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I have a problem with my laptop. Since I've installed Ubuntu 14.04 LTS in dual boot, my two USB 3.0 don't work anymore.

Maybe you need to know:

My Laptop has 2*USB 2.0 and 2*USB 3.0. One of the USB 2.0 is defect, I don't know why, it doesn't work under Windows either. The two 3.0 Ports work under Windows (they charge my Phone and I can connect my mouse & USB stick to them). The 2.0 port works fine, too. In Ubuntu, the 2.0 port works excellent, too. But the 3.0 Ports don't. Whenever I plug in my Phone, it says that it's charging, but it doesn't detect that it's connect to a Laptop/PC (No USB Debugging icon and no option to enable mass storage). When i plug my mouse in one of the 3.0 ports, the laser (or whatever it is) on the bottom of the mouse flickers, but it doesn't work. When i plug in an USB, it doesn't connect. Before Ubuntu 14.04 i had 13.04 and everything worked as it should (except the USB 2.0 port, of course).

This is the output of lsusb with plugged in my mouse and my phone to my 3.0 ports:

Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 8087:07da Intel Corp.  
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 04f2:b2bb Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd 
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub`

This is 'lsusb' with nothing plugged in:

Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 8087:07da Intel Corp. 
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 04f2:b2bb Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd 
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

I only know that 04f2:b2bb is my Webcam.

2 Answers 2

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First of all: if the usb device autodetection successfully happened, you had to see your devices on the usb bus. So it didn't happen.

You are listing a list of myterious symptomes - it works on win, but on on linux, some on linux but not on win.

No, I am nearly sure it is not driver problem.

I think, it is a power problem. A race. Normally, such power problems are the worst, because they make things totally hazardous. My hypothese were, that there is race: somehow win initializes your usb ports/devices in a different order as your linux. It is because your devices awake in a different order, and thus they start to get power in a different order as well.

While the starting of the first devices, there is enough power yet, but on the later there isn't any more.

What you could do: The best were to use an USB hub having its own power input. Power supply were always a very big disadvantage of the usb. It works with 5V, but on such cables is practically impossible to get more as 2-3A. On the standard, 0.5A is only required, which means that not enough good quality devices mostly aren't capable even that 0.5A - or they are providing that hazardously.

Next to that I had yet a secondary idea: sometimes usb hubs (even on the mainboard integrated ones) aren't enough intelligent to differentiate between the different usb versions of their slaves. Thus if you plug an usb2.0 device next to ab usb3.0, it will make the usb3 device also much slower.

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  • Ok, I understand you, but why did it work on Ubuntu 13.04 then?
    – Lorenz
    Aug 14, 2014 at 9:03
  • @Lorenz On win had you problems as well. I think you were lucky - or 13.04 used somehow a luckier initialization sequence. These devices get more power if they are booting/starting. Plug in/out your devices in different combinations and check their availability with lsusb. If you find mystical behavior, it is surely power problem. But in your place my first idea were this usb hub with its own power supply (at least to make sure if it is the real cause of the problem).
    – peterh
    Aug 14, 2014 at 9:07
  • @Lorenz If it worked or you are satisfied with an answer, it is a big reward to the helping person to upvote/accept that by clicking the icons on the left side.
    – peterh
    Aug 14, 2014 at 9:18
  • Ok. I plugged in only my phone at boot (USB 3.0) and...it worked. But when I plugged it out and in again it didn't work. The USB 2.0 worked excellent (even after plug in and out). So your solution is right. But is there ans way to initalize the USBs without a reboot?
    – Lorenz
    Aug 14, 2014 at 9:22
  • No, no! The usb devices are essentially micro computers, which start to boot after they get power (which happen if you plug them into your laptop). They boot normally in some seconds. While they are booting, they want more power. But if you turn on your laptop, they start to boot in the same time. This power need is what your laptop probably can't provide them. In your place I used an usb hub, which has an external power supply. Or if you plug out, and they plug in your devices by hand, maybe it can also help.
    – peterh
    Aug 14, 2014 at 9:40
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There probably is a problem with USB3 Linux drivers.

It might not be the xhci drivers themselves causing the problems, but they still report some external powered devices don't always have the power needed according to logs (My USB2 drivers work without problems and same devices work in USB2).

Power thing is strange, since drives work in USB 2 ports (ofc limited speed). Problem could be isolated to my own Texas Instruments TUSB73x0 SuperSpeed USB 3.0. In which case it is still a driver or hardware problem / controller bios.

Personally I have 2 externally powered HDs and if I add both, last one fails (even by hand 10 sec later, so doesn't seem to be due to spike during boot). The drives are the same. The drives doesn't show up in fdisk -l.

According to lsusb and usb-devices, MaxPower is 0 mA. According to dmesg device fails due to lack of power. Adding devices by hand result in problems with device #2 (whatever device added last).

Recognition of certain USB3 hubs is not without problems either. From what I can see Sandberg usb3 hub isn't recognized at all (externally powered usb3 hub). Same hub was recognised in usb2 ports.

Little unsure if lsusb and usb-devices just reports what the devices tell them and if the errors themselves is in the controller of the hardware. But it definitely seem to be software related at some point.

Hope I am not too far away from the problem to report it in this post.

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