Thumbdrive turns off computer

We have a Windows 2000 computer. Almost everytime the user inserts a usb thumbdrive, it shuts the computer off. Like it had the power plug pulled out.

Does anyone know what the problem maybe?

Thanks in advance.

Sounds like a short circuit to me. Does this happen on every USB port or just one in particular?

The tower has the standard rear usb ports then a four usb port in the front. The rear never gives me issues, however the front does. It tends to be all of them and on nine times out of ten.

Yeah, sounds like faulty front USBs. Might be grounding out or something.
You may open the computer up AFTER unplugging it and check for exposed wires or anything visually wrong with the front USB connection to the motherboard. Its a long shot, but may be worth the effort.

I will agree with phalse as I have run into this myself and it indeed was a faulty usb port. What happened was the plastic piece inside the usb port was broken and fell out causing the wires to touch and short when a usb was plugged in.

Areyou sure the usb wires are connected to the motherboard correctly? I have had that happen in the past were i hadn't correctly connected them to the right pin and it caused all sorts of issues.

The simplest solution is to buy an external 4-Port hub and connect it to one of the rear ports. There is enough power for flash memory sticks.................just position it ontop of the computer where it is easy to get at.

;)

Have you had problems with the front USB ports in the past? Eg. USB device not recognised? Have the front USB ports worked at all previously.

A faulty power supply may be to blame if this is the case. The extra 5V used to power the thumbdrive might cause the supply to cut out if it is on the fritz.

If the front ports have never worked, then it is most likely a wiring issue.

I am having this same problem and have basically narrowed it down to being a hardware issue, but a little advice would be appreciated.

I built a computer in Aug. and everything was working great for several months. Back in December out of the blue the front USB would shut down the computer when I plug in my thumb drive. This is the first I am getting to look at it and tried a few things to help narrow down possibilities. I plug in a USB extension cable with nothing attached and that shut it down, so I know it is not a voltage problem. I plug a set of headphones in, which shares the header and that shut down the computer. So I now know it has to be a hardware problem.

I opened everything up and the USB header is a block of plastic with sheathed wires coming out so to the best I can see there are no bare wires. I plugged in my iPod cord with the computer off and booted up with no problems and plugged in the iPod and unplugged it with no problems.

The rear USB (the ones right on the motherboard) do not cause the shut down. The mother board is touching the case through the rear plate, where the metal tabs apply pressure. I used brass standoffs and the red washers between the screws and the motherboard, so I think the motherbord should be grounded properly.

I think it is a problem in the header, but if anyone else has any ideas I would appreciate any help.

I have some w2k machines still kicking around....and have had nothing but problems with USB on those machines...a full shutdown will usually fix the issue....until the USB gets knocked out again....

If USB is required I update them to XP...

MLF

Here are a few ideas on fixing USB problems:

1. Disable and re-enable all USB controllers. Go into Device Manager and take the uninstall option for each one in turn, then do a cold reboot.

2. Use Device Manager to uninstall your USB drivers, then do a cold reboot and let Windows reinstall them.

3.Turn off "allow USB to bring computer out of standby".

>Device Manager > usb root hub > properties > power management

4. Disable the selective suspend feature. Fixit is here: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9643528

5. Look in the BIOS to see what the USB support settings are. Try changing them to see if it makes a difference.

6. Check the MoBo manufacturer for a BIOS update

Good luck! :)

EDIT:

Go into Control Panel > Power Options and select the "Always On" power scheme, and see if that makes a difference. You might also have power management options to turn off in the BIOS. What I am suggesting is to turn off all power saving options such that only you should be able to turn off the computer. If that does not temporarily resolve the problem then I would say that it is probably not power management based, although it could be your USB management software.

It is interesting that the iPod doesn't provoke the problem............could that be because it has an independent power supply? Can you check this with another powered device such as an external HDD, router, printer, camera, or whatever?

I wouldn't entirely rule out a power issue just yet, even though your USB extension did not have a device attached, it still consumes power, albeit in small quantities.