Wierd USB

I am still chasing USB problems. I gave up on my previous problem of
connecting my printer as USB2. After all it prints for me, but there's
more that I could use advice on:
I run XP SP2, up to date, I believe.
Also use the USB device viewer a lot - it is helpful.
The sytem intermittently refuses to recognize several devices - my
Canon scanner, a powered hub and on it two thumbdrives. Sometimes it
sees only part of the hub! Sometime one or the other thumbs.
If I disconnect the hub and reconnect it, most of the time it shows
the two thumbs. I use the hub because the two ports on the front of
this Dell 8300 are almost inaccessible.
If I disconnect and reconnect the scanner (it's on the main hub)
sometimes it recognizes it, but right now it shows "working" in image
devices on Device Manager, but not as connected to a USB hub. The USB
device viewer says that no pipes are available. Sometime device
manager will say that no driver is installed.
I suspect some sort of timing problem or a screwup in the enumerator
sequence.
Short of reinstalling Windows I am stumped. I have workarounds for
most of these, but it's a nuisance.
Advice welcomed.

On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:10:58 -0400, Jim T.
<suenjim4.badaddress@comcast.net> wrote:

>I am still chasing USB problems. I gave up on my previous problem of
>connecting my printer as USB2. After all it prints for me, but there's
>more that I could use advice on:
>I run XP SP2, up to date, I believe.
>Also use the USB device viewer a lot - it is helpful.
>The sytem intermittently refuses to recognize several devices - my
>Canon scanner, a powered hub and on it two thumbdrives. Sometimes it
>sees only part of the hub! Sometime one or the other thumbs.
>If I disconnect the hub and reconnect it, most of the time it shows
>the two thumbs. I use the hub because the two ports on the front of
>this Dell 8300 are almost inaccessible.
>If I disconnect and reconnect the scanner (it's on the main hub)
>sometimes it recognizes it, but right now it shows "working" in image
>devices on Device Manager, but not as connected to a USB hub. The USB
>device viewer says that no pipes are available. Sometime device
>manager will say that no driver is installed.
>I suspect some sort of timing problem or a screwup in the enumerator
>sequence.
>Short of reinstalling Windows I am stumped. I have workarounds for
>most of these, but it's a nuisance.
>Advice welcomed.
Just to add to this - I have had three (3) external USB drives fail
recently. Guess that they are not for full time use.