In reply to cruinne (msg # 12):

Those were the first things that came to mind for me.

Power supply bad perhaps.

Disconnect the USB panel from the motherboard.

Easy to do if you can open up the side of the computer and trace the cables from the USB panel to the motherboard. (unplugged from an outlet of course)

Or test the power cables from the power supply by plugging them into an old hard drive. If the HD spins up, you know the power supply is good.
This message was last edited by the user at 19:56, Wed 23 July 2014.

Hrm, nvm, I had totally the wrong thing here.  Edit to remove it :-)

Anyways!  The "totally nothing going on at all" seems more about power supply than motherboard.

There's testing you could do if you grabbed a multimeter, but someone would also have to know how to use a multimeter, eh?  Still, it may be worth calling in a favor with a technically- or mechanically-inclined friend with one before buying new hardware.

Edit to add one more link: http://www.techrepublic.com/ar...g-with-a-multimeter/
This message was last edited by the user at 20:18, Wed 23 July 2014.

And we'd have to *have* a multimeter... ;)

Anyway, it's all moot, as the PC is at the repair place. We'll see what they say...

But I do pray that's only the power supply! The USB ports are connected both to the power source and the mainboard, right? So that short could've fried both of them :(

I kowtow in homage to the collective empathy, knowledge, and wisdom of RPOLers.

In reply to Varsovian (msg # 16):

It's not likely that the motherboard is dead, but there's always that possibility. In my experience the power supply and the internal battery are usually the culprits if the system won't power up.

The motherboard can usually take some voltage even if it's *dead*, so you'd likely see at least the light come on or hear the hard drive spin up even if it was.

Is the PC housing metal or something?

I... really can't say whether it's made of metal or some kind of plastic...

Anyway, we got the PC back from the repair guys. They diagnosed the problem as some minor malfunction of the power source unit, so the cost of the fix was about $10. Now, it looks like the PC is working fine. Phew... I hope it stays that way...

Your USB won't brick a computer (though a virus on the USB can cause similar issues)

And viruses are not always visible prior to the event. In fact viruses are generally not noticeable at all until a certain point, depending on what the virus does. Computer slowdowns and other stuff that people /think/ is viruses, is usually just adware, spyware, and bloatware.

A bad port can cause issues, particularly depending on hardware with selfdiagnostics, but the chances of your USB damaging something beyond the USB port itself is so remote that its laughable.

Most likely it is one of two cases, either coincidence, or the USB issue triggered another problem elsewhere (that was basically waiting to happen already and just needed a nudge)

Well, the repair guy's diagnosis was that the PSU got blocked somehow. I don't know what else could've caused something like this aside from the short from that USB...

Static electricity? http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2729

Regarding desktop computers -- this video is the first of four parts of a video from 1987 but is a great piece on electrostatic discharge (getting shocked by static electricity).  I'm still amazed that so many people just walk back and forth across carpets then jump right on their computer and six-eight months down the road they're complaining that their computer just isn't working quite right or just isn't working as quickly as it was when they bought it, and they're certain they don't have a virus, but what else could it be?  Probably electrostatic discharge, caused by themselves.

Looking at the picture he posted, the backside of the drive is entirely aluminum or steel--a conductor. While installing a USB drive shouldn't cause problems, stuffing a wad of copper wiring in there I imagine could pop a fuse (or worse, depending on how high quality the computer is).

I'd tend to think that a USB drive where the backside of the male knob is conductive, and the entire thing can be jammed into the port upside down, is a design flaw, best to be avoided.

Yes, that's exactly what I think. The other side of this drive's sticking end definitely is conductive - so, touching the port's connectors with it simply caused a short. And yes, I agree it's a poor design choice.

In terms of usability though, you may want to paint a label on the thing showing "This Side Up" etc.

Until someone misses the label, sticks it in wrong side up, the label comes off, and you're stuck trying to pick out titchy tiny pieces of tape with tweezers.

"Paint" a label :p

Hm. Most USB ports I encounter are vertical, not horizontal. There's no "up" side...

Well I think they mean that usually there's a little USB symbol on most USB adapters, that side is usually 'up' or at least facing the user. It's on all your console controller, your printer, ipod, your USB keyboard and mouse, etc.

$15? I'd just toss it (or cut back the frame). The peace of mind is worth it.

There's no such symbol on the USB ports in my PC. I'm not sure there was one on the PC that got broken...

And, in any case, in the PC in question, the ports were installed vertically, like here:

http://www.toshibadirect.com/i..._pa3627u1etc_350.gif

And they were on the top side of the PC. So, there was no obvious "up" side of "facing the user" side...

USB is just a terrible design.  Awful.  None of my USB devices, except my mouse, has a little USB thing on the "right side up".  The USB ports on the front of my computer are half installed one way and half installed the other (there's a "back-facing" flare at the top of the front panel and the USB ports on it are what I would call upside-down).

That they can be easily plugged in the wrong way 'round, and that doing so causes all kinds of issues for people is just silly.

Back to PS/2 everyone!  Oh ... wait...

In reply to Varsovian (msg # 32):

I guess that would definitely pose a problem then. And it probably definitely is a problem when you go to friend's houses with it. Sorry to hear about things going so awry.

The problem with PS/2 is that they weren't hotswappable.  If I want to plug in a new mouse/keyboard, or whatever type of device, I don't want to have to reset my computer.

Yeah but that can be fixed. That issue has nothing to do with pin shape, location, or arrangement.

I would like to point out that 95% of usb devices have the full shroud which prevents incorrect plugging in, and that shroud is part of the usb design. It is the secondary manufacturers of memory sticks that decided to remove the shroud to make a skinnier memory stick.

Therefore, it isn't the usb design itself that is flawed, but rather the design of certain secondary products.

I honestly detest PS2 even worse than USB.

USB can be right-side up, or upside down.

PS2 is a circle. Once the frame fits into the circle, there's an infinite number of orientations before it fits in properly.

Actually my master plan with the label involved looking at the USB port before you attempted to stick it in.

If for some reason you can't see the inside and are just going to try each way until it fits, then replace my earlier suggestion to denote which side was which on the thumb drive with this: Paint a nice skull and crossbones on it.