Card-reader / Usb-ports Keep Disconnecting
 

My dad bought a 5 1/4 inch multi-media bay;
it routes audio, firewire, usb etc to the front of the PC. It also contains a multi-media card-reader.
All direct connections work OK, but the two usb-ports and the card-reader don't :(
When a usb-stick or memory-card is inserted, it is correctly identified and opened (in kde), but after a couple of seconds the device "disappears" ; probably disconnected somehow...

The device itself is likely alright, since it worked on my PC...(suse10 32 bit)
My dad has an amd64 with suse10 (x86-64), but it also happens with a 32bit suse-live-cd.

Any ideas ?

Could it be power supply problem?

Now that you mention it....
He did also have some occasional "random" hangs and stuff...
Brilliant idea!
Thanks a lot for the tip !