflict,

How to Use IRQ and I/O Addresses to Resolve Conflicts on Windows 10

Take the headache out of fixing conflicts with this guide for Windows 10.

www.makeuseof.com

DocDJ · Dec 25, 2023

glasskuter said:
If it has an exclamation mark, look around in it's properties for a clue. You may have to poke around in details tab.If it's an irq conflict,

How to Use IRQ and I/O Addresses to Resolve Conflicts on Windows 10

Take the headache out of fixing conflicts with this guide for Windows 10.

www.makeuseof.com

The driver properties show it knows there is a problem and it is the MS CDROM.SYS driver, dated 6/21/2006, so the latest update may indeed have caused that driver to be dropped. I'll have to see if I can find a newer driver on a trusted site. (PS. It's an LG Slim-DVD writer from 2014)

glasskuter · Dec 25, 2023

Just my opinion, but you may well spend more time than it's worth trying to get the PC to recognize that drive. You can always consider adding an internal drive for cheap if your case has a slot for it and your board has a sata port for it..

DocDJ · Dec 25, 2023

glasskuter said:
Just my opinion, but you may well spend more time than it's worth trying to get the PC to recognize that drive. You can always consider adding an internal drive for cheap if your case has a slot for it and your board has a sata port for it..

That would be nice, but my Phanteks P600S has no front panel cutouts except the USB and audio ports.