How to Upgrade USB

Steps

Find out the specifications of your USB devices. Usually the USB speed is clearly marked on the device, on the product box or in the manual. Otherwise you can search for the device by exact model name online to find out. Some products that commonly use USB connection include the following. External hard disks.Upgrade USB Step 1Bullet1.jpg Portable memory and flash drives.Upgrade USB Step 1Bullet2.jpg Memory card readers.Upgrade USB Step 1Bullet3.jpg Ipods and MP3 players.Upgrade USB Step 1Bullet4.jpg Digital cameras.Upgrade USB Step 1Bullet5.jpg Input devices (keyboard and mouse).Upgrade USB Step 1Bullet6.jpg

Upgrade your USB if your computer's USB port is slower than the ports on your external devices. There are 2 main methods of doing this.

Purchase a USB PCI Card with the USB speed that you desire.

Shut down your computer completely and disconnect it from the power supply.

Remove the cover of your desktop computer. Many computers have hand screws and clips that allow you to easily remove the cover.

Look for the white slots on the back plate. They are located at the backside of your computer. If you have a USB port at the front of your computer then there will be a front plate as well. Choose the area where you want the upgraded ports added.

Unscrew and pull out the old USB PCI card or if there is no card attached you may have to take off the slot protector (a silver metal piece) to expose the PCI slot hole.

Push the new USB PCI card into the slot hole. Make sure the ports are facing outwards so they can go through the hole in the back plate.

Screw on the new USB PCI card slot to ensure that the connection holds.

Replace your computer's cover, reconnect the power, turn it on and log in normally.

Wait for your operating system to detect the new hardware and install any drivers and software that came with your new USB PCI card.

Connecting a PCMCIA USB Adapter to Your Laptop

Purchase a PCMCIA USB adapter with your desired USB speed.

Turn off your laptop completely.

Eject the PCMCIA slot cover by pressing the eject button at the side. You may have to press the button twice.

Insert the new PCMCIA USB adapter into the slot so that the USB ports face outwards.

Power on your laptop and wait until you see a message saying that a new device has been detected.

Install the driver and software that came with your PCMCIA USB adapter.