"New" USB failure.
 

After reporting difficulties in recognizing Flash Drives, etc. while using my Mac Pro USB built-in hubs, I have had an additional problem show up. I have been using a Telex USB headset/mic unit for last year or two... first on a prior G4 running Tiger and recently (past 6 mo.) running on this very same Mac Pro, and have not experienced the slightest problem. For the past two days my headset could no longer be acknowledged by the system (Leopard). System Prefs, iChat and Skype prefs no longer acknowledge the presence of my erstwhile, trouble-free headset. I have been running 10.5.6 since it was released.It begins to look like the problem is not peripheral-specific, but a general USB anomaly. So far my USB has turned down a Samsung A7 digicam, a Kingston Flash Drive and a Telex headset. If I reboot the system with the Flash Drive still inserted it gains normal operation until ejected. No fix as yet which will permit recognition for either of the other two items. Comments welcome.

What USB-related messages appear in your logs? You can easily view your logs using the Console app, in /Applications/Utilities.

Does the problem continue from a newly-created user on your computer?

What other USB devices do you have connected? What third party (not included with OS X) USB drivers have you installed?

Trevor

Unpredictable USB connects(Cont'd)
 

There are no new or other users on my machine.
Any USB peripherals I have used have initially worked immediately and without adding any third party drivers. I have been able to, in a rather unpredictable manner, get my Kingston 8GB flash Drive to operate normally in the Mac Pro by merely rebooting, shutting down, detaching the USB connection and rebooting. Voila... the icon appears. This was also true of the Samsung A7 camera. I have not been able to meet any similar success with the Telex Headset; in fact, I now need to convince myself that the headset will operate normally using the previous G4 system(Tiger) and that it hasn't been modified in any way through the MacPro testing and difficulties.
I need to develop some log reports as you suggested(Trevor) as I continue to seek a valid answer to all these worrisome problems. It appears, from not only my own, but the related difficulties of others, that there is a systemic hardware and/or software problem with all the USB hubs in a Mac Pro (dual-quad) when OSX 5.6 is presiding.

For there to be a new user on your machine, you have to create a new user. Please do so, then log out of your existing user and into the new user to make this test.

You seem to be misunderstanding. Please list in detail all other USB devices you have connected to this machine.

Good. Please don't forget to list all of those USB peripherals, no matter how unimportant they seem (like hubs, iPods, or whatever). List everything.

That's not something you need to develop, you just need to look in your Console app, as I mentioned above, and let us know what it says. Please copy/paste anything relevant, and the messages around them.

No.

Trevor

Updated to Leopard and suffered the "slow USB stick" experience - 5 minutes to copy across 580 Kb! Reformatted USB stick in Mac Extended (was in FAT32) -cured. Whether this will help other FAT32 formatted sticks remains to be seen.

Flash Not Recognized
 

I've been using my 2G Kingston( data transfer ) MS-DOS( FAT 16 ) with no problem on all of my Tiger PPC macs. On my 1,1 mac-intel-mini, upgraded to 2.16, 2G RAM 320G HD, and using 10.6.4 and no peripheals plugged in except the keyboard that came with my Emac( PPC ), I can ONLY get mini to recognize --on desktop and sidebar--- the flash drive, if I plug it into the keyboard.....mini will not recognise flash if plugged into any of the mini's four ports...ergo...the problem appears to be with the design of ports being somehow differrent between 1.1 intel mini and PPC....probably will format drive to OX journale etc as suggested, as I rarely need to use a PC with my flash drive.....people who do will not be able to, unless they can figure out this kink in system, cause intel users will be force to use a PPC keyboard only to access the flash...Ebuc

Reformat No Work Either
 

Ok, so I reformat flash drive, to OS-extended makes do differrence to mini ports not recognizing flash.. So, I tried OS Mac Journaled, and that makes no differrence either, so, I guess next option is the try "special circumstance" options also available in the "disk Uitlity" "erase" program. Also noteworthy is that on two occasion, after trying mini ports adn then using keyboard port I go error message that USB device was drawing to much power so device or port was disabled to prevent damage,,but somhow the flash drive still appeared on desktop and all seemed to be normal.....I'. using 10.6.4 Ebuc

After trying a few differrent formatting options in "disk uitility" still no luck getting mac mini to recognize Kingston 2Gb Data transfer flash drive, unless I'm plugged into the Emac( PPC ) keyboard. I tried an older 4-port powered Belkin thinking it might boost the power of the Kingston, as maybe that is what the PPC keyborard is doing. Did not work but perhaps a newer belkin would raise the power to sufficent level of the flash drive to work in mini's ports, assumming that is the problem. Ebuc