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USB Not Working – Try This

Matt LeBoff Tutorials & How-To Guides

Do you have USB ports on your computer but for some reason the devices connected are not working? Or maybe your USB ports stop working after a long period of time? Don’t worry, the USB not working is [most likely] related to your computer configuration, not the ports malfunctioning. If our hunch is right, the fix is easy.  This is what we recommend checking if USB devices are not working on your computer. Lets check to see if the USB hubs and ports are set to power save when idle.  What this setting controls is the ability for a USB port to sleep if not used.  The sleep mode of the port is an effort to help your computer save energy going to connected devices that are not in use. To check the USB power setting lets do the following: Go to > START > CONTROL PANEL > SYSTEM. From here go to the Hardware Tab and click the Device Manager. Next, scroll down to the section labeled Universal Serial Bus controllers and expand it out.  Right click on the USB Hub listing and select properties.

USB not working

In the properties box, go to the power setting tab and look for the following.

USB not working

Once you’ve configured this correctly [uncheck] there is a good chance your USB devices will begin working [consistently] again. Continue Reading

USB Bottle Opener

Matt LeBoff USB Hardware & Gadgets

Nothing too fantastic about this flash drive except the convergence of different needs.  Ideally suited for those who frequent pubs while cruising on the wi-fi, this USB bottle opener is a perfect key chain accessory.

USB bottle opener

USB bottle opener

Available in 1, 2, 4 and 8GB sizes.  Laser etching is an option I would think given the sleek aluminum body.  USB bottle opener by Brando [out]. Continue Reading

Do You Really Need 64GB USB Drives?

Matt LeBoff Flash Storage & Memory, USB News & Press Releases

I can honestly say, today, no I don’t.  But that doesn’t mean you don’t.  Today we found the Kingston 64GB drive on sale for $147.  That’s about $72 off the regular price.

64GB drive

The company line: Kingston’s new DataTraveler® 200 USB Flash drive is ideal for storing and transferring digital images and presentations and transporting all kinds of data. With capacities up to 128GB, the DataTraveler 200 features password protection via Password Traveler software, which allows you to create and access a password-protected, secure area of the drive called a “Privacy Zone.” DataTraveler 200 is ideal for those who need significant storage capacity and data protection in a sleek, durable design. With a capless design and enhanced with Windows ReadyBoostâ„¢,** the DataTraveler 200 is perfect for home or business. DataTraveler 200 is backed by legendary Kingston® reliability plus a five-year warranty and 24/7 tech support. Grab the GetUSB Dealz now. Continue Reading

iMONO 13 Port USB Hub

Matt LeBoff USB Hardware & Gadgets

Will this USB hub give you chub?  With 13 ports all rolled up into one case, it’s a gadget lovers dream to power all those things USB.  In addition iMONO went green with giving us the ability to turn off a port and save energy going to a device. A quick glance through the specifications shows that an external power adapter is not available so you might run low on the bus powered juice if you’ve got too many power hungry gadgets [say several USB hard drives], but for powering your MP3 players, sticks, and humping dogs, should be ideal.

13 port hub

The 13 port hub runs for $30. Continue Reading

How To: USB Game Pad With Accelerometer

Matt LeBoff USB News & Press Releases

Make a custom USB game pad with an accelerometer for endless fun. The concept for this USB tutorial is taking a game pad and adding some USB.  Then putting in a small PCBA to enable keyboard shortcut programming so the device looks like a keyboard to your computer, but with specific buttons for game play.

The USB game pad can be used with nearly any software, such as a MAME emulator, game, simulation software, or for custom user interfaces. We’ll start by turning the buttons of the game pad into keyboard buttons, so that pressing ‘up’ is converted into the ‘U’ key, for example. The firmware is easily adaptable, so you can adjust it for whatever software it will be used with. Then we’ll beef things up by adding an interesting twist…an accelerometer. This will allow Continue Reading

USB Flashrods

Matt LeBoff Tutorials & How-To Guides

What do you get when you cross a Hot Wheels car and USB stick?  Flashrods. We’ve seen plenty of mods for USBs and hot rods, but we found one guy making a part time job of it. Sure you can do your own, but getting the masterpiece on the first try is hard, buy a Flashrod of $25 and have it done right. There are 20+ styles to select and available in different GB capacities.

USB flashrod

Source:  DigitalDrops. Continue Reading

USB Port Cleaner – Is It Needed?

Matt LeBoff USB Hardware & Gadgets

Brando announced a $17 USB port cleaner gadget.  At first glance it’s a great idea and well needed in many situations.  How many times has your flash drive been stuffed into your pocket, dropped on the ground or left in the glove box?  In each of those situations it’s very likely junk or debris could have made it into the USB contacts.

USB cleaner

The USB cleaner appears to be an alcohol based solution on the pad where by it cleans the metal contacts of the USB port.  Honestly, if you feel the need you can grab a alcohol swab and a pop-sickle stick and accomplish the same thing.  Although it wouldn’t be nearly as cool.

USB cleaner gadget

If you feel the need, Brando is selling the USB cleaner for $17 plus some shipping. Continue Reading

Nexcopy SuperSpeed 3.0 USB Duplicator – Shipping Soon

Matt LeBoff Flash Storage & Memory, USB Duplicators

2025 Update: Nexcopy Enhances USB 3.0 Duplicator with Higher Capacity Drives and Advanced Drive Manager Software

Nexcopy, a leader in USB duplication technology, has been shipping its USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Duplicator for over 15 years. The 16-port USB 3.0 Duplicator remains one of the most reliable solutions for high-speed USB flash drive and hard drive duplication. With peak transfer speeds of 65MB/s per device and up to 72MB/s with multiple drives connected, the duplicator can efficiently handle demanding data loads. For USB 3.0 hard drives, transfer rates reach a consistent 95MB/s, regardless of whether a single device or eight devices are connected.

USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Duplicator

Since its initial release, Nexcopy has expanded its USB 3.0 flash drive lineup, now offering capacities up to 256GB with optional custom branding. These high-capacity drives are ideal for industries requiring large data sets, secure distribution, and reliable performance.

The USB 3.0 Duplicator is powered by Nexcopy’s proprietary Drive Manager software, which receives regular updates to enhance speed, improve user experience, and add new functionality. Drive Manager updates are always free and require no license fees. For professional applications, the PRO version of Drive Manager enables advanced features such as:

  • USB write protection (hardware-based read-only mode)
  • Configuring USB drives as USB CD-ROM devices
  • Partitioning flash drives at the controller level
  • Editing USB device serial numbers

USB 3.0 flash drive

Nexcopy continues to focus on providing enterprise-grade duplication solutions with ongoing software innovation and long-term product support.

Source: EverythingUSB.

Continue Reading

Energy Boost for iPad – 99 Hours Worth

Matt LeBoff USB Security & Compliance

HyperMac updated their power blocks to include support for the iPad product line.  There are a couple models to chose from, but the high end, $500 unit, will give you 99 hours of iPad life.  More then enough for that weekend get-away. For a bit less, the $200 battery pack will get you the 60 watt version capable of powering your beloved Apple product for 34 hours. For this price, at least they include USB ports to power those USB gadgets you have in every corner of your office.

hypermac power supply

The HyperMac power bricks are not yet available, but will be within a couple of weeks.  Just in time to be received with your long delayed iPad order. Continue Reading

Facade Printer Paints Life Size Graffiti

Matt LeBoff USB Hardware & Gadgets, USB News & Press Releases

So here is a new twist on the graffiti art, the facade printer. Technically, it’s not used for graffiti in the traditional sense, but rather a new marketing method for a different print medium. Buildings.

The facade printer is an inkdot printer which looks like a paint gun mounted on a portable deck. The paint gun is controlled via software and connects via USB cable. From here the facade printer uses stepper motors to control the firing position of the barrel and point the end towards it’s next mapped position.

Through this technology it is now easy to make a pointillism type image on buildings, bridges, or any large scale surface. I think this is a particularly interesting method for retails to promote products to the masses much like a freeway billboard. Visit the facadeprinter.org website to learn more or what the video below.

facadeprinter.org – three stones from Facadeprinter

Source: CNET News. Continue Reading

How To: Format USB as NTFS File System

Matt LeBoff Tutorials & How-To Guides

Format USB Stick as NTFS File System

Flash drives are getting very large in size these days, the new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 sticks are getting over 256GB capacity.  With these larger sticks, the option to format the device as a NTFS file system is available, but what about the smaller USB sticks? By default, any USB stick under 4GBs in capacity will not have the Format USB as NTFS file system option, but we can fix that. Here is the How To: Format USB sticks as NTFS: Click Start > My Computer > Right click on the drive letter for the USB stick and select Properties.

format USB NTFS

Now, click the Hardware tab of the Properties pop-up window and select the drive letter of which you’d like to change.  In this case, it’s drive letter F shown as “Simple Flash Disk 2.0 USB Device“  From here click the Properties button.

format USB stick NTFS

The next step is click the Policies tab and Continue Reading

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