Why Does My Computer Restart When I Plug in a USB Device?
It’s time for another dose of Tech 911. This week: Reader having another problem with USB devices . In particular, their system sometimes reboots when they plug something into the USB port. On a scale of one to “this is not good,” we are much closer to the right side than to the left, but there are a few tricks they can try to make things a little easier.
Every Monday at Tech 911, our new tech tips column, we try to solve any problems you have with your desktop, laptop, or other favorite gadgets. We also provide advice on software to help you with any task.
My computer probably shouldn’t randomly restart, right?
Lifehacker reader LichelMaforge writes:
“For many years I have been building PCs. They all worked flawlessly, but usually they all have one minor flaw: sometimes and very rarely, when I plug in a USB device, it seems that I am short-circuiting the system and it reboots. Help me understand why! “
I confess it made me scratch my head a little. My first guess is a hardware issue, especially since you mentioned that you are building a PC. (I am not judging you, but it is possible that something is happening inside your case, not inside your operating system.) However, the irregular reset also distracts me from my hardware problems; I feel like you will run into this problem much more often if something short-circuited or if you had a faulty USB port or connection.
Before I get into troubleshooting, be sure to try different devices and different USB ports. It is possible that a power hungry USB device is somehow causing it to crash when plugged into a specific port, either by itself or when it is also plugged into, say, one of the ports on the front of your case along with a number of other devices.
A few suggestions for equipment to get started
Several Lifehacker readers have already supported my first big hardware suggestion: check the internals of your system. Make sure your motherboard is properly seated on the racks; check your wiring three times (especially between the power supply and the motherboard and the USB-motherboard connectors); and make sure that there is no strange wiring, debris or unknown something that could cause some kind of short circuit.
“It could have been a shorting of your motherboard to the computer case. If necessary, make sure you have stands installed and that you are not overtightening the screws holding the motherboard in place. “ – TuxRocks
“Make sure you are using the correct adapters (stop screws) on the motherboard.” – ethereal
“Actually, I had exactly the same problem with a computer I built in 2002! I still don’t understand what caused this, but it only affected the front USB port, so I taped it with tape, never used it again, and the problem didn’t recur. ” – bwong2
(Place this third sentence in the “last resort” column.)
After you’re done with a quick glance at the motherboard – moving a few wires or unplugging and reconnecting the USB connectors – also consider contacting your motherboard manufacturer to check if a newer BIOS is available to download. The manufacturer may have discovered a USB related issue and fixed it in an update.
The next time a USB port problem occurs – if it does, if a quick glance at the motherboard doesn’t fix the problem – you might get a little crazy with troubleshooting. Try unplugging all cables from your system and plugging them back in. Remove and reinstall your graphics card, RAM, and hard drives. (You probably don’t need to worry about your processor, but if you want to be careful, that’s all you need to do.) Clear the CMOS by turning off the system, removing the motherboard battery, waiting a few minutes, putting it back in, and turning it on – then reset all BIOS settings that you previously configured.
If the problem still cannot be resolved, you can always try to work around it. Get a PCI Express USB card, which should hopefully at least give you the ability to plug USB devices into the back of your computer without any problems. It’s also possible your PSU is to blame for this, but this is a more expensive replacement, a bigger weekend project, and an idea that might not actually solve your problem. The same is true for the case of your system – if you’ve used the same old chassis for all of your assemblies, there might be something wrong with its front USB headers (assuming you experience these random resets with these use).
Is the software to blame (again?)
Perhaps some Windows issue is to blame for your random reboots from the USB stick. To do this, I offer you the same set of tricks I suggested in my Tech 911 column last week:
- Check Device Manager for anything weird when you plug in the device that is causing these resets (if so / you even have the option to check).
- Consider updating the firmware for any device that generates these random resets (if they are isolated to one device and there are even firmware updates available for that device).
- Disconnect all of your devices and try removing all of the Universal Serial Bus controllers. Restart your computer and Windows should reinstall the drivers for them.
As I said, I don’t have many software suggestions for this strange problem as it looks more like a hardware problem than anything else – I hope. Let me know if any of these ideas work. And if Lifehacker readers have any other ideas, I’ll be sure to highlight them in this update!
If you have a technical issue that is scratching your head, or just need advice on the latest and greatest way to accomplish a specific technical task, let us know in the comments! You can also send your questions to david.murphy@lifehacker.com .