All USB ports on my laptop are dead, any options via Ethernet, SD/MMC or HDMI?

08
2014-07
  • carbontracking

    My son's laptop has taken alot of pain in his school over the last few months and he and his buddies have succeeded in breaking both USB ports. I've opened the box, unsoldered the USB ports, replaced them by new components but no joy - the ports seem dead.

    If I assume that the insertion of LEGO pieces, etc. in USB ports has rendered them unsalvageable, do I have any other options for restoring USB access to the laptop? The laptop has an ethernet port, a HDMI port and an SD/MMC port. I've trawled the web for a magic adadpter, i.e; ethernet=>USB, HDMI=>USB or SD/MMC=>USB but to no avail. Lots of options for going the other way though.

    Does anyone have any ideas on the feasibility of an ethernet=>USB cable? Ethernet doesn't seem to have +5V or GND so I can run a cable from the motherboard that could provide those.

    Amazing how many functions of a laptop just disappear when you have no USB ports.

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    Related Question

    Windows XP laptop with 6 USB ethernet adapters
  • Questioner

    I am planning to use an USB hub and plug in 6 USB ethernet adapters to use my laptop as 6 different users, with 6 different IP addresses to do some network testing.

    What are the possible issues?


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  • rob

    If you could tell us what kind of testing you're trying to do, it might help us determine whether this particular setup will be the most beneficial.

    I don't think this will cause any issues other than limiting the available bandwidth for each Ethernet adapter (although, as Kelbizzle suggested, a single USB port may not be able to power 6 Ethernet adapters, so you may need a powered hub). If you're trying to maximize the load on your network, you'll be limited by the bandwidth of the USB bus--480Mbps for USB2, and 12Mbps for USB 1.1 (also called USB full speed). Note that it will only take five 100Mbps Ethernet to saturate a USB2 bus if you're running a load test.

    In contrast, you would have more than twice the bandwidth available if you use one or more (non-USB) gigabit Ethernet adapters. You can simulate multiple machines using VMware, VirtualBox, VirtualPC, etc. If you use bridged networking, each VM will get its own IP address on the LAN.

    If you're trying to test whether your software can handle a heavy network load, it's also possible to create a completely virtual LAN, eliminating the need for any physical network interfaces (along with any physical bottlenecks associated with the physical network interfaces).

    If, on the other hand, you're trying to test whether your network itself can handle heavy traffic, you may need to use several physical networked machines to sufficiently saturate the network.

  • studiohack

    One possible outcome is that it messes up your wi-fi connection or any existing connection to the internet. Just an FYI. Other than that, good luck!

  • Kelbizzle

    I don't know what kind of network testing you could possibly do with 6 NICs. So if I don't even know. lol

    You should know that the only issue is the power of the hub. It is externally powered right?

  • ldigas

    I am planning to use an usb hub and plug in 6 usb ethernet adapter to use my laptop as 6 different users, with 6 different IP addresses to do some network testing. What are the possible issues?

    What kind of "network testing" do you have in mind ? Without knowing that, it is hard to say anything, or predict any issues ...

    apart from cable hell on the desk ...