The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Possible to Raise BUS Power Output?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by SkylineGTR, Dec 13, 2007.

  1. SkylineGTR

    SkylineGTR Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    After having to replace my internal hard drive twice in just 6 months I decided to get an external backup hard drive. I got a WD Passport. It is supposed to be able to run straight off the USB power but it doesn't. So I got the power booster cable which uses two USB ports. That didn't help either. So I looked around and found that this is a known problem for laptops. So is there any software or easy hardware upgrade that could boost the power output on my USB ports? I read somewhere that I could get a USB hub with an AC adapter and that will work, but that kind of cuts the portability factor of the portable hard drive.

    Any suggestions?
     
    SkylineGTR, Dec 13, 2007
    #1
  2. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    7,857
    Messages:
    16,212
    Likes Received:
    58
    Trophy Points:
    466
    If the drive cannot run off of two USB ports, there is something wrong with the drive. Period.

    USB ports cannot be altered to output more power, but each should be able to output 500mA give or take a little bit (that is why there are two...most drives require 500mA and not less). Having two connected and the drive not working...the drive is a dud.
     
    Greg, Dec 13, 2007
    #2
  3. SkylineGTR

    SkylineGTR Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I know the hard drive needs 1000mA to work. A few months ago I looked at the power output on my usb ports and I thought it was somewhere around 450. I just looked at them now and they say 500.

    When I first got the hard drive it didn't do anything, only the light on it turned on. Now when I plug it in with the double cable it shows up on the taskbar and sometimes in the Computer Management, never in My Computer. Maybe your right, it could be a dud.
    I'm gonna open it up and pop it in my hard drive slot and run linux off a CD and try to mess around with it.
     
    SkylineGTR, Dec 13, 2007
    #3
  4. lupin..the..3rd

    lupin..the..3rd Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    154
    Messages:
    589
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I love Firewire! Much faster than USB and 3x the bus power! :D I'm running a Hitachi 7k200 in a bus-powered firewire enclosure (actually, two of them) on my Powerbook.

    USB storage sucks. ;)
     
    lupin..the..3rd, Dec 13, 2007
    #4
  5. SkylineGTR

    SkylineGTR Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Well my hard drive has no firewire option. And I just tested it in my hard drive slot and it seems like it is a dud. I tried knoppix on CD and I tried ubuntu on CD and I tried a few utilities on my homebrew boot disc. They all say no hard drive found. I even tried the on board diagnostics on my computer and it started going crazy. I'm gonna try to have it replaced.
     
    SkylineGTR, Dec 13, 2007
    #5
  6. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    7,857
    Messages:
    16,212
    Likes Received:
    58
    Trophy Points:
    466
    Funny...I have drives that can run on 500mA (single output) no problem.

    The 2nd plug is provided just in case a USB port cannot output 500mA exactly.
     
    Greg, Dec 14, 2007
    #6