hi speed usb host controller? or firewire

jasonrat
jasonrat Posts: 482 Forumite
in Techie Stuff
hi me again just bought the 300gb external hard drive and my comp says i dont have hi speed usb host contoller. i have firewire installed or is this completely different. i don't have any pci slots available for usb host controllers unless i take the firewire out? question is.. are there usb attatchements apart from pci cards available to make it high speed or can i plug it into firewire port i have 3 spare firewire ports available? thanks for the advice again

Comments

  • John_Gray
    John_Gray Posts: 5,837 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I use the firewire socket on my 300 GB Maxtor Onetouch II to connect to the firewire card on my PC. I find it somewhat more reliable than the USB2 connector that it has, and at a nominal 400 Mbps it is allegedly faster than USB2.

    Just check that you have a firewire socket on the external hard disk and buy the correct cable. I found the hard disk was recognised first time on either connection.

    John

    PS It seems puzzling that a new (even new-ish) computer doesn't have USB2...
  • jasonrat
    jasonrat Posts: 482 Forumite
    just checked and the hard drive doesnt have a fire wire socket. are there compatbible leads that can fix into it? it does say usb but its the thick usb one not the nornal standard

    the box says usb 2.0/1.1 windows does say it needs hi speed >
    can it work without hispeed and will it make a big difference if it is 1.1?
  • John_Gray
    John_Gray Posts: 5,837 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    On the firewire -> USB conversion possibility, you're outside my area of experience. Personally, I would be reluctant to do this even if it were possible.

    Are you sure that the computer says you have to have USB 2 for it to work? Isn't the message something like "it will run a good deal faster if you have USB 2 rather than USB 1.1"?

    By the way, USB 2.0 has an alleged maximum data rate of 480 Mbps (that's mega-bits per second), and for USB 1.1 the figure is 22 Mbps. In practice the actual data transfer rate depends on a number of factors and is unlikely to get near these values.

    From a website:
    Q. Can I use USB2.0 devices with my USB1.1 port?
    A. USB2.0 Devices [...] are fully “backward compatible” with USB1.1 ports but are limited to USB1.1 speed. To take full advantage of the added speed of USB2.0, it is necessary to have a functional USB2.0 port installed.

    John
  • jasonrat
    jasonrat Posts: 482 Forumite
    John_Gray wrote:
    On the firewire -> USB conversion possibility, you're outside my area of experience. Personally, I would be reluctant to do this even if it were possible.

    Are you sure that the computer says you have to have USB 2 for it to work? Isn't the message something like "it will run a good deal faster if you have USB 2 rather than USB 1.1"?

    By the way, USB 2.0 has an alleged maximum data rate of 480 Mbps (that's mega-bits per second), and for USB 1.1 the figure is 22 Mbps. In practice the actual data transfer rate depends on a number of factors and is unlikely to get near these values.

    From a website:
    Q. Can I use USB2.0 devices with my USB1.1 port?
    A. USB2.0 Devices [...] are fully “backward compatible” with USB1.1 ports but are limited to USB1.1 speed. To take full advantage of the added speed of USB2.0, it is necessary to have a functional USB2.0 port installed.

    John
    it says it is a hi speed usb storage and will function at a reduced speed in a non hi speed port.
    will it make that much difference?
  • John_Gray
    John_Gray Posts: 5,837 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    USB 1.1 is supposed to be 20 times slower than USB 2.0. Whether that matters to you rather depend on what you're doing, how much data you want to transfer, and how often. Why don't you try it and see if the speed is adequate for your purposes, before taking the matter further?

    John
  • gavinp
    gavinp Posts: 469 Forumite
    How about swapping your Firewire card for a Combo card (Firewire & USB2) ?

    http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=23131

    http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/105838

    Thanks

    Gavin
  • espresso
    espresso Posts: 16,448 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    gavinp wrote:
    How about swapping your Firewire card for a Combo card (Firewire & USB2) ?

    http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=23131

    http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/105838

    Thanks

    Gavin

    Good answer as presumably the OP still needs Firewire connectivity.

    :T
    :doh: Blue text on this forum usually signifies hyperlinks, so click on them!..:wall:
  • jasonrat
    jasonrat Posts: 482 Forumite
    gavinp wrote:
    How about swapping your Firewire card for a Combo card (Firewire & USB2) ?

    http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=23131

    http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/105838

    Thanks

    Gavin
    brilliant thankyou very much just what the doctor ordered
    i need extra usb ports too
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