Summary: USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 is a significantly faster version of USB 1.1. Determining which you have is not at all obvious. But it is fairly easy.
I'm thinking of purchasing a USB device, but it requires USB 2.0. I can't find anywhere on my machine that tells me whether or not I have this. How can I tell if I have USB 2.0?
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USB (for Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 is a significantly faster version of USB 1.1. Some devices can be quite speed intensive, and hence manufacturers are starting to require the faster connection. Most new machines come with USB 2.0 already built in. But what about an older machine? How do you tell?
It's easy, just not at all obvious.
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The tidbit of information you're looking for is buried in the device manager:
- Right-click My Computer
- Click on Properties
- Click on the Hardware tab
- Click on the Device Manager button
- Scroll down as needed until you see Universal Serial Bus Controllers
- Expand that by clicking on the boxed plus sign in front of Universal Serial Bus Controllers
At this point you should see something like this:
Note the highlighted line: "Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller". While the exact text may vary, the key is the word "Enhanced".
If it's "Enhanced", it's USB 2.0. If it's not, then it's USB 1.x.
Now, wasn't that obvious?
Important: on most machines the presence of "Enhanced", even only once (which it typically is), means that all USB ports are USB 2.0 ports. Typically a machine will have only one type of port and this tells you which kind they all are.
The one exception to this scenario is a machine with USB 1.1 ports that has a USB 2.0 expansion card added. In this case I know of no way to tell which is which, other than simply knowing you added a USB 2.0 card to a machine with built-in 1.1 ports. Obviously in a case like this, the built-in ports are 1.1, and the added expansion card ports are 2.0.
Related:
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How do I install my new USB device? Some USB devices simply require you to plug it in to use them, but reviewing documentation that came with the device before you do is important.
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Why is my USB device asking for a CD when I attach it? We'll look at some ideas to try to stop a USB device from asking for a CD.
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Can I copy files between two computers using a USB connections? There are a few ways that you can copy files between two computers using a USB connection.
Article C2405 - August 17, 2005
I wish people wouldn't write articles when they are clueless. I have a machine that DOES NOT have an add-in card and yet has USB 1.1 and USB 2 ports and yes it does state enhanced. So you are wrong and it really annoys me when people make assumptions without checking their facts and then pass on inaccurate information to someone else who relies upon it as being correct.
Posted by: xanadu at November 18, 2009 5:02 PMas per your instructions i check and it says enhanced pci to usb host controller, yet each time i connect a usb device to any port it says." this usb device can perform better..."
Posted by: Vikas Jethani at December 11, 2009 1:17 AM????!!!!!!!
I have a Dell Latitude D620 laptop with both USB 1.1 and 2.0. The USB 2.0 is used internally for the bluetooth and the card reader, as well as two of the four external ports. The other 2 are 1.1. So I'd imagine the rarity of having mixes is less than the article indicates. Recommend you update your article as it would seem the standard has shifted. Still, thanks for initiating the discussion, I would not have been able to figure out my system as fast as I did without the article and comments.
Posted by: JoSCh at December 15, 2009 6:52 AMI did everything you described. Nothing has changed. The computer is virus free, and all drivers are up to date.
Posted by: Darren at January 9, 2010 3:57 AMSo why are my USB 2.0 devices still running so slow?
I had to do a reformat, and since then, nothing has worked quite right except for very fast boot-up time.
I have driver detective, downloaded the drivers I need, but still this is a bummer.
I'm running windows xp service pack 2 home edition by the way. If you can help me out with my peripheral hard drives and such, that would be great.
I have same problam of data transferring speed i have standard enhanced pci to usb host controller. the data transferring rate is too slow any suggestion please
Posted by: Rehan at January 27, 2010 2:46 AM