Powered USB Hub

[SteveP]

I've bought a D-Link powered USB hub and am having a problem with it recognising the various pieces of kit. If I connect the equipment directly to the laptop, they are all recognised and I get the usual USB ding-dong. All the drivers have been already installed. THat's the way I've always configured things. If I now connect the USB hub, I also get the ding-dong. If I now unplug the equipment from the laptop (ding dong) and plug it into the USB hub, it recognises the equipment as 'new hardware' and asks to load the drivers again. Is this normal or should something - the lappie or the hub - already know that the drivers are installed and where to locate them?

This problem is now way beyond my understanding!

Steve

[Merlin66]

Each USB port has it's own "identifier". If I plug my camera into a different port on the PC I get the same "re-install" message.....

Have you tried plugging the powered hub in first ( with no other astro equipment connected to the USB ports on the PC)

Then one by one connect them to the hub?

I know I've had to label each port ( there's six of them on my hub!) with the camera/ adaptor etc which is recognised by that port. Then in future always put the right camera into the right Hub USB port.

Hope this helps.

Ken

[SteveP]

Ken

I don't have that problem with the laptop. It seems to recognise the camera etc irrespective of which USB port it's plugged into. Unless of course I've always plugged them into the same ones unknowingly... but I doubt that very much.

I've tried your suggestion. The hub is recognised OK and shows as a Generic USB Hub on Device Manager. As I plug the camera in, I get the 'new hardware' message. I've then tried it in every port on the hub (all 7) and still get the same message. I'm foxed

[davew]

Hi Steve,

After you get the found new hardware message, does it allow you to load the drivers for that hardware ? If so, follow Ken's advice and label each output on the hub. Been there and done that !

Dave.

[SteveP]

Dave

Yes, it then asks for the driver disk. If I install the disk, it downloads the specific driver OK and then tries to download a generic driver from the same disk. That makes the laptop hang!

So as a generalisation, does having the powered hub in the comms link, require a 2nd copy of the camera driver to be installed? Is this normal for a powered hub?

Steve

[BlueAstra]

I found my computer did a big sulk when I plugged two cameras into the powered hub (Maplin), which is plugged into a repeater cable and then plugged the cable into the laptop. Worked OK when I did the reverse, ie cable (connected to hub) into laptop then each camera in turn into the hub. Need to always use the same sockets in the hub for each device, as previously mentioned.

[arad85]

So as a generalisation, does having the powered hub in the comms link, require a 2nd copy of the camera driver to be installed? Is this normal for a powered hub?

It's normal that the system re-installs drivers when you plug somethingthat has already been installed on that machine into a different USB port. That's because the system treats each port like a separate installation. However it should realise that it has the drivers already installed, and just pick up the ones from it's own register of drivers.

[SteveP]

'Need to always use the same sockets in the hub for each device, as previously mentioned.'

Good, that's one lesson learned

'However it should realise that it has the drivers already installed, and just pick up the ones from it's own register of drivers.'

That's what I was expecting ... and the PC is doing that.

Next step, install the driver again when asked and plug the cameras back into the same port on the hub. See if that works any better

Steve