# dead usb port
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-usb-port/626078
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 23, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-usb-port/626078 "2012-06-23T15:44:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@allaround](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allaround)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-usb-port/626078/1 "2012-06-23T15:44:45Z")
I did a dumb thing and accidentally stuck the end of my laptop lock into one of the usb 2.0 ports on my laptop. :smack: The location of this usb port is where my previous laptop’s lock went. Anyway, this seems to have shorted it out or something. Anything I put in there isn’t recognized although it does report that something was placed in there. The devices are recognized in the other usb ports. I hate not having one of the ports not working. Is there anyway to fix this? Or are they easy to replace? I doubt the warranty covers this and don’t like sending my laptop in for repairs anyway. I’d rather do it myself or find somebody local to do it. Thanks for any thoughts as to what might have happened.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-usb-port/626078/2 "2012-06-23T15:58:52Z")
Have you completely powered off the machine? USB ports are supposed to be protected by self-resetting fuses.
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### Author:  [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-usb-port/626078/3 "2012-06-23T16:05:10Z")
Another possibility is you broke one of the solder joints, and could fix it with a touch of a solder iron. Getting access to it is possibly very difficult, though.
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### Author:  [@allaround](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allaround)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-usb-port/626078/4 "2012-06-23T16:55:32Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> Have you completely powered off the machine? USB ports are supposed to be protected by self-resetting fuses.
I have. I might try taking the battery out and letting it sit.
If it didn’t reset on its own, is this a fuse that can be reset via software or physically? Or replaced?
By the way, I have three USB ports (one a 3.0 if that matters, but that’s not the one I screwed up), but when I open the device manager it shows more than three. Likewise on my ancient desktop, the computer always says there are faster USB ports (referring to USB 2.0 I assume) when I hook up a printer or external drive to the two USB ports on it. Are there some internal USB ports that I cannot see externally? Or what’s going on? Thanks!
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### Author:  [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-usb-port/626078/5 "2012-06-23T19:21:20Z")
If it were a fuse problem, you wouldn’t even have to disconnect power because [PPTC fuses](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resettable_fuse) only stay high-resistance as long as current is flowing, which only happens if there is a load connected, regardless of whether power is applied or not. Now, this is what I have seen on most USB ports, but some may use a more intelligent approach; e.g. a chip that controls and senses current flow.
I’m thinking that one or more of the internal contacts were damaged (not necessarily solder joints, the actual metal contacts). Try to look inside the socket and see if it [looks like this](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnsvzlzRHNw/ThMWE3DEkoI/AAAAAAAAAF4/tbQt99glGWg/s1600/MacBook-Pro-USB-port.jpg) (note the four contacts below the white plastic piece; one or more may be bent back).
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-usb-port/626078/6 "2012-06-24T18:50:43Z")
If the port does not reactivate via resetting or prong adjusment you had best learn to live with it. Fixing it would likely require replacing the motherboard and given the cost of that, at that point you almost might as well buy a new notebook.
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### Author:  [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2012, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-usb-port/626078/7 "2012-06-25T07:43:50Z")
> [@allaround](#):
>
> By the way, I have three USB ports (one a 3.0 if that matters, but that’s not the one I screwed up), but when I open the device manager it shows more than three. Likewise on my ancient desktop, the computer always says there are faster USB ports (referring to USB 2.0 I assume) when I hook up a printer or external drive to the two USB ports on it. Are there some internal USB ports that I cannot see externally? Or what’s going on? Thanks!
Yes, internal card readers use internal USB ports. I think keyboards, trackpads, webcams and infrared ports also use internal USB ports.