USB Port Problems
 

I just installed Mandriva 2005 LE on my Gateway M275 tablet PC and am having some problems. I posted a question earlier about my mouse, but it's not the mouse that is the problem. It is my USB ports. My USB printer has repeated errors and my USB jump drive only works properly for about the first 30 seconds of use, then it just freezes up, and the printer keeps sending messages saying "Device Communication Error". Does anybody know how I could fix this problem with my USB ports? If you could be as detailed as possible, because I am still fairly new to linux.

Tablet PC? New to Linux? Lots of luck! :)

I know zero about this hardware, but you'd have to suspect some unusual stuff in there which might not be fully supported in the kernel. Some things you could try:

1. Checking the log (e.g. output of dmesg) for USB errors. If you compile your own kernel you not only get the very latest version, but also you can do things like increasing the detail of debug messages.

2. Check the output of 'lspci' for strange hardware.

3. The latest knoppix live cd is a good way to try out the most up-to-date distro with good hardware detection.

4. As always, google is invaluable, especially for getting info about unusual hardware.