reese_anschultz wrote:
I've seen BIOS firmware updates fix this for your controller as well as simply disabling the device from device manager and then re-enabling it. Also there seem to be some updated drivers from Dell that may solve this. Have you tried these possibilities?
Hi, Reese. Other things to check:
1. Yes, the first item in the chain is BIOS. David100ny and KonstantinU need to check with Dell to find out if a subsequent BIOS update has been released (or is in development) for their laptop models. Many power-management bugs - which turn things off when they shouldn't or don't turn things back on when they should - are fixed by BIOS updates.
2. If this Laptop has an Intel Chipset, the Intel Chipset drivers have also been updated. In the past, the updates for USB functionality in the Intel Chipset Driver updates have required the removal and redetection of all the USB items in Device Manager before the USB ports resumed working properly. This may have resurfaced. It's been long enough that whoever did the original update probably didn't do the new update - and has been bitten by the same housekeeping bug that caused the need for removal/redetection the first time around.
3. Along with the Intel Chipset Drivers, a companion piece to the Chipset Drivers is the Intel Management Engine. This is also an important part of the Power Management Interface on Intel Chipset machines. Updates here are tricky. Both david100ny and KonstantinU need to check with Dell to find out if there is a Dell-specific update to the IME for each of their Laptops. If so, go.
4. Along with the Intel Management Engine, the final piece of Intel Software commonly installed on new Laptops with Intel Chipsets is the Rapid Storage Technology driver. This is a specific "go fast" routine that improves Hard Disk and/or SSD performance on Laptops with Intel AHCI Chipsets. Yes, I know this utility is nominally for RAID arrays. It's just not well known that it is also important for single-drive situations where AHCI is used. And the interactions with this one have been fierce - especially with SSDs. So again, a check with Dell for the latest on this one is also recommended.
5. Finally, Atomic_Blast's recommendations regarding the third-party USB3 drivers is also important. But, those third-party drivers are dependent upon a working pathway through the IME and the Chipset drivers to the BIOS. It does no good to update the USB3 drivers when they can't "connect" the USB3 hardware to the rest of the chipset on the Laptop. Foundation has to be good first.
Finally, IME and RST have gone through innumerable revisions, especially with Sandy Bridge CPUs.
There has been - and still is - a lot of confusion in regards to what are the best IME and RST versions to use with particular Intel Chipsets and Intel BIOS inserts. The people david100ny and KonstantinU need to talk to at Dell may or may not be on top of this situation - as it changes quite rapidly. Consulting the Dell forums might be a good way to get current info on what works and what doesn't.
Hope this helps.
