I recently installed a USB 2.0 front bay hub and connected it to a USB 2.0
pin header on the mother board (MSI KT3 Ultra2). When I plug a High-Speed
USB 2.0 flash drive into one of the connectors on the front bay hub, a
notice on the screen suggests that I connect the device to a High Speed USB
2.0 Port and then offers a list of 6 available unused ports under the
Enhanced Host Controller (USB 2.0) heading. When I look at Device Manager,
it shows that the flash drive appears on a universal port. If I move the
flash drive to one of the original USB connectors on the back of the PC, the
flash drive appears on one of the 6 ports under the Enhanced Host
Controller, yet when a USB 1.1 device is plugged into the same connector on
the back, the device shows up on a universal port.
While doing some research, I came across a FAQ
http://www.everythingusb.com/usb2/faq.htm , which states; "The USB
controller routes signals to the correct controller chip depending on how a
device is recognized. Where a device is physically plugged in has no bearing
on how it is routed. All ports on a USB 2.0 motherboard can host any USB
devices at all as long as the system and devices are healthy." This
statement seems to agree with what happens when a USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 device
is plugged into the original rear connectors (they are "routed" to the
appropriate "port").
My problem, then, is that although the flash drive is correctly recognized
as a USB 2.0 device, why isn't it just routed to one of the available USB
2.0 ports (according to the notice on the screen) like it is when plugged
into one of the rear connectors.
Incidentally, the PC is running Windows XP SP2.
Any ideas?
John