usb ports stopped working

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Caryn1980 Author

Level 1

15 points

usb ports stopped working

I have a Power MacG4 MDD in fairly good condition. It was working fine about 2 hours ago. Then, the mouse and keyboard stopped working. I've narrowed the problem down to the USB ports in the back of the monitor. If I plug in a flash drive, it lights up but nothing registers on the computer that it's there. I think they are receiving power but not registering. Can this be fixed, or do I need a new monitor? Is it a sign my computer is on it's way out?

All information is greatly appreciated.

Power G4, Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Posted on Oct 1, 2012 7:35 AM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

250,595 points

Oct 1, 2012 12:17 PM in response to Caryn1980

Hello Caryn,

reset FW bus, same goes for USB reset...

Reset the Firewire bus

If your Firewire or USB isn't recognizing any device. A solution which has worked for some whose hard drive became invisible in 10.4 was simply to follow these four steps to reset the Firewire/USB bus:

1. Shut the machine down.

2. UNPLUG the power lead to the computer and any firewire/USB drive.

3. leave it for 10 minutes.

4. Connect back up and reboot.

http://www.macmaps.com/firewirebug2.html

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Answer 2

Caryn1980 Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 1, 2012 1:18 PM in response to BDAqua

Thank you for the response, BD. The ports on the back of the tower work - firewire and usb. It's the ports on the back of the monitor that stopped working. Does the same suggestion still apply?

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Answer 3

BDAqua

Level 10

250,595 points

Oct 1, 2012 3:59 PM in response to Caryn1980

I was afraid of that, no. 😟

At the Apple Icon at top left>About this Mac.

Then click on More Info>Hardware>USB, is the Hub in the Monitor listed?

Is this an ADC Monitor?

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Answer 4

Oct 3, 2012 7:19 PM in response to Caryn1980

USB and FireWire Quick Assist

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1151?viewlocale=en_US

Common fixes for USB device issues (unrecognized, etc.)

http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20070824012114701

 Cheers, Tom 😉

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Answer 5

Caryn1980 Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 6, 2012 7:09 AM in response to BDAqua

I looked in the Apply menu for the computer and YES the USB hub on the monitor was listed. So I took a chance and plugged in a flash drive and it showed up on the desktop. I didn't do anything except keep the machine off for a few days. Now of course I'm worried that this is a sign of things to come...

Thank you all for your assistance. It's greatly appreciated.

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Answer 6

BDAqua

Level 10

250,595 points

Oct 6, 2012 9:37 AM in response to Caryn1980

Let's hope it was "just one of those things"! 🙂

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