# How Can I Tell if My PC has USB 2.0?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 22, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557 "2004-02-22T22:52:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557/1 "2004-02-22T22:52:06Z")

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That about says it 🙂

Thanks!!

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**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557/2 "2004-02-22T23:25:48Z")

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Right click the My Computer icon and select Properties.

Click on the Hardware tab and look for Device Manager.

Find the Universal Serial Bus entry and click on the + next to it.

If you don’t have an entry that reads something like ‘Advanced Host Controller’ then you don’t have USB 2.0.

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**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557/3 "2004-02-22T23:40:30Z")

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Err, it says “Intel® 82801AA USB Universal Host Controler”

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**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557/4 "2004-02-22T23:59:54Z")

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And by the way, the current CD-Burner seems to require USB 2.0 and works ok. Does that mean that any USB 2.0 device will work ok?

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557/5 "2004-02-23T00:22:33Z")

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> [@Kal](#):
>
> If you don’t have an entry that reads something like ‘Advanced Host Controller’ then you don’t have USB 2.0.

Mine has “Intel PCI to USB Enhanced Host Controller”. Is this enough like “Advanced” to be 2.0?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557/6 "2004-02-23T00:28:54Z")

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> [@lucwarm](#):
>
> And by the way, the current CD-Burner seems to require USB 2.0 and works ok. Does that mean that any USB 2.0 device will work ok?

Most USB 2.0 devices will work with USB 1.1 anyway, albeit at the lower speed - the standard for USB 2.0 is supposed to imclude backward compatibility in both directions (i.e. Plugging a 2.0 printer into a 1.1 port or plugging a 1.1 printer into a 2.0 port, although the rate of transfer would be that of USB 1.1 in both cases)

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557/7 "2004-02-23T00:31:19Z")

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Hasty addendum: Some USB 2.0 devices such as CD burners and video capture devices may _require_ the extra bandwidth of USB 2.0, even though they might _theoretically_ communicate with 1.1 at an inadequate rate.

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**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pc-has-usb-2-0/230557/8 "2004-02-23T01:39:16Z")

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Well, based on the postings here I decided to break out the DVD I bought and give it a shot. And it worked 🙂 Thanks guys